MESSAGE FROM PASTOR ERIC

Are you one who makes New Year resolu-tions? The weather this year is making me more reflective. I continue to think about what makes St. Mark’s strong. One strength I hear from you are the generations in our church. We have a strong youth program, a wonderful children’s music and arts program. This in part is due to your support for this ministry. It is in no small part a result of the leadership we have with Su-san Hagen, Ann Benson, Katie Kadlec, Calvin Moore, Kai Block and Rina Soriano. Through this list of names, you can see that we put some emphasis on youth here. And yes, when you have an opportunity, thank them for what they do.

Living in a day and age where mainline Protestant churches are failing in great numbers, it is nice to have strength in this area. However, we continue to understand that much work needs to be done in a changing church. We live in a culture that now understands regular church participation to be once per month. I would like to go on record as saying, this is not enough. Yes, there are so many things that call for our time. Yes, many of our people are tired. Yes, it is difficult to sit with our children in church. But, let me ask some questions:

If you were on a sports team and participated once a month, how would that go? If you showed up for work once a week at a full-time job, how would that work for you? If you parent-ed one hour a day, and left your two-year-old to fend for him/herself the other 23 hours, what do you think might happen? (I love that cold medi-cine commercial, where the dad says to his tod-dler in the crib, he has to take a sick day). I get it; there are many things that call to you to make them a priority. Family, work, sports, politics, so-cial obligations all call to you saying, “I am the most important!” But when do these things

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THANK YOU TO VOLUNTEERS LINKED BY FOOD, FRIENDSHIP

Sue Luppert Kathy Hammonds

Two stalwart St. Mark’s volunteers are retir-ing from their current positions in the next few months, and we thank them for many years of service and their inspiration to others.

Sue Luppert has headed up the Altar Guild for five years, and Kathy Hammonds has been organizing the St. Ann’s Sunday Lunch for nine years. They have other things in common, too: both Spokane natives, years of travel with hus-bands in the service (the Lupperts, Coast Guard and the Hammonds, Navy), and cooking toge-ther for St. Ann’s.

Kathy says her crowd cooking skills came from on-the-job training under Sue’s tutelage, as they scaled up family recipes to feed some 120 people. She says Sue is her hero, “an army of volunteers rolled into one.”

Sue says she got into catering when planning her daughter’s wedding. After interviewing sev-eral potential caterers she thought, “I could do that.” But her approach was exceptionally thor-ough: She enrolled in culinary school for a year. Once the wedding was over, she thought she was done.

Then her instructor called to offer a one-day job with a caterer - and Sue never stopped cook-ing after that. She worked with caterers, cooked

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Spokane, WA January 2017 Vol. 2017, No. 1

PASTOR ERIC continued from page 1

become other gods? How do we take seriously the commandment that “we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and soul and mind.”

Now, my point here is not to make anyone feel guilty. My hope is to get you to reflect on your priorities. If we want the most out of church and our relationship with God, it takes practice. God desires a relationship with you. I would ar-gue that there are many things we continue to learn in church. Here you learn that God is the only one who has promised to make you a priori-ty. Here you learn in a setting that is one of the few these days bringing the generations togeth-er. Here your children learn about music, about sitting in crowds, getting along with those who are different from them. Here we learn how to serve, how we are part of something bigger and that it is not just about me.

The church needs you! And, you need the church! The more you are here, the more you will see it. Come and be reminded what God has done for you and how much God has made you a priority. If once a month is what works, truly, I get it. God will love you no less. But if you want all the blessing of church, see if you can double or triple that!

See you in church,Pastor Eric

THANK YOU

My heart-felt thanks to all of our St. Mark’s family for the many cards, prayers, and loving messages of sympathy and support through Orv’s illness and passing.  The Lord sends his love and support to us through each of you, and my family and I have certainly felt that blessing.

Vange Moeller and family

***Dear Mary Cares and friends of St. Mark’s, I wanted to thank everyone for the wonderful

cards. It is nice to know we have such a loving and caring group at St. Mark’s.

