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| Sunday Worship |
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8:30 a.m. Blended
9:45 a.m. Contemporary
11:00 a.m. Traditional
To hear podcast recordings of our Sunday Sermons
Click Here
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| St. Mark's Staff |
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Pastors
Staff
Music Ministry
Contemporary Music Ministry
Manager of Finance and Operations
Office Coordinator
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| Contact Us |
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St. Mark's Lutheran Church by The Narrows
6730 N. 17th St.
Tacoma, WA 98406
Office: 253-752-4966
Preschool: 253-752-4929
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WEDNESDAY NIGHT ACTIVITIES: Please note changes!
Tonight,
October 31, we will serve
dinner (spaghetti, meatballs, rolls, grean beans, salad), beginning at
5:00 p.m., and we will gather at
7:30 p.m. for a special Evensong Service of Prayer for the people of Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
All other St. Mark's Wednesday Night activities are cancelled tonight!
At 6:00 p.m. tonight, the community is invited to a special Interfaith Standing Together Service of Solidarity with Pittsburgh at Shiloh Baptist Church in Tacoma. The church is located at 1211 South I Street.
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Messages From Our ELCA Leaders About the Violence at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh
Our Bishop, Rick Jaech, posted a timely letter yesterday related to the tragic deaths of eleven people at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. You can click
here to read his message.
The Presiding Bishop of the ELCA, Elizabeth Eaton, also posted an open letter which we encourage you to read. It can be found
here.
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Living Well through Grief and Loss
Class begins November 7.
When someone you love dies, you experience grief in a number of ways. Grief is a natural emotion, and it is experienced differently by each person. Depending on your relationship to the person who died, how death came to him or her, whether you were able to say goodbye, your beliefs, your background, and your personality, each of us reacts and processes the grief in a different way. As you walk through your season of grief and loss, you may find yourself feeling a range of emotions including sadness, regret, anger, guilt, relief, and a yearning to see the person again. All of these emotions, which are natural and normal, are given to us by God to help us understand our world.
As you walk through a season of grief you are invited to journey with others for a 6-week class. The class will begin on Wednesday, November 7, at 5: 45 p.m., following the 5:00 p.m. dinner, which you are welcome to attend. We will finish by 7:15 so those who wish may worship together at Evensong. We will meet in Pastor Ruud's office. Pastor Sigi Helgeson will facilitate this group using materials from Living Compass. Brochures with more information about the class are available at the Welcome Center in the Parish Commons. If you want to come to the class please contact the church office or Pastor Sigi at sigi.helgeson@smlutheran.org
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St. Mark's Preschool Director Opening
St. Mark's Preschool has enjoyed a history of excellent leadership over the years, and is ready for a new chapter to begin! If you have a background in Early Childhood education (or equivalent experience), are a member of St. Mark's (or excited to become one), and administrative experience, we invite you to consider this position. Click to access the
Job Description and
Application Process,
or you can find the documents in the Church Office. If you have questions about the position, please contact Pastor Shjerven (
rebecca@smlutheran.org) or Preschool Board Chair Julie Milasich (
jldennis74@hotmail.com).
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Pictures of Loved Ones Welcome on All Saints' Sunday
This coming
Sunday, November 4, is All Saints' Sunday and you are invited to bring framed pictures of loved ones who have died to the worship service you attend. As you arrive for worship, you may bring your pictures forward and set them on the tables that will be placed in front of the altar. Along with the candles that surround the pictures, it will be a beautiful reminder of the great company of saints that we all belong to as children of God.
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Do You Like to Bake Bread?
We are currently looking for more bakers who lovingly provide the bread for weekly communion at St. Mark's. Bakers simply sign up for the Sundays they prefer, follow our tried-and-true recipe for the communion bread, and then bring it to Church for us to share at the Lord's Table. If you would like to do this, please contact our Church office and we will get you set up for a brief orientation. Thanks!
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Those in the third quarter of life, ages 50-75ish, are invited to share hope, laughter, and love through active events.
Thursday, November 15, at 6 p.m. meet at Tower Lanes, 6323 6th Ave, for mini golf, food and drinks.
Friday, December 14, 7:30-9 p.m., St. Charles Borromeo "Messiah".
Wednesday, December 19, 5:30 p.m. meet at church for Christmas sing-along and fellowship.
