Sacristy Project—A/V System Upgrade

As our Sacristy Project is nearing completion, we have aaded another small but IMPORTANT PROJECY to the list: refurbishment of the Audio/Visual system rack. Click HERE to learn more about the A/V Systems Upgrade and how you can help!

Men’s Breakfast and Book Study

Beginning Saturday, September 13, men 18+ are invited to gather for breakfast and a book study each 2nd Saturday of the month from 9:00 AM-10:30 AM. We will meet in St. Mark’s recently renovated narthex, share breakfast (which will be potluck style, so plan as you are able to bring something to share), and then discuss a book. We will begin with C. S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters.

We look forward to seeing many men there! (We already have a group of eight simply from word-of-mouth!)

Bishop Phil Hirsch Takes Office as Metro DC Synod Bishop

Bishop Phil Hirsch has begun his term as our Metro DC Synod Bishop! Please include him in your prayers. His welcome message to the Synod is posted below Bishop Hirsch will be formally installed as our new Bishop by the ELCA’s next Presiding Bishop, The Reverend Yehiel Curry, on Sunday, November 9th in Washington, DC.

An invitation to Bishop Hirsch’s installation and online RSVP form can be found HERE. and his Welcome Message is found HERE.

2025 Health Fair!

Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! With your support, our annual Community Health Fair on Saturday, August 16, was a blessing for our neighbors and a blessing for all who participated. The humble “loaves and fishes” that we provide to create the event are multiplied many times over with the professionals and volunteers who serve the most urgent needs of our neighbors, in ways that the church could never accomplish on our own. We give thanks for The Life Center for organizing the event and for everything that they do to share our love and caring support with our neighbors. We are especially grateful for our partners at Fairfax County and the Asian American Community Center to help coordinate the participating organizations.

Fair Highlights:

• Our official attendance number was 214, based on the number of food tickets we handed out at the information table.

• We had 60-70 volunteers from the church and various organizations.

• We fed nearly 300 people, some of whom might not have had any other meal that day.

• ICNA Relief and Second Story distributed a combined 130 backpacks with school supplies.

Want to know our latest financial Update? … find it HERE!

St. Mark’s Mission Trip to Red Bird Work Camp
July 2024

Last month, St. Mark’s sent a team to participate in Red Bird Mission Work Camp. Jim Kyger, Harriet Latta, Maureen Murphy, Alice Real, and Mary Crumrine (Alice’s sister) spent July 21 through July 26 in Beverly, Kentucky, working on home improvement projects in the surrounding community. Guided by Red Bird Crew Leaders, Brett and Kevin, they repaired and replaced a bedroom floor and water heater in an elderly couple's trailer home, and they mudded drywall and installed underpinning around an addition to the couple’s nephew's home across the street. The addition will be a new bedroom for several of the nephew's children. 

bilingual worship, Ministries Fair, and Potluck Luncheon on sunday, sept 7

Food, Fun, Fellowship—all flowed freely on September 7th! See photos below… Many MANY thanks to all who helped and participated!

Children’s Sunday School is now in session!

Click HERE for information and for a link to registration!

Photo below:
Honoring 2025-2026 Children’s Sunday School teachers.

ELCA Presiding Bishop-Elect Curry to Take Office in October

The ELCA has announced plans for the installation of The Reverend Yehiel Curry as Presiding Bishop. He will take office on October 1, 2025, and be formally installed as our Presiding Bishop in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 4. Information about the installation is on the ELCA website here. The installation service will be live-streamed–details to be announced at a later date.

Community Gateway Operating Hours

The Community Gateway is now closed during the Montessori School operating hours. and it will be open during evenings, weekends, and school holidays. St. Mark’s members may see some more foot traffic during the daytime along our main entrance. If you have a church-related social services event that needs gateway access prior to 6:00 PM, please contact the Church Office, and Maritza will coordinate with the school. (The gateway will be opening early on Tuesdays for Food For Others.)

Food for Others Teams Need Help

Please let Nan Ackerman or Debbie Brown know if you will be willing to help on a Tuesday evening from 5:00 PM-6:30 PM.

The teams will be happy to train you. These teams are short-handed due to members with illness, and some with travel plans. Families are welcome to come work together. This is a great experience for teaching children to help others.

Visit our “CARE FOR NEIGHBOR” page …

Click HERE for information on St. Mark’s both
‘out-reach’ and ‘in-reach’ programs!

Do you need to change your electronic donation for 2025?

Click HERE to download the form to use to change the amount and/or frequency of your electronic donation to St. Mark's. Download it, print it, fill it in as needed according to the directions, and drop it into our church Treasurer’s box in the church office and the new information will be entered into the Vanco system.

The "Watch and Pray" Bunch …

We meet every Sunday for 10-15 minutes after the English service at 11:00 AM in the Fellowship Hal1 for prayers … won’t you join us?!
Every Tuesday at noon the Lunch Bunch meets in the Lounge for lunch (bring your own) and prayer. All are welcome.

2025 Quarterly Benevolences

Our Quarterly Benevolence Schedule for 2025 is:

Q1 – ECHO/St. Mark’s FFO
Q2 – Mar-Lu-Ridge/Caroline Furnace
Q3 – ELCA World Hunger
Q4 – Facets/Lamb Center

From April through June, we will be collecting benevolence donations to be divided equally between Caroline Furnace and Mar-Lu-Ridge. Both of these are our area Lutheran-affiliated camps and conference/retreat centers.  Learn more HERE * …

2025 FLOWER DEDICATIONS … Click HERE to learn about how our beautiful altar flowers are created and click HERE for the form to dedicate flowers or one or more Sundays in 2025!

Help for Disaster Relief—Eastern Europe and Ukraine

Looking for ways to help victims of the recent horrific earthquake damage in Eastern Europe and to assist Ukrainian refugees? The stories and images coming from these humanitarian crises are heartbreaking. Click HERE for more information, and you may donate online to assist in their efforts directly at https://community.elca.org/eastern-europe-crisis-response?_ga=2.266466318.1699478920.1646717665-1017767480.1646717665.  

A Word of Caution!!!

To those of us who have keys to the church—and we all know this is an important responsibility! Please remember to check when leaving to ensure that this and any door you use is properly locked—especially Door #12 to the Fellowship Hall … THANK YOU!

From the Council President’s Desk …

Click HERE to see what’s new from the Council!

Wear Your Nametags

Please remember to wear your nametags to every church service. The nametag "tree" is located in the narthex--pick up your nametag on your way into the sanctuary and return it to the tree when you leave--it helps visitors, new members, and those of us with name recall difficulties. Thank you!

Our current schedule is as follows:
9:45 AM, English Communion Liturgy
12:15 PM, Spanish Communion Liturgy

Sundays: 11:00 AM COFFEE HOUR —
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