We hosted Bishop Susan today for a delightful time of worship, fellowship, and – of course! – food. The Bishop was wonderfully gracious and vibrant, and gave a goose-bump inducing sermon about angels, miracles, and the omnipresence of God. Afterwards, everyone stayed to enjoy warm conversation and a couple helpings of veggies, fruit, zucchini bread, and even a few deviled eggs. Overall, a great day!
Below is a little bit about us. We’re not sure if you can include it in the newsletter, but if nothing else it provides a little bit of additional context – and explains why this cozy little chapel has become our new home! There are also several photos attached – if you could include at least one of the “picsay” photos, we would appreciate that.
Due to an aging and declining body of members, and the enormous investment of “people power” required to maintain our 3+ acre property, St. Mark’s made the wrenching decision in July of 2019 to depart its location of over 50 years, settled squarely in the middle of Hampton’s “Business District”. We packed up the church in just a few weeks, finding shelter among some most gracious hosts at St. John’s, Hampton. After working through shock, grief, and the Covid pandemic, we found our footing, and were led to a new place of worship, hosted at First United Church of Christ on Todds Lane, Hampton.
To find the best possible fit with our host churches, when we left our building for St. John’s we decided to shift our worship day to Saturdays – after all, the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath (Mark 2:27)! Since then, it’s stuck – there’s a lot to be said for filling our spiritual tanks early enough to enjoy the rest of the weekend!
Although many of our previous members sought other, more stable church environments – which was completely understandable – the 15-20 or so members who have persisted now constitute an incredibly faithful remnant, who’ve been through a great deal together and yet remain determined to see what God can do with this “little church that can”. Our hybrid service is both in-person and via Zoom, so that even those who cannot be with us physically can still share together in our worship, and we hold mid-week Compline and Thursday Bible studies, exclusively via Zoom.
Through it all, and especially when it seemed as though we weren’t going to make it, God’s presence and faithfulness has been almost palpable – instantly and immediately encouraging us at every twist and turn to simply keep going. Through teamwork, close-knit relationships, and genuine love for one another and those in need, the saints who remain have held on long enough to see God right this ship, point us toward the horizon, and encourage us to “Go!” We can’t wait to see where this voyage takes us next.
Peace,
Andy Marshall
Jim Fagley