SNAP and the Call to Justice

 Friends, 

 

Some of you are not just alert readers, but also mathematicians who saw my glaring error last week. Thank you for your kindness and your correction.

 

Blessings to all of you who turned in pledge cards last week. If you forgot to bring yours, we will gladly welcome additional cards this weekend, or you may mail them to the church office as many others have done. If you want to discuss how pledge cards, stewardship, budgeting, etc. works here at St. Mark, I am happy to have that conversation with you, or to refer you to a member of our Finance Commission. We have been using the phrase, “Now, more than ever” to emphasize how the unique ministries of inclusion, justice, and environmental care that we emphasize here at St. Mark are under a lot of criticism today, even by many folks who allege to be representing the Christian church. 

 

This past Tuesday, our Deacons offered a lovely dinner that we call “Erika’s Feast,” where we invited representatives from all of the service organizations that we have been supporting this year. Now, more than ever, those organizations need our support.* Too many of the families at Martin Elementary School are living in anxiety that their heritage leaves them open to being taken by ICE. Friendship Shelter, a homeless services organization that we support in South County, is facing layoffs of staff because of dramatic changes in HUD funding. The LGBTQ Center OC representatives spoke about how their community is increasingly targeted by school systems and other branches of government that are vilifying trans persons at the behest of religious leaders. The work of inclusion, justice, and environmental care truly are needed now, more than ever.

 

And this weekend, we have particular reasons to be concerned. However you or I might feel about the politics behind the current government shutdown, as of midnight tonight SNAP benefits are scheduled to cease for the neediest families among us. SNAP stands for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which enables 42 million to feed themselves and their families. While each political party accuses the other of being responsible for this situation, unless last minute bipartisan action is taken, those families will be facing the kind of anxiety and decisions that none of us would ever want to face. 

 

In response, your Mission Commission decided last week to donate $25,000 to the Orange County Food Bank, contingent on whether a last-minute bill passes to continue SNAP. We will keep our eyes on the news out of Washington throughout the weekend to see if some action has happened. If not, we will issue the donation on Monday and discuss further action afterward. 

 

Some of you have also inquired into how you can step up if SNAP benefits are discontinued. There are two things that come to my mind, but I welcome more ideas from you if you would be willing to share them. First, you can go to this page and donate to the Orange County Food Bank. Among other things, they serve as a clearinghouse for soup kitchens, homeless service providers, and other worthy agencies in the OC. Second, if you want to take a long-term, advocacy track, you can go to this page of Bread for the World,  a Christian advocacy organization committed to ending hunger in the U.S. and around the world, which is advocating for restoring full funding to SNAP, which was dramatically reduced in a recent House budget bill. Both the immediate and the long-term action are important when it comes to food, a basic necessity of life.  

 

Now, more than ever, we are called to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly, both individually and collectively. You can answer that call by pledging your support and taking action. 

 

Mark of St. Mark

 

* The organizations our Deacons have been supporting this year: Glenn Martin Elementary School, Casa Teresa, OC Coast Keepers, Friendship Shelter, Inc., Patrick’s Purpose, Someone Cares soup kitchen, the Souper Bowl of Caring, Project Hope Alliance, SPIN (Serving People in Need), Human Options, and the LGBTQ Center OC,  

Giving Well

 Friends, 

This week our Finance Commission sent out a letter with an enclosed pledge card, encouraging each of you to make a pledge to support our church in 2026. For some people, the act of pledging is very familiar. For others, this FAQ page on our website may be helpful. 

 

It is a familiar question: How much should I give to the church? I truly wish there were a one-size-fits-all answer, as if the Bible were an instruction manual. Instead, it is an open question with several approaches, each of which have their strengths and weaknesses. I will name four approaches below, and throw in my 2 cents along the way. 

 

1. One could simply look at our projected spending, divide it by the number of members we have, and say, “this much is my part.” In round numbers, if our projection for 2026 is $1.3 million and we have 500 members, so we could say that we need $2,600 per year or $50 per week for each member. That’s an easy-peasy calculation, but it is misleading. Not everyone gives. Not everyone can afford to give the same amount. Not everyone should give the same amount, if we operate on Jesus’ principle, “To whom much is given, much is required.” At best, the calculator approach to giving simply shows us the relationship between our budget and our membership. It is the weakest approach to giving, in my estimation, because it ignores the wide variety of household incomes or net worth within any congregation. 

 

2. A more familiar approach to spending for many of us is the kind of “pay as you go” approach that we use at restaurants or theaters. Thirty years ago, someone sent me an article where an economist calculated that – relative to other “entertainment value venues” – the average churchgoer should pay about $22 per worship service. In today’s economy, that would be about $41 per service or $2,132 per year (because even if one doesn’t go every week, worship has to happen every week in order for it to be there when one does show up). This approach does not account for what happens outside of worship services, including our works of service and mission to the greater community, care for one another in times of pain, educational or fellowship activities, and so on. Those other “services” would need to be additional charges, and the church would end up looking like a cell phone provider with hidden and added fees. None of us wants that and such a transactional approach is contrary to the biblical notion of the church as a body.