Sincerely,Jackie Sachse

LUPPERT, HAMMOND continued from page 1

for seven years at Geiger Correctional Center, and still cooks for the House of Charity, Shalom Ministries, Crosswalk, and events at St. Mark’s. And she will continue to help out with Altar Guild as a regular volunteer.

After Coast Guard service, Sue’s husband Paul wanted to live in Montana or Alaska for the fishing, and Sue wanted Florida or Hawaii for the weather. Spokane was the compromise, and our community and congregation have been the richer for that decision. In May Kathy will complete a master’s degree in instructional design, and maybe even find more time to ride motorcycles with her husband. She thinks her hectic schedule may settle down some after that, but says she then will find new ways to contribute. We wish both Kathy and Sue well as they move on to the next phase, and thank them for all they have contributed in their many years of service at St. Mark’s.

THANK YOU

Dear Mary Cares,Thank you for all your cards and wellness

wishes. They were truly appreciated. Hope to see you all real soon!

Sincerely,Sally Dominguez ***A heartfelt thanks.Thank you so very much for your prayers,

cards of encouragement, and well-wishes.God bless everyone at St. Mark’s. Hope to

be back soon.With love,Marla Jo Dittrich ***Thank you to the many hands that made light

work of our annual smorgasbord. We had so many new and returning helpers. The food, dec-orations, singing Lucia brides serving homemade cookies, and many other touches all made for a lovely evening on a cold December night.

St. Mark’s Staff

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CHURCH OFFICE CLOSURESThe St. Mark’s church office will be closed on

Monday, January 2, 2017, in observance of New Year’s Day. The office will also close on Monday, January 16, in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

COSTA RICA GROUP MEETINGSunday, January 8, there will be a Costa

Rica group meeting after second service in the conference room. This meeting is mandatory for all participants of the Costa Rica mission trip. Let’s get to know each other better and start planning our trip! Contact Susan at 747-6677 with questions.

CHURCH COUNCILSt. Mark’s Church Council will meet on Mon-

day, January 9, at 7:00 pm in the conference room.

CONGREGATIONAL MEETINGSt. Mark’s semi-annual meeting is scheduled

for Sunday, January 29, at 12:00 noon, follow-ing the second service. The main order of busi-ness will be approval of the 2017 general bud-get.

SAVE THE DATE!Back to Camp Grade School Weekend for

grades 3-6 at Lutherhaven, February 3-5. Watch for more information or call Susan Hagen at 747-6677.

FLOWER CHARTA new flower chart is posted by the front door

in the narthex! Thank you to those who provide flowers for our services in memory or honor of someone, or in celebration of a special event. Please sign up and include your phone number next to the date of your choice.

Questions? Contact Jane in the church of-fice at 747-6677.

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MONEY MATTERS

We have 144 pledge cards in the office at the time of this writing, which I feel very positive about. I’ll have more detailed information about those next month. Our negative balance is considerably smaller than last year, partly as our expenses are smaller than last year as well.

Year end giving records will be available by the end of January. If you wish to make a gift to be cred-ited for 2016, please indicate that on your check.

Thank you in advance for your generous Christmas giving that hopefully will allow us to finish the year in the black and helps plan for 2017.

Wishing you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas.

Loris StupelFinancial Secretary747-6677finance@stmarks-spokane.org

November 2016 Operating Budget – Year to Date

Fund Giving Giving Expenses Budgeted Net - YTD

General $ 61,192.21 $ 627,204.29 $ 646,075.53 $ 673,077.54 $ -18,871.24

Mortgage $ 6,834.18 $ 76,888.90 $ 67,362.67 $ 64,427.00 $ 9,526.23

NOTE THIS!

WWL (Walking With the Light) and CONFIRMATION CLASSES

The next session of WWL begins on Wednesday, January 4, at 6:00 pm and contin-ues through February 22. Parents: please re-member to sign up to volunteer to help set up, serve and clean up dinner on Wednesday nights. If you have questions, please contact the church office at 747-6677.

SUNDAY SCHOOLCome join us on Sunday, January 8, for our

annual Sunday School Epiphany party! This will take place in the fellowship hall from 9:45-10:30 am. Regular Sunday School will resume on January 15, at 9:45 am. Any questions please contact Katie Kadlec at 747-6677.

