Markings Newsletter
Volume: 89 | Issue: 11
The Abundant Life: Be Thankful for the Little Things
from Rev. Quentisha Davis Wiles, MSW, ASW, MDIV, Senior Pastor
Dear Beloved Saint Mark’s Community,
At this season of Thanksgiving, we are reminded of God’s unfailing abundance and provision in our lives. Despite the challenges we’ve faced – from the aftermath of the pandemic to economic uncertainties – God has remained faithful, empowering us to rebuild and thrive.
In a world that often speaks of scarcity, we are called to remember the truth of God’s abundance. The idea of food scarcity and limited resources can overshadow the reality of God’s provision. Yet, we are reminded in Psalm 145:16, “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” Our God is a God of plenty, not of lack.
Consider how God provided manna in the desert for the Israelites, or how Jesus fed 5,000 with just five loaves and two fish. These stories aren’t just historical accounts; they’re reminders of God’s ability to provide abundantly, even in seemingly impossible situations.
Take a moment to contemplate how God has taken care of you and your loved ones during difficult times. Perhaps it was an unexpected financial blessing, a healing touch, or the comfort of community when you needed it most. These are not coincidences, but evidence of God’s abundant love.
As Philippians 4:19 assures us, “…God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” This promise isn’t limited to good times – it’s a guarantee for every season of our lives.
So, in this season, I invite you to contemplate using this mindset of abundance and gratitude in you daily life. Here are a few ways to get started:
1. Start each day by naming three blessings, no matter how small.
2. Keep a gratitude journal to record God’s provisions.
3. Share your abundance with others, whether through time, resources, or kind words.
4. Reframe challenges as opportunities to demonstrate God’s faithfulness.
5. Practice contentment, recognizing that God’s provision is always sufficient.
This practice will prepare us for November’s sermon series, “The Abundant Life: Be Thankful for the Little Things.” Together, we’ll explore how recognizing God’s provision in our lives can transform our perspective and deepen our faith.
As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us also remember those who are hurting. Our hearts and prayers go out to Native American communities who carry the weight of historical trauma during this season. May God’s grace, peace, and mercy bring comfort and healing.
Despite the challenges we face – political divisions, economic pressures, and global uncertainties – we stand firm knowing that our God is greater than any obstacle. May we be overwhelmed by the realization that God’s goodness in our lives is truly beyond measure.
Let us enter this season with hearts full of gratitude, eyes open to God’s abundant provision, and hands ready to share our blessings with others. For in giving thanks and sharing we participate in God’s ongoing work of love in this world.
In Christ’s abundant love,
Pastor Q
Our Mission: Growing a thriving, inclusive, and diverse congregation that engages the broader community with compassionate acts.
United Women in Faith Celebrate a Season of Thanks
At the November 12 gathering of Saint Mark’s United Women in Faith thanks will be given for the current year and for the future. Join the group at 9:45 AM in MacMurdo Hall below the Sanctuary to share in refreshments while members make cards to send to those members who are not able to attend meetings. Readings will proclaim the Thanksgiving Message, and nominations for 2025 officers will be announced.
ADVENTure is on the Horizon!
Sunday, December 1 is the first Sunday of Advent. Families and Friends are invited to go on an ADVENTure in MacMurdo Hall from 2:00 PM till 4:30 PM. There will be items to make and take for your home or to give as gifts as we prepare for the season of Advent. Maybe you’d like to make a lighted wooden Christmas Tree, a Nativity Set, stuff a Teddy Bear to be given to the Sheriff’s Department to comfort children they meet on calls or have an artist give you step by step instructions as you paint a poinsettia on canvass. The only fee is to bring a snack to share and/or a canned or packaged food item for Saint Mark’s Food Closet.
This will be an ADVENTure you won’t want to miss!
Boni Fields, Christy Stoughton and Margie Shunk
A Note from John & Miriam McCormack,
Saint Marks Interfaith Coordinators
In the spirit of interfaith cooperation, Saint Mark’s has begun a dialogue with the Sacramento Baha’i Fellowship to establish a loving partnership. The Baha’i Fellowship originated in Iran and has spread throughout the world as a community of persons with deep love for humanity and a strong emphasis on peace, social justice and understanding, both for the world and personally. They believe in the commonality of the world’s legitimate religions and the unity of all the world’s peoples. Saint Mark’s hosted our local Baha’i friends at an informal potluck in Wesley Hall earlier this fall. We greeted our new friends, shared a delicious meal, established new relationships and learned more about this fascinating religious tradition. The basics of United Methodism were also shared with our guests. As is true in all faith traditions, we do not agree on everything; the dialog will be ongoing. We have Saint Mark’s members who plan to continue their discussions with those they met at this event and that is the goal!! To learn more about our interfaith plans, please contact Miriam and John McCormack.
