Alternative Christmas Market

 Friends,  

This weekend features one of the premiere events in St. Mark’s calendar year. It’s one of those events that I brag about shamelessly, because I have so little to do with it. The Alternative Christmas Market (ACM) started here long before I arrived and thrives each year under very committed and capable leadership, with many hands making joyous work, year after year. To see our Fellowship Hall filled with an amalgam of church members, service organizations that have been part of our Deacons’ outreach through the years, friends of other organizations which do good work in the world, volunteers, children happily hawking their wares in order to raise funds for others, and curious onlookers – what a lovely sight. Even a claustrophobic introvert like me turns into Buddy the Elf during this event.

 

Here are some things you can do to enhance our ACM: 

- Come, enjoy, eat, shop 

- Learn about the organizations in the room 

- Meet someone new

- Help someone who is having difficulty navigating crowded spaces 

- Pray for our internet service (we need it to process credit card sales) 

 

I’m sure you could add to this list, and I invite you to do so on Sunday. And if you’re setting up a booth, setting out some treats, or otherwise planning to be busy during our worship hour on Sunday morning, you can always join us for worship on Saturday. It’s nice to have that option. 

 

The ACM reminds us that Advent is just around the corner. Since Christmas is a fixed date and Thanksgiving is a floater, the first weekend of Advent falls on Thanksgiving weekend periodically. That is the case this year, and it is not an ideal setup for those of us who do worship planning, set up the décor, travel to visit family over the long weekend, host guests, or rehearse music (choir rehearsal on Thanksgiving? Nope.) I have drawn up a petition to make Thanksgiving the 3^rdThursday of November, but I don’t even know who to send it to. 

 

Still, Advent is near and our theme this year is, “EarthRise: An Invitation to Wonder.” I hope you are intrigued. We will begin our season on the aforementioned Thanksgiving weekend, as November 28-29 mark the first weekend of Advent. On the second weekend of Advent, December 5 and 6, our youth and children will have a Christmas party following the Saturday worship service, and we will have a Christmas Pageant rehearsal following the Sunday service. The Third weekend of Advent, December 12-13, is one of those “two-fer” weekends. Saturday will be a “Blue Christmas” service and Sunday will feature our Children’s Pageant, “Where Is the Child?” Then the last weekend of Advent, December 19-20, will take us to the angel’s visit to Mart and prepare us for our three Christmas Eve services, at 4:30, 7:00, and 9:00. We’ll say more about those services in the future. 

 

That’s a whole lot of worship and service coming our way. See you in worship, 

Mark of St. Mark