Between the World and Me

March 16 - March 30

In response to the St. Marks vision goal to continue work of racial healing, we will read Ta-Neishi Coates’ Between the World and Me as part of our Adult Faith Formation class. This book is a letter written by the author to his then teenage son. Coates relates his experiences as a Black man growing up in America to his child. The purpose of the letter is to share with his son the realities of being Black in America. Between the World and Me won the National Book Award for Non-Fiction in 2015. With discussion led by RJ Hroneck, this class will meet until March 30. *Books are available in the Commons with a suggested donation of $10 per book* Meet in the library!

Concord of Sweet Sounds Resources

from Cantor David

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Concord of Sweet Sounds faith formation class! Your questions, participation, and general enthusiasm for learning made it a joy to lead. As promised, here is a document with clickable links to every piece we listened to during the class sessions. 

Noisy Buckets - Benefiting the California Wildfires

Sunday, March 30th

When a month has a fifth Sunday, we take an additional special offering called Noisy Buckets. The Noisy Bucket collection this month will be used to support those directly effected by the California Wildfires. With an out pouring of generosity to St. Mark’s after Hurricane Helene, the council would like to send the Noisy Bucket collect directly to a church in California that will be determined at a later date. Bring your loose change and those folded bills, and let's fill those buckets for those in need! 

Winthrop University Chorale @ Lutheran Church of the Nativity

Sunday, March 30th @ 4:00 pm w/ Dr. Jeremy Mims, Conductor

The Chorale, the principal touring choir among the ensembles in the Department of Music, consists of outstanding undergraduate and graduate students, more than half of whom are music majors and minors. Click for full details. Freewill offering collected.

All Sunday Helpers, Save the Date 

Sunday, April 6th @ 9:45am

 Are you an usher, greeter, video operator, assisting minister, altar guild, reader, communion assistant, and/or coffee hour host on Sunday mornings? If so (or if you aspire to be), please plan to join Deacon Katie, Pastor Matt, and Cantor David in the Sanctuary during the Faith Formation hour on April 6 as we update some job descriptions, help orient new servers, and make sure we're all on the same page. 

A Time for Renewal

During the December meeting, St. Mark’s council approved a sabbatical for Pastor Matt spanning May, June, and July of 2026. Plans are still in the early stages, and Pastor Matt will absolutely share more as they develop. But for now... Click here to continue reading.

Mid Week Holden Prayer during Lent

Wednesday’s @ 6:45pm

During the season of Lent, we will gather each Wednesday evening for Holden Evening Prayer beginning at 6:45. Worship will begin after small groups and dinner which begins at 5:30pm. 

Didn't Sign Up - Still Join!

beginning March 12th

Each week, groups of 6-8 people will spend time together to grow in relationship with God and one another, then join the larger gathering for a provided meal, and Holden Evening Prayer in the Fellowship Hall.  

Small Groups begin at 5:30pm!

Faithful Feet -

Looking for a Lenten discipline to support both your spiritual and physical wellbeing? Join Deacon Katie "Faithful Feet" to pray and walk your way through Lent! Each week there will be two morning opportunities to meet out in the community to pray together, then walk, run, skate, or skip for as long as you'd like.

Where:

Meet/Park at the Asheville Botanical Gardens (151 W.T Weaver Blvd) to walk the Reed Creek Greenway

When:

Tuesdays at 8:00am - March 18, 25, & April 1, 8, and 15

Saturdays at 9:00am - March 15,22, and 29, April 5, 12, and 19 

Bishop Smith's

Lenten Bible Study

Bishop Tim Smith will offer an online Bible study on the book of Revelation during Lent—specifically, the five Thursdays beginning March 13 and concluding on April 10—from 7 to 8 p.m. via Zoom. Don't miss this opportunity to study Revelation with other Lutherans across the synod!

Lenten Devotional Available in the Commons

In The Hardest Part: Hurt We Carry, Hope We Find, we’ll walk through these paradoxes together. Each day, we’ll look at the hardest parts of being human—heartbreak, emptiness, shame, and longing—and acknowledge the weight of it. You’ll find Scripture, a reflection, a response prompt, and a blessing to remind you that grace has a way of sneaking in, even when life feels impossible (kind of like finding your phone after you’ve torn the house apart for the fifth time). Prefer a digital copy of this year's devotional resource? Click here to access the online content.

Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women

The RHT will be presenting a small window into the MMIW crisis right here over the next few weeks. MMIW is an acronym for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and refers to the ongoing violence against the First Nations, Metis, Inuit, American Indian, and Alaska Native. MMIW is an urgent human rights issue and has become the rallying cry for action against such acts of violence. The very first action we can take is educating ourselves.

The MMIW Red Hand ~ It is a Native American belief that the dead can see red, so by wearing red it invokes the help of ancestors and spiritual guides. A red hand over the mouth stands for all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It stands for the silence of the media and law enforcement in the midst of this crisis. It stands for the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are now rising up to say, “No more stolen sisters!”

Week 7 Resources

It is said that Indigenous Women go missing three times - in life, in the media, and in the data. These slogans emphasize the presence, remembrance, and impact of violence on communities.

“Not Invisible!”

“You Are Not Forgotten!”

“No More Stolen Sisters!”

No More Stolen Sisters, a campaign led by Amnesty International, focuses on stopping violence against Indigenous women and girls in North America. It addresses the root causes and impacts of this violence, advocating for justice and accountability. The campaign’s name powerfully represents the loss experienced by these communities and calls for urgent action to resolve this human rights issue, highlighting the often inadequate response to the violence and murder of Indigenous women and girls.

Listen to this Bioneers podcast via YouTube to understand more: 



No More Stolen Sisters: Stopping the Abuse and Murder of Native Women and Girls

Week 6 Resources

The Difficulties & Challenges of the MMIW Crisis (from Justice for MMIW:Unveiled Stories & Our Voices) ~

• Jurisdictional Complications
• Data Gaps
• Financial Constraints
• Indifference
• Slow Progress
• Impact on Communities

Read about the details of these difficulties and challenges here.

Additional Resource ~

Fault Lines: The Search: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Fault Lines travels across the western U.S. to Washington, Montana and New Mexico to find out why Indigenous women are going missing at alarming rates and what more can be done to address this problem.  

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