In the sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life,

we commend to almighty God

Margaret (Tee) Caldwell Conroy

On September 9th, 2024 after a lifelong struggle with mental illness, Tee Conroy went to her heavenly home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. A celebration of her life will be held at St. Marks Lutheran Church of Asheville on Saturday, September 14th at 11 am. You can view Tee's full obituary here.

+Rest eternal grant her, O Lord, and light perpetual shine on her+

September 15th

Children's Faith Formation @ 9:45am

Faith formation for young people begins on September 15. Meet in the sanctuary at 9:45 as we hand out new Bibles or books to each child (preK-elementary) and meet our teachers before heading to classrooms. Going forward, kids faith formation will continue to meet in the sanctuary at 9:45 for 15 minutes of music with Cantor David. Parents of young ones may pick up from classrooms at 10:45.

St. Mark’s Kids and Youth @ 4pm

Youth and children 3 and up will gather at the Faith Center Porch at Lutheridge before splitting into age groups for games, vespers, SMORES and more led by St. Mark's members and Lutheridge Program Directors Pastors Sara and Drew Yoos. Older youth should come with sturdy shoes so they can hike or take a turn on the climbing wall! Please let Pastor Matt or the church office know you are coming and if you would be willing to help with the younger group. We look forward to growing in faith with you and your children! 

New Adult Faith Formation - Rome at the time of Jesus @ 9:45

How often do you think about the Roman Empire? Join Phillip Otterness, St. Mark's member and Warren Wilson Professor Emeritus of History and Political Science as he helps us better understand the world in which Jesus lived. This class will begin on September 15 and meet in the Fellowship Hall. 

September 22nd

Partners & Pastries during Faith Formation

During the faith formation hour on September 22nd Rev. Jack and his wife Lisa from Living Waters in Cherokee, NC will be joining us for our next round of Partners & Pastries. Come hear about how St. Mark’s monthly contribution is helping them make an impact with individuals on and around the Cherokee Reservation.

 We need a few homemade baked goods for this event.

Contact Danielle in the church office to help!

Dear St. Mark's family,

Greetings from Pleasant Valley, New York! Sabbatical has been off to a great start - I've been doing a lot of reading, cooking, and visiting family and friends. A highlight has been going to see "The Wiz" on Broadway, and spending the day exploring N.Y.C. I've challenged myself to see how many miles I can walk during the 3 months, and I just hit 40 miles as of 8/20! Much love to you all. - Deacon Katie (copied text from postcard)

Living out our Baptismal Call

This year's fall stewardship campaign will include an invitation to make pledges of time and talent in addition to financial pledges. Not sure what opportunities exist at St. Mark's? Check out our Time and Talent Reference booklet to see what might be a good fit for you and who you can contact to get connected.

Singers Wanted

beginning September 12th @ 7pm

Now is a great time to join the choir! No previous musical training is required. If you can sing "Happy Birthday," you have all the talent necessary (after all, Christmas is coming). Cantor David will be happy to meet with you one on one to answer any questions you may have. Contact the church office or email cantordavid@stmarkslutheran.net

Celebrating Dr. L.C Ray and First Lady Louise Ray

September 15th

There will be a special service held at 3pm at Western North Carolina Baptist Fellowship to honor the work that Pastor L.C Ray has completed over the last 14 years of his pastoral ministry. Guest Preacher, Pastor John Brewster will be preaching and the service will also include a video of an interview with Rev. Ray looking back over his impact in the community. Your presence will be appreciated. Questions? Contact Connie Chaplin! Click here for more information 

Racial Healing Team

September 16th @ 6pm

This group looks for opportunities for our congregation to get involved with communities in Asheville, Buncombe County, and Western North Carolina to promote education, fellowship, service, and advocacy around racial injustice and inequality and our calling to follow the teachings of Jesus to break down barriers and lift up our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our alliance with WNC Baptist and Living Water’s in Cherokee are just the beginning! We are excited for our part in the Vision 2027 Goals and what God has in store for St. Marks. The next RHT meeting will be on September 16th @ 6pm!

