Messenger St. Mark s Lutheran April 2017 I lift up my eyes to the hills-- from where will my help come? (Psalm 121:1 NRSV) In its entirety, psalm 121 is a favorite Psalm for many people. Noted in the bible as a Psalm of Ascent, it is often used as a blessing for people leaving on a journey. Originally, that journey of ascent was likely a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for a Jewish festival, such as Passover. This is a journey we are making right now, through the scriptures, as we move through the season of Lent toward Holy Week. Lent is a time when we reflect on our sinfulness and the struggles of life. And no matter where we are on life s journey, we each must answer the psalmist s question for ourselves from where will my help come? Amazing Grace, one of our great Christian hymns, acknowledges that life is full of many dangers, toils, and snares. These will be different for each of us. For some, the most pressing danger may be economic; too many bills and not enough money. Others become caught up in the toils of physical or mental illnesses; and still for others, the greatest snare in life is spiritual, the snare of sin and doubt. Life s journey has endless perils and no one goes through life unscathed. Again, we return to the question, from where is my help to come? The psalmist answers this question, with a confession of faith and by reflecting on God s promise of blessing: 2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. (Psalm 121:2-8) The list of promises in this psalm does not obscure the fact that we do face trials in our life. It does however, display a confidence that the LORD is with us and desires only good for His children. As we continue our Lenten journey, with Jesus, to the cross of Calvary, we are aware of the dangers, toils, snares, and even death that awaits our Lord. Nevertheless, with the LORD by our side, we make the journey with confidence and face each new day with joy, because we live with the knowledge that Easter morning is our destination. Blessings on your Lenten journey, Pastor Bob We need you to help make our annual Easter Breakfast a success! The breakfast will start right after the early service (about 8:00 am) and finish up at 9:15 am. We need help to plan the meal; Saturday set up and preparation; and Sunday cooking, serving, and cleanup. The magnificence of the breakfast will depend on how many volunteers we have so we need you to help make our breakfast totally wonderful! A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board. Contact Jeff Lee for more information.
On March 26, we rejoiced in the baptism of Autumn Olivia Kersten. She is the daughter of Scott and Amanda. Autumn s sponsors are Jessica and Jason Komp. Social Ministry On May 28, the Social Ministry Committee will honor our 2017 graduates during the service and with cake during the fellowship hour. If someone in your family is graduating from high school or is receiving an advanced degree, please notify the church office. We will reach out to them for more information. Our next meeting will be April 10 at 6:30. JK Our Food Pantry has had many customers lately and we are in need of many supplies. We need canned meat, fish, fruit, microwave popcorn, and pasta meals. Dish detergent and laundry detergent are always in demand, as well as, paper products and hygiene items. Thank you for your support. We wouldn t be able to maintain our pantry without your help. The Food Pantry is open to everyone each Wednesday from 9:00 to 11:00 am. Lions Breakfast & Mini-Raffle April 2 ~ 8:00 am to 1:00 pm $6 adults $3 kids 12 and under Kids under 3 free See Clark or Emma Anderson for tickets, or tickets may be purchased at the door. Proceeds support future Lions projects. A note of thanks for your exceptional hospitality, great food, and helpful staff and volunteers for our Crossways Annual Meeting. There were many comments about the tasty food and accessible facilities. Thank you for supporting the Mission and Ministry of Crossways. Bring a Book ~ Take a Book We have a Bring a Book ~ Take a Book stand in the corner of the Fellowship Hall. Feel free to borrow a book, then bring it back. Or, If you have books (that are appropriate), that you would like to share, please just put them on the book stand for others to enjoy. God Bless You! Crossways Staff Thank you for your generous donation (Mission of the Month) to Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services. Your gift of $851 will help our families get the help they desperately need and deserve by providing a safe and secure shelter, nurturing and caring staff, and programs and services that educate and offer hope. Maria Wierichs, Executive Director Please send an e-mail to stmarksneenah@tds.net and request the newsletter via e-mail. The Messenger is a monthly publication provided free to members and friends of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church, 140 S. Green Bay Road, Neenah, WI 54956-2247, St. Mark's is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Pastor: Robert Wilkinson Administrative Assistant: Marcia Lee Co-Sunday School Superintendents: Gwen Hoehne & Sherri Denney Treasurer: Mary Jane Hartley Financial Secretary: Fern Fuhrmann Council President: Maria Golden Custodian: Rich Sczerzen ELCA Disaster Response: following Christ s call to bring hope and healing to our neighbors in need when disasters around the world occur. Mission of the Month ELCA Disaster Response Through February 2017 Given: $25,370 Spent: $29,748
