September News

A big Hello and welcome to a quick run-through of everything you need to know about St Marks over the next few weeks (or at least everything Paul has remembered to write here!)

MK CAN

As you know, child poverty, and food poverty in particular is a priority for us at St Marks.  Our mates at MK Foodbank are holding a big event on October 16th to collect LOADS of food to try and help them meet their levels of demand, and also to raise awareness of the size of the issue of food poverty locally. 

Their plan is to set a new World Record for one single line created by placing cans of food next to each other. The course they are oping to complete is 10km through and around Campbell Park. 

We want to support them in raising this awareness (and have been at the receiving end of huge amounts of their generosity over the past few years). St Marks has committed to completing a section of the line - by supplying 350 tins of food. Following the event, these tins of food will go directly to the Foodbank warehouse to then be used in food parcels (and maybe the odd Meals box or 12).

If you are able and willing, please bring some tins of food to any Village gathering over the next 3 weeks, up to and including the 15th Oct…we will then add these to the line. As a rough estimate, if every house in the gang could donate 10 tins, we will smash it! 

Baked beans, Sweetcorn, Chickpeas, Soup, Tuna, Potatoes, Kidney Beans etc…it’s all good! 

Finally, if you are 16 or over and would like to help out on the 16th Oct at Campbell Park by policing our section of the line, then let Paul know. There will be a ‘celebration event’ if the World Record is achieved, and some freebies on the day!

CLASSROOM

Developing a strong Core is one of the ways we grow to maturity in our faith as disciples of Jesus. One of the ways we can do this is by learning and studying and asking good questions together of the Bible. 

For many years we have regularly used videos created by The Bible Project in our learning together. Now the same people have produced a series of free online teaching modules, diving into the Bible in much greater depth. 

“Introduction to the Hebrew Bible” is a foundation course in understanding what we call the Old Testament. Sign up here for access to all the teaching videos and handbook / lecture note downloads. 

The classes can be accessed and viewed for free, by you whenever you want (there is even an app!) The idea is that each of us who are studying will meet once a month for a drink and discuss what we are learning / questioning / how we are growing etc. 

Check it out and let Paul know if you’re up for it. 

DATES NOT TO MISS

Hopefully you have had a chance to pick up a term card or check out the dates on the calendar online. Our pattern of meeting each Sunday morning at the MacIntyre Centre is our default, but there are a couple of other things to make sure you take note of cos they will be lots of fun and/or are on different dates. 

For instance:

• TEN PIN ’23 - Sunday 22nd Oct
• Half Term Walk - Sunday 29th Oct
• Bonfire Party - Saturday 4th Nov
• Advent Meal - Friday 1st Dec
• Carols - Sunday 17th Dec (in the late afternoon)

VENUE INFO

This term our regular Sunday gatherings will be at the MacIntyre Centre on Great Holm. There is great space here, with a. Small hall, great breakout rooms and a brilliant garden zone. Looking forward to welcoming you to the building if you have not yet made it. 

The one small pinch point is parking. There are some spaces outside the building, some more round the back AND we have an agreement with the Kam Tong Gardens Chinese restaurant that we can use their car park on a Sunday morning. This is about a 200m walk from the MacIntyre centre…so if you fancy getting your steps up, don’t have small children, are not running too late, or love the idea of a Chinese buffet lunch…the consider parking at the Kam Tong. 

This is a great venue for the village for the next few months, but the acoustics still make a Sunday morning a little tricky - so we remain on the hunt for somewhere TOTALLY brilliant! Keep praying and looking!

DIFFERENT VOICES

As we all know, a church is about US and is always stronger when there are more voices speaking into it and more hands on deck. If you fancy leading a gathering / teaching / hanging out with some kids or teens / baking cakes / taking over the socials etc etc, then please let Paul know and fix a date and a time for you to strut your stuff! 

OTHERWISE…

Thanks for reading this far - congrats for making it to the end! As we consider together how we are being formed, and how we are forming the world around us…may you be formed by the kind, close and wonder-filled presence of Jesus leading and guiding you each day. And may you know peace. 

Paul