Church Family News
THIS SATURDAY!!
September 7
NEW MEMBER RETREAT

9AM to Noon

If you would like to learn about our church and become a member, please come to or half day retreat. You will meet other new members, get to know other members and learn about our faith, ministry and mission at St. Mark.

If you are interested, fill out a new member form that you can pick up in our office or send an email to [email protected]
THIS SUNDAY
SEPTEMBER 8
10:15 AT ST. MARK

It is Rally Day and we will bless the teachers of Preschool, Sunday school, youth leaders, confirmation teachers, adult discussion and all who participate ad teach at St. Mark. We will pray and anoint the hands of those engaged in this ministry. They are a blessing to us.

This is also the beginning of starting:
  • confirmation on Sundays from 5-7pm
  • UVA student lunch and discussion Sundays after the 10:15 service
  • Sunday School
  • Book club
  • Adult Discussion Group

On this Sunday we will also welcome our new members and celebrate all those who become the part of our church family. We are no longer strangers but one in Christ as brothers and sisters through baptism.
Our Beer and Hymns
Monday, Sept 9

(from now on, every second Monday of the month)
Trinity Pub on the Corner,
from 7 to 8 pm.

All ages are welcome. We meet the second Monday of each month, same time and place.

Bring your friends to experience this Lutheran tradition. We will have a great time!
DEAR ST. MARK MEMBERS, FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERS, 

We are thankful for all the support you provided to St. Mark and our ministries in Christ in 2019. We are all stewards of the great gifts we have in Christ through our church. 

As we are looking forward to 2020, and what God is calling us to do in Charlottesville, we remember that our faith requires that each of us give of our time, talents, and resources to make our mission a reality. 

Stewardship is a spiritual discipline that draws from our thankfulness for what we receive from God and focuses on our responsibility towards God’s mission.
 
We ask you to prayerfully consider making a commitment toward our mission and ministry in 2020. 

If you made a pledge in 2019, please consider increasing your pledge.

If you couldn’t make a pledge before, we encourage you to make a commitment with the knowledge that we understand if life circumstances and abilities change. We believe that each of us has the ability to be generous. 

This letter is your commitment card and you can fill it out:

• By sending this form back in an envelop, 
• By filling it out on webpage under SUPPORT,
• By filling it out in the weekly newsletter 

In order to work on our budget presented at our annual meeting, the deadline for pledges will be November 10.

We are thankful for your generosity and promise to be good stewards of all of our resources. 
PRESCHOOL NEWS

Hands & Feet!
Recently, Carla Moody, as a representative of St Mark Lutheran Church and Preschool, presented three informative workshops for teachers in Loundon County. The workshops included a slideshow of the preschool teacher's work in the classrooms and on the playground. It was well received by all! It was also a paid "gig" so Carla took her earnings and treated the staff to pedicures! It was a fun way to end the summer!
SPECIAL OLYMPICS AND PRIDE FESTIVAL
God’s Work our Hands.
September 14

 Consider joining the  Special Olympics Pepsi walk/running the morning (details below) and then coming to the  Pride Festival at the Downtown Pavilion starting at 11 and continuing through the afternoon. 

St. Mark will have a table at the Festival as in years past.  We’ll have cupcakes, a craft, and more!  You can volunteer (sign-up sheet in the narthex) or just come by to show your support for the LGBTQ community. For questions, contact Laurel McClurken, Lois Shepherd, or Jennifer Giacalone .  

The Special Olympics Pepsi 10k and 2 mile walk will take place also on September 14th. We would love to get a team of St. Mark members to either run the 10K, participate in the 2 mile walk or volunteer to cheer and help at food tables and other jobs.   
 
The money raised from this run goes directly to the Local Area 3 Special Olympics.  There are no paid positions at the local level and all the coaches and staff are volunteers.  All funds are used to pay for equipment, uniforms, travel to competitions and educational materials about Special Olympics.
 
Come, have fun, and mingle with some of the best runners in Charlottesville and several UVa Athletic teams and Special Guest, our very own "COSMO" the famous sheep dog.  
 
To sign up for the run/walk you can go to the website,  


If you are interested in participating as a family and would like to get a discounted family rate, please talk to or email Pastor Viktoria ( [email protected] )
HELP MAKE OUR CHURCH BEAUTIFUL

SIGN UP AT CHURCH

SEPTEMBER 28
SATURDAY
9AM to 1PM

Join us for an indoor and outdoor cleanup morning at the church. 

Bring your favorite cleaning and gardening tools and gloves. Bring your kids, we have something to do for everyone.

We'll have cool drinks and food and free T-shirts.

If you can, let us know you'll be helping--contact Tim Hess our new property committee chair in person.

Sign up sheets at church or email: [email protected]
Synod and ELCA News
VIRGINIA INTERFAITH CENTER
You are invited to our annual Celebration and Awards party!

