Weekly Newsletter | September 21, 2021
|
|
Sunday Morning Worship
We will continue to gather in person each Sunday at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 a.m. in our sanctuary.
Also, please remember that we will continue to offer an online worship service every Sunday at 10 a.m. As in the past, this will be a livestreamed on our Facebook page and also available on our St. Mark's website.
Evening Prayer every Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in the Parish Commons. This weekly in person evening service includes contemplative music and readings along with candlelight prayer around the cross. We will wear masks and observe the same COVID safety guidelines that we use on Sunday morning.
Share prayer requests with us by sending them to [email protected]. If you would like us to include them in the Prayers of the Church during Sunday worship, please make note of that.
|
|
The Bazaar is right around the corner! Calling all crafters, bakers, card makers, sewers, knitters, jam makers, quilters, and any other creative folks that would like to share their talents at the holiday bazaar in early November. We’re looking forward to your fabulous creations, and would love to hear what you’re making! Interested in helping? We need you too! Please contact Julie Milasich at 253-988-8596 or [email protected] to share your ideas or for any questions. Stay tuned for more details!
|
|
Altar Guild is looking for members to be part of this very important ministry and there are ways you can help!
- Set up & Clean up on Sunday mornings. The Altar Guild is the group that sets out the linens, wine and bread for each service.
- Wash and iron the linens. We could use a few people who would be willing to take care of the Altar linens each week. Simply take them home after services, wash them, iron them and return them to the church.
If you are interested in helping with any of these services please get in touch with Linda Wimberley at 253-988-6882 or [email protected].
|
|
Children, Youth, and Family Faith Formation |
Sunday morning Faith Formation classes are off to a start for all preschool-8th grade from 9:45-10:45 a.m. on Sundays. Here is what's coming up this week and next:
Wednesday, September 22--Kid's Choir (K-5th) 5:30-6:15 p.m. with Mr. Cooper. Contact Cooper for more information.
-
Youth Choir 6:30-7:30 p.m. with Cooper in the Parish Commons
-
Marimbas 7:30-8:30 p.m. with Jeff in the Parish Commons
Sunday, September 26
9:45 a.m. classes
-
Preschool (age 3)-4th grade lower Preschool/CFC--hopefully we will be outside.
-
5th/6th grade this week it is over ZOOM—link will be sent out before class with Angelie and Irv.
-
7/8th grade Confirmation (1st and 2nd years): Youth Room—outside courtyard or inside with the door open with Bruce and Ingelaurie
-
9th grade Fireside Room with Pastor Intern Emillie Binja
ELCA Youth Gathering Info meeting 12:15-12:45 p.m. Parish Commons—for parents and students who didn’t attend the meeting last spring—current 8-12th grade students.
Kid's Choir over Zoom, Sunday, September 26, 5:00 p.m.--Contact Cooper Sherry for the Zoom link.
If you are looking for a Fall family adventure--Fall Family Camping is available at Camp Lutherhaven in Idaho! Go here for more information--this is a great way to support one of our local-ish camps.
|
|
Adult Faith Formation
Wednesday Noon Bible study: Join us for Bible study with the pastor! On Wednesday at noon on September 22, we will begin our weekly bible study gathering again. This fall, we will offer a hybrid Bible study. With Covid safety in mind, we invite you to wear a mask and to eat before Bible study (no food will be served). You are invited to join in person in the Parish classroom, or join remotely via this zoom link. For questions, please email Pastor Hallie.
Season of Creation: Sunday Forums
Join us this fall for a series of care of creation forums, featuring guest speakers and St. Mark's members. Forums will begin at 10 a.m. in the Parish classroom on the following Sunday mornings:
September 26: "Air Sunday" The sermon and adult forum subject for September 26 is "air". In the session we will discuss alternative energy. Our speaker from Tacoma Public utilities on that day is Sarah Sweet. Ms. Sweet has focused her expertise in greenhouse gas reduction, energy efficiency, renewable energy, and transportation electrification. She has provided outreach and education on these topics since 2015, developed and launched the second multifamily EV charging pilot in WA State, works on Tacoma Power’s Solar net-metering team and the City of Tacoma’s Climate Action Plan. Sarah holds a master's degree in Environmental Studies from The Evergreen State College.
