This Week

Well, we certainly had an adventure on the way home from the Youth Gathering in New Orleans. I hope you watched our daily Facebook postings. The software issues on Friday were still affecting travel on Sunday, which combined with weather issues and staffing issues. That meant we spent a lot of time in airports and on planes. Delays, missed flights, new connections, more delays, flights turned around before takeoff all resulted in over 24 hours of trying to get back home. But we made it home safely and filled with the spirit.

Older church members often debate the future of the church. Will the next generation continue the church? Well, stop worrying about it. We are raising the next generation of disciples who will continue the work of the church when we are gone. The energy at the Youth Gathering was amazing. The commitment to serve God and serve our neighbors was inspiring. The awareness of serious issues that plague our world was on point. I was truly inspired by the Youth Gathering in particular the youth from St. Mark’s and surrounding churches.

It is so important for us to continue to do what we are doing to raise these disciples, to educate them to the needs of the world, and to prepare them to serve God and the world. Our Sunday School Program, Youth activities, VBS, Youth Mission Trips, Youth Gatherings are so important for us to prepare and empower the next generations of God’s leaders and servants.

Later this month, we will be having a Youth local Mini-Mission trip with youth of St. Mark’s, Schwarzwald, and Reformation. We have several other youth activities coming up. But here are some big announcements for our youth…

We learned that Youth Gathering 2027 will be in Minneapolis so we will start fund-raising now for that big event hoping that we will take even more youth to the Gathering that year. And this is a brand-new announcement… We are planning a Youth Mission Trip to Nashville, Tennessee for the summer of 2025!!!! It will be a one-week Mission Trip for students in grades 7-12 and we will also need some adult mentors to join us on this trip. It looks like the cost will be $500 per youth for the trip plus some funds for support like special meals, t-shirts, gas, etc. So, we will be compiling more information and a budget soon and will be starting our fundraising as well.

Youth of St. Mark’s, you are awesome. You are called! You are called to be creative. You are created to be brave, authentic, free, disruptive, disciples. The future of the church is in your hands.

Pastor Jim

1 Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

  15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

  16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.