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November 8, 2026
9:45 AM English Worship
in person, on Facebook and YouTube
11:00 AM Sunday School
11:00 AM Confirmation
11:00 AM Watch & Pray
12:15 PM Spanish Worship
in person, on Facebook and YouTube
| | Flowers from November 1, 2026 | | |
November 8, 2026
Mary Eskelund in very special memory of her husband, Gerald Eskelund.
Pete and Peggie Morrison in celebration of the wedding anniversary of Andrew and Christen Morrison.
Frank & Trudy Stellar in celebration of the birthday of Charlotte Foss.
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Women of St. Mark’s are again invited to attend one of our meetings—you will be warmly welcomed! We meet in small groups monthly, with “combined” meetings in December and May. (Tabitha meets year round.)
Esther Circle will meet at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, November 4 at the Friendship House. Nan will be hostess and provide the Bible study from the Fall 2026 Gather magazine—Session 2, “Bold Faith on an Unexpected Journey.”
Deborah Circle will meet on Wednesday, November 4 at 7:00 PM via ZOOM. Cindy will lead the program from the Fall 2026 Gather magazine—Session 2, “Bold Faith on an Unexpected Journey.”
Martha Circle will meet in the lounge (with ZOOM available) on Tuesday, November 10 (due to Election day) at 10:00 AM. Mary Lou will be hostess and Linda will lead the program from the Summer 2026 Gather magazine—Session 3, “I am worthy because you are.”
Tabitha will continue to meet every other Friday night at 7:00 PM at Friendship House. They continue to support all members with hope for the future.
WELCA also sponsors a “monthly project” to support causes about which we feel strongly. For November, our project will be In-kind gifts for stockings/other needs for children in Wise, VA and Hazard, KY.
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St. Mark’s is again helping ECHO by sponsoring individual families with a Thanksgiving meal, by purchasing and mailing a gift card directly to the designated family. Linda Vretos (703-455-4841 – cvretos@cox.net) will have a list of clients to receive the cards from St. Mark’s members and guidelines for suggested dollar amounts. The cards should arrive at the client’s home by November 21. There will be a separate list of clients for the Christmas meals, available after December 1. Your help is appreciated by ECHO as we continue this long-standing ECHO tradition.
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Please join us for the Congregation Meeting on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 1:30 PM. A pizza lunch will be provided. While we encourage in-person attendance, the meeting will also be available via Zoom for full participation for those unable to attend. The meeting will have two sections: one, the annual meeting of the newly incorporated St. Mark's Montessori School; and two, the fall meeting of the St. Mark's congregation. The school and the church are nonprofit corporations and members of the congregation make up the voting membership for both. The agenda for the congregation meeting will be as follows:
- Approval of an updated St. Mark's constitution to reflect the Model Constitution for Congregations adopted by the ELCA in 2025
- Election of Council members
- Presentation of the Reserve Study on church facilities
- Approval of St. Mark's 2027 budget
- Finance Committee update
An agenda for the Montessori School section of the meeting will be forthcoming.
We look forward to updating you on church and school activities and receiving your input on plans for 2027.
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Constitution Update Notice
This announcement serves as notice to the Congregation about proposed changes to the St. Mark’s Constitution for approval at the November 15, 2026 Congregation Meeting, under the change process of section *C16.04 of the Constitution. The Congregation will be asked to approve changes to bring our Constitution into conformance with the ELCA 2025 Model Constitution for Congregations, which was approved by the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in August 2025.
The full announcement, including background information and proposed changes can be found [here].
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Everyday Peacemaking
Bring Shalom to Your
Corner of the World
Join us on Saturday, Nov. 21, 9:00 AM-3:00 PM
at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
5800 Backlick Road
Springfield, VA 22150
Suggested donation $15 includes lunch.
Register by email to yvettemoy@hotmail.com
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Brian Newman
At 20 years old as a college student Brian had a dramatic conversion to Christ, which launched him into a life of serving God overseas for 20 years and now in the United States. He has worked in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, and elsewhere for over 25 years.
In 2011, Brian founded The Isaac Ishmael Initiative to bring together the three monotheistic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Ashraf Atieh
Born and raised in a Middle Eastern family, Ashraf practiced Law for a number of years before going into ministry. He wrote theological courses for Muslim background people in the Middle East and North Africa. Since moving to the US and becoming part of The Isaac Ishmael Initiative team, he presents an understanding of Middle Eastern culture, customs, and faith.
Everyday Peacemaking Bring Shalom to Your Corner of the World
In a divided world, peace can feel out of reach. Every Day Peacemaking offers a biblical framework and four practical dimensions: perspective, proximity, presence and practice. Discover how to build redemptive relationships, embrace differences and bring shalom to your family, community and corner of the world.
Join us Nov. 21, 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM at St. Mark’s to hear Brian Newman, director of Isaac-Ishmael Initiative and his associate Ashraf Atieh. Suggested donation $15 that includes lunch. Register with an email to yvettemoy@hotmail.com
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Stewardship Corner
This week, a few notes about year-end donation planning.
