ST. MARK NEW IMPROVED WEB SITE: Staff - Saint Mark United Methodist Church - Atlanta, Georgia

Beth LaRocca-Pitts

Senior Pastor

Staff - Saint Mark United Methodist Church - Atlanta, Georgia:

Beth LaRocca-Pitts has been a member of the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church since 1983, though she has been preaching for longer than that! She was raised in Athens Georgia and began faith as a Roman Catholic. “When I was 12 year old and a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, I realized that I would never be happy in life if I had to do another job other than the job that the priest at St. Joseph’s did.” Understanding that as a call to ministry, she joined Athens First UMC and at 14 and trained to become a lay speaker at 17. She attended undergraduate school at Duke University where she received a BA in Religion. She received her M.Div from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and then returned to take her first ministerial appointment as pastor in charge of the Bishop Circuit in the Athens Elberton District. Next she attended Harvard University where she completed a PhD in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, with a concentration in Old Testament Studies. At Harvard she met her husband Mark and after they married they returned to Athens where she became the associate pastor at Athens First. In 1996 she was hired to teach Old Testament Studies at Duke Divinity School. While in Durham, Mark and Beth were blessed by the birth of their twins Ellie and Joe. In 2002 the family returned to Athens where Mark was hired as Staff Chaplain at Athens Regional Medical Center and Beth was appointed to be associate pastor at Snellville UMC. In 2002 Beth was appointed to be senior pastor at Watkinsville First UMC and in 2010 she was appointed to serve at Saint Mark. Mark works now as a chaplain with Crossroads Hospice. Ellie and Joe attend Grady High School. The whole family is blessed to be in ministry at Saint Mark.

***

This is interesting. 

Just recently after Sunday service either September  21th or  28th,

I approached Beth curious about her reasons 
for 
leaving the Catholic Church.

"What was it about this Priest at St. Joseph that inspired you to become a Methodist Administer," I asked of her. 

“When I was 12 year old and a member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, I realized that I would never be happy in life if I had to do another job other than the job that the priest at St. Joseph’s did,” came her answer. 

Not sure I ever got my answer before finally capping off this question by volunteering a conjecture of my own thought would be an appropriate answer.

"Well you do have a talent for public speaking."

Then I began inquiring as to why she started off with the Catholic Church instead of her mother's Methodist Church; that her profile on St. Mark United Methodist Church web site read as if her father had been slighted. 

She even seemed somewhat amused by my observation; but only briefly.

As she had began walking at this point of our conversation, didn't quite catch all of her answer.  Something about a deal having been made with the Catholic Church.

At this point I stopped following (pestering) her. 

Now...
I'm discovering that St. Mark has not only improved their web page, Beth has made some changes to her profile.

"What was it about this Priest at St. Joseph that inspired you to become a Methodist Administer."

Maybe my slighting of her didn't go unnoticed after all...?

***

 

Josh Noblitt

Minister of Social Justice & Evangelism

Rev. Joshua M. Noblitt is Saint Mark’s Minister of Social Justice and Evangelism, and a owns a private psychotherapy practice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. In addition to offering individual, couples, and group therapy, his work involves leading program, advocacy and volunteer opportunities related to social justice issues in the community. Rev. Noblitt completed his Master of Divinity at Emory University in 2004 and was ordained at the Western North Carolina Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2009. Rev. Noblitt is a Clinical Fellow with the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, is currently perusing certification through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT), and is a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Ministry at Emory University in 2017. He has served on numerous national and local boards, including the Board of Directors for the Reconciling Ministry Network from 2008-2013. He is currently serving on the board of WonderRoot, For The Kid In Us All, Inc., and the Emory University Hope Clinic for HIV/AIDS Research Community Advisory Board. Among his civic engagements, Rev. Noblitt is proud to serve as a member of the volunteer Chaplain Corps for the Atlanta Police Department, President of the South Atlanta Civic League, and Vice Chair of NPU-Y. He is also an alumnus of the LEAD Atlanta Class of 2011, New Leaders Council Class of 2013 and Outstanding Atlanta Class of 2013.

***

This may have been the same Sunday I turned my attention instead to "St. Mark's Slutty Puppy", Minister of Social Justice Rev. Josh Noblitt.  

Was hoping to discover we had a mutual interest in 'Blue Dog Democrat" politician, my distant cousin now running for governor or Arkansas, Mike "Avery" Ross.

Nope. 

We did not. 

Never heard of him. 

Or at least, didn't recognize the name.

 "Just send it all to me in an email" and "something about Carter" was all I was able hearing from this one walking away from me as well. 

"Not sure I know what
...SOCIAL JUSTICE...
means?"

Even said this to him as a warning to what might come next
 before even 
beginning to try explaining my problems.