JUNIOR HIGH CONFIRMATION RETREAT Lutherhaven, January 27-29

All 7th and 8th graders are welcome. This re-treat is required for 8th grade confirmation stu-dents. Registration and $20 deposit due by Jan-uary 11. All details and registration information were mailed to parents. Please contact Susan Hagen at 747-6677 with any questions.

THIRD GRADE COMMUNION INSTRUCTIONThird graders will begin communion instruc-

tion with the pastors on January 15, in their reg-ular classroom, and will continue during their Sunday School time at 9:45-10:30 am on Jan-uary 22 & 29. For those students celebrating first communion, be sure to put Sunday, Feb-ruary 5 on your calendar. If you have any ques-tions, please contact Pastor Eric at 747-6677.

PREACHING JOHN’S GOSPEL in Lent/ EasterPresenter: Pastor Susan BriehlFebruary 9 (9:00 am to 3:30 pm)

St. Mark’s members who wish to spend the day getting into the lessons from the Gospel of John in Lent and Easter this year can sign up in the narthex, or call the church office at 747-6677. Cost is $25 including lunch.

ADULT FORUM: Reformation 500As we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the

Reformation, your pastors will be focusing throughout the year on what continues to make Lutheranism relevant today. Mixed into that schedule are some shared events with Family Forum. Those meetings may take place in the fellowship hall and are marked with an *

With Family Forum*January 15 - Catechism in the Home with Pas-

tor Kate*January 22 – Guest speaker, Kent Hoffman,

will talk about his attachment research and God. Kent is one of the originators of Circle of Security International, a research-based intervention for parents and young children being utilized throughout the world. As a practitioner of mindfulness meditation and contemplative practices over the past 40 years, Kent is continually seeking an integra-tion of psychological need and spiritual practice. You can read about this focus on his website, www.eightysevenminutes.com. He recently gave a TEDx talk on his favorite top-ic, Infinite Worth. It can be found on You-Tube.

*January 29 & February 5 – Suicide Prevention, presented by guest speaker Michelle Klip-pert, Community Leader with Forefront, inno-vations in suicide prevention. Michelle will talk about what’s going on and take us through Forefront’s LEARN suicide preven-tion steps. Michelle is the Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator at The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Spokane.

*February 12 - Pancake Breakfast (Costa Rica Fundraiser)

Reformation 500February 19: The Ten CommandmentsFebruary 26: The Ten CommandmentsMarch 5: The CreedMarch 12: The Lord’s PrayerMarch 19: Holy BaptismMarch 26: Holy CommunionApril 2: Confession

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Learning for All Ages

ST. MARK’S RETREAT FOR WOMEN January 20-22“Practicing Sabbath: Holy Rest and Renewal”

This year we will be meeting in Trinity House, a comfy old farmhouse at Immaculate Heart Re-treat Center. The house will comfortably sleep 16 but there are also some roll-away beds if more want to stay over. Some rooms have two twin beds and a few are singles. We will be fix-ing our own meals in the big kitchen and gather-ing around the wood-burning fireplace for our discussions.

Clare House, where we have met for some years, has closed. Trinity House is the best op-tion to keep the retreat in Spokane. Immaculate Heart Retreat Center is just off E 57th Ave. and only 5.3 miles from St. Mark’s, on the other side of the Palouse Highway. The cost will be very reasonable, probably about $70 for two nights and four meals.

We will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and end before noon on Sunday. Pastor Kate will be leading the sessions on “Practicing Sabbath: Holy Rest and Renewal.”

Sign up in the church office to reserve your place. We will send more details later.

SOCIAL MINISTRY MEETINGCome to the next Social Ministry meeting and

find out what’s going on. Since this is a very ac-tive social ministry group it might be a great fit for you! The next meeting is on Sunday, January 15, at 12:00 noon in the office. If you have ques-tions feel free to chat with one of the pastors!

UPDATE ON BITE2GOBy Patti Berg

St. Mark’s members sponsor 50 children at Franklin Elementary school for the Bite2Go pro-gram. This means that 50 children that are on the free or reduced lunch program get a bag of shelf stable food to take home every Friday dur-ing the school year to help sustain them over the weekend.