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Children's World Christmas Tree
Children's World Christmas tree for our downstairs entry is still asking for ornament donations. We have collected many from all over the world and from local sites as well making it exciting to visualize our upcoming Christmas tree. We still need more. Keep St. Mark's in mind when you travel and even when you unpack your home tree ornaments. Perhaps you have a few spare items that would fit our world tree theme. This is a donation that will be fun for you to see year after year as you are reminded of your travel journeys. Green baskets are located downstairs, in the office, and on the Christmas table in the narthex. Please place your ornaments in any of these baskets. Thank you for your donation. Questions? Contact
mimkrabler@gmail.com
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Women of St. Mark's
Bazaar Week is HERE!!!
We will be making
Lefse on
Thursday, November 1, and
Bazaar setup is on
Friday, November 2. There will be containers available for your baked goods. Please tag your items with a sales price.
Please arrive before
9 a.m. on Saturday, November 3, if you are available to help.
We will be having book sales and collectibles! This is a good time to let your books and collectibles move to brighten lives!
Please bring all items for the Bazaar to the Church on Friday, November 2.
We thank everyone who is contributing to our Bazaar. All of you hand crafters and helpers make our Bazaar a success.
If you have a question, please call Barbara Meyers at 253-756-9352 or send me an email at
barbstitch@gmail.com. If I am not available, please contact Pat Geary, Katie Cootsona, or Bonnie Wascher.
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Children and Youth Faith Formation
Youth, mark your calendars:
- 9-12th gr. Friday, November 30, 5:30-7:00 p.m. High School Game Night at St. Mark's. Sign up by November 18.
Thursday Nights for youth: November 1: Youth Group 5:30-6:30 p.m. and Youth Choir 6:30-7:30 p.m.
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Adult Faith Formation
Sunday Adult Faith Formation
11:00 a.m.
Crossways Bible Study continues; Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Job.
Wednesday Adult Faith Formation
Morning Bible Study:
The 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning Bible study meets in the Parish Commons #1 Classroom. We begin gathering at about 9:15 for coffee and visiting. We are people with varying faith and Bible experiences, who help each other by sharing our questions and insights. This fall we will study the book of Romans. For more information, contact Linda Durant,
Noon Text Study Luncheon, Parish Commons Classroom: Come for this lively discussion of the texts for the upcoming Sunday, hosted by the preacher.
Midweek Renewal 6:15 p.m., Parish Commons Classroom;
October
31: Heaven and Hell: A Lutheran lens on the biblical witness. During these weeks, as we are surrounded by ghosts and goblins and saints, we will explore these ancient topics that shape human consciousness.
Fully Alive Bible Study, Tuesdays at 5:15 p.m. in the Fireside Room. Our topic is faith.
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The Peace and Justice Committee at St. Mark's suggests we all consider using our moral voices to advocate for justice in the following areas: food, housing, creation, and immigration.
Throughout scripture, God calls us to act with hospitality when welcoming the stranger. In fact, Jesus himself was born away from his home and depended on the hospitality of strangers. Recently, Homeland Security opened the public comment period before implementing a "public charge" rule that could deny green cards (permanent residency) to legal immigrants who have used, or might use, safety-net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Medicaid. Many families are currently eligible for these programs despite working full-time due to low wages. Please read more about it here and take action based on your beliefs.
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Free Pierce County Film Series Focuses on Family Caregiving
Pierce County Aging & Disability Resources is hosting another film in our Films on Caregiving series:
I'll Be Me.
Musician Glen Campbell
starts a farewell tour after he is diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and he and his family navigate the unpredictable nature of the disease through love, laughter, and music. The film shows Saturday morning, November 10, at the Grand Cinema, 606 Fawcett Ave in Tacoma. Doors open at 10:30 a.m.; film shows at 10:45 a.m.
Free tickets available online at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3724348 or call the Aging & Disability Resource Center at 253-798-4600. Film r
ated PG.
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Church Office Hours
The church office is open
Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-noon, 1:00-4:00 p.m
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Sunday from 9:30-11:00 a.m.
*The door to the office is locked during preschool hours (8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.); please knock or ring the doorbell and someone will let you in promptly!
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| Have an item for The Bridge?
Send it to communications@smlutheran.org by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. All items will run for two weeks prior to the relevant date, and will be edited for length. Don't forget to send your member notes and news!
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