ST. MARK S CHURCH COUNCIL MINUTES February 16, 2017 Meeting was called to order at 6:32 P.M. by Pat Marsicek, President. Members Present: Jane Arps, Jason Blank, Rachel Blank, Maria Golden, Bruce Grundman, Mary Jane Hartley, Donna Joachim, Pat Marsicek, Linda Rose, Phyllis Ziemke and Pastor Bob Wilkinson. Members Excused: Angie Bedor, Keith Niemuth, Jeff Tharp Devotions: Pastor Bob led us in devotions with a reading from the Book of Luke. Marie Golden will lead devotions next month. March Calendar was passed around for any changes/additions. Approval of Minutes from the January 19, 2017 meeting. MSC by Linda Rose/Jane Arps with the following correction under the Proposed Budget changes. The Janitor will work 10 hours a week @ $12.50 an hour. Financial Report Our Building Improvement Fund presently has $13,450.50. Giving is still down. We need to continue to watch our spending. {Negative Balance of $2644} Giving for the month of January is $14,291.75. The balance of the Security System Account of $82.54 and Special Mortgage Project Account of $50 will be moved to Building Improvement Account. MSC by Marie Golden/Phyllis Ziemke. Pastor s Report Officiated at the memorial service of Linda Degner. Several home, nursing home and hospital visits. Had initial conversational meetings with parents for two upcoming baptisms. Attended the Appleton Conference Meeting at St. Timothy in Menasha. Preparing for upcoming Lenten Meals. Attended several church committees. Officiated at the graveside committal of John Fenske. Attended the Seeds for Growth meeting at Grace Lutheran of Appleton. Attended Community Table at St. Paul. Officiated at the funeral of Claudia Perkins. MSC Jason Blank/Phyllis Ziemke. Committee Reports Christian Education On February 5 kids will sing a Place in the Choir in church. Winter Fun Day will be February 19 with games inside. Will serve hot chocolate and donut holes. Next rotation will be Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors. A movie will start off the rotation. Children will sing in church on April 2. On Palm Sunday, we will have a movie and project in regards to Easter. Might sing in church. Connections Discussed what the Connections Committee means to us: Serving others, Keeping up with the church functions and keeping people excited and engaged. Bring God s love with people and connecting people to God. Reaching out to the community. We should be encouraging members to invite people into church for events. Discussed ideas for this year. Day to teach new drivers how to do basic things with their vehicles. Children s book exchange. Women s Retreat/Adult Retreat. Events for the older population in our church. Filthy Fun Run. Have a Sunday designed for people with physical disabilities. Create new postcards to send out to visitors. Create a
fellowship information sheet with instructions for people who have not done it before. Kay purchased new bags for the children during worship and organized them. Need to continue reaching out to the inactive. Endowment No Meeting Memorial: No Meeting Property Discussed new maintenance position with Rich Sczerzen. Discussed church renovation with ELCA rep. Talked about lawn maintenance. Social Ministry Sent cards to shut ins and college students for Valentine s Day. Got a grant from JJ Keller and Siewert for Feeding America. Thank You cards were sent out. Stewardship/Finance: No Report. Worship and Music: Received good comments about using Setting One and having the Music Leaders. Lots of good comments about the contemporary music Jeff Lee played in January. The choir will sing on February 19. Pastor will be on vacation that Sunday so Jeff Lee and Jane Hartley will lead the service. On February 26, kids and adults will present a Glow Service. This will take place in the Fellowship Hall. March 1, begins Lent, with The Trail of Jesus. Many in the congregation will take part of this. The series will continue thru April 5. Two young people will make their First Communion. Talked about having the Krempien s Band play at St. Mark s. Probably closer to May. Youth: No Report. Committee Reports MSC by Jason Blank/Phyllis Ziemke. Unfinished Business Discussed Seeds of Growth. This is about an eighteen month commitment. This core group would include Pastor, a council representative and 4-5 people from the congregation. We will try to include different age groups to have everyone represented. The executive committee will meet to start putting this group together. Met with Anne Gerrietts, a church consultant from the ELCA. She pointed out good things and things she felt needed to be improved on. Once a list of improvements is decided on by the congregation we need to prioritize on what order they are done in. New Business On the Mission of the Month sheet instead of reading LWR Disaster Response it should be ELCA Disaster Response. LWR World Hunger should be ELCA World Hunger. At this time election of officers took place. The floor was opened for nominations Marie Golden was elected President, Judy Hellman was elected Vice-President, Donna Joachim was elected Secretary. The rest of the council was selected to serve as council representatives for the following committees. Christian Education- Linda Rose, Connections- Jane Arps, Endowment- Pat Marsicek, Finance/ Stewardship- Keith Niemuth/Pat Marsicek, Memorial- Phyllis Ziemke, Property- Bruce Grundman/Jason Blank, Social Ministry- Phyllis Ziemke, Worship & Music- Angie Bedor, Youth- Rachel Blank/Jeff Tharp Council will be installed during the church service on March 12. MSC by Jason Blank/Jane Arps to adjourn at 8:20 P.M. We closed with the Lord s Prayer Next meeting is March 16, 2017 at 6:30 P.M. Submitted by Donna Joachim