It is estimated that over 2000 middle and high school students across eight school districts don’t know if they will have enough to eat when they leave school for the weekend. The Bite2Go program is in three high schools starting this year. So, you can see how great it is that St. Mark’s is involved in this program.

If paying $144 a school year is something you don’t feel you can do, but you have some time on your hands – Franklin Elementary is in need of some one-on-one time with some of the students there. You can help with reading, or homework or just be someone a child can talk with. If you can spare the time, the school asks for ½ hour twice a week. Please let me know if this is your passion and I will connect you with the correct person at Franklin. Or, if you have the time we could sure use help with deliveries and with handing out the kits on Friday mornings at the schools.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

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HELP WANTED: St. Ann’s MealIt’s that time again!  Sunday, January 8,

is St. Mark’s turn to cook and serve the Neighborhood Sunday Lunch at St. Ann’s Catholic Church. 

St. Ann’s is located at 2120 E. 1st which is the SW corner of 1st and Lee. The meal is served in the fellowship hall behind the church. 

Volunteers are needed between 12:00 noon and 12:30 pm and will be finished at approximately 3:00 pm.  Please call Kathy Hammonds at 990-0167 for more information or to volunteer.

Social MinistryOpportunities to Serve

�FAMILY EVENT

Help the Hungry Sort Night at Second Har-vest will take place on Tuesday, January 17, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sign up on the Youth Board or contact Susan Hagen at youth@stmarks-spokane.org if you would like to participate. Vol-unteers as young as age nine are welcome with a parent/guardian.

EMPTY NESTERSThis group is for parents who have young

adults recently out of high school or who will be flying from the nest in the next year or two. Our next meeting will be Sunday, January 29, 4:00 pm, at Todd and Susan Hagen’s home, 5447 S Quail Ridge.

Bring an appetizer and beverage to share. Questions? Please contact Pastor Eric at 747-6677.

THANK YOU

Merry Christmas, Friends! Our SPEAR kid-dos had their Christmas party, and of course were very excited! Their wishes were sent to St. Mark’s and were included on the Giving Tree. You friends have blessed our kids for many years. Our kids know SPEAR friends will make their wishes come true. Our kiddos all received gloves and hats, most hand-knitted. Thank you for all the toys and gifts dropped off at SPEAR in the past few weeks.

Thank you for the joy you brought to our kids. Your love and desire to fulfill their dreams is a blessing to them and their families. 

I wish you a Merry Christmas, dear friends. God bless you and your family. 

Sheryl

NEW MEMBERS WEL-COMED

Jeffery and Debbie Halstead have two sons and have lived in Spokane for over twenty-five years. Both are educators at Spokane Public Schools. Jeff is an English teacher at Ferris High School and Debbie is an

instructional coach at Garfield Elementary. Dur-ing his time off, Jeff enjoys reading, skiing, fish-

ing, and the outdoors.

Chris Bradley is originally from Rochester, Minnesota, but has lived in Spokane for 37 years. He is a facilities manager at Spokane Art School. When not working, Chris enjoys creative writing, cooking, studying pre-historic animals and history.

David and Suwanee Hill re-cently moved from Elko, Neva-da to Spokane for their retire-ment. David was born in South Dakota and was an engineer before retiring. Suwanne was born in Bangkok, Thailand. She retired from accounting and now enjoys cooking. David spends

his free time fishing in the many lakes around the area.

Doug Guglizuzzo is originally from Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Doug has two sons, William is seven and Shaun is ten. Both boys attend school at Snowden Elementary in Cheney where the family resides. Doug works for Providence Health Services Business Automations.

In his free time, Doug likes hanging with his sons, watching sports, and bike rides.

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Adam and Carmen Hall are return ing to St . Mark’s after having living in San Francisco for a number of years after m o v i n g a w a y f r o m Spokane over twenty years ago. They come back to St. Mark’s with

twin teenagers, Spencer and Lauren, both 8th graders at Sacajewea Middle School. Carmen works in the biotech field, traveling quite a bit for work, and Adam is a teacher. When he is not working, Adam enjoys all sports, but basketball especially. Carmen likes wine tasting, travel and entertaining in her free time.

