Welcome to St. Mark’s!
"For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1
What time is it in your life? Is it time to be planted, time to root, time to grow? If so, St. Mark's may very well be the place for you. We are a congregation planted in the Springfield community, rooted in the word of God, and growing in love for God and neighbor.
We welcome you into God’s House!
Our Synod Has a New Bishop-Elect!
At the Metro DC Synod Assembly on June 6-7, Rev. Dr. Phil Hirsch was elected to a six-year term as Bishop. The Metro DC Synod has officially announced his election. Rev. Hirsch is familiar to many of us in the Metro DC Synod, through his service on Synod staff and as a Pastor; he will begin his term on September 1. The full text of the announcement can be found here: https://metrodcelca.org/bishop-elect-philip-hirsch/. (Find a PDF version at https://metrodcelca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Bishop-Elect-Hirsch-Announcement.pdf. Check for copies in the Narthex.) Please pray for Bishop Ortiz, Bishop-Elect Hirsch, and our entire Synod during this transition period.
Our St. Mark’s was represented by voting members Erik Long and Larry Long, who were elected by the congregation at our fall Congregational meeting last November.
ELCA Churchwide Assembly
This week, July 28–August 2, the ELCA is gathering in our triennial Churchwide Assembly. Please pray for Bishop Eaton, the voting members from all over the country, candidates, meeting organizers, worship leaders, and event facilitators. The ELCA will be electing a new Presiding Bishop this year. A high-level overview of the agenda can be found here: https://www.elca.org/news-and-events/2025-elca-churchwide-assembly-meets-under-the-theme-for-the-life-of-the-world
Please Sign Up to Help at the Health Fair!
Our Annual Community Health Fair will be
Saturday, August 16
10:00 AM-2:00 PM.
Please pray for good weather! We hope to serve several hundred neighbors, as we did last year. This year, we have added more: health and social services information providers, health screenings, school backpack giveaways, food, plus some new family activities.
During the Health Fair, you can find out a lot about the health and social needs of our neighbors by visiting the booths and speaking with those who help maintain our social safety net for those in need. These are especially challenging times for anyone who needs public assistance.
The Health Fair will take place from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, plus setup and cleanup periods. The two-hour time slots are:
8:00 AM-10:00 AM: Setup
10:00 AM-12:00 NOON: Morning Shift
12:00 NOON-2:00 PM: Afternoon Shift
2:00 PM-4:00 PM: Cleanup
You can sign up for a time slot in the Narthex on the signup sheets provided there or on a SignUpGenius page, which you can find HERE or using this QR Code at the right ➡️ ➡️ ➡️ …
For descriptions of the tasks at the Health Fair, plesse click the button below ⬇️…
Sacristy/Roof/HVAC Project Update
St. Mark's A/V Update … Due to a faulty soundboard, we remain unable to livestream our Sunday liturgies This problem will be remedied as soon as our sacristy and roof work produces no additional dust. In the meantime, we will continue to record and post the Sunday AM service at around 11:30 AM, which is shortly after the service concludes. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.
Our renovation project is completing its messiest phase. Sections of the old concrete roof have been cut to remove the old skylights and to allow for the installation of the new structural steel supports. Openings have been made for the new HVAC ductwork from the roof. Soon, new concrete will be poured to enclose these openings. One of the air handling units that was in the old Sacristy has been relocated to the basement to serve HVAC needs in the Narthex. The other two air handling units will replace older units behind the stage that serve the Fellowship Hall.
As of the end of May, we had outstanding pledges of $88K for the project. If you have an outstanding pledge, we welcome these and any other generous gifts. If you would like to give to this project online, it is available as one of the options in the online giving portal.
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 Summer Help
Summer is the perfect time to try something new in your routine. 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.
Want to know our latest financial Update? … find it HERE!
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.
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.
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!
🦋 🦋 Special Notice!!! 🦋 🦋
to access a copy of Pastor Yvette’s previous two sermons, click below:
* The Good Samaritan * … * Martha and Mary *
Help for Foster and Needy Children in Wise, VA and Hazard, KY
As the school year approaches, St. Mark’s has been made aware of ways we can help the foster and needy children in Wise, VA and Hazard, KY, whom we have helped in the past with filled Christmas stockings. Because of ongoing changes in governmental support, the need is anticipated to be great. The following would be much appreciated (elementary through high school):
School supplies such as backpacks, paper, pencils, erasable markers, boxes of tissues, chalk, glue stick, crayons, etc.
