Special Christmas Eve Service Dec 24 at 3:00pm

St. Mark's Anglican Church held its Christmas Eve Service December 24 at 3:00 PM. The Service included The Holy Communion and was conducted by The Revd. Dr. Henry Patterson. Christmas carols were sung by the congregation, with music provided by Mrs. Bobbie Patterson.

The service was held in the Aderholdt Chapel of St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Hickory,

Merry Christmas and God's Blessings.

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June 14

Vine and Branches Banner Lovingly Made for St. Mark's

The congregation of St. Mark's Anglican Church received a special suprise Sunday as they entered the chapel. Genie Shores crafted St. Mark's first banner, called the Vine and Branches Banner. The following was read at the service and then the banner was blessed by Father Henry Patterson. The banner can be seen during Sunday services.

The vine and branches symbolize the Church and its union with Christ. The shields represent the Apostles.
       Christ
      The symbol of our savior is IHS. There are several interpretations of the symbol. One is that the letters are formed from the Greek word, IHCOYE, for Jesus. When Greek became rare, the C was changed to the Latin S, so the abbreviation was IHS instead of IHC. Another is the Latin translation, Iesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus Savior of Men. There is the German, Iesus, Heiland, Seligmacher (Jesus, Lord, Savior). Sometimes the English say IHS means "I Have Suffered". When on the cross, In Hoc Signo means "In This Sign (the cross) Shalt Thou Conquer". Also when on the cross, In Hoc Salus means In This (cross) is salvation.
       Apostles
       1. Peter: Two keys crossed in the form of the letter X. The keys refer to Matthew 16:19 where Jesus said to Peter "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven". Heaven and earth are referred to whe one key is silver and the other is gold.
       2. Andrew, brother of Peter: His close friends were James and John. He was bound to the cross instead of nailed to prolong his suffering. His symbol is a cross shaped like and X.
       3. James, the Greater: One of Jesus' closest friends. He was the first Apostle to be martyred, dying under the sword of Herod Agrippa I. The scallop shell refers to his long pilgrimages.
       4. John, brother of James: He spent his early life fishing in the Sea of Galilee. The cup refers to Jesus saying that John and James should drink of HIs cup. A story says that an attempt to poison John failed, because the poison vanished in the form of a serpent.
       5. Philip: The cross refers to his successful missionary journeys among barbarians. The loaves of bread refer to Philip's remark when Jesus fed the multitude: "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" (John 6:5).
      6. Bartholomew: His is symbolized by thtee flaying knives. He won Kimg Polymus of Armenia to Christianity which made the brother of the king so angry that he had Bartholomew flayed, crucified with his head down, and beheaded.
      7. Thomas: The carpenter's square refers to him as a carpenter or builder. The spear refers to his martyrdom.
       8. Matthew: His original name was Levi. The three purses refer to his occupation as a tax collector before becoming an apostle.
      9. James, the Less: He is symbolized by a saw with the handle uppermost. He was thrown from the temple at the age of 96 by the Pharisees and stoned to death by an angry mob.
      10. Jude: He is also referred to as Thaddaeus. He is symbolized by a silboat with the mast in the shape of a cross, referring to his missionary journeys.
      11. Simon" His symbol is a fish on a book. He was successful as a fisher of men through the gospel.
       12. Matthias: He is almost always substituted for Judas Iscarlot. His story can be found in Acts I:15-26.

Information from book: Our Christian Symbols by Friedrich Rest.