Sunday, February 25 9:00 A.M. Worship with Live-Stream
9:00 A.M. Installation of council members during the service
10:00 A.M. Fellowship Hour with coffee and donuts
10:05 A.M. Sunday School
10:05 A.M. Adult Forum
11:00 A.M. Worship in Fellowship Hall
6:30 P.M. Youth Group - Rec Night at Grace Lutheran Monday, February 26 10:30 A.M. Mosaic Hub
10:30 A.M. Classic Chorale Rehearses Tuesday, February 27 10:00 A.M. Staff Meeting
11:00 A.M. St Mark Duplicate Bridge
7:00 P.M. Council Meeting Wednesday, February 28 Lenten Service 9:00 A.M. Women's Bible Study
9:00 A.M. Men's Bible Study
9:30 A.M. St. Mark Ringers
5:30 P.M. Soup Dinner
6:30 P.M. Lenten Service
7:15 P.M. Voices of St. Mark Thursday, February 29 9:00 A.M. Cherry Valley Bridge Group
5:30 P.M. Family Fellowship - Leap Day Party
6:30 P.M. Emotions Anonymous Friday, March 1 7:30 A.M. St. Mark Breakfast Group at Denny's Restaurant Sunday, March 3 9:00 A.M. Worship with Live-Stream
10:00 A.M. Fellowship Hour with coffee and donuts
10:05 A.M. Sunday School
10:05 A.M. Adult Forum
11:00 A.M. Worship in Fellowship Hall
6:30 P.M. Youth Group at St. Mark | Join us this Sunday, February 25th, Second Sunday in Lent
9:00 A.M. - Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary- Prelude will start at 8:55.
10:00 A.M. - Fellowship with donuts and coffee
10:05 A.M. - Adult Forum
10:05 A.M. - Sunday School
11:00 A.M. - Worship in Fellowship Hall
6:30 P.M. - Youth Group - Rec Night at Grace Lutheran If you are unable to be here, click here to join us at 8:55 for our live-stream service. | Dear Friends,
After serving St. Mark as Pastor for Pastoral Care for nearly eight years I need to resign, effective February 29th. My caseload of dying patients at Northern Illinois Hospice is more than a full-time position, and I am not meeting negotiated performance goals. I have loved - and love now - some of the most faithful, beautiful believers of St. Mark I have ever known. There have been - and are now - rich, spiritually fruitful relationships. I will always cherish our friendships, and remember you always. -with love, Pastor Chuck | Showing Gratitude for Pastor Chuck
We are so grateful for the ministry and care he has shown to so many of our members over the last seven years. To extend that thankfulness to him, everyone is encouraged to drop a card off in the box in the Narthex this Sunday, or at the church office. There will also be a card for everyone to sign. Pastor Chad and Katrina will hand-deliver these notes of gratitude to Pastor Chuck in early March, and so we ask that you bring your card in as soon as possible. Thank you for giving thanks! | Lent at St. Mark
Throughout the season of Lent, we will focus on the theme, “Promises at the Crossroads of History and Hope.” This theme will allow us to focus more deeply on the stories of Sarah, Abraham, Hagar, and their children. This five-week series will guide us during Adult Forum on Sunday mornings and during Midweek Services on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. | Soup’s On!
Our Midweek Services in Lent are of flavor! Plan to come early at 5:30 p.m. for a light meal of soup and fresh-baked bread. Stick around for a candlelight service of Holden Evening Prayer at 6:30 p.m. Thanks to many wonderful volunteers, we will be able to gather like this every Wednesday in Lent. Want something a little more hearty? In lieu of soup, the youth group will be hosting a spaghetti dinner on the third Wednesday, March 6th. Since this is a fundraiser for their trip to the ELCA Youth Gathering this summer, be sure to come extra hungry and extra generous! | Family Fellowship: Leap Day Party!
Thursday, February 29, from 5:30 - 6:30 Join your St. Mark friends and celebrate Leap Day! Come hop like a bunny, jump like a frog, and bound like a kangaroo around Fellowship Hall as we play games and test our skills. Whose leap is the longest? Whose hop is the highest?
Can you jump rope with a hula hoop? See you on Leap Day! | The St. Mark Makers Craft Group will meet on Monday, March 4th from 2:00 - 4:00 P.M. Join us for an afternoon of fun making a St. Patty's Day decoration. Sign-up this Sunday in the narthex or call the church office at 815-398-3557. | Welcome Martina
We are delighted to announce that Martina Schumaker has joined the St. Mark staff as our Finance Manager. Martina comes to us with a career’s worth of experience, and we are incredibly fortunate to have her expertise and professionalism. Please stop by and say hello the next time you’re at church during the week! | Ladies Tea!
You are invited for an afternoon of tea, and savory & sweet treats. Join us Saturday, April 13, 12:00 P.M.- 3:00 P.M. Sign-up Sundays thru March 20th. Sign up as a table of three or individually. We are excited for you to meet Tracy, owner of the Vintage Goose Cafe. Tracy will be catering this special event. The cost is $25. We want you to feel special and know that you are loved! She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue. Proverbs 31:26 | St. Mark Eco-Store is open and we have unscented homemade laundry soap and bamboo toothbrushes available to purchase in the Narthex on Sunday. We will soon be adding flannel clothes that you can use as kitchen towels, cleaning clothes, etc. This is a fundraiser for the youth going to the Youth Gathering this summer. The bamboo toothbrushes are $5 each. We have 2 sizes of prefilled jars of laundry soap available. One is 32 loads of laundry for $16 and the other is 20 loads of laundry for $10. If you have a jar/container at home you would like to use or if you would like to refill your jar, please contact Pastor Katrina (prkatrina@stmarklc.com). If you are wondering if it works, both Pastor Chad and Pastor Katrina tested the laundry soap and gave it a thumbs up. Thank you for your continued support of the youth. | Congregational Resourcing Event (CRE)
March 16 at Sauk Valley Community College
8:30 am - 3:45 pm Everyone is invited to CRE! This will be our first opportunity to live into this year's theme, "Open God's Story," where we will be connecting God's work throughout the Bible with God's work in our lives. Click here to register. Registration for CRE is $35. This includes breakfast treats, coffee, and lunch. Click here for the CRE Webpage. | Save the Date for VBS!
Mark your calendars now – VBS Week is June 17-21, 2024. We’ll have a summer camp-style adventure with God! Each day, kids at this camp-themed Vacation Bible School will learn that we can trust God to be with us in every situation! Whether we feel excited, scared, nervous, lost, or confident - God is trustworthy to lead the way with wisdom, peace, and joy. Plan now to join us June 17-21! Details and registration coming soon. | Sign up for Altar Flowers
Each Sunday we have two beautiful bouquets of flowers on the altar. The 2024 flower chart is up in the narthex on the bulletin board. You may sign up on the chart, call the church office or click on this link. We will continue to purchase them from Cherry Blossom. The price per arrangement will stay the same $40. If you sign up online, put your memory or honor of in the comment line and pay here or write a check to St. Mark. If you have the mobile app you can do all of it on there. You may take your flowers home after the service or stop by the office during the week to pick them up. | Our St. Mark Members: Wilma Reinke, Don Lundine, David Olson, Lis Pearson, Jeanne Zeschke, Ulla Kercher, Mark Honzel, Lorine Kortus, Beth Johnson, Carol Kilts, Diane Swanson, Sherri Lindquist, Bette Patterson. Family and Friends of St. Mark Members: Ronald Horowitz, Joylyn Wahla, Pat Viereck, Jim O’Brien, Jeanne Menzies, Greg Palmer, Mark Nelson, 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. | |