 

3. My guess is that the practice most people follow is to make an adjustment to their giving each year, starting with what they have pledged/given for 2025 and increasing it by some percentage. The cost of living adjustment (COLA) set by the Social Security Administration for 2026 and is 2.7% so, if that’s a good indicator, a pledge of $5,000 for 2025 would be $5,135 for 2026. There is a lot to commend about this approach, especially from the perspective of family financial planning. But, just like employers who offer COLA increases each year discover, sometimes structural adjustments are necessary. Was the base from 2025 right to begin with? Was that base rate developed during a time of economic uncertainty or prosperity that is no longer in play? If we are attentive to the structural base, the incremental increase approach to giving can be wise and helpful. 

 

4. One biblical principle of giving is known as “tithing.” The word “tithe” means one tenth, so this too is a fairly easy calculation The principle of tithing was established in the Old Testament and applied to crops, herds, and other means of value and bartering. Along with the calculus of one tenth, there was an emphasis on bringing “firstfruits” and “firstborns” as sacrifices. Those gifts were often redistributed to the poor, widows, orphans, and others who may not have productive lands to sustain them. This principle for giving was taken quite seriously. The prophet Malachi referred to the act of holding back tithes and offerings as “robbing God.” Obviously, if we do the math on net worth or income, the number per member would end up being a lot more substantial than $2,600. 

 

I do not feel that the tithe is a biblically binding rule. But, in full disclosure, it is the approach to giving that Chris and I have aspired to follow throughout our marriage, with varying degrees of success. There is something liberating about declaring that what we have is God’s and 10% belongs to the greater good. It frees us from the bondage to accumulation that every commercial under heaven tries to instill in us. 

 

As I said, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to giving. The key approach should be less about calculation and more about seeing all that we have as a gift from God and, therefore, seeing ourselves as stewards of God’s gifts. With that starting point, we can discover that generosity is delightful. Let’s practice it together. 

 

Mark of St. Mark

 

 

 

Standing with the Vulnerable

 Friends, 

Today’s message has two topics. First, we’ll look at where we are in our church life together. As a church that embraces the idea, “I am the church,” this first portion is an opportunity to live into that aspiration.

 

It’s October and in many churches October is known as “Stewardship month.” That title is a little humorous, since the original English term “Steward” was “Styward,”  or, “the keeper of the sty.” (Let’s not go there.) 

 

At St. Mark, this means that we have the opportunity to declare how we will use our personal resources to support our collective work as a church. Think about that for a moment. All the things you love about the collective work that we do at St. Mark is funded by the personal decisions that each of us make regarding our giving. To encourage those decisions, our Stewardship Theme this year is, “Now more than ever.” 

 

Now, more than ever, 

… the world needs a church that takes up the cross to follow Christ. 

… Orange County needs a body of Christ followers who serve God, not Mammon. 

… the gospel calls us to trust that good overcomes evil, and love overcomes hate. 

… someone you know need a table that is welcoming to everyone.

… the church needs to repent of past actions regarding sexual orientation and gender identity

… St. Mark needs to embrace a vision of God’s abundance, where we are joyfully satisfied with enough and generously ready to share our resources. 

 

I genuinely feel that our collective message and voice is needed now, more than ever. And if you feel the same, please do not let anything stop you from your wholehearted support and participation. 

………………………..

 

For our second topic, we have an opportunity we have to be a church that stands in solidarity with the poor, particularly those living among us with housing insecurity. Last year, Orange County received more than $33 million in federal Continuum of Care funds, which supports 1,448 people now in Permanent Supportive Housing and 375 people in Rapid Re-Housing programs. For 2025, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a new Notice of Funding Opportunity which dramatically changed the parameters of qualifying for those funds. For example, Friendship Shelter Inc., one of our Deacon-supported organizations, serves homeless persons in South County with dignity and grace, but stand to lose an enormous part of their funding – not because their service is in any way deficient, but because they do things like allow their clients to identify their own gender or to identify as non-binary. The new HUD requirements reflect the Project 2025 agenda to stamp out “woke” practices, a political agenda that will particularly affect transitional age homeless persons (ages18-24) throughout the country. You can read more information from the National Alliance to End Homelessness here.

 

One thing you can do is to join with United to End Homelessness, Friendship Shelter, and other service organizations and go to this page of the Action Network to send a letter to Senators and Congressional Representatives. It only takes a short amount of time. 

