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St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

3100 Murfreesboro Pike

P. O. Box 741

Antioch, Tennessee 37011

615-361-4100

P. O. Box 741

Antioch, Tennessee 37011

615-361-4100

“We at St. Mark’s are on a journey seeking God in you, ourselves and all creation”

Weekly Schedule

Sundays           8:00 AM            Holy Eucharist

9:15 AM            Sunday School

           10:30 AM           Holy Eucharist

2^nd Sunday        9:00 AM            Breakfast

Wednesdays     6:00 PM            Centering Prayer

                        7:00 PM            Choir Rehearsal

Fridays             8:00 PM            AA Meeting

Saturdays         8:00 AM            Centering Prayer

The Right Reverend Bertram Herlong     Bishop of Tennessee

The Reverend Battle Beasley               Rector

Frank Brannon, M. Div.                        Pastoral Care Coordinator

George Kurz                                       Senior Warden

Linda Clendening                                 Junior Warden

Karen Seufert & Les Worsley               Treasurers

Kelly Stovall                                        Clerk of the Vestry

 Next month deadline for submissions is Sunday, April 17^th

Dear People of God,

Alleluia, He is risen. The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!

A year ago this month Amy and I received a call telling us Zella had been born

and we should come immediately to Texas to adopt her. Immediately. In our world

so many things press on our time and energy demanding our immediate attention.

A friend is fond of reminding me that so many urgent situations grab our time and

attention while quite often the truly important things we leave unattended.

The time is Now, there is no other time.

The time to remember friends and family,

the time to take care of our bodies, minds and spirits,

the time to let go of the urgent and attend to the truly important is Now.

The Easter season proclaims our healing, our reconciliation, and our redemption.

Now we are a new creation, the people God created us to be.

The invitation from God is to begin anew immediately! Come, no matter if you have

broken your vows a thousand times, dear ones,

Now is the time.

Peace,

Battle + 

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Once again we have received thank you letters from St. Luke’s and Habitat for Humanity. 

The St. Mark’s Community just keeps on pouring out their generosity to outreach. 

Thank you letters received are listed below.

St. Luke’s – December 22, 2004, $100.00

St. Luke’s – February 17, 2005, $50.00

St. Luke’s – March 11, 2005, $50.00

Habitat for Humanity – March 7, 2005, $50.00

 These letters will be posted on the bulletin board for all to read.  Please take the time to read them.

MARY CATHERINE STROBEL AWARDS 

Reserve your space for the Awards Banquet today.  The luncheon is on April 28^th from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm at the downtown

 Sheraton Hotel. Make plans to join other leaders.  All nominees receive free admission.  Individual reservations are $25.00 each.

  Tables may be reserved for $250.00.  Paper tickets are not used for the luncheon.  You must contact Tayler Gudeman,

 Development Manager, at 615-298-1108 x 105 or tayler@hon.org to reserve your space by Friday April 8^th.

April Birthdays 

April Anniversaries 

Congratulations!

Congratulations to all those who were confirmed or received on March 6^th when Bishop Herlong visited St. Mark’s.  They are: Laura Button, Adam Hale, Ann Honig, Jim Johnson, Mary Beth Johnson, Carol Wilkinson – Confirmed; and Kristina Gray – Received.

 Congratulations also to Lauren and John Cook on the birth of Jackson Thomas on March 17^th weighing in at 7 lb. 9 oz. and was 21 inches long.  All are doing well.

A VERY UNIQUE GROUP!

 The Brain Club meets every other Wednesday. What is the Brain Club?

This group grew out of some of the work Candy Burger is involved in. People in the Brain Club

have all suffered some sort of brain injury. The group meets for social time to learn/relearn

computer skills and to share information about the issues facing them. If you know of someone

who might benefit from this program please speak to Candy or Battle. 

COME ONE COME ALL!!

INTERESTED CHILDREN AND TEENS

How would you like to be part of a special singing group?  This summer is the opportunity.  I am trying to

gather as many young people as possible to form a youth choir.  You don’t have to read music, you only need

to enjoy singing.  We will plan to sing every other week while the choir is off during the summer.  Pentecost

Sunday is May 15th and that is the last day that the choir sings.  We will probably start two weeks after that. 

