L I F E. Council Members

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1 L I F E A Publication of St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church 2363 West Third Street, Davenport IA Phone: Pastor Travis Fisher-King: Annual subscription of $1.00 per year is included in payment of weekly pledge of members. stmark@stmarkcares.org December 2018 Volume 51 Issue 12 Council Members Nancy Beaderstadt (Vice-President ) n.beaderstadt@yahoo.com Chuck Crispin cacrispin@yahoo.com Richard Dabillo Diane Fellman (Secretary) fellmand54@yahoo.com Julie Ginn (President) julie-ginn@hotmail.com Barb Jakubowski (Treasurer) bjjakubowski@aol.com John Muhlhausen Kent Nichols (Youth Representative) Amber Sherrod asherrod82@me.com Linda Wescom linda.wescom@gmail.com Save the Date Annual Meeting February 10, :45am All individual reports are due to Lisa Willey no later than January 7th. Hard copies of the full report will be available in the church office the weekend of January 27th. It s beginning to look (and sound) a lot like Christmas! Advent and Christmas festivities are in full swing. People are heading to the shops and stores looking for that perfect gift for those they love. Neighbors are donning their homes with lights and colorful Christmas characters. The sights and sounds remind us that the Christmas (Advent) season is upon us. Christmas preparations fill our time with decorating, purchasing, wrapping, traveling, and celebrating. Christmas parties, special events, and gatherings help us experience the joy and good cheer of the season, but also make a full schedule even fuller. Sometimes we might wonder if we will have the time to get everything done before December 25th. We may even start looking past Christmas, yearning for Christmas to be over so we can finally rest and relax. Those of us who follow Jesus want to make sure that all the Christmas celebrations and preparations don t crowd out the true reason for the season; Jesus. In our pursuit to celebrate Christmas, Jesus sometimes gets left out. With all the hustle and bustle, we have to be intentional to keep Jesus at the center of our celebration. If we don t pay attention, Jesus can slip out of focus and we might not even notice. There were many who looked past Jesus the morning of his birth. People were busy going about their day and living their lives. They weren t concerned about Christmas trees or making Eggnog, but they had other tasks keeping them busy. Only a few discovered what God was doing in that feeding trough in Bethlehem. The shepherds heard the Good News of Jesus birth from angels and went to see God s gift of love, then went back praising God and sharing the Good News of great joy with all. The Magi were far away following a star when Jesus was born. They were actively seeking the true King, but would arrive about two years after Jesus birth. Those who encountered Jesus would never be the same. The world would never be the same. God loved the world so much that he gave he gave his one and only son. While celebrating the miracle of Jesus birth may we not miss the reality of his life. May you keep Jesus at the center of your celebration and may he bring you hope, love, joy, and peace. Join us in worship as we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Jesus, God s only Son during the advent season. And then come to the celebration at our two Christmas Worship services on Christmas Eve at 5PM and 10PM. If you are traveling have a Merry Christmas. If you are hosting, bring your family and friends to worship with you; as there is no better way to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our savior than to worship God in God s house. Journeying with you, Pr. Travis M. Fisher-King

2 Page 2 We offer the Family of Melvin Grubbs, Jr Michael Kroening words of love, support, and comfort. May they rest assured in the midst of their challenges and adjustments that God will sustain them in the loss of their loved one through faith in our Risen Lord. Because He lives, we too shall live. To the St. Mark Congregation, Thank you Pastor Travis and Parish Nurse Bev Blake for the many visits to our home and The Good Samaritan Society. Our Family is grateful for our St. Mark Family for your many prayers, cards, and visits with warm caring thoughtfulness. Blessings and Joy, Lois Daasch Lynn & Don Warner Bruce & Janelle Daasch In this season of Thanksgiving, we would like to thank you, the members of St. Mark Lutheran Church, for your continued support of the Quad Cities CROP Hunger Walk. With collected donations through November 12, 2018, the generosity of St. Mark stands at $1, This marks the seventh consecutive year that St. Mark has topped the $1,000 plateau, one of only seven congregations in the area to do so. The total amount raised so far for the 2018 QC CROP Hunger Walk stands at $25, Thanks again for your support in helping us raise money to help the hungry and those in poverty right around the corner and around the globe. --- Pella Fisher and Rick Martin Hospitalized In November The Friendship Group will meet At Tommy s at 11:30am on December 4. Everyone is welcome to join us for lunch! If you would like to come, please sign up in the lounge and indicate if you need a ride. Hope to see you there! A total of 575 people were served at our food pantry in October Items were donated from: St. Mark Lutheran Church members, Youth Group, and Friends; Grace Lutheran Church; Midwest Food Bank (Expo.); Bettendorf Community School District; and Garden Ministry; Thank you! Mission Action During this time of thanksgiving, the resource centers were very thankful for the many items received in our last donations. Both Pregnancy Resources and Family Resources received a number of washcloths, toothbrushes, combs, and travel size soaps. Pregnancy Resources also received hairties, a couple of baby clothes, and cookies. Other donations for Family Resources included bedding, towels, women s clothes, and various food items. As the weather turns colder gloves, hats, boy and girl winter clothing, and personal care products are needed. Thank you for your donations, Lori Almasi

