THIS SUNDAY NOVEMBER 24 at 10:15AM



It is Christ the King Sunday and we are thankful for having a gentle and just leader for our lives.

We will celebrate a service of thanksgiving for all that God had done through us and through our congregation of St. Mark.

You are invited to bring food for the Blue Ridge Food Pantry that we will place in baskets at the entrance of the sanctuary.

Let us be thankful and share God's bounty with our community. You are welcome to bring fall decoration and help Christina Osheim make our altar and sanctuary festive.

If you would like to help decorate or have some fall decoration or pumpkins to share, just let the office know.

ADVENT EVENTS AT SAINT MARK

CHILDREN WORSHIP MOMENT

DECEMBER 1 at 10:15AM

We will begin the service with lighting of the first candle of the Christmas Wreath with the help of the children and families. Please come forward when we do this.

During the children worship moment, we will begin building the Nativity scene . Laurel McClurken will help them over the four weeks in Advent to ready the crèche for the Baby Jesus’ arrival on Christmas Eve.  

AFTER WORSHIP SERVICE DECEMBER 1

After the service on the 1st, we will decorate the Christmas Tree in our sanctuary. Please plan to stay for a bit so your children have a part in this celebration. There will be snacks and music and a craft activity for the kids.

REVERSE ADVENT ACTIVITIES

We will be decorating bags to fill with food for the hungry and jars to donate money to Lutheran Family Services. Each day of Advent, you can place a canned good into your bag. Or decorate a jar--on the first day of Advent, place one coin or bill in the jar; on the 2nd, place two bills or coins.... On Christmas Eve, bring the bags of food and the jars of money into church so that the blessing of Christ's birth can be shared. Please bring your own bags/jars, though I will try to have some on hand in case you forget.

TUNA FOR CHRISTMAS

On December 1 and in all December Sundays, please bring a can or more of unopened tuna cans so that we can use these as weights for our Christmas luminaries before they will be delivered to the Blue Ridge Food Pantry. There will be a special basket in the outer office to collect the tuna.

SUNDAY DECEMBER 8

St. Nicholas will appear on December 8th after the Children’s Moment at the beginning of the service to tell his story. He will then lead the young ones to the narthex where they will leave their shoes with a hope that later St. Nick fills them as promised with good things. They will return in socks to their parents in the church during the processional hymn, following the crucifer and Pastor.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES DECEMBER 24 AT 5 and 11

Christmas Eve service at 5 pm will be especially designed for the inclusion of children.  At 11PM we will have traditional service. Come and celebrate Jesus' birth and invite your friends and neighbors. All families will receive a special Christmas ornament.

TO OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL TEAM, PARENTS, KIDS, AND KARA.

Thank you all for the amazing children time play on  Sunday morning . We enjoyed seeing you have fun while you were teaching us. Worship can take many different forms and giving a play is a an important one. Please do this again soon. -- The Worship and Music Committee

POINSETTIA SIGN UP IS HERE!



You can find the sign up sheet in the hallway by the office, or you can sign up online by clicking on the red button below.Please fill out the form to order poinsettias for Christmas Service!

The price is $15 for each flower and you can donate one in honor or memory of someone you love.

The deadline is currently December 16th.

These flowers will make our Christmas service special and remind us of the love we have for others.

CLICK BELOW FOR ON LINE ORDERS!

SAFE CHURCH TRAINING IN PROGRESS

The training for safe church leaders and children and youth ministry leaders is continuing at St. Mark. On November 16, three church gathered at St. Mark t learn about creating a safe church, reporting responsibilities for suspected abuse and talking to survivors of abuse. From St. Mark, Carolyn, Michelle and Pastor attended. Next training will be in January. If you are interested to be on the Safe church Committee or participating just let the pastor know.

ST. MARK

WOMEN RETREAT!



Let the office or Pastor Viktoria know if you are interested going. We would car pool together.

