Inspired by the past for the sake of the future

My name is Marjie Lawrence and I’ve been a member of St. Mark’s for 25 years.

You’ve all heard a lot in the past several weeks about the plans for this church, and maybe you’ve caught some of the excitement about the new sanctuary and the amazing possibilities offered by its being 3D printed; the beauty of its setting amid the trees and how it strives to honor God’s creation. 

I’m excited about that too. 

But that’s not the reason I’ve made my pledge to this campaign. 

I pledged because over the years, I have been formed by being in this community,  

not just by the words and music of the service, but by kindness, friendship, working together, eating and singing together, being prayed for and cared for, by having the way lighted for me through some seasons of great darkness.  

I’ve been formed by the witness of others, by their sharing of their lives, their questions and struggles, their joys and sorrows.  I’m not talking about being a “better person” -- I’m talking about being changed, together; realizing we are loved, together. Seeing God at work in us, together. 

“Transformational community” is not a slogan for me; it’s what I’ve experienced here, what I’ve seen in the lives of many of you.

So often I’ve heard people say: “St. Mark’s feels like family.”  

This family exists today because a group of people, some of them quite young, came together to start a church; and soon after, to buy this land; and then to build our parish hall and church -- and every step of the way involved incredible acts of faith and financial commitment. 

And the humbling fact is that this community, and all that it means to each one of us, simply would not exist here today if not for that. 

Wouldn’t it be something if we, in gratitude for this great gift, would be inspired by that same sense of faith and commitment and open-hearted trust and let God work through us, so that future generations would find a family here too; that their lives would be shaped by words, and music, and belonging to a community; that their lives would be transformed; that God’s love might spill out from their lives and touch others.  

The book of Ephesians says it so much better:

“Glory to God whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine; Glory to him from generation to generation in the church, and in Christ Jesus for and ever.” -- Eph. 3:20-21

That’s why I pledged.