Saint Mark's Mercy Pedalers Supply Drive
As cold weather finally appears, Saint Mark’s Mercy Pedalers are working on distributing sleeping bags, tents and tarps to unhoused persons who need them in Arden-Arcade. Last year, the donations were very generous and we hope to continue this mission in a big way. Big 5 Sporting Goods at 3420 Arden Way is again supporting our Drive by offering discount – you can download and print coupon at home. Your support and generosity are greatly appreciated.
Blessings, Saint Mark’s Mercy Pedalers: Pam Cummings, Cheryl Fuller, Andrew Maret. Wes & Leslie Ingram, Ron West, and Jan Dell.
Jango (zhan-go) — the Meeting Place
Jango (zhan-go) — the Meeting Place — is the heart of the Bom Jesus church community in Angola. It is an open-air circular structure with a sheet metal roof and concrete floor, surrounded by a low concrete block wall, overlooking the Kwanza River, the largest in Angola. Visitors are welcomed there, boys kick soccer balls, adult meetings begin with worship and song, tables are set for church dinners, children’s Sunday School fills the space with energy, and small conversation groups perch on the wall. Jango is rarely empty. The Saint Mark’s mission team (Joel and Françoise Bulaya, Jane Henderson, and Jim Eychaner) felt at home there during our visit in mid September.
Opportunities to Engage Yourself and Your Resources
From Mike Jaske, SacACT Homelessness Committee
On June 28th of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision removing restrictions on how local jurisdictions and States can treat unsheltered homeless people. Cities and counties can, once again, enforce anti-camping bans and “sweep” unauthorized encampments regardless of whether there are any shelter spaces available.
What does a sweep of an encampment actually do? After a short notification period, law enforcement, refuse workers, and garbage trucks show up and are able to confiscate any belongings that remain in the encampment including tents, sleeping bags, lawn chairs, cooking equipment, clothing, identification documents, medicine, and haul it off as though it were garbage. Residents are told to move on and they scatter to the winds. Only a small fraction of these people are lucky and get one of the scarce shelter beds. To survive, they begin once again to accumulate the necessities of living on the streets. Little by little they find a new location and small groups form another encampment in another neighborhood. The typical sweep simply moves “the problem” from one location to another.
What is the real solution? Cities and portions of counties like Arden-Arcade need to increase the capacity of shelters, transitional housing, and other forms of permanent housing. Our local governments in Sacramento are a little more enlightened than many. They understand that more forms of shelter need to be developed and have spent millions of dollars in the past five years doing so. There are even plans to increase shelter spaces and affordable housing, but these plans are usually contingent on obtaining state or federal funds. They also confront extreme opposition from local neighborhoods whenever such shelters of housing projects are proposed.
How can you get involved? Pastor Quentisha has spent months exhorting us to follow Jesus’ message of agape love – to follow Jesus’ directive to love your neighbor by stepping out of our comfort zone and working toward a better world. If you are concerned about the solutions to homelessness here are a few ideas to get involved.
– Join SacACT’s Housing and Homeless Committee. Help us to advocate before local elected officials to reallocate budget priorities, reduce the cost of developing new housing by eliminating fees and easing shelter and housing project permitting rules;
– Join your neighborhood association. Voice your support for well-designed and proven shelter and housing projects to counteract kneejerk NIMBYism;
– Support service organizations. Mercy Pedalers and Loaves and Fishes always need help in providing survival services for the unsheltered;
– Help St. Mark’s Food Closet. Contribute food or funds to our own local efforts to serve the homeless and poor so they can eat more nutritiously and use their scarce dollars for other necessities.
Of course, there are many other worthy topics that also need your money, time, and resources. The point is to find something you can become passionate about and dive in!
A Note from Elizabeth Cruz
Dear Saint Mark’s family, as some of you may already know, in August of this year, I was diagnosed with a benign tumor that requires a hysterectomy. On November 5, 2024, I will undergo surgery to remove the tumor and begin my recovery. While the road ahead may be challenging, I am confident in the outcome and filled with gratitude for the incredible support I’ve already received from this community.
Words cannot express how much your prayers, messages, and good energy mean to me. The love and support from Saint Marks have lifted my spirits and given me strength in ways I can never fully describe. Knowing that I have such a compassionate and caring community by my side during this time fills my heart with gratitude.
As I focus on my recovery, I kindly ask for your help in keeping the campus running smoothly in my absence. Whether it’s assisting with campus upkeep, volunteering for events, or helping with walkthroughs, your support will mean the world to me. Saint Marks has always been a place of love, and I know that with your care, it will continue to thrive until my return.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you’ve done and continue to do. I’ll be thinking of you and looking forward to returning, stronger than ever, after my recovery.
With heartfelt gratitude, Sister Elizabeth Cecilia Cruz