***

Subject:	JAMES E. AVERY, DVM: You Said Send it All?
From:	James Avery (jeaverydvm87@att.net)
To:	jnoblitt@stmarkumc.org;
Cc:
Bcc:
Date:	Friday, October 3, 2014 1:06 AM

Dear Josh,

In our brief discussion after service this past Sunday, you mentioned something about... Carter... when I was trying to explain my relations to Distant Cousin Mike "Avery" Ross;  BLUE DOG DEMOCRAT POSTER CHILD FOR DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION TO OBAMACARE NOW RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS. Could I get you to expand on this please? Currently I'm thinking you are talking about Jason Carter...?

In 2014, Carter voted for House Bill (H.B.) 60, the Safe Carry Protection Act which opponents nicknamed the "guns everywhere" bill. The Safe Carry Protection Act takes effect on July 1, 2014, and permits licensed gun owners to carry guns into many public and private places. The law is supported by the Georgia Baptist Convention which includes 3,600 Baptist churches in Georgia in favor of increased church autonomy,but is not supported by Catholic or Episcopalian church leaders.

Going to send you links to all three of my blogs. The first one was just an experiment seeing what I was capable of producing. Had not done anything like this since Pre-Vet. at University of Arkansas.

Having impressed myself, even if no one else, began the second blog in an attempt at being more brief and visual. That didn't work at too well either. Even more mixed media collage than the first one.

"Rev. Owen. There is nothing any more special about Tim Tebow's mother than mine. The only difference being, his mother getting...EXACTLY... what she wanted! I can't take her "learned helplessness" anymore. Each birthday she has is "ONE, TWO, or THREE" taken away from me."
~(Simply Jim: One Pearl, Total Pig, Anti-Christ)~

I am no longer willing any contact with my mother which has effectively cut me off from the rest of my family.

Have always said, "my family was...SOOOO....dysfunctional the only reason it appeared functional was because none of us had the same dysfunction."

"Donna. Are you aware...JUST HOW MUCH MORE...JOY BEHAR...has...DONE... for...YOUR LITTLE BABY BROTHER...than...ALL YOUR CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES PUT TOGETHER?"

"OH I HATE HER! 

HELL!   I DON'T KNOW!   I DON'T EVEN VOTE!   

WELL ...FINE THEN!   JUST WON'T... SEND ...YOU ANY MORE COOKIES!    

That...."D"...in...MATH!   

WHO CARES WHAT "Y" EQUALS!"

To this day, my big sister the first born, still loses the Civil War...EVERY TIME...before the movie is even over.

"Donna. You really do need to stop cheering for the Confederate Army every time you watch a Civil War era movie. Especially considering, all you do is play tennis with your rich lady Republican friends."

"BUT THAT"S JUST THE WAY IT...WAS...BACK THEN!"

The third one, not sure why I started this one;

 unless, 

for the first time, finding Tebow kinda cute reading Dr. Seuss 's Story of GREEN EGGS AND HAM. 

I hope he doesn't sound like this every time he reads.

  

 

That book may even still be in my bedroom, hometown of Prescott, Arkansas.

LINKS TO BLOGS:

BARRELS OF MONKEYS: GENESIS IN REVERSE

GENESIS II: HOMOPOLAR, GOD DAMN IT! HOMOPOLAR!

?PURGATORY: WITH EACH DAY~{CHRIST(ROUND[6!9]THREE)ANTI-CHRIST}~LOVE YOU MORE :DIALOGUE?

 "Daddy.  

How come you can't get into the army with flat feet?"

~(Simply Jim)~

"Can't run fast enough."

~(Charles Denson Avery, M.D)~

"UH?!   WHICH WAY!?!"

~(Simply Jim)~

The second my day would get home from the office, he'd stripped down to his underwear then sat the rest of the evening in his Lazy-Boy watching one war movie after another straight up 9:00 P.M.  Then he gets up out of  that chair and goes to bed at the other end of the house right beside the only other telephone in the house; mostly delivering babies 24/7. 

He took his own emergency calls.

Must have seen
... BRIDGE OVER RIVER KWAI... 
at least five times myself  just watching these war movies with my dad.

 We only had...ONE... television in the house.

I'll settle for information about ...CARTER?

Sincerely,

SIMPLY JIM: METHODIST FAG THE POLITICAL CATALYSE

***

I swear,

these  pastors are a hard bunch to pin down for any conversations...serious...instead of keeping up appearances.

It's beginning to appear I'm never going to be able dealing with my Crystal Meths addiction effectively.

I'm convinced...NOW...that priest and pastor...or at least pastors anyway...are the biggest dope dealers of them all!  

And all this started with me believing I could appeal to two, actually just one if wife doesn't count, for help as sponsors.

But even then, 
wasn't ready just yet asking of them for this help.  

 

 

 

Missionary can be such a two-faced bunch;

 just ask the Indians.

BUT...

 OMG! OMG! OMG!

BOY WAS I
... NOT... 
EXPECTING/PREPARED 
FOR THIS!