St. Mark MEMOS 9/13

And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Dear St. Mark friends,

It is always a humbling experience to look back and compile an inventory of one’s blessings. God has been so generous and faithful – in your life and mine. The people of St. Mark continue to be a rich blessing to Naomi and me. Your encouragement and support the past eight years have allowed us to grow in faith, love, and service. St. Mark is a very special church home – a joyful reality that became even more apparent during my recent sabbatical as we worshiped at neighboring congregations. That time away was instructive as I reflected at length upon my call to pastoral ministry and the direction God is leading me, both spiritually and professionally. As a result, I return to ministry renewed and energized for the shared ministry that awaits us this coming year.

And what exciting days we have before us! Our year-long emphasis will be an ongoing dialogue that invites us to be, “Involved for Life!” God calls us to be involved in the mission of the church; involved in serving the needs of our neighbors; and involved for the sake of new life which Jesus promises. For all the ways in which you are currently involved in St. Mark’s mission, I offer you my deepest thanks. For all the ways the Holy Spirit may be inviting you to become involved in ever new ways, I offer you my strongest encouragement. On this 25th anniversary of the ELCA, we proclaim that we are “Always Being Made New.” What a wonderful statement of our witness and of our involvement in the lives of others!

Finally, I want to thank you again for the privilege of serving as your Senior Pastor. My time away this summer reminded me of what an honor it is to share the gospel of God’s love and forgiveness with you, to teach God’s Word, to preside over the holy sacraments of baptism and communion, to marry young lovers and bury our beloved dead, to hold the hands of the sick and to pray with them for healing, to visit the lonely and to welcome newcomers, to counsel the distressed and offer hope and reconciliation in God’s name, and to share leadership among our many fine leaders and staff.

What a great joy it is to share in this ministry with you!

Your partner in ministry,

Remember in Your Prayers:

When you submit names for the prayer list, please let us know the length of time you would like the individual to be listed.

Our St. Mark Members: Jim Tooley, Shirley Whitehead, Bill Anderson, Karla Dittmar, Sandy Olson, Sheri Anderson, Evelyn Franzen, Keith Haggestad.

Our condolences to: the Mike and Lisa Belk upon the death Mike's brother, Jim Belk.

Our condolences to: Audry Dennis upon the death of her sister, Fran Fincannon.

Family and friends of St. Mark members: Jennifer Brady, Laurie Berkheimer, Kay Brickey Parisella, John Bauer, Abby Figi, Mark Netherland, Jeff Ahlstrom, Ray Bare, Liesel Landgraf, Margaret Johnsen, Marena Peterson.

Those serving in the military and their families: Dean Barron, David Albaugh, Brandon Ballenger, John Bullington, Kevin Cronin, Timothy Folkers, Kellen Hietpas, Ty Hosler, Philip Light, Sean Sullivan, Patrick Sullivan, Chad Swenson, Dan Waterton, Zach Hayes.

Sunday School:

This Sunday is the first day of Sunday school. Sunday school begins at 9:30 a.m. in the lower level. All students must be sign-in to Sunday school by their parent or responsible adult as part of our Safety Policy. Sunday school is available for students 3 years old through 6th grade. If you did not pre-register your child last spring, please contact Karen Kammer at karen@stmarklc.com to register your child or stop by the registration table in the lower level on Sunday.

Alzheimers Caregiver's Group:

The group will meet the second Monday of the month on Ocotber 14 at 4:00 - 5:00 P.M. in Fellowship Hall. We will continue our discussion of, I'm Still Here: A New Philosophy of Alzheimer's Care, by John Zeisel, Ph.D. This is an opportunity to share with and support those who currently have or have had family and friends with Alzheimer's Disease.

Sunday School teachers:

The following persons have answered the call to teach Sunday school: Dawn Claerbout, Taryn Fee, Julie Eshleman, Lindsay Moore, Paige O’Brien, Jennifer Zaluckyj, Michele Scarpaci, Jamie Horton, Sherry Wright, Jodi Graber, Nicki Schroeder, Lisa Sattler, Lori Johnson, Tiffanie Ferry, Karen Ganschow, Debbie Venstrom, and Vickie Thomas. We are in need of three more teachers to complete our roster. If you are willing to share your love of Jesus with our children, please contact Karen Kammer at karen@stmarklc.com or 815-398-3557.

Good News Bearers:
Students 2nd - 6th grade are invited to become a Good News Bearer. Good News Bearers is the elementary drama group that meets weekly on Wednesdays from 6:15-6:45 P.M. Bearers perform monthly during the 9:30 A.M. service. The first meeting will be Wednesday, September 11 in the sanctuary. Please contact karen Kammer at 815-398-3557 or karen@stmarklc.com.

Third graders:

We celebrate with the following third graders who received their SPARK NRSV Bibles on Rally Sunday: Jonathan Claerbout, Alex Crowell, Ashton Duvall, Jacob Harker, Sonya McClain and Cassidy Pollock. Third graders who were unable to be present last Sunday will receive their Bibles in Sunday school.

Third graders are invited to walk through the Bible with Pastor Scott on Sunday, October 6, at 10:45 A.M. in the sanctuary. This will be an opportunity to ask all of your questions regarding the Bible from Genesis to Revelations. Parents are encouraged to attend.

Cooks Needed:

Wanted: Cooks to form teams to provide meals for Rock House Kids. We serve meals there four times a year and we have some resources to pay for the food. There is a signup sheet on the Outreach table in Fellowship Hall. If you like to cook and you have a soft spot for the kids who go to Rock House Kids twice a week for food and Christian fellowship, grab your friends and form a team!