October 3: "Water Sunday" The last topic in the care for creation series this year is "water" to be discussed on Sunday, October 3. We will have two speakers that day from the city of Tacoma: Kim DeFolo and Glen George. Kim DeFolo leads the Water Treatment and Quality Planning group at Tacoma Water, where she has worked for the past 16 years. Kim has engineering degrees from Washington State University and the University of Texas at Austin. She lives in University Place and likes knowing that her job is to help ensure that the water her family drinks is safe. Glen George is a US Navy veteran, and a University of Washington Civil Engineering graduate. He has worked for Tacoma Water for over 30 years – designing and supervising capital construction projects for Tacoma Water as a Professional Engineer. He was also the Water Supply Manager for 7 years, and is now the Integrated Resource Planner.
Finally, mark your calendars for a zoom-hybrid forum with Celtic author John Phillip Newell on Sunday, October 17, at 4 p.m. More details to follow soon.
Diverse Stories in Film. Have you ever watched a film that challenged or changed your perspective on life? And then wanted to talk about it with friends? For the past few years, we have gathered together to watch and discuss Hollywood films that center on diverse perspectives or deepen our understanding of our world. For 2021-2022, we will center Asian American voices and storytelling. We will begin via Zoom, Fridays, 6-7:30 p.m., and hope that we will be back in person at some point this year. We ask you to view the films in advance of our Friday meetups so we can just talk about the film. Find film and Zoom information by accessing our google drive or by emailing Pastor Hallie.
September 24, 6-9 p.m.: Afghan Film Shorts + Restrepo. In light of St. Mark's sponsoring and assisting Afghan refugees, we begin our film series with stories from Afghanistan. Our discussions will focus less on Afghan or American politics and more on the human stories of those involved-Afghans living their lives and US soldiers participating in America’s longest war. Restrepo is a 2010 award-winning documentary in which American journalist Sebastien Junger was embedded in a US Army platoon in the Karangal Valley. Please note: Restrepo is rated R for wartime violence, and veterans in particular should be mindful of viewing. The film also contains many swear words. One place to view Restrepo is here.
We will also view 10 film shorts produced by Afghan film students in a project called “The Fruits of Our Labor-Afghan Perspectives in Film.” Within the past few weeks, names have been removed for the safety of the participants. It’s important to listen to these creative and resilient stories while we still have access to them. They may be found here. The stories range from 10-15 minutes, and depict the resiliency of daily lives of Afghans. Please note: the film shorts capture different snapshots of daily life in Afghanistan, parental supervision recommended.
The rest of our film line up for the year:
October 22: The Big Sick
November 19: To Be Takei
January 14: The Farewell
February 11: Always Be My Maybe
March 11: Moana
April 22: Minari
PLU events:
On October 5, the Lutheran Studies Conference at PLU will host Dr. Deanna Thompson for an interactive online conference entitled, "Living with Mortality: Illness, Trauma, Joy, and Hope." This conference will address our communal and individual vocations in a time of brokenness, grief, and trauma. For the schedule of events and more information about how to register, click here.
Tuesday, November 2, at 7 p.m., PLU will host an evening with James Martin-Schramm on his lecture, "Bonhoeffer, the Church, and the Climate Question." For more information, click here.
|
|
|
Fall Music Ministries for Adults and Youth |
Music ministries for all ages will resume in September. Below are the start times for each:
Adult groups:
· Sept 9 (Thurs) - Celebration Ensemble, 7:30-9 p.m. (8:30 choir)
· Sept 14 (Thurs) - St. Mark's Ringers, 6:00 p.m. (bell choir)
· Oct 3 (Sun) - Canticle Choir, 10:00am (11:00 choir)
Children and Youth:
· Sept 15 (Wed) - Kid's Choir, 5:30-6:15 p.m. (K-5th grade)
· Sept 19 (Sun) - Zoom Kid's Choir, 5 p.m. (K-5th grade)
· Sept 23 (Thurs) - Youth Choir, 6:30 p.m. (6-12th grade)
· Sept 23 (Thurs) - Youth Marimbas, 7:30 p.m. (6-12th grade)
All are welcome! Contact Cooper Sherry for more information, or to let him know you are interested, at [email protected]. For the bell choir, please contact Karen Moats at [email protected].
