Health Fair—August 16, 2025
With your support, our annual Community Health Fair last Saturday 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.
Health Fair—August 25, 2024
St. Mark’s held our annual Community Health Fair on Saturday, August 17, hosted by the Life Center. Thanks to all of the St. Mark’s volunteers who helped set up, host the event, and clean up afterwards. A special big Thank You goes out to Pete Morrison for leading the Life Center efforts. Thanks also to Boy Scout Troop 881 and to our DJ, Marvin Flores. This year, we used the parking lot for general information, food and entertainment, and the Fellowship Hall for all of the health screenings. We served 109 families, and we had a total estimated attendance of about 250. All 100 school backpacks were distributed by Second Story and ICNA Relief. All of the eggrolls, fried rIce, pupusas, and frozen treats were distributed, and we had been planning for about 200-300 people. A variety of health and social service providers distributed information to our guests at 15 tables in the main area. Our neighbors also received pediatric dental screenings and health screenings for Hepatitis-B, A1C, Cholesterol, and HIV. The Health Fair included singing performances, grocery gift card raffles, musical entertainment from our DJ, a Lion Dance, and a special presentation by Supervisor Lusk. It was a long day, but we all felt very blessed to be able to hold this event for our neighbors.
A St. Mark’s 70th Anniversary Proclamation from Fairfax County
At our Community Health Fair last Saturday, Franconia District Supervisor Lusk presented us with a plaque commemorating 70 years of service by St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fairfax County!
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Proclamation
WHEREAS, St. Mark's Lutheran Church was founded on December 6, 1953 in a farmhouse on Backlick Road, with 52 adults and 45 children attending worship services and Sunday school; and
WHEREAS, Rev. Duane Carlson became the church's first pastor, in 1954, and with his wife Alice led the congregation for 37 years, expanding offerings to include confirmation classes, choirs, a garden club, vacation bible school and many other programs; and
WHEREAS, in the early 1960s St. Mark's played a key role in the founding of Ecumenical Community Helping Others (ECHO), which continues to assist our most vulnerable residents with food, clothing and other needs, and is one example of the church's philosophy of social involvement and community inclusivity that also includes programs for refugees and immigrants, among other efforts; and
WHEREAS, art has also been a vital component of St. Mark's congregation, through beautiful music shared at concerts, chorale presentations and services, and visual art including the sculptures of Una Hanbury that welcome the congregation; and
WHEREAS, under the current leadership of Pastor Albert Triolo and Pastor Saul
Cardona, worship services are conducted in English and Spanish to over 200 parishioners weekly, food distribution programs are offered weekly and the church facility and programs continue to expand; NOW THEREFORE
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, on behalf of all Fairfax County residents, does hereby congratulate St. Mark's Lutheran Church on its 70th anniversary and for its extraordinary accomplishments of religious and community support.
Signed,
Jeffrey C. McKay, Chairman, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Rodney L. Lusk, Supervisor, Franconia District
August 17, 2024