I would like to have a meeting after church on April 16th to see how many are interested and when would be a

good time to have practice.  If you are only at Church every other Sunday that is not a problem.  We can work

around that.  I will be calling parents in the next couple of weeks and if we need to change the meeting date

we can do that.  I am very flexible.  I hope you will sing with us. 

Lorna Noren

Choir Director

DID YOU ATTEND THE LISTENING GROUP?

If you were unable to attend the listening sessions for the election of a new bishop please go to the

 web site www.tnbishopsearch.org and give the committee your input.

If you do not have internet access please come to church and we will help you access the site.  

YOU DON’T HAVE TO HAVE CHILDREN TO ENJOY THIS!

Have you looked in the nursery lately, if not you are missing out. With new windows giving much more light, Phillip and Rebecca Simpson, Suzie McEwen, and Elizabeth Gregory have repainted the room in vision and wonderfully bright colors and a veggie tales mural.  Thank you all for your hard work. 

Christian Education Thoughts from Andie

Most people think of Sunday School, and cringe at the thought of just listening and answering questions

 about the Bible. Almost as if Sunday school is a punishment for sinning, but I'm glad St. Mark's Sunday

School doesn't seem like a punishment. If anything, it's a reward. Instead of boring me, Sunday school

plants ideas which let my mind wander. We always have a chance to give our thoughts and beliefs in

lass. Most of the times we have open discussions.

I hope you can come and share your thoughts, beliefs, and ideas with us too.  

Andie Scott

Note: St. Mark's Intermediate Sunday School class includes students from ages 9-14 (we're flexible). We meet at 9:15 am every Sunday in the classroom at the back of the Narthex.

IF JESUS WAS TO VISIT ST. MARK’S TODAY, WHAT WOULD HE SEE, HEAR, FEEL, AFFIRM AND QUESTION?

 A letter to St. Mark’s, Antioch, TN from Jesus

 My dear family, I come into your midst today to show and tell you of the great love that I feel for each of you.  I give you praise for the great diversity of your congregation.  The open doors that you offer to your immediate community of Antioch and surrounding areas.  The outreach that you extend to those in your city that are hungry and poor.  The love that you extend to each other in times of need.  The variety of opportunities that are offered in your congregation. My heart is bursting with pride and admiration that a congregation of your size has so much to give.

 I also feel great sadness about the lack of your St. Mark’s congregation to actually be a community gathering together to explore, study, question, challenge and be challenged in each other’s continuing spiritual journey.  I see individuals doing this on their own in their lives and being very devoted to their individual calls.  However this is not enough!  You must be a community that studies together as well as worships together.  You must nurture each other in community, not only as individuals!  There are opportunities for this community growth in your congregations that are not being utilized except by a few.  And there are opportunities to offer enlightenment and growth to the congregation that are being missed, i.e. Lenten studies, Advent studies, mid-week studies and/or speakers throughout the year.  There is no end to the availability of materials to grow yourselves as individuals to the fullness of who you are created to become, and that my dear ones must be done in community

Although your congregation is very open to the diversity of the world around you, your St. Mark’s community is very complacent in regard to the agony of the Episcopal Church in this day.  Your congregation as a whole needs to be educated and encouraged to participate on the preservation of My teachings to respect all of my children, not just those whom you feel “comfortable” around and with.  Do you think that I always acted our of my “comfort zone”?  My Father led Me into all sorts of situations, to all sorts of people and all sorts of events that caused me to tremble.  My Father always gave Me the courage to face these discomforts with openness and truth.  And, this is My invitation to each of you at St. Mark’s in this day and time.  Face the world---be kind, be gentle, be respectful, be accepting, be challenging---and, most of all be truthful.  You will not always be accepted!  You will always be challenged! You will always be about My Father’s work!  Grow, learn and challenge in community, your St. Mark’s community, then go out two by two, facing the world with My Spirit.

 My peace I give to you. My love I give to you, My guidance and courage I give to you as your St. Mark’s community grows to become what I have created you to be.

 Peace and Grace to you always, 

Jesus