Marco Presbyterian Church 2020 Annual Report

MARCO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

2020 ANNUAL REPORT

He will hold me fast www.marcochurch.com | 875 W Elkcam Circle | 239-394-8186

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OPENING THOUGHTS

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CELEBRATING GOD'S WORK | STAFF REPORTS

PAGE 3

CONGREGATIONAL CARE

PAGE 4

MARCO DEACONS

PAGE 5

SERVE MARCO

PAGE 6

MARCO MISSIONS

PAGE 7

MISSION CELEBRATION 2021

PAGE 8

MARCO STUDENTS

PAGE 9

MARCO LIFE GROUPS

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ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

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PASTORAL REFLECTION

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2020 ANNUAL REPORT

Age-old injustices did not loosen God’s grasp on you or me.

While many purchases, prizes, and people may satisfy our deepest longings for a moment, only God is able to hold us fast. No fear, no temptation, no apathy can separate us from Him for those who are in Christ Jesus!

The tumultuous Presidential election was not a surprise to God.

While 2020 was a tough year, God was faithful to Marco Presbyterian Church.

“He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” God’s unchanging character – and particularly His faithfulness – is the firm foundation in the storm of circumstances. How did those who do not know Jesus weather the storm?

As you read this annual report, revel in God’s unchanging character that was revealed in surprising ways. Rejoice in Him for His work in the last year and anticipate with hope what he will do in 2021!

God did not change in 2020.

Covid-19 did not lessen God’s faithfulness to His people.

As we reflect on this last year, His faithfulness gives us hope that steadies our attitudes. His grasp on us gives us joy that emboldens our speech.

When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast; When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast.

Those He saves are His delight, Christ will hold me fast; Precious in his holy sight, He will hold me fast.

He'll not let

I could never keep my hold

my soul be lost;

through life's fearful path;

His promises shall last;

For my love is often cold;

He will hold me fast.

He will hold me fast,

He will hold me fast,

He will hold me fast;

He will hold me fast;

He will hold me fast.

Christ will hold me fast; Justice has been satisfied; He will hold me fast.

Raised with Him to endless life, He will hold me fast

Bought by Him at such a cost, 'Till our faith is turned to sight,

He must hold me fast.

For my Saviour loves me so,

For my life He bled and died,

For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.

When He comes at last!

He will hold me fast, He will hold me fast; For my Saviour loves me so, He will hold me fast.

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Celebrating God's Work PAGE 3

STAFF REPORTS

Congregational Care

SHARING THE LOVE OF GOD.

Even though this past fiscal year has been impacted by the COVID Pandemic, Congregational Care continued through the distribution of food to those unable to prepare meals for themselves, through phone calls made by the Stephen Ministers to their Care Receivers and to the congregation as a whole during the summer/fall months.

492 95

HOME COOKED MEALS DISTRIBUTED STEPHEN MINISTRY CONTACTS MADE

125

STEPHEN MINISTRY PHONE CALLS MADE

192

JOY CONNECTION LUNCHEON ATTENDEES

18

PILATES EXERCISE PROGRAM ATTENDEES

45

PASTORAL CARE VISITATIONS

HOPE CONTINUED TO SPREAD. OUR SAVIOR LOVES US SO. PAGE 4

Marco Deacons

SHARING THE LOVE OF GOD.

Marco Presbyterian Church Deacons have been involved in a variety of activities this past year, ranging from assitance to those within the church to assistance on Marco Island and beyond.

Through your sacrifical giving we have been able to support the following groups and individuals:

LOCAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS $18,700 OUR DAILY BREAD FOOD PANTRY

$6,600

HURRICANE RELIEF

$15,000

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

$2,000

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY

$2,500

From plumbing and household repairs to rent assistance and disaster relief, this has been a busy year for Marco Presbyterian Church Deacons. We are overhwelmed by your love for the community that is displayed through your support of the Deacons Fund.

HOPE CONTINUED TO SPREAD. OUR SAVIOR LOVES US SO. PAGE 5

OCTOBER 18, 2020 FOR OUR SAVIOR LOVES US SO. PAGE 6

Marco Missions

ACROSS THE ISLAND. ACROSS THE BRIDGE. ACROSS THE SEA.

GAHAGEN FLOAT PLANE REPAIR

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILD 2020

HABITAT FOR HUMANITY BUILD 2020

Our Mission Team at Marco Presbyterian Church is excited about developing a closer relationship with each of our missionaries and missions. To achieve that we have chosen 8 of our most strategic missionaries and 6 of our most strategic missions and are currently getting to know them better. We are thinking of ways that each us at Marco Church can know them better, and maybe even adopt a missionary!

MISSIONS CELEBRATION 2021 We are grateful to God that we were able to once again hold our Missions Celebration with four missionaries in attendance throughout the weekend. With Apple Pie and Missionaries on Friday, March 12, we heard about the faithfulness of God to each of them, in spite of the pandemic. On Sunday, March 14, Lucas Tanner from Reformed University Fellowship (Florida Gulf Coast University) brought his worship team to lead us in singing the Word, and he delivered a powerful message, "The Mission" from Luke 10. He continues to hold us fast through all of lifes ups and downs.

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HE WILL HOLD ME FAST.

MISSIONS CELEBRATION 2021 MARCH 12 & 14, 2021 PAGE 8

LEAD. LIVE. LOVE.

