Dear Parish Family,

In our bedtime prayers with our girls, we ask God for all matter of things—snow in July, three square meals of ice cream a day, a Superbowl victory for the Jaguars, or any victory for the Jaguars. Regardless, though, we always close our prayers asking God to fill us with the fruits of the Spirit: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. It’s fitting then that the theme of this stewardship season is “A Spirit-filled Life.”

St. Mark’s is a major touchstone for our family—where our children were baptized and get to learn about the great stories of the Bible, where Ryland attended chapel as a student and was confirmed, where our family sought solace as Steve Lucie’s life came to an earthly close. St. Mark’s brought communion to us many times. St. Mark’s nailed the funeral service, too. And Cameron is soon going to officially finish those confirmation classes and shed her Presbyterian past.

With as much frequency as possible, we seek renewal at St. Mark’s, where God reminds us why we are here: For His glory. Each Sunday, the girls dig out cash from Ryland’s wallet and set it into the offering plate. We hope the girls see giving as an act of worship, a commitment to the church that has given much to us all and will keep giving much to us all. This year, we are pledging to keep adding to the offering plate and more.

Start small or go big. We will keep praying for snow, ice cream, the Jaguars, and “A Spirit-filled Life.”

In Christ,
Ryland, Cameron, Vey, Arden, and Everett Lucie