St. Mark Lutheran Church CrossBeams November 2011 Volume 50 Issue 11

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1 St. Mark Lutheran Church CrossBeams November 2011 Volume 50 Issue 11 A publication of St. Mark Lutheran Church, Mount Prospect, Illinois Grace to you and peace One of my favorite ministry tasks is teaching confirmation class. Surprised? I find that this is one of the most interesting, questing groups with which I get to spend time. This year our curriculum is all about the sacraments; we recognize two in the Lutheran church, Baptism and Holy Communion, which we also call the Eucharist. The definition that Lutheran s use to determine what is sacramental is complex: a sacrament is a gift of God s grace, commanded by Christ, with a physical element attached. God s grace in baptism comes as forgiveness of sins, the promise of eternal life in the divine presence, and adoption into the body of Christ as a child of God, once, but for all time. The physical element is water, plain-old-ordinary-straight-from-the-tap-water! The water becomes extraordinary, mystical when it is joined to the Word of God. This commandment of Christ comes from the Bible, from the Book of Matthew: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching everything that I have commanded you. (28:19, 20) As we receive Holy Communion, God s grace comes to us as again and again each time we partake of it as forgiveness of sins. In seminary, we are taught that the physical elements of communion are festive drink and daily food, commonly wine and bread. But juice and wafers work, too, because there is nothing special about these elements until they are joined to the Word of God. We find the commandment of Christ to commune together, just as Jesus did with his disciples, also in the Book of Matthew: Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. (26: 26-28) We say that Jesus comes to use in, through and under the elements. But how that happens is also a mystery pure grace from a loving God to God s people. In this month of November, as we celebrate All Saints Day, we remember and give thanks that though we sin, we are saved, not by anything we do, but by the grace of God working in us. It is also the month (on the 10 th ) in which we commemorate our great 16 th century brother, Martin Luther, a reformer whose faith, and ours, was grounded in and rested on this truth. Thanks be to God! See you in the pew! Pastor Linnea Wilson

2 CrossBeams November 2011 the top three at ISU and making Finals in Indy would be icing on the already wonderful cake! Thank you Dear St. Mark friends, Thank you so much for the prayers and support during my son, Todd s recent illness. It is such a blessing to me that I was able to drop everything and be with Todd. My coworkers and many volunteers stepped in and allowed me to be away from work for an extended period of time, and for that, I am so grateful. Todd is expected to make a full recovery and continues to improve every day. God is good! Thank you. Linda Zimmerman Way to Go Marching Knights It was another great competition for the Prospect High School Marching Knights! They won the caption awards for Best Auxiliary (Color Guard), Best Percussion, and Best Visual Effect. They also captured 1st Place in Class 5A and Grand Champions of the University of Illinois Marching Band Festival (the 29th time in 31 years!!!). St. Markers in the Marching Knights are Allison Brask, John Desai, Laura Dietrich, Jessica Endres, Kalla Galyon, Claire Goodrich, Val Goodrich, Adam Mockenhaupt, Allyson Munn, Johanna Scott, Hannah Trezise, Mitchell Trezise, and former members Katelyn & Rebekah Kiner (granddaughters of Doris Kiner). Now it's on to the two most difficult competitions, State of Illinois Championships at ISU (October 29) and the Bands of America Super Regional s in Indianapolis (November 5), where most of the top bands in the country will be competing. Finishing in Operation Christmas Child For the past 14 years, St. Mark has collected shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Shoeboxes are filled with toys, school and personal care items and are given to children all over the world through a group called Samaritan's Purse. The children who receive them are victims of poverty, war, and natural disasters and the shoeboxes are intended as a way to brighten their day in Christ's name. For the past three years we have been a relay center for Operation Christmas Child collecting shoeboxes from individuals and churches in our area. This year we will collect the boxes from November at the following times: Monday, November 14 thru Friday, November 18 from 10 am to noon Wednesday, November 16 and Thursday evening, November 17 from 6-8 pm Saturday from 10-2 pm Sunday from noon to 4 pm Volunteers are needed to collect the shoeboxes and pack the shoe boxes into shipping cartons. Last year we collected over 2,000 shoeboxes. Volunteers are also needed to pack the cartons on the truck and transport the cartons to Grayslake on Monday morning, November 21 You can sign up in the narthex at the Operation Christmas Child display. Also, shoeboxes and brochures are available in the narthex for church members to pack a box. They need to be returned by November 20. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Cindy Decker.