Wild Women Wine and Craft Retreat, December 6-8

Join us for a weekend of fellowship and renewal! Feel free to bring a book, your latest crafting project, and your favorite snacks/drinks to share. We'll share some of our favorites too - transportation is provided to a local winery, and we'll lead the group in a craft. (Craft details TBD - stay tuned)​ Retreat cost includes modern-rustic lodging, scratch-made meals, and transportation to a local winery. For more information and to register click below:

WOMEN'S BOOK CLUB NEWS

The Women's Bookclub will meet November 25th , Monday, at 7:00pm in the church library to discuss author Toni Morrison. All the women of the church are invited to get any book by Toni Morrison and read it before the 25th. On that night we will discuss the author in general through her books. What themes she covered, what were the different subjects and how she may have worked a theme into that book, etc. Come all and join us!

Pastoral message on racism and white supremacy

In response to the longstanding ecumenical work and the recent actions of the ELCA Churchwide Assembly, Presiding Bishop Eaton issued a pastoral message on   racism and white supremacy   in September. This message includes important updates in ecumenical relations, specifically with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. As part of our next steps in this important relationship, we commend to you for further study and dialogue the congregational resource we co-published as part of the AME-ELCA dialogue in 1996, entitled " Understanding One Another ."

Coordinating committee for the ELCA’s full-communion relationships

In September the Lutheran-Moravian Coordinating Committee met at Trinity Moravian Church in New Carrollton, Md., where co-chair the Rev. Tammie Rinker is pastor. Reflecting on its three-year program of meeting with local pastors working together in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin, the committee discussed ways to continue to encourage this distinctively localized relationship to thrive in the contexts where these communities live together.

WEBINAR TO EXPAND ELCA CREATION CARE: 

The ELCA is responding as stewards of God’s good creation, and we need more #CreationCareAmbassadors to spread enthusiasm and information and to help strengthen our response. You can learn more on Dec. 11 from the free webinar “ELCA Caring for God’s Creation Today: Pass It On!”

The moment is now. The opportunities are many. The resources exist and are expanding. Learn about what’s happening and how you can make a difference, through this webinar hosted by ELCA Advocacy and our ecumenical collaborator, Blessed Tomorrow, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Maybe being a #CreationCareAmbassador is for you. Let’s pass it on! Registration info from   facebook.com/pg/elcaadvocacy/events/ .

Clunky Questions about LGBQITA+

(from  ReconcilingWorks.org ) : In our work, we often hear people with good intentions feel they aren’t able to ask questions about what it means to be LGBTQ because they are afraid of offending someone or they don’t have the right words with which to ask. If this sounds familiar, or if your faith community is interested in how to better support LGBTQ Lutherans, then  the “Clunky Questions” series   is for you.

Racial Equity Tools Glossary

(from  RacialEquityTools.org ):  Racial Equity Tools  is a website designed to support individuals and groups working to achieve racial equity. This site offers tools, research, tips, curricula and ideas for people who want to increase their own understanding and to help those working toward justice at every level – in systems, organizations, communities and the culture at large.

The glossary linked here reminds us of the importance of words and strives to provide some "shared understanding, particularly when using the most common terms. In this way, the quality of dialogue and discourse on race can be enhanced."

MINISTRY OF WORSHIP AND MUSIC

Sunday November 24

Welcome: Tom Hecmanczuk             

Greeter:  Carolyn Rader

Ushers:  Lewis & Crosby Horton

Crucifer/Acolyte/Chalice: Mia Marin & Alice McKenna

Assisting Minister:  Helen Ida Moyer

Children Moment:  Tom Hecmanczuk

Lector:  Pat Dwiggins

Cantor:  Helen Ida Moyer

Altar Guild: Elaine Oakey

Nursery: Amanda Nelsen

Snack:  Margi Roache & David Zentmyer

Coffee/Clean up:  Gail Milligan & Caroline Hecmanczuk

Counters:  Pat Dwiggins & Mark Giesecke

Sunday December 1

Welcome: Howard Imhoff        

Greeter:  Lois Shepherd

Ushers:  Dick Sundberg & Marco Escobar

Crucifer/Acolyte/Chalice: John Roache & Howard Imhoff

Assisting Minister:  Jack Milligan

Children Moment: 

Lector: Karen Love

Cantor: 

Altar Guild: Linda Imhoff

Nursery: Sylvie Bon-Harper

Snack: Patty Marbury & Heidi Jones

Coffee/Clean up:   Lisa Veale & Kara McClurken

Counters:  Lois Shepherd & Mark Giesecke