MOSES MESSAGES The Sunday School is learning about Joseph and his coat of many colors. We are planning on singing in church on Sunday, April 2. On April 9, we will have a cluster event for Palm Sunday. There will be no Sunday School on Sunday, April 16. Have a Happy Easter! Sunday School will resume on Sunday, April 23. Our last day of Sunday School is May 14 Mother's Day. We are making special plans for that day to honor all women, not just mothers. The Sunday School will fill goodie bags to hand out to the children after Easter services and we are asking for donations of small items, or candy, to put in the bags. Please have them at church by Friday, April 14. Thank you for all your support. Birthdays: JT Rose April 9 Ariana Hopkins April 23 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL!! HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!!! HE HAS RISEN!!!! Plant Sale The annual Plant Sale is just in time for Mother s day! St Mark s and Grace Lutheran will hold their annual plant sale on Saturday, May 13. For the best selection order your plants by May 7, and pick up plants on Saturday, May 13, between 10:00 am and 1:00 pm. Additional flowers and hanging baskets will be available for sale on Sunday the 14th following worship. Please contact Dawn Jones @ 268-7231 with any questions. Proceeds support our 2018 National Youth Gathering. Thank you! Once again Fox Valley Lutheran Homes is full! Thanks to all of you who helped spread the word; our apartments are all full again and we have a waiting list for our two-bedroom apartments. We would welcome some names on a waiting list for our one-bedroom apartments. The Fox Valley Lutheran Homes Board of Directors needs you! Due to some health problems, some people moving, and some natural terms coming to an end, we find ourselves with an unusually large number of openings! We have openings for a minimum of 3 or a maximum of 6 new people on our Board, which we need to elect at our Annual Meeting on April 29. One of these needs to be an Ordained Lutheran Pastor. If you haven t ever served on a board like this, please take this opportunity to prayerfully consider it. If you have served and would like to serve again, we need you! Please contact your connector, or contact me, Becky Luett, at 594-2016. I ll be happy to get you more information about serving on the Board of Directors, so you can make an informed decision. Becky Luett, Deacon, Executive Director Educational Programs at Fox Valley Lutheran: On April 10, at 10:30 am, in the Linwood Commons located at 425 N. Linwood, Appleton, we will have the last of a three part series on Dementia. This program called Enrich features understanding lifestyle changes which influence the onset and severity of Dementia. Dementia cannot be prevented but there are some skills and tasks which contribute to good brain health. Please call 734-7225 or email ruth@fvlhomes.org to reserve your spot. On April 24 at 10:30 am you have an opportunity to Chat With a Pharmacist. A local pharmacist will present information on the use of drugs and medication, especially in those chronologically gifted. They will cover both prescription medications as well as over the counter medications. There will be a time for question and answer after the presentation. All are welcome! Call 734-7225 or email ruth@fvlhomes.org to reserve your spot and any educational materials made available. Fox Valley Homes receives information from the Alzheimer s Association which you may find helpful if you have a friend or loved one diagnosed with Alzheimer s Disease. The Alzheimer s Association has a web site which has useful information. The latest resource is Support Living Well in the early stage of Alzheimer s Disease. It is intended for individuals living in the early stage of Alzheimer s or other dementias. Person with this new diagnosis often feel uncertain about how to live their best life moving forward. The new LiveWell Online Resources is designed specifically for individuals in the early stage and with input from people living with dementia, provide personal insights and strategies on how to live a quality life with the disease. If you search the Alzheimer s Association you will find a wealth of information which may be useful to you and your loved one. The Alzheimer s Association 24/7 Helpline which would welcome your questions or concerns. 800-272-3900.
St. Mark s Lutheran Church 140 S Green Bay Road Neenah WI 54956 Phone: 920-725-2828 E-Mail: stmarksneenah@tds.net pastorbob@stmarksneenah.org Website: www.stmarksneenah.org April 2017 Spaghetti and a Movie Everyone is invited to attend a Spaghetti Dinner and then see the Movie, Risen a non-believing Roman soldier investigates the mystery of what happened to Jesus following the crucifixion, on Sunday, April 9, at 11:30 am. Please bring a friend! A free-will offering will be collected for International Children s Fund, or you may also bring in school supplies. We have received a Thrivent Action Team Grant to cover the cost of the food. Easter Plants You are invited to bring an Easter plant, of your choosing, to adorn the altar for Easter. A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board, if you would like to have your plant in honor or in memory of someone. Easter Sunday 7:00 & 10:00 am Breakfast 8:00 9:15 am Help Needed Holy Week Palm Sunday 10:00 am Maundy Thursday 6:30 pm Good Friday 6:30 pm The magnificence of the Easter breakfast will depend on how many volunteers we have so we need you to help make our breakfast totally wonderful! A sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board. Contact Jeff Lee for more information.