3 CrossBeams November 2011 Decorate the Church and Make a Craft Calendar Saturday, October 29, 9 am Church Basement Ladies in the Kitchen Fellowship Hall Tuesday, November 1, 10 am Bible Study To Follow and Serve: The Gospel of Mark Session 3 Power and Authority Heritage Room Saturday, November 26, 9 am Decorate the Church and Make a Craft Fellowship Hall and Sanctuary To Follow and Serve: The Gospel of Mark Session 3 In this lesson, Power and Authority, we travel with Jesus as he moves through the region of Gallilee. Mark shows us that Jesus is the one who has the power to calm a stormy sea, and to restore people to wholeness of life. And He has God s authority to forgive sins and to send out others, empowering them to bring the good news. The study is carried in Gather magazine (formerly known as Lutheran Woman Today). An annual 10-issue subscription is only $12 through the Augsburg Fortress subscription order center at subscriptions@augsburgfortress.org or Church Basement Ladies in the Kitchen Saturday, October 29, 9am What a terrific opportunity to enjoy some words of wisdom in the kitchen and in life -- from those wise women, St. Mark s own Church Basement Ladies. We will be making lefse and krumkaka, so come and find out more about these delicious delicacies! Contact Kim Perlich, On Saturday morning, November 26, we will gather in Fellowship Hall at 9:00 am to learn to make a simple holiday craft item for your home. Then we will go upstairs to decorate the sanctuary and gathering areas of the church for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Contact Kim Perlich, , to register. The cost will be $3.00 for materials The other day when I dropped my youngest son off at St. Mark, he told me, "Sometimes I feel sad at preschool." Worried, I asked him why. He groaned, "It's so short!" What a blessing that my child attends a school where he feels so comfortable and happy. The teachers have done a wonderful job helping our youngest learners adjust to school. The preschool families are very excited to welcome two new staff members. Kerrie Pasternak is the Lunch Coordinator, and Lisa Anderson is a teacher in the 3's morning class. They are a wonderful addition to our school community. The children's school year is off to a great start. The 3's are learning about fall, and the 4's wrapped up a train unit with a fun train trip to Norwood Park. Both classes love playing in the tents that are set up in the Block Room. The 4's camping unit is one of the most popular themes of the year! Thank you to all the St. Mark families who participated in the Cookie Dough Fundraiser. Enjoy your sweets! Caroline Aldworth.

4 St. Mark Lutheran Church ~ Cash Flow Statement Summary General Fund/ ~ September 2011 MTD Actual 2011 YTD Actual 2011 YTD Budget 2011 INCOME Offerings/Bequests $30, $303, $355, Administrative $ $2, $3, Facility Usage $ $3, $10, Facility Usage-Booster Cl $0.00 $7, $7, Fac Usage $1, $4, $4, Facility Usage Parsonage $1, $7, $9, Ministries $ $1, $3, K-Enrich/Daycare Income $5, $29, $11, Fund Income $11, $60, $0.00 Total $50, $420, $405, EXPENSES Administrative $2, $36, $40, Compensation $22, $250, $273, Property $6, $60, $75, Ministries $ $13, $16, Foundation Ln Int $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 K- Enrich/Daycare Expense $0.00 $7, $0.00 Fund Expense $13, $65, $0.00 Total $46, $434, $405, Net Income (Loss) $4, ($14,497.69) $0.00 Foundation Ln Repayment $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Net income after Mortgage Pmt $4, ($14,497.69) $0.00 St. Mark Lutheran Church ~ Income & Expense-Benevolence Fund ~ September 2011 MTD Actual 2011 YTD Actual 2011 YTD Budget 2011 INCOME Benevolence Offerings 3,915 40,958 37,500 Other Income Total Income 3,915 41,173 37,500 EXPENSE Total Expenses 4,167 37,715 37,500 Net Income (Loss) (252) 3,457 - St. Mark Lutheran Church ~ Income & Expense-Capital Fund ~ September 2011 MTD Actual 2011 YTD Actual 2011 YTD Budget 2011 INCOME Capital Offerings 2,193 22,010 18,000 Other Income Total Income 2,308 22,725 18,750 EXPENSE Total Expenses* ,250 Net Income (Loss) 2,308 22,725 7,500

5 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Food Drive OLW Youth & Family 1:00pm Book Club OLW OLW OLW :30am Election Ruth Circle Bible Study Committee :15pm WOW! Prospect Prospect 3:15pm WOW! Prospect 6:00pm Prospect Service 3:15pm WOW! Prospect Letter to Congregation 4:00pm 4:00pm Breakfast Club Luncheon 4:00pm 6:00pm 8:30am Thanksgiving Youth Event KC KC KC Christmas Tree Setup :30am Youth Event OLW OLW OLW Trim the Church OLW

6 St. Mark Lutheran Church 200 South Wille Street Mount Prospect, IL November 2011 St. Mark Lutheran Church Fax Staff Pastor Linnea Wilson Vicar Megan Vaughan Parish Administrator Nancy Hundley Director Kris Lebrecht Office Administrator Linda Zimmerman Sunday ~ 8:00 am Service ~ 10:00 am Fellowship/Education Hour 9:00 am Office Hours MONDAY-THURSDAY 8:30 am 4:30 pm FRIDAY 8:30 am 12:00 Noon