Markings Newsletter
Volume: 94 | Issue: 4
The Seasons of Life: Walking with Christ Through Every Season
A Letter From Rev. Quentisha Davis Wiles, MSW, ASW, MDIV, Senior Pastor
Dear Saint Mark’s Family,
Ah, spring! The flowers bloom, the birds sing… and our news feeds continue to give us spiritual whiplash! As we journey through Lent toward the cross, something feels different this season. While Sacramento’s weather swings between sunshine and showers, our nation’s climate seems stuck in a perpetual storm of uncertainty.
But here’s the good news: This isn’t our first rodeo with seasons of change! As Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us, “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.” From the youngest among us building LEGO towers just to knock them down, to our wisest elders who’ve weathered countless storms – we all understand seasons!
I’ve noticed life often follows a divine script with three acts:
- The Calm Before: Life feels predictable (maybe even boring!)
- The Plot Twist: Suddenly, we’re facing trials that make reality TV look tame
- The Resolution: We emerge transformed, with stories to tell
Sound familiar? Whether you’re a teen navigating social drama, a parent juggling work-life chaos, or a retiree adapting to new routines – we’re all somewhere in this cycle!
The writer of Ecclesiastes knew what he was talking about! The poetry of verses 1-8 reads like a cosmic permission slip for life’s contradictions:
“A time to be born, and a time to die… A time to weep, and a time to laugh… A time to keep silence, and a time to speak…”
Today’s political dramas and social media showdowns? Just new costumes for ancient seasons. Our grandparents had their Cold War; our parents had their cultural revolutions; we have our Twitter wars and AI anxieties. Different seasons, same God!
Here’s the plot twist that changes everything: We’re never alone in any season. Jesus’ parting words still echo: “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Think about it: The same God who walks with kindergartners on their first day of school accompanies senior saint’s through health challenges. The same Spirit that inspires youth worship bands guides retirees in quiet prayer. In every season, for every generation, God shows up!
Wherever this message finds you – crushing it, crashed and burning, or climbing back up – here’s your one-stop spiritual practice: Sacred Pausing.
Take five minutes daily (yes, even you, busy parents and overscheduled teens). Breathe deep and whisper: “Lord, I acknowledge this season. Show me your presence in it.” That’s it! No fancy equipment, no subscription fees – just you and God, meeting in whatever season you’re in.
Remember beloved, from our 5-year-olds to our 95-year-olds: No season lasts forever. Winter yields to spring. Night surrenders to dawn. And whatever you’re going through will eventually become what you went through.
God loves you, will keep you, and has provisions for you in EVERY season!
Walking the journey with you,
Love, Pastor Q
Upcoming concerts at Saint Mark's to build community and support our neighbors
Sunday School Happenings!
SHARE is our word of the month. We call Jesus’ instructions to form a community of believers the Great Commission. A commission is a call to something God wants you to do. God commissions all of us to SHARE Jesus with the whole world. Come to Sunday School and find out how we can do that through kindness, love and respect.
Check out the Garden! We had fun recently picking peas with more to come. Carrots and beets are popping and Swiss Chard had been plentiful. If you like mint, it is always available for picking.
Boni Fields, Sunday School Director
Mary Maret & Margie Shunk, Teachers
Mary Kohatsu, Garden & Music Coordinator
Save the Date for Vacation Bible School!
July 14 - 19 9:00 AM - Noon
Five W’s and an H Celebrating Our Intergenerational Activities Coordinator, Boni Fields
What: Retirement Celebration for Boni Fields
When: Sunday, May 18 after service
Where: MacMurdo Hall, Saint Mark’s UMC
Why: We want to show Boni how much we appreciate her 45 years of volunteer service to the Saint Mark’s community!
Who: All the disciples who have had the pleasure and opportunity to work with and come to know Boni or want to know what volunteerism looks like.
How: Attend the celebration following the church service, including luncheon, featuring a meal prepared by Sylvia Cruz and crew, a presentation highlighting Boni’s contributions and a chance to share memories.
Welcome Our new Office Administrator, Barbara Katen!
The Staff Parish Relations Committee is excited to announce the hiring of Barbara Katen as Church Administrator. Barbara began work on March 11. Her regular work schedule is Tuesday through Friday from 9 AM until 3 PM. Prior to becoming Church Administrator, Barbara retired from the City of Sacramento, where she served as a Senior Staff Assistant in the Accounting/Payroll Department. Barbara also joined the church on March 9. When you see her in the office, at service, or around campus, please welcome her to the staff, and congregation, and be patient as she familiarizes herself with all things Saint Mark’s.