Join us on Thursday, Sept. 19, at 5:30PM at the Hippodrome Theatre in Richmond for dinner, music, and an exciting awards ceremony.  
This is our only annual statewide fundraising event and your participation is greatly appreciated. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by the IRS.
There are many ways to support our mission:
2 -   BECOME A SPONSOR LINK   - Individuals, congregations and company sponsors will get free tickets, recognition in the program, and online PR
3 -  DONATE AN ITEM FOR ONLINE AUCTION LINK   - Donate a gift certificate, a service, or an experience.
Called to be a Prophet
Sept 27 and 28th.

2-day conference at Christ the King, Cary, on Friday-Saturday, September 27-28 , to help you wrestle with the question: what is God calling you to do? Our world faces issues we can solve--or at least improve--in areas of climate change, racial inequality, and acceptance of all genders and sexualities as the Image of God. 

Join theologians, activists, pastors, and advocates as we answer the call to be modern-day prophets. Presented by the NC Synod; Christ the King, Cary; and Homebrewed Christianity; and featuring speaker Brian McLaren. The first 100 people signing up will receive copies of Brian's and Robyn's new books.
North Carolina is beautiful in September! Link to the event is  tinyurl.com/calledtobeprophets .
Community News
THIS SUNDAY!
Civil Rights Movement and It's Music

Sunday, September 8, 3:00 to 6:30 pm, Trinity Episcopal Church, 1118 Preston Ave. Claudrena N. Harold of UVA and Writer Works from Freedoms Writers of the 60's will present and lead discussion. Music by DJ and Cool Lane. Food provided. Part of Trinity Episcopal’s Whitefeather Project. Free registration at Eventbrite page.
“Building a More Diverse Community” Six-Part Weekly Series
Starting Thursday, September 12, 6:30 pm,
The Center, 491 Hillsdale Drive Charlottesville

The Center  (formerly The Senior Center) is sponsoring a free series of presentations (by Rev. Dr. Lehman Bates, Leontyne Clay Peck, Dr. Kelly Palmer, Juandiego Wade, Khizr Khan, and Dr. Aliaa Khidr) regarding the need for increased diversity and inclusion in organizations.   Download this flyer   for more information.
International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Charlottesville
Friday, September 13 at 12pm at Central Library. 

Former refugees will share their experience rebuilding their lives in Charlottesville. The discussion will be moderated by IRC in Charlottesville Executive Director, Harriet Kuhr. 
This event is free and no RSVP is required.
For additional information, please contact the IRC in
Charlottesville at 434-979-7772 x 114 or  [email protected]

This event is part of Welcoming Greater Charlottesville's Welcoming Week festivities. For a full listing of Welcoming Week events and to learn more about Welcoming Greater Charlottesville, please visit their website.
Climate Change Summit
Sunday September 15, 1:00 pm,
Unity of Charlottesville, 2825 Hydraulic Rd.

In partnership with Wild Virginia, Citizens' Climate Lobby, Virginia Inner Faith Power & Light, and the Piedmont Group of the Virginia Sierra Club, this summit will show the film "Paris to Pittsburgh," followed by a panel discussion.
LWF shares stories of women humanitarians
For World Humanitarian Day on Aug. 19, the Lutheran World Federation shared stories of women humanitarians around the world, such as Amrita Rai, who volunteers for the Sanischare refugee camp in Nepal. At the age of 9, Rai came to Nepal after fleeing her home in Bhutan — an experience that has inspired her humanitarian work. “Seeing humans help humans makes my heart happy and gives me hope for humanity,” Rai said. “I know what difficulty is, as I have faced it myself, and I know how much even a tiny ounce of help can do.”  Read her story .

Pastor Viktoria will hold office hours any time by appointment. 

Please leave a message at 434-293-3311  
Sunday September 8
Welcome:   Linda Roberts                
Greeter:   Carolyn Rader
Ushers:  Marcy Wisbauer & Will and Leo Abrahamson
Crucifer/Acolyte/Chalice:  Katharina Ravichandran
Assisting Minister:   Jack Milligan
Children Moment:   Tony Marbury
Lector:  Jeff Werner
Cantor:   Tony Marbury
Altar Guild: Sandy Werner
Nursery: Zoe Martin
Snack:      Yvonne Osheim & Karen Love
Coffee/Clean up:  Karen Love & Linda Roberts
Counters:  Elaine Oakey & Mark Giesecke
Sunday September 15
Welcome:  David Zentmyer
Greeter:  Sue Picket
Ushers:  Marcy Wisbauer & Will and Leo Abrahamson
Crucifer/Acolyte/Chalice:   Sylvie Bon-Harper
Assisting Minister:  Yvonne Osheim
Children Moment:  Pastor
Lector:   Tom Hecmanczuk
Cantor:  Sylvie Bon-Harper
Altar Guild:  Linda Imhoff
Nursery:  KC Jacoby
Snack:  Kathryn Stephenson & Marcy Wisbauer
Coffee/Clean up:  Yvonne Osheim & Amanda Nelsen
Counters:  Christa Escobar & Constance Johnson
St. Mark Lutheran Church (ELCA) of Charlottesville, VA
(434) 293-3311 |  www.stmarklutheran.org