To say that youth ministry in 2020 was different would be an understatement. The pandemic fundamentally reshaped how we did student ministry, but the need did not change.

LEAD

We did Zoom “hangouts” every week, that consisted of playing online games together, teaching and discussion. We also provided psalm devotional videos led by our student ministry leaders.

LIVE

By God’s grace, September 2nd was our first day back in person in the Fellowship Hall. Since then we have had 18 active students in our student ministry.

LOVE

What has become apparent amid all the challenges of 2020 is the faithfulness of God in providing for His people no matter what they face.

Things will continue to change; God is with us to see us through every season.

HE WILL HOLD ME FAST. PAGE 9

SUNCOAST RETREAT 2020

Marco Life Groups

RELATIONAL. RATIONAL. MISSIONAL. It is amazing how God works during a tough COVID year! 2020 was a year when we couldn’t do in person Life Groups which was our main strategy for growing Relationally, Rationally (Spiritually) and Missionally. God changed these methods and opened several new opportunities.

SHARING JESUS WITHOUT FEAR

HE WILL HOLD ME FAST.

A 4 week course on using scripture to share Jesus love for people.

Attended by 11 people.

TACTICS

HE WILL HOLD ME FAST. FOR MY SAVIOR LOVES ME SO.

A 6 week course on learning to ask questions like Jesus did and guide our conversation into spiritual things. With an average attendance of 6 people.

THE ENGAGMENT PROJECT A 10 week transformational course showing us that God wants us to love those who live near us (our neighbor) with an average attendance of 19 and a high of 27 people.

MEN AND WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDIES

Held weekly helping many to grow in their faith in Jesus. The Men’s study has an average attendance of 14.

The Women’s local in person had an average of 12 with about 40 meeting on Zoom.

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Artist in Residence MATT PAPA

During 2020 we were thrilled to begin building a relationship with Matt Papa, a musician and hymn writer with Getty Music Publishing. Matt recorded a few videos for us during our quarantine services, and then came down to Marco Island to lead worship for our live services. Our hearts connected with purpose: to see Jesus lifted high!

Matt has come on this season as our Artist in Residence leading worship on Sunday mornings at all services and bringing friends, Shane & Evie Cole, for a Night of American Folk Songs and Hymns with the congregation.

Matt's goal is to help people see the beauty and glory of Jesus, and he does this so well on Sunday morning with many of his beautiful hymns we have been singing together at Marco Presbyterian Church like, "His Mercy Is More" and "Christ Our Hope in Life and Death."

“Hymns have an aesthetic density that isn’t present in all of the church’s songs.

They represent transcendence both as art for our culture and as a part of our sung worship of Jesus. My own focus on the Psalms as laments and the beauty of their emotional honesty brought these songs to life.”

“When we sing a lyric like ‘Our sins they are many, His mercy is more’ that is a truth for all time, all places and for all generations and it is worth the effort to sing that truth.”

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Pastoral Reflection God held us fast in 2020. He was faithful. When the hymn proclaims, "I could never keep my hold through life’s fearful path", God remained steady and did not let us go. Romans 8 reminds us of God’s powerful ability to hold us fast: Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword… neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35, 38-39 ESV For those of us who know Jesus as our Savior, we are comforted by Scripture that reminds us of God’s nearness and His promise to never let go. However, as this last year unfolded, a question grew louder in our hearts and minds and spirits. Maybe the question has been on your heart as well.

What about those who do not trust Jesus as Savior?

While we know that because of Covid-19 businesses closed and churches folded, other heart-wrenching effects included failed marriages, doubled reporting of mental health issues, and of hundreds of thousands who died last year from the virus.

If we as Christians have a tough time trusting in the strong faithfulness of God during the storms of life, then how much more terrifying must it be to navigate them without God? Our Missions Celebration preacher, Lucas Tanner, reminded us of the heart of Jesus in Luke 10:2; The harvest is plenty but the laborers are few.

Let us be a people who therefore pray and go to tell others that there is hope in Jesus. He is our strong and steady presence in the storm. We experienced His faithfulness last year.

Let this year be marked by His people rejoicing and proclaiming that He is faithful!

Your name, O LORD, endures forever, your renown, O LORD, throughout all ages! Psalm 135:13 ESV

1 Kate King | Photographs by Christopher Gregory for The Wall Street Journal, “Covid-19 Hurt Many Small Businesses.

For Some Entrepreneurs, It Opened Doors.,” Wall Street Journal, March 13, 2021, sec. US, https://www.wsj.com/articles/covid-19-hurt-many-small-businesses-for-some-entrepreneurs-it-opened-doors11615651202.

2 Outreach Magazine, “Research: 1 in 5 Churches May Close Due to Pandemic,” OutreachMagazine.Com (blog), September 9, 2020, https://outreachmagazine.com/resources/research-and-trends/59661-research-1-in-5-churchesmay-close-due-to-pandemic.html.

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MARCO PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH LONGS TO BE A MULTICULTURAL AND CROSS-GENERATIONAL COMMUNITY OF FAITH, UNIFIED IN OUR COMMITMENT TO SEEK THOSE WHO DO NOT KNOW JESUS.

BRINGING HOPE TO PEOPLE WITH THE TRUTH OF JESUS