Jessica Allen and Kirk Besmer (not pictured) have one son, Burke Allen Besmer. Burke is 4 ½ years old and enjoys learning at the Herzog Early Academy of Learn-ing. Kirk is a professor of Philosophy at Gonzaga University and Jessica

spends her days as an attorney at Workland Witherspoon.

Reverend David and Gloria Baker moved to Spokane last summer to be near family in their retirement. Between the two of them, they have eight grown children. Gloria is originally from Lake Stevens, Washing-ton and David was raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. David was a pastor at Peace Lutheran in Grass

Valley, California. Gloria worked as a risk man-agement analyst. They have known of St. Mark’s since its inception in 1946, having known the founding pastor, Garvin Malm. Gloria has en-joyed traveling and working with people. David likes to travel as well.

Patricia and Keith Beck h a v e o n e d a u g h t e r, Chloe, who is 8 and in 3rd grade at Franklin Elemen-tary. Patricia is originally from Riverside, California, and Keith is a lifelong Spokane resident. Keith is in sales with Nick’s Boots and Patricia is an assembly technician. Pa-tricia enjoys spending time with Chloe during

her time off and Keith enjoys family activities, reading, watching movies and playing video games. Keith says, “I can be shy at first, but I make friends quickly.”

Reverend Rusty ( R u s s e l l ) a n d Mary Helen Ha-l a a s a r e f r o m Kalispell, Montana and are spending their retirement years be tween Montana and Ch-

eney where they live with their daughter and her family (see below). Rusty spent his career as a Lutheran pastor (ELCA). Mary Helen and Rusty raised four children: three sons who are currently Lutheran pastors (ELCA), and their daughter Beth. Mary Helen enjoys music in her free time and Rusty enjoys wood carving and antique toys. They met at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and married in 1949 in Scobey, Mon-tana.

Beth Halaas, Rob Driscoll and Robert see next page for bio

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Beth Halaas and Rob Driscoll moved to Spokane from California. Beth grew up in Mon-tana and Rob is from California originally. Their son Robert is 12 and a 7th grader at Cheney Middle School. They also have a college senior, Audrey, at University of Southern California, and several grown children throughout the country. Beth is a professor at Eastern Washington Uni-versity in the School of Social Work and Rob is semi-retired from his own training and develop-ment company. They enjoy spending time with family and visiting Montana during their free time. Rob also breeds Spanish water dogs and enjoys fly fishing. They feel blessed to have Beth’s parents (Rev. Rusty and Mary Helen Ha-laas) living with them most of the year.

S a r a h a n d L u k e Alexander are new parents to Lydia, just four months old. They currently live in Rear-den, but Sarah grew up in Pomeroy, Washing-ton. Luke was raised in Shelby, Montana. He is in the retail grocery business and Sarah is a denta l hygienis t .

When she is not busy with Lydia, Sarah enjoys visiting family and friends, camping, playing board games and reading. She would like to share that she loves her family and pets. Luke’s mom is Linda Alexander, a St. Mark’s member who is active in our choir. Luke likes to camp, travel and participate in game nights. He is a Philadelphia Eagles fan and a “farm kid.”

Kristi, Dennis, Luke and Jason Anderson

Kristi and Dennis Andersen live in New-man Lake, Washington. Dennis grew up in southern California and Lynnwwod, Washington. Kristi is from Fort Wayne, Indiana. Dennis has worked as a Lutheran pastor and currently works in pastoral care for Hospice of Spokane. Kristi is a nurse specializing in pediatric home care. They are the parents of twenty-year-old twin boys, Luke and Jason. Dennis enjoys reading, watch-ing movies, and hiking in his spare time. Kristi plays the piano and enjoys singing and watching movies. Kristi has especially enjoyed serving meals at St. Ann’s with the St. Mark’s crew and looks forward to getting involved in a variety of activities offered at St. Mark’s. Dennis loves cars and the mountains.

