ECHO news for Winter

Ecumenical Community Helping Others

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Click HERE to see a compilation of ECHO’s current needs!

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Donations that cost ZERO … click HERE for info …

Click HERE to see how Target shoppers can help raise funds for ECHO …

Click HERE to find out what to do for a “Food Donation Option When You Can’t Come to ECHO”

ECHO desperately needs your help to help fill the shelves of their Food Pantry … Need info on donating? Call 703-569-7972 or go to https://www.echo-inc.org/needed-right-now for their current needs.

Need help? Call 703-569-9160 … To find out what ECHO has to offer its clients, click HERE for English and HERE for Spanish.

Donation Hours
M, Tu, W, Th, F - 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Tu, W, Th - 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Funerals and Memorials Info

St. Mark’s website now have a separate informational webpage for upcoming funerals and memorials. See it at https://www.stmarks-elca.org/funerals-memorials-info.

Don’t Let Your Giant Reward Points Expire!

Do you know you can use your points for other products besides gas? Right now you can get a dozen eggs for 200 points. If you don’t need them, or only need a half dozen, please consider donating them to Food For Others. Just mark the container as FFO and leave in the kitchen refrigerator. Thank you!

Pull POP tabs from Soda Cans!

… and place them in the narthex in the container shown at the left! Cindy Hausch-Booth is collecting pop tabs for Ronald McDonald House Charities, Greater Washington, DC! It's just so simple! Pop tabs are easy to collect and store and are less messy than collecting entire cans, and there is more concentrated aluminum in these tabs than in the cans, so we can get more money for something a lot smaller! 100% of the money we earn is used to offset the cost between the amount families are able to donate for their stay and our actual operating costs—a difference of about $197 a night. You can easily see that the little pull tab you used to throw away is very valuable to the guest families at our Houses.

Thank you for helping RMHCDC by “Pulling for the House!” Your pop tabs make a difference!

Free Concert At St. Mark’s on May 9, 2026 at 3:00 PM …

2026 First Quarter Benevolence: Food for Others and ECHO

1st Quarter Benevolence 

From January through March, we will be collecting benevolence donations for St. Mark’s Food for Others and ECHO.

See also “the latest info” on our Q1 benevolence on our Quarterly Benevolence webpage.

As a reminder, our quarterly benevolences are not covered through the regular offerings to the St. Mark’s operating budget. If you donate online, there is a Quarterly Benevolence button on our Vanco e-giving portal. If you make your donation at the offering plate or mail in a check, please make out the check to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and annotate the check with "Quarterly Benevolence."

ESOL Classes at St. Mark's

Classes in the fall began Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:00 PM-8:30 PM; cost of books is $45. There is a need for ESOL teachers as well as volunteers to provide childcare (perhaps high school students who need community service hours).

For more information, contact Yvette Moy at at ymoy@stmarks-elca.org.

YOU ARE INVITED to pray with us …

** The Prayer Ministry invites anyone who is interested in committing to a renewed prayer life at St. Mark's to join us on Sundays after the service at 11:00 AM in the Fellowship Hall. Learn more HERE!!!

** Also, the "Watch and Pray" Lunch Bunch is scheduled for Tuesdays at NOON in the Fellowship Hall. Bring a bag lunch and come to share in prayer, food, and fellowship. All are welcome. Contact Ken Anderson for information.

** Everyone is invited to join the on-going Wednesday morning (10:00) “Watch and Pray” meeting via Zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/894781064 (password 5800) 

For questions or more information contact Raelene Long (llong41@verizon.net) or Cherry Moser (clmoser@cox.net).

Attention ALL St. Mark’s Women!

All St. Mark’s women are invited to the Women of the ELCA Spring Combined Circle Meeting with dinner on Wednesday, May 6, at 6:00 PM in the Fellowship Hall.

Even if you are not in a Circle, we would love to share our food, fun, and fellowship with you! We will be featuring our Latino congregation and learning more about their heritage and traditions. We will also enjoy the Latino food prepared by members of Tabita Circle. There will be singing and an exciting game of Spanish Bingo!

So, please come and enjoy a lovely evening with us. Again, all women are invited!

Military Care Package Collections—Sunday, April 26, 2026

April 26th was the "official" collection day—but you know, as always, that you are welcome to contribute items anytime, in the military packages collection box on second floor near the office.

We sent to a repeat group this month; we sent to them a couple months ago, and we know that, due to their isolation, they sometimes have trouble getting supplies—but our packages made it safely to them! You hear of them in the news every now and then, as their island base area was bombed recently, but they were okay. Our contact person, Lauren Vanover, is with the Air Force—see what she writes to thank us so graciously HERE!

As always—your packages of love and remembrance are received with joy and are often needed! They did not provide a lot of new details about specific requests, but they did mention popcorn, beef jerky, and home-made goodies—and you all are so resourceful at providing items that they love to get!

Thank you for your loyalty to this program and your generosity!  

Congregation Meeting … Moved to Sunday, May 17 at 11:00 AM …

Council has approved a motion to authorize a revitalization project for the Steiner-Reck Opus 100 organ, recognizing its central role in our worship life and calling for a committee to evaluate the organ's needs and create a plan for restoration and funding. Details will be forthcoming at the Congregation meeting.

Meal Packages and Personal Care Kits for Lynbrook Elementary School

Dates have been set for our Care Kit and Meal Package preparation events! All are welcome to join St. Mark’s Sunday School on May 3 at 11:00 AM to work with our students to prepare the care kits.

Then, on Tuesday, May 19 beginning at 12:00 PM (noon), all are invited to join our Tuesday Watch and Pray Lunch Bunch and Lynbrook ES parents and volunteers for the packing of the meals. Lunch will be provided on May 19 thanks to a Thrivent Action Grant received by one of St Mark’s members!

“Bach’s Lunch” Organ Recitals are Back!!!

Join us on the last Fridays of the month at 12:00 PM on 4/24, 5/29, and 6/26.

Flower Committee

The Flower Committee needs new members. If you are interested in joining the flower committee to help “dress” the altar on Sundays, please contact Trudy Stellar. We will be happy to train you. Click HERE for more information!

2026 Flower Dedications: Click HERE for the form to dedicate flowers or one or more Sundays in 2026!

Flower Ministry

On Mondays and Tuesdays the Flower Ministry team delivers small arrangements made from the altar flowers to St. Mark's members who are sick or housebound. We are in need of more volunteers to deliver. Please contact Lance Quesenberry lques48@gmail.com or call 703-401-1500 if you would like to volunteer or would like to ask questions.

Food for Others Teams Need Help!

We are losing another driver and desperately need two drivers with a station wagon, small SUV, or larger car to pick up food once a month on a Tuesday late afternoon. The FFO Warehouse is in Merrifield near the post office. On your scheduled Tuesday, you pick up crates from St. Mark’s and go to the FFO Warehouse around 4:00 PM. When you get back to church, a team will be there to divide and distribute the food. 

Please let Nan Ackerman or Debbie Brown know if you will be willing to help on a Tuesday evening. Thank you for helping with this important ministry!

The teams also need extra help on Tuesdays from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM and we 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.

St. Mark’s continues to receive blessings of opportunities to help serve our neighbors. Our renewed outreach to the community is reaping benefits in new and renewed connections with the county, non-profits, and area churches —geared toward meeting the needs of our neighbors. Fairfax County Neighborhood and Community Services has reached out to St. Mark’s about connecting with children at Lynbrook through the GrandInvolve program, and twelve of our members responded!

Seniors who register through this program sign up for an hour or two per week to spend at the school tutoring and mentoring. Please see Pastor Triolo if you are interested.