Save the Date: December 1st: "Giving Tuesday". The Tuesday after Thanksgiving is called Giving Tuesday, with a lot of attention given to donating to charity on that date. Thrivent will be matching donations given (only on Giving Tuesday and only through their giving portal), up to $3 million nationwide. St. Mark’s and The Life Center are both registered as Thrivent giving partners, so each are eligible to receive matching funds. Also, Thrivent is covering all of the transaction costs for Giving Tuesday donations! Stay tuned for further details. Our donation dollars will go further if we come together and take advantage of the generous Thrivent support.
New charitable deductions for Tax Year 2026. There is a new feature in the tax code for Tax Year 2026 (next April’s tax return), that will allow many more people to claim a deduction for charitable giving, even if they cannot otherwise itemize deductions. Less than 10% of taxpayers presently itemize. Here is what is new: according to IRS Topic no. 506 (Charitable contributions),
“Beginning with tax year 2026, if you do not itemize, you may deduct up to $1,000 ($2,000 if filing jointly) of your cash contributions to certain qualified organizations.” (meaning tax exempt organizations, such as St. Mark’s)
This deduction will reduce your taxable income by the amount you report in this line item, and it ill help reduce your final tax bill. Please note that it does not reduce your tax by this full amount—it reduces your income used to calculate the tax.
How can we take advantage of this as a congregation?
- For those who may be donating less than $1,000 individually to St. Mark’s, please consider increasing your contribution to the level where you could take that full $1,000 (or $2,000 filing jointly) deduction. Can your year-end giving plans allow you to take full advantage of this deduction?
- This will cover total charitable giving from January 1 - December 31, 2026.
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For questions about your individual situation, please contact a tax professional. For general questions, contact stewardship@stmarks-elca.org.
How does St. Mark’s fit into your year-end giving planning? Here are some ways you can give above and beyond your regular offerings. Which of these fits into your plans?
- Advent Offerings
- Christmas Eve Offerings
- 4th Quarter Benevolences (FACETS and the Lamb Center)
- Giving Tuesday
- Extra envelope or e-giving donation
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Birthdays This Week:
Nov 8: Laura Murphy, Barbara Quesenberry
Nov 9: Ron Barbour, Ove Herfindahl, Larry Long
Nov 12: Kathleen Collins, David Moser
Nov 14: Rick Brittain, Owen Sheppard
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Birthdays Next Week:
Nov 15: Colleen Clark, Wendy Sheaffer, Bonnie Vigil
Nov 16: Sofia Alvarenga Espinal
Nov 17: Kenia Espinal
Nov 18: Kyra Langwiser, Olivia Milly Mantilla
Nov 19: Gayle Parsons
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PRAYER LIST
Angela Argueta –Chris Michaelsen—Dave Appler—Joyce Langley—Bob Webb—Alexandra Davis, friend of the Quesenberry’s—Patrick, relative of Kay Graff—Ryan and Carrie Dalessi, cousin of Alice Real—Oscar José Araujo Mejia—Kimberly, niece of Angela Argueta—Chuck and Sadie Light—Yariel Canas and family—Jamine, sister of Marta Fuentes—Cheryl Richardson—Pr Judy Chapman, friend of the Triolos—Jenny De la O—Sara Escobar—Estebana, grandmother of Oscar Polacios—Don Whitley—Marta Fuentes—Barbara Norine—Jennifer Willet, niece of Edie and Peter Weekly—Andy Winesett, son-in-law of Jane Zuidema—Willie Robinson, cousin of Cheryl Dwyer—for all who suffer from natural disasters—an end to unrest, conflict, and war around the world; and peace and protection for the armed forces and their families—the grieving families and friends of Liseth Reyes, family of Angela and Juan Argueta; Tim Gray, family of Kay Graff; Ilene Solenberger, wife of former member John Solenberger; Michael Forest, friend of Edie Weekly; Sue Moorefield, former member of St. Mark’s; Barbara Barrett, friend of Cheryl Dwyer; Barbara Norine.
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It’s time to renew our support for St. Mark’s flower ministry. Flower dedications make possible the outstanding floral displays that grace the chancel area every week. These dedications are an opportunity to lift up a loved one or special occasion, or simply acknowledge the glory of God. Flower dedication forms are available in the narthex and at this link. A donation of $25.00 is requested for each dedication. Please return the completed form(s) to the church office by December 15 with a check payable to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church for the total donation for all dedications.
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Dwelling in the Word Bible Study
Our Thursday morning Dwelling in the Word Bible Study meet on Thursdays at 10:30 AM, via Zoom. (The link is on St. Mark’s website calendar.) We are continuing with the study of the Gospel of Matthew. No prior Bible knowledge is required to participate in these engaging conversations as we seek the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit, information about the texts, and transformation of our lives that we might more fully live into the image and likeness of God we were created to be.
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Men’s Bible Study
The Men's Breakfast and Bible Study group is reading the Gospel according to Matthew and invites all men, young and old, to join us each Wednesday morning at 9:00 AM for a stimulating journey into the Scriptures. We meet in the Lounge and via Zoom (see the link on the church calendar on our website) and enjoy a light breakfast of pastries, coffee, and other treats.
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Midweek Eucharistic Liturgies
Wednesdays at 10:45 AM
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