3 Page 3 Notes from the Organ Bench by Ross Jallo November 2018 Announcing: Christmas Eve Pick-up Choir! As you may remember, this past summer we experimented with having a pick-up choir -- a chance for anyone and everyone at St. Mark to sing an easy anthem with only one rehearsal. I was quite pleased with the result, and I hope people enjoyed it. I'd like to try something similar at the 5pm Christmas Eve service this year: we'll have a pick-up choir sing a simple anthem, and I'll offer two rehearsals to prepare for it. (You only need to attend one or the other, though you're welcome to come to both, if you prefer.) Pick-up choir rehearsals will be offered at the following times: 10:45am Sunday, December 16th 4:00pm Monday, December 24th (directly before the 5pm Christmas Eve service) If you enjoy singing, I encourage you to consider this low-pressure opportunity to participate in special music at St Mark. Additionally, if you will have any visiting friends or family members you know would enjoy joining us, feel free to invite them! If you have any questions about rehearsals or about the anthem we're singing, please feel free to contact me (rossjallo@gmail.com) anytime. Social ministry will be hosting a family dinner for the Safer group and their family during the month of December. This is being made possible with Thrivent monies. The Safer kids are young men who have made some bad decisions and are being given a second chance to lead a better life. They meet daily, Monday through Friday at St Mark. As a welcoming church, we are asking for monetary donations from the congregation to give each young man a care package at this dinner. Each will receive several hygiene items and a small gift card. To be budget friendly, we are buying some of this things in bulk. There will be one of the committee members in the narthex after services to collect contributions. If contributing by check please specify ANGEL TREE. Please help us make a difference in these kids lives. It has also been brought to our attention that they have a Christmas tree...but very few ornaments. We are asking for 1 ornament ( not a box) but 1 ornament that you would like to contribute to show we care. A basket will be in the narthex and lounge to accept your contribution to that cause. All ornaments will be needed by December 9th. If you have any questions please contact, Candy Nagel or Pella Fisher. Thank you in advance for believing in our outreach missions and always meeting our needs. Gods Blessings, Social Ministry. St Mark will once again take donations of mittens, hats, scarfs, and socks for Hayes Elementary school children. We will distribute them the week before Christmas vacation. The need is great and they are always so appreciative of our support. -Social Ministry Committee Gods Work Our Hands. Thanks for your support in this neighborhood outreach.

4 Page 4 (W)holistic Living Thoughts from the Parish Nurse. As many of you know, or if you don t, I will share it now, Joe and I plan to be gone for December and January this year to our home away from home. Pella Fisher has agreed to fill in and help with some of my duties while I am gone, which I greatly appreciate. We will return February 3, 2019 so the holidays will be a bit different for us this year. I share this anonymous writing with you all as my Christmas greeting to you. It touched my heart and I hope you enjoy it too. You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married, and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet, in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all of my hopes and dreams. But, here it is the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise How did I get here so fast? Where did the years and my youth go? I remember seeing older people through the years and thinking those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like. But, here it is my friends are retiring or retired and getting grey they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and worse shape than me but, I see this great change Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we d be. And so now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go do the things I wish I had done, but never did! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I m not sure how long it will last this I know, that when it is over on this earth it s over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wished I hadn t done things I should have done, but indeed there are many things I m happy to have done. It s all in a lifetime. So, if you you re not in your winter yet let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, do it quickly! Don t put off things too long! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life so live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past! Life is a gift to you! The way you live your life is your gift to those that come after. I wish my entire church family a Blessed Advent and Christmas Season! In faith hope and love, Parish Nurse Bev December Wellness Activities 1. PN Bev will be gone the months of December and January. 2. Friendship Group will meet at Tommy s Café, 916 W 3 rd St., Davenport on Tuesday, December 11:30 am. Signup sheet is in the lounge. 3. Prayer Shawl Ministry meets Saturday, December 10:00 am in the lounge. The group will not meet on December Home communion kit distribution is December 8-9 and January at each worship service. 5. Life Together meets Tuesday, December 12 noon at Garner Farms Independent Living in the dining room for lunch and devotions. Cost is $7. Please let Pella Fisher or the church office know if you plan to attend or need a ride. Life Together will not meet in January. 6. There will be a service for healing during worship on Saturday, December Good Samaritan worship service with Holy Communion is Thursday, December 10:15 am. 8. Please note that the next Unity Point at Home Foot Clinic meets Wednesday, January 9, 12:30-2:30 in the bride s room by appointment. Call the church office to schedule an appointment. Cost is $30.

