Pastor Chuck’s Corner: May 2026
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your
heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
The Prophet Ezekiel, quoted above, spoke those words of encouragement to a
downtrodden people. The Israelites were in captivity and seemingly without any
hope of ever being set free. We can only guess how those words were received.
I share these words with you, not because we are captive, but because we have
been set free! The wonderful Easter Sunday celebration held at St. Mark’s
highlighted this for us. In fact, my prayer for you and me is that we will live our
lives more certain than ever that our Risen Lord and Savior has given us this
opportunity to live abundantly faithful lives.
If you would, please re-read that verse from Ezekiel, this time with the blessing of
the resurrection of Jesus fresh in mind. I hope that you can experience the
newness the Lord intends. Our Savior invites us to joyfully realize and then live
out this profound gift.
I believe St. Mark’s was given a glimpse of this new heart and spirit when Pastor
Bridget visited us. We already are an active church that engages with, and blesses
our local community in many ways. We are the caring hands, heart and feet of
Jesus on the ground.
The ability to connect with and l earn about Pastor Bridget’s ministry in Germany
is one way we can see the positive influence we have on a larger plane. By
supporting her, the ministry of St. Mark’s adds a global view to our ongoing
care for people locally.
I pray that this Easter season enables us all to experience the new heart and spirit
Ezekiel spoke of. Without ever losing touch with the ministries that serve our
community, may our hearts be ever more open to the ways in which St. Mark’s
can partner with other individuals and ministries that carry God’s message of love
and care on a national and even international scale.
I want to thank this wonderful church for welcoming Pr. Bridget. I know from
talking with her how deeply you touched her heart. May we all keep her in our
prayers that God will continue to use her to share the ministry of the gospel in
Germany and beyond.
Be Blessed and Be a Blessing,
Pastor Chuck