Sign Up today!! Table for All!

Table for All provides an opportunity for you to meet and get to know more people at St. Mark’s. Over the course of the year, you’ll have the opportunity to gather with 3 different groups at people’s homes to break bread and share in conversation. It’s a fun and easy way to get to know your church family better, and build stronger relationships (all while enjoying some yummy food!). Sign up on “Sign-up Central” bulletin board at the bottom of the main staircase, or email Garry and Gina Linton at missginabee@verizon.net

Our Million Dollar Walk

September 29th

In 1979, the Asheville area held its first Crop Hunger Walk to raise awareness of world hunger issues. This year, on September 29th, we will pass the million dollar mark raised!

St. Mark's will participate on that day in the annual Asheville-Buncombe Crop Hunger Walk, showing that we care for people locally and around the world who do not have enough to eat.  Last year, our members raised over $9,000 with this Walk, and we hope to do even better this year and pass the $10,000 mark.  Please sign up at the table in the Commons, or at "crophungerwalk.org/ashevillenc" to join the walk.

Habitat Volunteer Opportunity

Tuesday, October 15th

Habitat Faith Build #4, is a new home construction sponsored by members of the Asheville Faith Community. St. Mark's has been invited to bring eight volunteers to the Glenn Bridge job site to volunteer. Currently, there are four volunteer openings on Tuesday, October 15 from 8:15 am to 3:15 pm. To volunteer or if you have questions please contact Henry Ulrichs (henryulrichs66@gmail.com or 910-620-4854).

134 COMPLETED School Supply Kits for LWR

A huge and sincere thank you to the members of St. Mark's for your generous donations of items for the LWR school kits! The response was amazing. With items donated, our $250 TAG grant, and another $150 in donations from the congregation, we were able to complete 134 kits which will be sent to LWR along with the quilts in November.

A special thank you to our dedicated seamstresses, Janet Hanson, Linda Kinsinger, and Mary Ann Allwein for providing us with 100 drawstring bags in which to pack the items. The outreach committee assembled and boxed the kits at their September meeting. Last year, LWR distributed 190,043 kits to 14 countries, so our contribution will be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all for your generosity and response!

Weekly Schedule



Wednesday, Sept 11th

9am - Property Day

Thursday, Sept 12th

5:30pm - Handbell Rehearsal

7pm - Choir Rehearsal

Friday, Sept 13th

9am - Library Team

Saturday, Sept 14th

8:30am - Lutheran Men in Mission

11am - Tee Conroy's Memorial Service

Sunday, Sept. 15th

8:30am - Worship

9:45am - Faith Formation

11am - Worship

3pm - Celebrating Dr. L.C. at WNCBF

4pm - Lutheridge Youth Fun

Monday, Sept. 16th

10am - Faith & Fellowship (Zoom)

6pm - Racial Healing Team

Tuesday, Sept. 17th

9am - Quilters

10am - Staff Meeting

Worship Assistant Schedule

Sunday, September 15th

Greeters:

8:30am –Chris & Gaston Miller, Amy Zellers

11am - Tom & Beth Biltz

Ushers: 

8:30am - Ken & Deborah Lane

11am - Anne Blackwell, Dave Epley

Altar Guild:

8:30am – Sharon Herrmann

11am - Donna Turnbaugh

Acolyte:

8:30am – Claire Niedenthal

11am - Eileen Cram

Crucifer:

11am – Christian Wikoff

Assisting Minister:

8:30am – Mary Brady

11am – Bonnie Richards

Reader:

8:30am – Carl Schreck

11am – Natalie Haynes

Communion Assistant:

8:30am - Sharon Herrmann

11am – Donna Turnbaugh

Live Stream:

Brant Niedenthal

Have a question you would usually ask Deacon Katie?

While Deacon Katie is on sabbatical, she will not be available by phone or email. In order to give her time apart, please contact the following people instead of her with questions.

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