During the current season of Lent, we’re focusing on some important and interesting
stories from Luke’s gospel. Many of them, like Jesus’ parable of the “Prodigal’s Son”
that we’ll delve into this Sunday, point to the centrality of grace and forgiveness to our
faith. But they also remind us that Jesus was constantly supported by a group of
disciples who never strayed far from his side. Of course, he taught them much. But he
also relied on them for companionship, support and assistance.

Consequently, the church has always had a strong communal element to its life and
work. After Christ’s death and resurrection, his followers continued to gather together –
and we still do. Indeed, the sense of community that many of us find in the church is
foundational to our lives. What’s more, others in our neighbourhood may also seek us
out in search of a safe and nurturing community to which they can belong. So we want
to do everything possible to keep creating a welcoming and inclusive community of faith
here at St. Mark’s.
To that end, some members of our Pastoral Care team recently discussed some new
ways that we can keep strengthening the bonds that unite us in this congregation. A
couple of important suggestions arose.

First, let’s remember to wear our name tags on Sunday mornings, both in worship and during coffee hour. Of course, not everyone likes putting them on. But it’s good to remember that it’s not always easy to put names and faces together (especially for newcomers, but even for some of the rest of us!). Calling someone by name helps to foster a sense of belonging – thriving congregations have long recognized this fact – and
therefore use name tags on a regular basis. So wearing them can help us build new
and important relationships with others, and with one another.

As well, we know that healthy communities also provide regular opportunities to celebrate special occasions. So, beginning in a month or two, we’d like to designate the last Sunday of every month as “birthday Sunday,” share a special cake after worship, and acknowledge the birthdays of all those who were born that month. To help make
this happen, we’ll soon be inviting you to indicate the month in which you were born (but
not necessarily the year!) so that all of us can celebrate this special milestone.
In these and other ways, we hope to enhance the strong sense of community that we
already enjoy The Spirit is alive and active at St. Mark’s, so let’s all do our part to keep
it moving and growing.