|
|
For those who have lost a loved one or have experienced a significant loss we are offering a 5 week class on grief: “Journey through Grief and Loss” starting on Tuesday September 14, at 5:30 p.m.- 7:00 p.m. and continuing these following Tuesdays: September 2, October 5, 12, and 19. The class will be offered at the church “in person” and may be offered via Zoom to those who would prefer that option.
|
|
Moral Voices, Moral Choices
September 28 is National Voter Registration Day. Anyone with a current Washington state driver's license or state ID can make updates or corrections on line to votewa.gov . If the person wishing to register does not have either of these, they can print out the voter registration form, complete it using the last four digits of their social security number, and mail it to the address listed on the back of the form for the county where they reside. Information on the upcoming election is shown on votewa.gov, Voter's Guide 2021.
|
|
NEW UPDATE on Refugee Needs |
THANK YOU to all the generous donors who have contributed furniture and household items so far. We are well on our way to furnishing an apartment for a refugee family we hope to meet in the near future. We have learned more about what the family may want and still need a few specific items. Used items in good condition are welcome.
1 chest of drawers
2-3 bedroom-sized table or floor lamps
Pressure cooker
Electric teakettle
Glass teacups
Large cooking pot(s)
Large serving bowls (plastic ok)
Plastic tablecloths
Sewing machine in good working condition
Basic sewing supplies: needles, thread, scissors, etc.
Fabric for sewing
We will need new bedding but don’t yet know the number and size of the beds. If you are interested in providing bedding please contact me and I will give you a call when the needs are known.
We still need strong individuals who can help move furniture into storage and from storage to the apartment when the time comes. Trucks are welcome!
|
|
Nativity House Update and Volunteer Survey |
Throughout the pandemic, St. Mark's has continued its support of
Nativity House by serving lunch for the 4th Saturday of each month. For
the past year or so, volunteers transitioned to providing sack lunches
which the Nativity House staff distributed to its guests. This differed
from the traditional approach of preparing and serving a meal onsite.
Meanwhile, Nativity House has increased both the number of guests it
serves and the number of locations where it does so. We've now reached
the "new normal," where we have the opportunity to help out onsite
again, although under different conditions. If you've helped with
Nativity House in the past, or are considering doing so in the future
with a great group of volunteers and a grateful group of guests, please
complete the short, 9-question volunteer survey (link below). Changes
under consideration include: serving the meal in a hybrid offsite/onsite
approach, updating the traditional menu (do chili dogs stay or go?),
revisiting the regularly scheduled meal day/time, and helping out with
an additional meal each month.
If you have any questions or would like more information, contact either
Please complete the survey by Friday, September 24. Thanks!
|
|
Fully Alive Bible Study will begin today, 9/21/2021, at 5:15 p.m. We will meet in the Fireside Room and study: Elohim: God the Creator, Yahweh Yireh: God the Provider, El Roi: The God who sees ME. These are just a few of the names of God. In our English Bible, the Supreme Being is called "God' or "LORD'. However, the original translations in Hebrew and Greek have a rich, full variety of names for God. We learn these names through different Biblical stories, and as we study them, we begin to experience the breadth of God's character. Join us as we explore the characteristics of God. For more information please contact Sherry Maiura 253-303-1681.
|
|
Worship Volunteers Needed |
Would you like to volunteer to be a part of worship services as a greeter, usher, lector, or communion assistant? We need you and would love to include you in this important ministry. Call the office at 253-752-4966, email [email protected], or drop by the office any morning from 8:30-12:30 to sign up to be involved in the worship service of your choice. Thanks!
|
|
Would you like to donate flowers for the altar in honor or memory of a person, event, or special occasion? You can sign up on the flower chart calendar on the board outside the office door. Questions? 253-752-4966. Thank you! |
|
St. Mark's Lutheran Church by The Narrows
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
