Sunday, December Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve 9:00 A.M. Worship with Live-Stream
10:00 A.M. Fellowship with cookies and coffee in Fellowship Hall 3:00 P.M. Christmas Eve Worship
8:00 P.M. Christmas Eve Worship
10:00 P.M. Christmas Eve Worship Monday, December 25 Office Closed - Merry Christmas! Tuesday, December 26 Office Closed Wednesday, December 27 Office hours 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Thursday, December 28 Office hours 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Friday, December 29 Office hours 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
7:30 A.M. St. Mark Breakfast Group at Denny's Restaurant Sunday, December 31 9:00 A.M. Worship with Live-Stream
10:00 A.M. Fellowship Hour with coffee and donuts | Join us this Sunday for the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve
9:00 A.M. - Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary- Prelude will start at 8:55.
10:00 A.M. Fellowship with cookies and coffee If you are unable to be here, click here to join us at 8:55 for our live-stream service. | Longest Night Worship - December 21st at 6:30 pm
For some, the joy of the holiday season can feel elusive and out of reach. As a result, churches around the world have adopted the practice of having a special service during Advent designed to provide space for prayer, reflection, and remembrance amidst the twinkle lights and holiday hustle and bustle. Join us for our first ever Longest Night service on December 21st at 6:30 pm. Bring your grief. Bring your weariness. Bring your fatigue, and allow yourself a quiet space to reflect and draw near to God. | The St. Mark Market (Outdoor Pantry) is in need of items.
The items needed for the St. Mark Market are crackers with peanut butter or cheese in them, cups of fruit or applesauce, canned goods with a pull top (ravioli is popular), breakfast bars, granola bars, meat sticks (without refrigeration required), and other easy to carry food items that don’t require cooking or refrigeration. We have designated a spot in the kitchen to place donations, please look for the sign on the kitchen counter. If you have any questions, please see Pastor Katrina. Thank you for helping to love and serve our neighbors. | Another Wassail Sunday Success!
Thank you to all you provided cookies for Wassail Sunday last week. The Wassail was especially delicious this year. If you would like your tin back, they are above the coat rack in the back hallway by the kitchen. Also thank you to the Happy Campers for continuing the tradition. | Avery Berg (St. Lucia) and Pastor Katrina Steingraeber | Welcome Noelle!
We are pleased to announce that Noelle Tulley has joined the staff as our finance director! Noelle comes to us with a career’s worth of accounting experience, and we are excited to have her expertise in our congregation. Please join us in welcoming Noelle to St. Mark! | Stewardship
Thank you to those who returned your Plan for Giving Cards. For those of you who have not, there are giving cards at church or click here to submit your pledge for 2024. Thank you for your participation in this important expression of support and gratitude. Together, we can continue to Grow in Faith and Share God's Grace! Pledge Update: Our 2024 Pledged Giving goal is $710,000, and the response we receive this fall will determine our actual budget for the coming year. To date, we have received 155 Pledges totaling $600,029. This amount represents 85% of the pledged giving needed to meet our budget goals for the coming year. In order to meet our goal, we are asking everyone to prayerfully consider an increase in giving. Please refer to the table on the back of your pledge card to see what it might take to raise your pledge by a small percentage. | Reminder
There will be no women's or men's Wednesday Bible studies on December 27. They will resume on January 3, 2024. | A Christmas message from Bishop Stacie Fidlar
Each year, I prepare a Christmas message for our synod. It is a time for me to remember the joy of sharing the good news and to pray for you as you lead your ministries through the complexities of this time. This year, I am excited to have Rev. Julie Monnard do a re-telling of the Christmas story from Luke's Gospel. May you find joy during this busy season of sharing the Good News with all.
Walking with you, Bishop Stacie Fidlar Click here to view the video. | Socks for Schools
Warm, dry socks make winter learning easier! Let’s give the gift of new socks to some Rockford school kids this Advent. Outreach and Children’s Ministry are teaming up to collect new socks of all colors and sizes to give to the students at Ellis, Lewis Lemon, McIntosh, and Haskell schools. These are the schools that St. Mark already supports through the uniform project, and we have heard from parents and teachers that many children simply don’t have enough socks. Can we collect 100 pairs of socks for each school? 200 pairs? Could we collect 1000 total pairs of socks?? Let’s fill the bins by the red truck this Advent! | Our St. Mark Members: Marsha Carlson, David Olson, Linda Vivian, Lis Pearson, Joe Garcea, Jeanne Zeschke, Ulla Kercher, Mark Honzel, Lorine Kortus, Beth Johnson, Carol Kilts, Fritzi Panjkovich, Diane Swanson, Sherri Lindquist, Bette Patterson. Family and Friends of St. Mark Members: Pat Viereck, Jim O’Brien, Jeanne Menzies, Linda Robbins, Greg Palmer, Mark Nelson, Gina Meeks, Natena Berry, Barbara Buttchen, Ruth Hewitt, Mike Balles, Chris Nack, Ron Gentry, John Ayotte, Carrie Kielty, Ed Sobczyk, Elizabeth Woodworth, Carrie Nelson, Bill Hart, Ellie Krepfle, Tom Montgomery, Jon Baylander, Jenny Hobby. Those serving in the military and their families: Holden Paddock, Logan Gehrke, Hunter Haggestad, Scot Hornick, Jim Tammen, Brandon Ballenger, Taylor Eversole. Strengthen and encourage those in public health services and in the medical profession: caregivers, nurses, attendants, and doctors, all who commit themselves to care for the sick and their families. | Office Hours
Monday through Thursday
9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
Friday - 9:00 A.M. - 1:00 P.M. Telephone: 815-398-3557
Publications
St. Mark Memos, the weekly e-newsletter, is distributed each Thursday. The deadline for submission is Monday by 3:00 P.M.
Please click to send submissions.
Worship Services
Miss a Sunday at St. Mark? Please visit our website and watch the service online.
Please click to watch. | |