5 Page 5 Advent and Christmas Decorations If you would like to honor or remember a loved one by sponsoring Advent and Christmas decorations, envelopes are available in the lounge, OR you may use this form and include it and your $10.00 in an envelope and bring or mail it to the church office. Given by (your name) Offering Env. # In memory of -Or In honor of Forms and money are due in the office no later than December 16th. 1. Keep our pastor and our church staff in your daily prayers. 2. Join the choir or bell ringers. 3. Pray for your fellow church members. 4. Prayerfully continue with your heartfelt financial support. 5. Host the fellowship hour after services on Sunday. 6. Serve on Council or one of the our important committees. 7. Make a year-end gift to help with our financial wellness. 8. Prepare a dish and/or help serve at the monthly Share-a-Meal. 9. Sign up to be a substitute Sunday School teacher. 10. Sign up to be a greeter, a lector, or a counter on Sunday morning. 11. Volunteer at the food pantry once a week or once or twice a month. 12. Share the Good News with family, friends, coworkers and neighbors that St. Mark is a warm and welcoming place to worship and receive the word of God. Please pray and decide how YOU can help. Thanks For Your Commitment! Thanks to those of you that have turned in your pledge for You should have received an acknowledgement in the mail. If there is a discrepancy concerning your pledge amount, or if you pledged and did not receive an acknowledgement, please contact the church office at If you haven t turned in your pledge yet, it s not too late! Pledge forms are available in the narthex, in the lounge and in the office. Your completed form should be returned to the church office. Share-A-Meal Share a Meal is December 27 th at 6PM at Zion Lutheran Church. The winter time sees an increase in the number of people who are hungry. Please take time during the holiday season to help in this ministry. Please sign up in the lounge, so we know we will have enough food and helpers to serve.

6 Page 6 The Youth Group would like to thank everyone who came and participated in the Bags Tournament/Chili Cook-Off. We were able to raise $445 to help with our transportation costs for our Work Experience next year! Our next fundraiser will be coming up on December 16th. We will be holding our annual Bake Sale following the 9:30am worship service. We will have a wonderful variety of goodies for you to take to your holiday gatherings! All funds raised will help pay for transportation costs for our Work Experience trip. We will have our BIG Saturday Night on December 8th starting at 5pm. Please make sure to check your s and/or FB for more details. We will also be having our Youth Group Christmas party on December 29th at 5pm. More details will be posted on our FB page and by . We invite you to join us for our Intergenerational Event on December 16th. Our Youth Education classes will not be meeting on December 23rd and December 30th. We encourage everyone to join in classes again starting January 6th at 11am in the Youth Room. Amber and Lisa would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! We are excited to announce that our Sunday School kids will perform on December 16th at the 9:30am service. We have been busy practicing our songs and lines. On the day of the performance, please have your children in the chapel by 9:00am to practice. Following the performance, we will have your children join you in the sanctuary. Following worship, we invite everyone, children and adults, to our Intergenerational Event following fellowship. See Details below. We will not hold Sunday education classes on December 23rd or December 30th. This includes children 3-5th grade, older youth, and adults. Classes will resume January 6th. Our Sunday School Teachers wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! Intergenerational Event Carols and Cocoa! Please join us on December 16th for our 9:30am worship. Our Sunday School kids will be performing during the service. Following the service, we invite you to join us for fellowship in the lounge. The BIG Youth Group will also be holding their bake sale after the service. Starting at 11am, we are asking children, youth, and adults to join us in caroling (place TBT). Following our caroling, we invite you back to St. Mark to enjoy some cookies and cocoa. There will be crafts for the kids too! We hope to see you there!

7 Save the Date - Annual Meeting Home Communion Distribution 9:30am Worship - Sunday Schools Kids Sing 10:30am BIG Bake Sale 10:45am Christmas Eve 5pm Pickup Choir Rehearsal 11:00am Carols and Cocoa :00pm Christmas Eve 5pm Pick-up Choir Rehearsal 5:00pm Christmas Eve Worship with Holy Communion 9:30am Pre-Service Music 10:00pm Christmas Eve Candlelight Worship with Holy Communion February 10, 2019 at 10:45am All individual reports are due to Lisa Willey no later than January 7th. Hard copies of the full report will be available in the church office the weekend of January 27th. 6:00pm Young at Hearts Annual Gift Exchange and Christ mas Party Home Communion Distribution 5:00pm Worship with Healing Service. There will be no communion 5:00pm BIG Youth Group Christmas Party

8 ST. MARK LIFE St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church 2363 West Third Street, Davenport, Iowa Address Service Requested Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit No. 909 Davenport, Iowa Worship With Holy Communion (Unless Noted Otherwise) Saturdays - 5:00pm Sundays - 9:30am Education Hour 11:00am Christmas Eve Schedule December 24, :00PM -Family Service 9:30PM -Pre-service Music 10:00PM Candlelight Service For your convenience, nursery attendants will be available during the 5:00PM Service. Young at Hearts Annual Gift Exchange and Potluck Young at Heart s will be having our Gift Exchange on December 7th, at 6:00pm in the lounge. The potluck will start at 6:00 (please bring a dish to share) followed by the gift exchange. The gift should be wrapped and not more than $10:00. Questions? call Judy, or Bonnie,