 

As always, thank you for being the church,

Mark of St. Mark

Resisting the Vendor Shape of the Church

 Some years ago, George Hunsberger cautioned against what he called the “vendor shape” of many churches. When a church takes on a “vendor shape,” it loses its core identity as a unified body of Christ and become bifurcated into “consumers” and “vendors.” For example, Hunsberger once noted how a newspaper, writing about a church’s decision to build a new sanctuary, said, “A church has to decide how best to serve its congregation.” What is the difference between a “church” and its “congregation”? Hunsberger also pointed to one church’s mission statement that read: “First Presbyterian Church exists to offer the body of believers the opportunity to worship and glorify God.” Again, what is the difference between the “church” and “the body of believers”?  That bifurcated language only makes sense if the “church” is a group of people within the congregation, whose job is to offer programs and worship services and ministries that appeal to the rest of the congregation.  

When I read Hunsberger’s description of the “vendor shape” of the church, I started becoming aware of how often I use that kind of language. It is not as if there are some churches that are “vendor shaped” churches and others that really have it together. It is more the case that those of us who grew up in a vendor shaped culture are always tempted to lose the church’s core identity as an organic body and to think of the church as an entity that is out there to provide spiritual goods and services. Throughout the years we have rallied around several ways to remind ourselves what it means to be the church, a single body, with a variety of gifts and callings that work together as one. We sing songs like “Together we serve,” and “For Everyone Born,” and even alter the lyrics in order to ensure that each of us is included. We embrace themes, like “I am St. Mark” or “We are St. Mark.” We even have a Membership Commission, dedicated to finding ways to ensure that nobody feels marginalized or left out. St. Mark is not here to serve its members. St. Mark is its members and we’re here to glorify God through worship, loving one another, and serving God’s world. 

 

The reason I am reflecting on George Hunsberger’s important caution is because we are in that season when our Nominating Committee is seeking persons who would be willing to serve as Elders and Deacons beginning in 2026. Our Elders bear most of the decision-making responsibilities of the church, since the name Presbyterian implies “elder-driven.” And our Deacons provide the bridges between our congregation and different service organizations throughout Orange County. As a congregation that is called to worship, transformation, justice, stewardship, and service, the work of our Elders and Deacons is critical for enabling us to follow that call. 

 

This is precisely the place where we are tempted to take a “vendor shaped” approach to the church, expecting the church’s ministry to run well, but letting someone else bear the responsibility of leading them. And this is precisely the place where it is important to remember that we are the church. 

 

So, if you feel the call to step forward as an Elder or Deacon, let me know and I’ll connect you with the Nominating Committee. And if the Nominating Committee come knocking to invite you to consider one of those roles, please take some time to listen and consider whether this is your time to assume a servant-leader role. That’s how we move from saying, “St. Mark provides opportunities for its members to engage in ministry” to saying, “St. Mark engages in ministry, and I am St. Mark.” 

 

Mark of St. Mark

 

 

Community Wisdom

 Friends,  

Last week I asked how you are doing in the midst of a week where violence and injustice was centered in all of our news feeds. And I invited you to reach out with your responses to the question, “What can we, who aspire to take up the cross, do in such a time as this?” 

 

Thank you for your responses. They demonstrate the deep maturity of faith that exists in this congregation, as well as a respectful honesty about our limits. Some of your suggestions pointed toward individual actions that we can take or attitudes that we can embrace. Others pointed to more systemic attitudes or practices that we can cultivate corporately, which can help establish a different order that is less antagonistic. Again, I thank all of you who responded for your thoughtfulness and for taking the time to share your thoughts. Here is some of the wisdom I was able to glean from your notes. 

 

Someone has encouraged us to attend to our rhetoric and, instead of using the word “fight” when we speak of resistance, to use the word “work.” They noted that word “work” is more compatible with picking up and carrying a cross and doesn’t require a winner or loser. 

 

Someone has encouraged us lean into curiosity over criticism, and listening over presumption or fault-finding.  

 

Someone has encouraged us to start each day, and take time throughout the day when a decision is required, with the question:  "What does the Lord require of you?" and the answer, "Do Justice, Love Mercy and Walk Humbly".

 

Someone has encouraged us to pause in the noise and meditate mindfully. It can be a simple moment of breathing in grace and breathing out thanksgiving; it can be a time of silence and disconnection from the noise around or within; it can be a prayer; it can be a way of reminding us that we are part of something larger than what we see and feel. 

 

Someone has encouraged us to pay attention to our communication styles, whether they enhance or hinder engagement with those whose opinions differ. 

 

Someone has encouraged us to let only a certain amount of the news in and to pay attention to the sources which filter the news we do receive. 

 

Someone has encouraged us to find joy in volunteering, especially among those who are struggling the most. Helping someone matters, even if we can’t help everyone. 