Individual snack items that the teachers can send home in the children's backpacks so they can have something to eat over the weekend, such as fruit cups, peanut butter crackers, raisins, cereal, pop tarts, oatmeal packets, granola bars, etc.
Summer clothes and shoes in good condition.
A collection bin has been placed outside of the church office and will be available until after service on August 10. Pickup will be sometime after August 12 for transport to Wise/Hazard.
If you prefer to help with a donation, please make your check out to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church with the memo line reading “For Wise kids’ school supplies.”
Thanks so much for any help you can give. For more information, please contact Linda Pendleton.
Register Your Children for VBS!
Click HERE to register for and to learn more about this summer’s Vacation Bible School at St. Mark’s,
“All Aboard the Spirit Express!”
Vacation Bible Saturdays 2025
June 14, July 12, August 9
9:30 AM – 12:00 PM
“Sacred Ground”
An invitation from Deacon Kathy Garrison:
"Sacred Ground" is a 12-session program on racism in the US. As a reluctant and skeptical participant, I quickly became impressed with the depth and breadth of this program. I learned more than I could have ever imagined. It was surprising how much I had to learn. For the curious and those who are interested in going deeper, it is a compelling program.
We plan to offer this program on Zoom and on a weeknight to make it easier for people of various life-stages to participate. Click HERE for more informaiton!
Thank you to our
2024-2025 Sunday School Teachers!
Children's Sunday School: Martha Flanagan, Harriet Latta, Mirna Melara, Christina Triolo
Confirmation: Peggy Harris and Peter Weekly
High School Sunday School: Jim Kyger and Alice Real
Visit our “CARE FOR NEIGHBOR” page …
Click HERE for information on St. Mark’s both
‘out-reach’ and ‘in-reach’ programs!
Town Hall RECAP of Sunday,
February 23, 2025
Thanks for those who were able to attend our Town Hall on February 23rd to talk about our aging congregation and potential future use of our property. For information on the Town Hall gathering AND to access the follow-up information and surveys, click HERE to go to the Town Hall webpage, where you can find presentations, handouts, and links to the survey. If filling out an online survey would be challenging for you, paper surveys are available in the Narthex.
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.
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 * …
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.
Have you a computer to donate?
Scouts of Troop 881 at Saint Mark’s are starting a computer refurbishment program. They would like to collect old computers, refurbish them, and donate them to low income families in the community. If you have any of the following to donate—laptops and desktops with Windows 7 or higher, any Mac computers, or monitors with power cords (no CRT monitors)—email the troop HERE or call (571) 354-8659 to arrange a time to drop them off at the church.
* * * A Special message from LIRS (Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service):
“Our Afghan Allies need your help.“ Click HERE to learn more … * * *
STEWARDSHIP SURVEY … WHAT GIFTS DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE?
CLICK HERE FOR ENGLISH SURVEY … CLICK HERE FOR SPANISH SURVEY … AND THANK YOU!
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HOLY COMMUNION… from the elements blessed at the Lord’s table at St. Mark’s on a recent Sunday, continues to be available by appoint. Click here to complete a short RSVP to be added to the distribution list and you will be contacted for an appointment.
Our current schedule is as follows:
9:45 AM, English Communion Liturgy
12:15 PM, Spanish Communion Liturgy
Sundays: 11:00 AM COFFEE HOUR —
ZOOM MEETING NUMBER:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87620354511?pwd=a1RvTXdMRnNqVUs0ell4MEhDbk4rZz09
Password is 5800.
CURRENT NEWS …
Have news to share with the congregation? Send it via email to communications@stmarks-elca.org to be published in the appropriate publication—E-Messenger, This Week, our website, and our Facebook page. Deadline is Tuesday at 5:00 PM, for same-week publishing.
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Calendar Events and Information
Click HERE to go to our monthly calendar—select your view by Agenda, Week, or Month, or Print the current month.
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