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November 1, 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 October 25, 2026 | | |
November 1, 2026
Mary Lou Carroll in loving memory of her mother, Mary S. Erdmann, and mother-in-law, Kathryn D. Carroll.
Cheryl Dwyer to the glory of God and in celebration of the birthday of her granddaughter, Rebecca Mason.
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Ed Barnes’ internment at Arlington Cemetery is this Thursday October 29, at 3:00 PM.
Please arrive at the Administration Building through the Front Gates 45 minutes prior to funeral. You will not be admitted before 2:00 PM.
Important Notice: Anyone over the age of 18 entering Arlington National Cemetery in a vehicle—to include both drivers and passengers—must present a REAL ID-compliant identification at the security check point. This applies to all those authorized to drive into the cemetery via Memorial Avenue, Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, or the Service Complex Gate: funeral attendees, family pass holders, honor flights, contractors who do not possess a Department of Defense (DoD) Common Access Card (CAC) or an Automated Installation (AIE) badge.
Visitors who park their vehicles in the Welcome Center parking garage, walk, take the Metro, or use a rideshare service to ANC will NOT be required to present REAL ID-compliant identification, as they go through standard physical security screening within the Welcome Center.
| This Friday: St. Mark's Family Movie Night | |
Coco
Friday, October 30 at 7 PM, Fellowship Hall
Popcorn Provided!
Free and open to the public- invite your friends!
White House Ornament Sale
Sunday, October 18- Sunday, November 1
This is the last week for White House Ornament sales!
The 2026 ornaments commemorate America's 250th Anniversary and cost $25 each. Pre-order online or in the narthex on 11/1. All orders must be placed by November 1. Payment (cash or check made out to St. Mark's Lutheran Church) is due at time of pick up, either after the 11/15 congregational meeting or by arrangement with the church office. Proceeds benefit the St. Mark's youth activities.
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Enhancing Security at St. Mark’s
The Congregation Council has approved the purchase and installation of a commercial security camera system. This eight-camera outdoor system is an initial step toward improving safety and security across the St. Mark’s campus.
The cameras will be strategically placed to monitor outdoor entrances and common areas, serving primarily as a deterrent to unauthorized or inappropriate activity. The system will not provide 24/7 live monitoring by security personnel. Instead, recorded footage can be retrieved and reviewed when incidents or security concerns arise.
This investment establishes a foundational level of security using video technology that can be expanded as future needs are identified, helping maintain a safe and welcoming environment for our congregation, visitors, and community. For more information, contact a member of the Property Committee.
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End-of-October Military Packages Collection
Sunday, November 1 is the official collection day for our end-of-October collection—this allows you to get any leftover Halloween candy out of your house and sent on its way to some hungry, homesick deployed troops!
This month, we are sending to a group of deployed Air Force folks. This is what their commander, Lt. Col. Ted Ornelas, says, after telling us of their duties (mission at undisclosed location included in last week's Messenger): We will be grateful for anything you are able to send. American snacks (such as cookies, brownies, candy, coffee, and jerky) are hard to come by, and toiletries are always very welcome. I will pass the packages along to my First Sergeant and Chaplains to ensure the items are distributed to our younger airmen, who might be on their first deployment.
This is why we do this—especially happy to be sending to young troops away from home for the first time—thank you very much, from them and from us!
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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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Oktoberfest Dinner
Thanks to all who supported and attended our Oktoberfest dinner. It was a great evening of food and entertainment. $383.29 was raised for the Youth Ministry.
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Stewardship Corner—Please Check Your Electronic Giving
If you contribute to St. Mark’s via the “Donate Online” button, your online payment is processed by Vanco. There are two things we suggest that you look at in your Vanco giving:
Processing Fees
Vanco charges St. Mark’s with a 2.7% processing fee for credit card donations, and only 1% for the bank account direct payment.
- If you can choose the Bank Account option instead of Credit Card payment, more of your donated dollars will reach St. Mark's.
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If you choose the option labeled “I would like to help offset the processing fees associated with online giving”, it will increase your payment above the amount you entered, offsetting the processing fees. This option is selected by default.
Your e-mail receipt from support@vanco.com does not tell you how much of your donation went to processing fees: this is seen only when you make your donation selection online.
Is your Vanco payment on autopilot?
For some of us who set up automatic recurring payments, it has been a while since we adjusted the amount of those payments. We would like to encourage all of our members, no matter how they donate, to consider increasing our donations for each new year to keep up with inflation! While the automatic payments let us “set it and forget it,” we recommend having a periodic look at those saved payments.
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Save the Date - November 15 - Congregation Meeting
Please make plans to attend our Congregation Meeting on Sunday, November 15, at 1:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall. The Congregation Meeting will take place both in person at St. Mark’s and via Zoom. We need your participation to ensure that we have quorum. Zoom login information and agenda details to be provided as we get closer to the date.
At this meeting, we will vote to:
- Approve the 2027 St. Mark’s Operating Budget.
- Approve changes to the St. Mark’s Constitution, to bring it into conformance with the latest ELCA Model Constitution for Congregations. See related announcement below.
- Elect Congregation Council Members.
- Approve other business to be announced.
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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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Help to Welcome Our Visitors!
The Welcome Committee is looking for a few friendly souls to greet visitors as they arrive on Sunday mornings.
We identify potential visitors (with help from the ushers!), give a warm friendly welcome, hand out Information Packets, and answer any questions. Visitors may fill out a contact card before they leave if they are interested.
The time commitment is minimal, just one Sunday per month. No meetings required, just the reward of meeting new people and sharing our enthusiasm for St. Mark’s with them.
Please talk to Kathy or Bill Dinnison for more information.
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Birthdays This Week:
Nov 1: Peter Weekly
Nov 2: Mileidy Guardado
Nov 7: Janet Michaelsen, Bruce Wahl
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Birthdays Next 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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PRAYER LIST
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.
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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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CROP Walk on November 8
Part of the proceeds from the Burke Fairfax CROP Walk will benefit ECHO’s work right here in our community. Join the hundreds of fellow community members who will walk to raise money and awareness of global hunger issues. You can find out details of the walk and how to register or donate at burkecropwalk.org.
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Please Participate in Scouting for Food November 14
Scouting for Food is Scouting America National Capital Area Council’s largest annual community service project. Its aim is to help feed families in need by collecting non-perishable food and distributing it to local food pantries and food banks throughout the Washington, DC region. ECHO will receive the collected donations of local troops. Its success will help ECHO maintain food distribution for weeks to come if our community participates.
Here is how it works:
On Saturday, November 7, Scouts will distribute notices at homes throughout their communities to let people know about the food drive and provide specific instructions for each neighborhood.
On Saturday, November 14, Scouts will return to those homes to collect the bags/boxes of food donations and deliver them to the designated non-profit food pantry. ECHO is designated for donations from our community.
Participation helps those in need and inspires young Scouts to continue in community service, living out the Scout Oath “to help other people at all times."
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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 AM – 3 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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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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