Welcome New Members!
Find Balance and Peace with Qigong
Qigong meets every Tuesday from 12:00 to 1:30 PM in the Fireside Room. It is a wonderful way to work on balance and movement, along with meditation, working holistically with the mind and body. Participants stand or sit. Paul O’Sullivan is a licensed instructor with an amazing abundance of knowledge on what individuals can do for challenges they have. This is a wonderful healing practice from Tibet.
All Church Workday - April 5
It takes a village to keep our campus beautiful and running. Please come and volunteer April 5 from 8:00 AM -12:00 PM with various landscaping and maintenance needs by helping with pruning, weeding, applying mulch, planting, painting, clean up, changing lightbulbs and helping take some things to the dump. All ages are welcome and encouraged to contribute. Call Mary Kohatsu if you have questions 916-317-4893.
This month we are providing a little tour of the cookbooks in the archive. Starting with the oldest,
Saint Marks’ Church Woman’s Society of Christian Service c. 1960, the recipe for Congo Squares was quite intriguing. This is a chocolate chip bar cookie. Here’s the adapted recipe:
Cream 2/3 cup melted butter
with 1 3/4 cup brown sugar
Add: 3 eggs, one at a
time
1 tsp vanilla
Mix until creamy.
Add 2 2/3 cup flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
When blended, add 1 cup chopped nuts and 12 oz chocolate chips
Spread in a 9 x 13” pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350°.
Cool completely before cutting.
Then, an exploration of the recipes for Summer Brunches revealed a yummy French toast recipe. It was offered for the Marriage Encounter group and made enough to feed a dozen. The recipe is:
Beat 2 eggs with 1 tablespoon of sugar
Add the juice of one orange (enough to make a half cup)
Adding the grated zest of half that orange adds an extra bit of zing.
Dip four slices of sourdough bread in the mixture, place them in refrigerator container. Pour any remaining liquid over the bread, cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning cook over medium heat as you would any French toast.
Enjoy with butter and your favorite topping (honey for us!)
In a slightly more recent book, Favorite Recipes, c.1970, the recipe for Refrigerator Rolls from Dorothy MacMurdo was appealing. Although it does not indicate how many rolls it makes, the recipe calls for 4 cups of milk and 12 cups of flour — so it’s clearly designed to feed a large group! Cut to only a quarter of the ingredients made it just right for home use. If you are interested, please ask and it will be shared!
Guaranteed to enrich community and transform the world with God’s love!
Seeking Information on Affordable Housing
Tuesday, April 8, at 9:45 AM in MacMurdo Hall, UWF is hosting Julia Zatz-Watkins, a Project Manager at Mutual Housing, where she oversees the development cycle of the new construction of affordable housing projects. Julia will detail bringing a new project to life from start to planning, funding and construction.
Mutual Housing California develops, operates and advocates for sustainable housing that builds strong communities. Incorporated in 1988, Mutual Housing was formed as a partnership of neighborhood residents, business representatives, housing advocates, and local government dedicated to improving housing opportunities for lower income families.
Residents of these projects build strong communities with resident participation and development of leaders. Mutual Housing’s team of community builders and community organizers lead the way with a people-centered approach to the resident services. Together with property operations and programs staff, staff combines to deliver affordable housing communities where inclusion and collaboration with residents is the norm.
Refreshments will be served at 9:45 and Julia’s presentation will begin at 10:00. All congregation members are welcome at this UWF gathering.
2025 Angola Volunteer-in-Mission Update From Jim Eychaner
Mamã Lulu and Papa Seba got married! At Bom Jesus on February 28 with a fabulous party! They already have young adult grandchildren after more than 30 years together, so why now? The civil war was still hot when they started. Traditional marriages arranged between families in stable communities are less common now, and too many young women with infants are being abandoned by their men. The Methodist Church in Angola decided that communities are better able to thrive when families are stable, so they are encouraging the public commitment of marriage in the church community. Our friends Lulu and Seba are showing the way. Methodists are transforming the world!
The Volunteer-in-Mission team gathered on March 15 to continue planning the next mission trip to Angola. We meet on the third Saturday each month at 10 AM in room E25. Financial support for the mission should be in addition to your normal generous support for the whole church.