Thank you!!

I want to thank everyone for their prayers. Thank you for the cards. They are an uplift for me. I will know Thursday when I start chemotherapy. Please continue to remember me in your prayers. I know that God brought me through that major surgery. God's blessings, Kay Brickey-Parisella

Thank you to St. Mark members and pastors for all your lovely thoughts, prayers and get well wishes. God bless you, Dorothy Nicholas

Dear John, Beth and the St. Mark Lutheran Church family,

Thank you for your support of Rock House Kids and your wonderful donation of school supplies. We are very grateful for your support. It is because of wonderful supporters like you that we are able to make a difference in the lives of children who are in need of food, a safe environment, basic life necessities and especially love. We appreciate YOU! Sincerely, Dola Gregory and the Rock House Kids staff

Thanks to the generosity of St. Mark members, Margaret Dean, Matt Hargrove, and Dr. Harry Anderson, three musical instruments were donated to the Rockford Public Schools for middle school children who want to play in the band and do not have the resources to rent or buy an instrument. Thank you! And anyone can still bring in their unused instruments-no deadline.

Send us addresses please:

Parents of college students and those in the military are encouraged to send in there young person's address.

Please have the addresses sent in no later that October 1. We will be sending CARE packages out to them, the end of October. Parents please consider including $10(check or cash to St. Mark) to help with the postage. melinda@stmarklc.com

CARE Package supplies will be collected until October 15.(see basket in Fellowship Hall) Each year we send approximately twenty college/military CARE packages...please consider a donation of individual bags of microwave popcorn, pretzels, granola bars, Halloween candy or a monetary donation. Our confirmation youth will write notes and help to assemble the CARE packages.

St. Mark Marksmen:

Any men from age 16-100+ are invited to join in singing with the Marksmen. There are no mid-week rehearsals. We meet for rehearsal at 7:00 A.M. on each scheduled Sunday and sing for worship at the 8:00 and 9:30 services. The scheduled dates for the first half of this season are: Sept. 29, Nov. 27 and Dec. 22. We have new music that will be sure to appeal to everyone. Please join us for singing fun and fellowship. If you are interested in singing with the Marksmen, you can pick up a printed fall schedule on the table outside of the music room.
Voices of St. Mark (VSM):
If you like to sing in a choir, please join the Voices of St. Mark for a fantastic fall season. We especially are hoping to add sopranos and altos; but tenors and basses are welcome too. Rehearsals are Wednesday nights 7:00 - 8:30 P.M. beginning on August 28. We usually sing in worship twice each month. We hope any would be choir singers will consider joining us. The music is new and exciting.- Margaret Dean

Parking Lot Update:

Our congregation has been blessed by a significant gift of money from the estate of John and Lil McCulloch, designated for capital improvements. A large portion of this gift is being used to replace our old, deteriorating parking lot. Work on the sidewalks and curbing has already begun, (watch your step, please), and the parking lot work will begin by Sept. 20. During this time, we anticipate little disruption of activities and events. We appreciate your patience for any inconvenience this may cause. The end result will certainly be well-worth it.

God's Work Our Hands:

Thank you to all the volunteers and staff who participated in the “God’s Work…Our Hands” to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the ELCA. A special thanks to Marilyn Vivian, Harriett Anderson, and Debbie Carlson for taking the time to help with the “God’s Work…Our Hands” celebration. Your kindness, creativity, ingenuity, and compassion are greatly appreciated.

There were service projects at Becca’s Closet, Labor Day Parade, Food Pantry, road side clean up, Rescue Mission toiletry kit assembly, and card making. Everyone enjoyed special music by the choir and Praise band, a hot dog lunch, and even an a visit by the “ice cream” truck! It was a fun, festive, memorable Rally Day!

Beautiful Day!

This past Sunday, St. Mark celebrated the 25th Anniversary of forming the ELCA. The theme to be used was God's Work…Our Hands. Many projects and support tables were available to sign up to give a helping hand. One of the tables that quickly got busy was making cards for our members who cannot attend church. It was amazing the communication that went on among all ages seated at the table. Creative minds and busy hands made the card that you are receiving. The love that showed in the faces of the artist was powerful. They shared ideas and encouraged one another. Because of you and your support through the years, St. Mark is here for us to worship in. Some of the messages read, “God's and my hand reach out to you,” “you are appreciated,” “you are missed,” “thank you for sharing your gifts

with St. Mark.”

Outreach News:

Outreach will sponsor a tennis shoe drive for the kids served by Rock House Kids. There is a great need for new tennis shoes, sizes 5 through 12, either boys or girls. Bring in shoes anytime up until October 6, 2013. The center requests that the shoes not be “too fancy”.

Help feed the hungry in our community at Grace Lutheran Church, 343 Grad Ave., Loves Park on Monday, September 16 at 5:00 P.M. You will help distribute food from a 'Mobile Food Pantry.' It is outside, so dress appropriately. Come join the fun and feel the love as you support the less fortunate people in our community.

Primetimers News:

Sept. 24, Tuesday, Depart for White Birch Village; Return Friday,
Sept. 27. Reservations have been completed and payment is due ASAP. Make checks payable to St. Mark - Primetimers, BUT PASS THE CHECK TO MARY ANN for an accurate accounting transaction.
Oct. 3, Thursday 8:30 A.M. breakfast meeting at Stockholm Restaurant.
Oct. 17, Thursday 1:00 P.M. Home-made Apple Pie Contest and Auction in Fellowship Hall. Please have your favorite recipe to accompany entry. Make a double recipe to have an extra pie for the Auction. We will have coffee and vanilla ice cream for the ala mode.