LandMARKs

Sunday, May 4th @ 9:45am

New to St. Mark's? Want to get to know the people here? Interested in getting involved with what God is doing in this place? LandMARKs is a monthly meeting with Pastor Matt and/or Deacon Katie that helps visitors and new members learn about the ministries of St. Mark's, get to know the staff and members, and ask questions about our community. Meet us at the bottom of the main staircase at 9:45am to join!

Acts of the Apostles- with James Aydelotte

May 4th @ 9:45am

The Acts of the Apostles is one of the most exciting and challenging books in the Bible. It traces the Church's dramatic growth from sacred Jerusalem to imperial Rome. If possible, read the whole story; it can be done in over an hour. But concentrate especially on Chapters 2, 10, 15 & 26. The class will meet at 9:45 on May 4, 11 & 18 in the Library. Come and learn from Peter and Paul!

Welcome New Members & Newly Baptized

During worship this Sunday we will welcome new members to our family of faith! Join us for coffee hour to celebrate the baptisms and introduce yourself to these siblings in Christ.

By Baptism - Courteney Mackuen, Otto Rybnicek, Lach Rybnicek

By Affirmation of Baptism- David Rybnicek, Peg Lefeber, Judy Williams, Tom Beacham

Red Dress Project

In the United States May 5th is the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and Girls.  In observance, St. Mark's Racial Healing Team is replicating an impactful visual art installation, the REDress project, created by Métis artist Jaime Black in 2010. The red dresses stand empty, symbolizing the absence of women who are no longer present. The color red was chosen for its visibility and its connection to life and its spiritual significance in many Indigenous cultures. Look for the installation in the Commons on Sunday, May 4, as we raise awareness of the MMIW crisis on the Qualla Boundary in Cherokee, where there are 35 known cases of MMIW.

Explore Nature! Helene through a natural lens w/ Jamie Rhodes 

Why did hurricane Helene cause so much destruction? Is our ecosystem ok? Will it bounce back? Explore these questions and more in a two-part program with Jamie Rhodes, an environmental educator and longtime church member who is working to complete their North Carolina Environmental Education certification. The first session of the program will be a seated interactive discussion and the second session will be an outdoor exploration of the changes to Reed Creek following Helene. Anyone is welcome to attend either one or both of the sessions. You won't want to miss a fun and interesting look at nature in our own backyard!

In order to prepare lunch, please sign up on the bulletin board, or you can email Deacon Katie to RSVP. 

Young Artist Organ Recital

May 3rd, 3pm @ St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Asheville NC

Get ready to be inspired by the next generation of musicians! Students from the Hayes School of Music at Appalachian State University along with their professor Dr. Joby Bell will present an organ recital at St. Mark's Lutheran Church at 3pm on May 3.

They are playing works by Bach, Gerre Hancock, Franck, Joseph Bonnet, and more. The instrument, Opus 85 built by Martin Ott, is the largest mechanical action organ in Asheville with over 1,300 pipes made from a variety of materials (tin, oak, lead, cherry, and pine), two keyboards, and a full pedalboard. Don't miss your chance to hear these accomplished young musicians make her sing! Free admission -- donations will be split between the church music program and the university scholarship fund.

Racial Justice Workshop

May 17th @ 10am @ St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Asheville NC

In pursuit of our Vision 2027 goal of "Intentional Welcome to Diverse People," plan to join us at St. Mark's for a Racial Justice Workshop facilitated by the YWCA on May 17th, at 10am in our fellowship hall. The workshop is 90 minutes long with a 20 minute Q&A session. The goal is to become familiar with some of the shared language and concepts related to racial justice, develop an understanding of how racism shows up in our everyday lives, and explore the history of racial (in)justice in Asheville and beyond. Please email the church office to let us know you plan to be there.

Support RMHC Carolinas by Donating Pop Tabs

In the Welcome Center you will find a container to place your can tabs to support the Ronald McDonald House! RMHC provides two programs located in Greenville, S.C., a Ronald McDonald House and a Ronald McDonald Family Room, that both directly improve the health and well-being of hospitalized children and their families. A member will be taking the collected tabs and adding them to the Red Crosses collection bi-weekly! When large amounts of aluminum pop tabs are collected at the House, they are taken to a recycling center. According to the price of aluminum, the recycling center gives the RMHC a check. This check goes back into the House for general operating expenses.

LWR Personal Care Kits

This year, the St. Mark's CAT team has decided to make personal care kits for Lutheran World Relief. This is a very easy kit containing only five items- a bath towel, toothbrush, soap, nail clipper, and comb. LWR is very specific about each of the items. Next to the bulletin board at the bottom of the steps, you will find a folder that says "Please take one." These instructions include everything you need to know and are also linked here.



All items must be new and you cannot add any additional items. This year we request that you either donate a complete kit or make a cash donation designated to LWR Kits to purchase items. This will prevent us from receiving more of some items than others. Thank you in advance for your generosity. St. Mark's always comes through when donations are requested, which is greatly appreciated by the CAT team, but most importantly by recipients of our kits.

Food Ingathering for ABCCM Pantries

St Mark's Church Council suggested to the Christian Action Team (CAT) that they resume regular "Food Ingathering" collections at St Mark's, as one of our Vision 2027 goals. Four times a year (May, August, November, and February) there will be grocery bags in the Church pews on the first Sunday of the month. The bags will list items that are presented in the greatest need at the pantries. Please bring the bags back on the Second Sunday of the listed months, with the items listed and place them in the bins by the indoor play area.  Did you know? CAT meets on the first Monday of each month, at 6:30pm. Please contact Dan Dudde if you are interested in being part of this energetic and giving team!

Weekly Schedule

Wednesday, April 30th

9am - Property Day

Thursday, May 1st

5pm - Prayer Team

6pm - Handbell Rehearsal

7pm - Choir Rehearsal

Friday, May 2nd

9am - Library Team

Saturday, May 3rd

3pm - Young Adult Organ Recital

Sunday, May 4th

8:30am - Worship

9:45am - LandMARKs

9:45am - Faith Formation

11am - Worship

Monday, May 5th

10am - Faith & Fellowship (Zoom)

5:45pm - Executive Team

6:30pm - Christian Action Team

Tuesday, May 6th

9am - Quilting

10am - Staff Meeting

Worship Assistants, May 4th

 Greeters:

8:30am – Dan and Mary Dudde

11am - Alice Silver, Eric Van Tassel

Ushers: 

8:30am –  Ken and Deborah Lane

11am - Deanna Jordan, Scott Baumann

Altar Guild:

8:30am – Sharon Herrmann

11am - Susan Van Tassel

Acolyte:

8:30am – Lila Niedenthal

11am - Natalie Haynes

Crucifer:

11am – Christian Wikoff

Assisting Minister:

8:30am – Deacon Katie

11am – Dave Epley

Reader:

8:30am – Dan Dudde

11am – Randy Warren

Communion Assistant:

8:30am - Sharon Herrmann

11am – James Aydelotte

Live Stream:

Chris Miller

*Remaining May, June, and July Schedule published on 5/1*

Contact Information

Parish Administrator

admin@stmarkslutheran.net

Our Mission:

Making disciples by loving Christ,

growing in faith, serving all people

Our Vision:

Experiencing and sharing God's grace as an inclusive, intergenerational congregation through Worship, Outreach, Learning and Fellowship