Tara McCollum, Ainsley and Killiam Noonan

Holli and Ben Ugaldea (no picture) returned to Spokane from Walla Walla after living in Walla Walla for ten years. Holli grew up in Spokane and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church and Ben is from Spokane as well. They have two daughters, May and Ash. Both attend the Apple program at Franklin Elementary, May as a 3rd grader and Ash as a kindergartener. Ben is employed at a librarian at Spokane Community Colleges and Holli is an educator at Mullan Road Elementary School teaching 5th grade. As a family they enjoy many things together including reading books, cooking and outdoor adventures like camping and hiking. Each of them also has individual hobbies including music, brewing, sports, gar-dening, running, yoga, art and fishing. The fami-ly is very grateful to be back in Spokane

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near all their family and old friends. Also, they are so happy to be going to St. Mark’s as a fami-ly, the church where Holli grew up and where Holli and Ben were married.

New members not pictured:Kevin and Trish Michaels, Ava and LeviBen Pebles

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BAZAAR DISTRIBUTION FOR 2016

International/National BenevolencesCosta Rica Service Trip $ 500.........................................................................................Friends of Mwangaza, Inc. (Africa) $ 300.......................................................................Lutheran World Relief (already spent) ……………………………………………….$ 600Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (Dr. Paul & Cara Myers’ program) …….…$ 300

Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, Box Elder, MT ………………………………………$ 400 Synod WELCA Office – Designated for Tanzanian School…………………………$ 400

TOTAL $ 2,500Local Benevolences

2nd Harvest Food Bank $ 350..........................................................................................Cup of Cool Water $ 200................................................................................................

Meals on Wheels……………………………………………………………………..…$ 200St. Mark’s Meal Ministry

Dining @ All Saints Lutheran $ 250....................................................................Shalom Ministries $ 250......................................................................................

St. Ann’s Neighborhood Lunch Program ……………………………………$ 250SPEAR Program $ 400...................................................................................................

Teen Challenge (already spent) ………………………………………………………$ 200 Union Gospel Mission ……………………………………………………………….…$ 200 Women’s & Children’s Free Restaurant …………………………………………… $ 200 TOTAL $ 2,500St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

Special Tangible Needs - Shed Project …………………………………………….$ 1800Pastors’ Discretionary Fund …………………………………………………………..$ 700

TOTAL $ 2,500

St. Mark’s Women’s Bazaar netted $7,500 this past November. We had such an incredible crew; various members of the congregation gave time, talent and treasures. If you donated to the sale, made baked goods, purchased a basket, or helped price items, your contribution helped to raise this money.

We were able to give to some new charities this year. Among them the Mozambique School Lunch Initiative, the brain child of church member Dr. Paul Meyers and his daughter, Cara. This program af-fords young children in a starving nation a nutritious meal each day to keep them going through the school day. Mozambique is currently suffering from a massive food shortage resulting from an ongoing drought. Children become weak and tired as a result. This makes it exceedingly difficult to focus on school work and many children have stopped attending school altogether. By providing around 500 kids (so far) with a nutritious lunch every day, the Mozambique School Lunch Initiative is incentivizing children to attend school and enabling them to be more engaged in learning. $ 5.50 U.S. dollars is enough to feed one child for an entire month, so it doesn’t take much to make a difference!

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

BirthsOakely Thomas Bjork, son of Megan & Greysen

Bjork, grandson of Tom Fallquist and great grandson of Beryl Fallquist.

Sammuel Martin Gering, son of Stephanie and Jeremy Gering.

Elliott Belle Gladden, daughter of Elizabeth Rap-koch and Dan Gladden and granddaughter of Ellen Rapkoch.

BaptizedLucille Paige O’Connor, daughter of Daniel &

Robyn O’Connor. Sponsors are Lori Hayes & Mike Stanford.

Kaylee Rae Yancey, daughter of Matthew and Regina Yancey. Sponsors are Eric and Katie Dull.

Owen Neal Morgan, son of Travis & Amanda Morgan. Sponsors are Jeff Marshall & An-gela Morgan.

