St. Mark's Lutheran Church Youth and Family Ministry
Email Youth Director Alice Real at youth@stmarks-elca.org with questions or to be added to the mailing list.
* * * In order to participate in activities, all youth/parents must register to provide up-to-date information for youth leaders, as well as complete the 2025-2026 medical release/consent form. English or Spanish * * *
Welcome back to a new year at St. Mark's!
Please read below for important information
about upcoming youth events.
This Week at St. Mark's:
Sunday, October 11, 2026
Confirmation: Grades 7 and 8
Teachers: Peggy Harris and Peter Weekly
Sundays, 11:00 am-12:00 pm, Room 217
High School: Grades 9-12
Adult Leaders: Alice Real and Jim Kyger
Sundays, 11:00 am-12:00 pm, Room 215 Youth Room
Upcoming Events:
White House Ornament Sale
Sunday, October 18- Sunday, November 1
St. Mark's Youth will be selling White House Ornaments again this year as a fundraiser. The 2026 ornaments commemorate America's 250th Anniversary and cost $25 each. Pre-order online or in the narthex on 10/18, 10/25, and 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. We will need parents and youth to help with pre-orders in the narthex on Sundays 10/18, 10/25, and 11/1, as well as at the Oktoberfest Dinner on 10/18. Sign up to help sell ornaments.
Oktoberfest Dinner
Sunday, October 18, 5:00 PM- 7:00 PM
Come support the Youth Ministry and enjoy delicious German food! We will need youth and families to assist with set-up/clean-up, food preparation, and serving guests at the event. Set-up/food preparation will take place Saturday, October 17 (10:00 AM), continuing on the 18th from 3:00 PM-5:00 PM with clean up from 7:00 PM-7:30 PM. This event raises funds for youth mission and ministry activities. Sign up to volunteer here!
Family Movie Night: Coco
Friday, October 30, 7:00 PM
Come enjoy the movie Coco with your St. Mark's family!
Location: Fellowship Hall
Popcorn will be provided.
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Synod Middle/High School Retreat
St. Mark's had a great time attending the Middle/High School Youth Retreat, "Called in Our Wandering," Nov 21-23 at Skycroft Conference Center in Middletown, MD. Organized and led by youth in the Lutheran Youth Organization (LYO) from the Metro-DC and Delaware-MD synods, we enjoyed large group worship, small group discussions, service projects, games, great food, and of course, a bonfire. Click here for a short video of the event compiled by St Mark's youth, Landon Snyder: https://youtu.be/irB5EpVTQu4?si=YxFHaaQz2gmKP_ja.
Photos below from recent Youth Group projects …
See you Sunday!
Youth Ministry Calendar 2026-2027
Looking Ahead
October
10/17 Oktoberfest Dinner Prep—10:00 AM
10/18 Oktoberfest Dinner
10/30 Family Movie Night: Coco
December
12/13 Christmas Pageant
12/24 Christmas Eve Bilingual Family Service and Christmas Pageant
➡️ FULL YOUTH MINISTRY CALENDAR ⬅️
In order to participate in activities, all youth/parents must register to provide up-to-date information for youth leaders, as well as complete the 2025-2026 medical release/consent form. English and Spanish
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For more information, contact Alice Real, Director of Youth and Family Ministries, at youth@stmarks-elca.org.
The St. Marks Youth had a great time raking leaves at church member homes on a November Sunday afternoon!
Watch worship on St. Mark's Youtube channel!
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Youth Group Parent Handbook
Parents! Click HERE to download and view your Youth Group 2021-2022 Information Meeting Handout.
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See photos of our 2018-2020 gatherings and 2021 Youth Sunday below:
St. Mark’s Mission Trip to Red Bird Work Camp
July 2024
In July 2024, 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.
