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+ Experience God + + Create Community + + Mend the World +
Almighty God, whose loving hand has given us all that we posses:
Grant us grace that we may honor you with our substance,
and, remembering the account which we must one day give,
may be faithful stewards of your bounty, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
St. Mark's is always looking for ways to connect with the needs of the world as we live into the Baptismal Covenant and our promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons and strive for justice and peace among all people.
The Vestry of St. Mark's budgets for our contribution to the Millennium Development Goals. The Outreach Committee suggests where the money will be given. $500 of the 2010 contribution has been given to St. Luke's school in Ghana for school fees and supplies. $1000 was added to money St. Mark's collected for "Sunflowers for Opac".
The Miniature Earth Project from the Sustainability Institute will give you an idea of why St. Mark's contributes to the Millennium Development Goals.
All Year Projects
St. Mark's partners with St. Andrew's Glenwood, Epiphany Towson, and the Church of the Guardian Angel in Baltimore to provide food and clothing for the people in the Remington area of Baltimore. They need canned tuna, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, canned meats, fruit, vegetables, and soup, and cold cereal. They also can use money to purchase food from the food bank and gently used clothes and household items for the thrift shop (proceeds go to support the food pantry).
The Stitchers join in this ministry. They knit and crochet hats, scarves, and lap robes for the winter and prayer shawls for people in the community when they are sick or grieving.
 During the summer we collect school supplies for the children in the Remington area and provide additional supplies for the Homework Club throughout the year.
At Thanksgiving we help with Thanksgiving Dinner for Remington. 
 At Christmas, we help stock the “Christmas Store” for parents in Remington to "shop" for their children.
We have two booklists to help you select books Book recommendations 1
and book recommendations 2
To learn more about the work Guardian Angel does in Baltimore and of additional ways you can support this ministry, see Meredith+.
Directions to Guardian Angel (2629 Huntingdon Ave Baltimore, MD 21211) from St. Mark's
The eyes of all wait upon you, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open wide your hand and satisfy the needs of every living creature. Psalm 145:16-17
 We encourage everyone at St. Mark's to sponsor a child. Download a brochure for details and information on sponsorships.
DreamBuilders
St. Mark's largest outreach ministry is
DreamBuilders,
an interfaith community of teens and adults building homes for those in need. This ministry includes members and friends of St. Mark's, Trinity Waterloo, Ascension Westminster, Christ Church Columbia, Guardian Angel in Baltimore, and Temple Isaiah. DreamBuilders has built homes in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity in West Virginia, New Mexico and Mississippi and rehabs homes locally for The Arc of Howard County. In 2009 Dreambuilders added Panama, Ghana, and North Carolina to the list of places where we build.
In 2010 we will build in New Orleans (2 trips) and Mississippi, as well as build with the Arc and possibly with Episcopal Housing in Baltimore. In 2011 we will return to Panama and blizt build 2 houses in West Virginia.
If you are interested in learning more about DreamBuilders, talk with Lisa Ghessie or John McBeth.
Seafarers' Center
 We collect magazines and men’s clothing for the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center.
At Christmas we fill gift shoeboxes for the seafarers. Items to include may include a New Testament (see Jim Miller), wool socks, hat, scarf, toiletries, playing cards, postcards, and a Christmas card.
St. Mark's MDG Scholarship Fund
 Our Ghanaian Scholarship Student is Theresa. She is a teenager and has 3 brothers and a sister. We hope to provide uniforms and books for additional children through Ghanaian Mothers' Hope and to send gifts to Theresa and her siblings at Christmas.
 
Contributions to the scholarship fund should be made out to St. Mark’s with “Scholarship Fund” in the memo line.
To learn more about Theresa and her family and the scholarship fund, talk with Beth Mitchell.
Grassroots
We provide supper for Grassroots, the Howard County Crisis Intervention Center, on the 2nd Friday of the month for the 20 plus people sheltered at Grassroots. The suggested menu is Sloppy Joes, Chili, or Hot Dogs, Buns and/or Rolls, 5 Cans of Vegetable (corn), 1 gallon each of Cider and Punch, and 4-5 bags of Cookies. The food is taken already cooked to the shelter at 6700 Freetown Rd in Columbia by 4:45 pm. Sign up at the Outreach table. St. Mark's will reimburse you for your expenses if you wish.
To learn more about feeding the homeless, talk with Muriel Bradley.
Prayer Shawl Ministry/Stitchers
The Stitchers began as a prayer shawls ministry for parishioners and friends who are hospitalized, sick, or shut-in. In 2006 we participated in the Save the Children ”Caps for the Capital" campaign in support of children's health. In 2007 we knitted sweaters and mittens for the children at the Ark in Baltimore . In 2008, in addition to prayer shawls, we are making woolen caps and scarves for the Seafarers and the homeless served by the Church of the Guardian Angel in Baltimore, and Afghans for Afghans, a ministry of blankets, socks, sweaters, vests and mittens.
St. Mark's also owns a sewing machine for quilting or other types of needlecraft.
The Stitchers meet every Tuesday night at 7:00 pm in the Parish House. All are welcome to join us. We are happy to teach and learn.
Beth Trollinger heads the Stitchers.
People Acting Together in Howard County (PATH)
Together with other religious communities in Howard County,
we are members of PATH,
People Acting Together in Howard, an IAF affiliate, organizing people
for change. In 2009 and 2010 PATH is focusing on spreading the word about Healthy Howard, working to halt usurious lending practices through 10% Is Enough, and continuing to work with the MD General Assembly to
pass legislators to assist residents of mobile home parks when the parks are sold for redevelopment.
For information about PATH and how you can join in advocacy and action, talk with Farrell McAfee.
Crop Walk
 Our Youth walk the Crop Walk, an opportunity to raise money to feed the hungry here in Howard County, Maryland and the world.
Project Leaders
Project leaders and contact information for all Outreach projects may be found in our Directory on our Contacts page.
This page updated
July 18, 2011
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