DeathsAlma PearsonMark Dobson

SympathyFamily of Alma PearsonFamily of Mark DobsonFamily of Ethel Hauck, mother-in-law of Ben Pebles

Cocoa and Carols singers on December 18

SCRIPTURE & COFFEETuesdays, January 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, 10:30 amQuestions: church office, 747-6677

Bible-based conversation in the conference room with Pastor Eric or Pastor Kate to study the Scripture texts.

EAT, PRAY, LAUGHFirst Tuesday, January 3, 7:00 pm Questions: Pastor Kate, 747-6677

Eat, Pray, Laugh will meet in the parish house. All women are invited to this support group for conversation, laughter, prayer and re-freshments.

SATURDAY EVENING POTLUCK First Saturday, January 7, 6:30 pm

On the first Saturday of each month you are welcome to join us for a potluck immediately fol-lowing the 5:30 service. Great food! Great fel-lowship! Bring your favorite dish (serving 8-10 people) and join this fun group!

WALKING CIRCLESecond Friday, January 10, 10:00 am

This group regularly meets on the second Friday of each month, The January meeting is scheduled for the church conference room. This meeting will be somewhat different including planning for 2017. All women are welcome!

MOVIE DAY AT ST. MARK’SSecond Wednesday, January 11, 1:30 pmQuestions: Patti Berg or Dick Thiel, 443-9170

Popcorn will be provided. We will be viewing “The Big Short”, starring most everyone’s fa-vorite Brad Pitt.  “Before the housing and credit bubble of 2007 triggers an international econom-ic meltdown, a handful of financial outsiders sees the crash coming and bets against the big banks in a daring play that could reap them huge prof-its”.   Who knows, maybe there’s something here for today’s market conditions?

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Faith and Fellowship Groups

GROUPS continued from page 12

SUNRISE SAINTS and SINNERSSecond & Fourth Wednesday, Jan. 11 & 25, 6:30 amQuestions: Roger Chase, 838-1040

This men’s group meets at The Chalet Restaurant on 30th and Grand Blvd. You’ll have lots of laughs, crazy discussions about every-thing, as well as breakfast. All men are wel-comed, saints or sinners!

RUTH CIRCLESecond Thursday, January 12, 10:00 am

All women are welcome to join us at the church for refreshments, very brief project dis-cussion, and Bible study led by Pastor Kate or Pastor Eric.

CANCER SPIRITUALITY GROUPThird Sunday, January 15, 12:00 pm

This group reaches out to those who have cancer or have had cancer, and for family members and friends. The group will meet in the conference room with Pastor Susan Briehl presenting. All are welcome!

THEOLOGY ON TAPThird Monday, January 16, 7:00 pmQuestions: Pastor Eric, 747-6677

Great conversation and fellowship with this “30ish or younger” group at Two Seven Public House in Lincoln Heights. One of our pastors will lead a discussion and buy a few appetizers to share.

DIAKONIA GUILDFourth Thursday, January 24, 2:00 pm

Diakonia is an auxiliary of Lutheran Commu-nity Services. The members meet monthly at various locations with a speaker from LCS. This month the group will meet for coffee at Lutheran Community Services office, 210 W Sprague Ave.

BOOK GROUP Last Wednesday, January 25, 7:00 am

St. Mark’s Book Group meets monthly at Forza Coffee in Lincoln Heights. The book to be discussed in January is “A Man Called Ove” by

Fredrik Backman. All book lovers are welcome to join any discussion!

ST. MARK’S MEN’S GROUPSecond Tuesday, February 14, 7:30 pmQuestions: church office, 747-6677

The Men’s Group will not meet in January, but will resume on February 14. This group gen-erally meets each month on the second Tuesday with various speakers and topics in the parish house. Please watch the Sunday Bulletins for February and March topic information.

SEEN AT THE SMORGASBORD:

The Kitchen Crew

Christian Klammer & Sarah Wyer, the Cookie Crew

Will DeRuyter serves Mary

Ann Frandsen

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MORE FROM THE SMORGASBORD: Vikings-in-Training

Salmon server Carol Nelson with Pastor Kate

Smorgasbord greeter Dee Lorenz with Maryann and lutefisk chef Mark Lorenz

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