 

Several persons have encouraged us to look at our vocation as a way of practicing our call to love others, work for peace, and advocate for justice, by the way we encounter others, use our voice, and exercise our power. 

 

As you can see, the responses that I received demonstrate how deeply ingrained our identity is as a community that not only rests in the joy of knowing that God redeems us, but responds to that joy by taking up the cross as the way of following Christ. that is beyond our understanding. 

 

I am incredibly humbled and thankful to be part of this journey with you. 

 

Mark of St. Mark

 

 

A Week of Violence and Hubris

 Friends, 

This week has been a mess: A Supreme Court decision left anyone who seems identifiably non-white vulnerable to raids and arrests; a decision by HUD left many organizations that have been providing service for homeless persons suddenly defunded if they do not begin to espouse a particular political party line; a school shooting in Denver, the second in two weeks, continuing a sickening kind of violence that is affecting our youth far more than many of our elected leaders will admit; and a tragic and evil political assassination in Utah took a life and opened a door for more violence. Each of these actions grows out of our culture of violence and each has the potential to continue the downward spiral of escalatory violence. For people of faith, our question is how to resist allowing our own anger to devolve into yet another layer of retaliatory rhetoric or action. 

 

So, how are you doing in the midst of all of this? 

 

This week, the United Methodist Church issued a very powerful statement in response to the Supreme Court decision to allow racial profiling that said, “This ruling deepens fear among those whose first language is not English, whose accents are noticeable, and whose very appearance, workplace, or attire may now be used by agents as a pretext for questioning. It forces entire communities to live under the constant threat of harassment without cause. People become targets for scrutiny simply for existing.”  You can read the entire statement here.

 

So, how are you doing in the midst of all of this? 

 

I have heard from St. Mark members who live in fear of being rounded up because of their ethnicity, as well as students who go to school anxiously every day because the fear of violence, as well as couples who fear that their marriage will be the next target. Last week, in my sermon, I mentioned how the New Testament was written to audiences who shared these kinds of anxieties. It was to people living in fear of government sanctioned discrimination that Jesus said, “Love your enemy.” It was to people who knew the burden of oppressive politics that Paul wrote, “Do good to those who hate you.” It was to disciples hiding in secret rooms with locked doors that Jesus said, “Peace be with you.” None of these aspirations was easy to achieve then, and none is easy to realize today. 

 

So, how are you doing in the midst of all of this? 

 

Dr. King, also facing a government that practiced and protected discrimination, once cautioned that taking an eye for an eye simply leaves two people blind. The harder path, the narrower path, the path that is often untaken, is to overcome evil with good, to overcome falsehood with truth, and to overcome hate with love. Any attempt at discipleship without this precise kind of costliness is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer so poignantly called “cheap grace.” The grace of discipleship is “costly grace,” and it is a path that turns from being outraged to being engaged when violence and injustice take place. But Christian engagement in issues that have been politicized is different from politics in general. We do not choose between love or justice, because we trust that the God of love is also the God of justice and, in God, they are one. 

 

So, how are you doing in the midst of all of this? What can we, who aspire to take up the cross, do in such a time as this? 

 

Next week, I will offer some starting points, but I want your input as well. I invite you to send me your strategies and avenues of engagement, that I can post in forthcoming Friday newsletters. Send it here. I will benefit from your wisdom as we pursue this path of love and justice together. 

 

Mark of St. Mark 

 

 

Playground and Serving Children

 Friends, 

I have some exciting news to share about our St. Mark Community Preschool. This week the new school year began with a brand-new playground! This playground seemed to appear overnight, but of course it took a lot of hard work and planning. A “Playground Committee,” has been planning this work, selecting the equip
ment, scheduling the destruction and removal of the old equipment and the installation of the new. It was no small feat, and all the removing and installation took place in between the end of the Summer School and the beginning of our Fall Semester. 

 

The Playground Committee has been composed of Preschool parents Michael Manning, Ameen Lalani, Novelle Shakeel-Campoli, Lisa Barrymore, and Mark Rogerson; with our Preschool Assistant Director Noemi Carrillo, as well as Kathy Roberts and Greg McCollum, members of our Facilities Commission. We are so thankful for the long hours of perusing catalogs, taking measurements, studying safety features, and calendar planning that enabled this work to be done so well and in such a timely fashion. 

 

There is one more recent addition to the Preschool that you will appreciate. Last month a Patrick’s Purpose Bench was installed, with the hope that no child (or adult) ever feels that they are alone, particularly when life can feel overwhelming. We give thanks for the life of Patrick Turner and the legacy that John and Kim Turner have established in his memory. 

 

We give thanks that St. Mark is able to provide such a stimulating and lovely place for children to learn to love the depth and beauty of God’s world. 

 

Mark of St. Mark