Join us this Sunday!
9:00 am - Holy Communion with Children's Time
10:00 am - Refreshments & Parents with Kidlettes
11:00 am - Choral Eucharist
12:15 pm - Refreshments and Fellowship
Season of Creation: River Sunday
Few lands are untouched by the power of a stream. Even the driest regions can hold traces of ephemeral river runs and arroyos. From headwaters, gathering rain and snow and melting glaciers, the journey makes rivers the unsurpassed carvers of Earth, depositing sediments as fertile soils. Rivers and lakes store less than half a percent of Earth's fresh water, but they are the lifelines of human history.
"Out of their hearts will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38) is a beautiful image of the Holy Spirit. Maybe "rivers of living water" will cut holes in a long a history of neglect and apathy like it cuts gorges through ancient volcanic rock. Maybe someday rivers will run free again with living water, uninhibited to do God's work. - Andrew Sallach
Information Session for Journeys in Faith Next Sunday
Interested in membership? Baptism? Deepening your faith? The next group of Journeys in Faith is getting started soon! Sunday August 10, come learn more about the Journeys in Faith ministry at St Mark's. If you are interested in learning more about St Mark's or becoming a member, you are especially encouraged to attend, but all are invited to participate in this rich experience of reflection and deepening of faith. We will meet shortly after 10AM in the Fireside Room in the Urban Life Center. Contact Liv Beck with questions- beckliv@gmail.com.
Celebration Next Sunday
You are invited to the wedding of longtime members, Greg Jahnke & Brian Richards, who will be married on Sunday, Aug 10th here at St. Mark's during the 11:00 worship service. Greg & Brian extend this invitation to any members and visitors. Pastor Elizabeth will preside at this celebration and everyone is invited to a special luncheon in Heritage Hall after the service. Cards and greetings are welcomed, no gifts please. Should a desire to gift be in your heart they ask you to consider a gift to "ReconcilingWorks", a non-profit dedicated to LGBT justice within the Lutheran and greater community. Come join in the celebration!
Lights! Cameras! Smile! Save the Dates: September 24-27
Do you remember St. Mark's last pictorial directory? Well, it was nine years ago! We made arrangements with Lifetouch to create a pictorial directory for St. Mark's, but a pictorial directory is nothing without you.
Pictures will be taken in the Conference Room in the Urban Life Center on September 24th through the 27th. You may schedule your appointment online. St. Mark's website has a link to the schedule system from the homepage: www.stmarks-sf.org. If you would like assistance with the online system, assistants will be set up in Heritage Hall during both coffee hours starting August 17th and each following Sunday.
Members of St. Mark's will assist by greeting members arriving for pictures and assisting with paperwork for mailing the photographs and directory. If you would like to help, or if you have any questions about the directory, please see Liv Beck, Jane Borg, Jeremy McClain, Marge Okuley, or Suzanne Smith.
Lifetouch is a pet-friendly company. Feel free to bring your non-human family members.
Lights! Cameras! Talk!
Admit it. You have a reason you keep coming back to St. Mark's. Maybe you have many. We would like to learn about those reasons and what St. Mark's means to you. We will videotape your comments and edit them together to make a video lifting up St. Mark's for those who are church shopping.
On the same days pictures for the pictorial directory are taken, September 24th-27th, a video team will be set up in the Sanctuary to video individuals or families. Video sessions will last between 15 to 20 minutes. A member of the video team will contact you after you have scheduled your appointment for the Pictorial Directory.
St. Mark's Endowment Fund To Begin Accepting Applications for Funding
The Endowment Committee is delighted to announce that thanks to generous bequests we are now able to award grants to extend St. Mark's ministries both locally and globally. Applications and instructions are available in August. Watch the bulletin to learn how and when to apply. Meanwhile, dream about a project that Endowment funds could bring to reality. Questions? Send an email to endowment@stmarks-sf.org.
Away for the weekend? Worship Wednesday evening instead!
Imagine 30 minutes of peaceful music, lovely candlelight, thoughtful reflections, and Holy Communion in our beautiful sanctuary streaming with the light of the setting sun. You don't have to imagine it - come and experience it every Wednesday evening at 6:45 in the sanctuary.
Interfaith Bible Study - Everyone Welcome!
An Interfaith Bible Study, led by Pastoral Intern Rebecca Swee, will continue at Martin Luther Tower in the Brockie Lounge on Tuesdays at 2 pm. Coffee and snacks will be provided. All are welcome. Should you have any questions, please talk with Intern Rebecca.
2 Special Chanticleer Events on August 7 & 8
St. Mark's and MLT residents are invited to two special events. On August 7 at 1:30 pm, Chanticleer will again hold a dress rehearsal at St. Mark's before going on the road. On August 8 at 7:30 pm, 50 young singers from around the Bay Area will conclude an intense week of musical studies with Chanticleer with a final concert. Everyone who has come before knows what a treat these special free concerts are.
Senior Trip to the Peninsula on August 13
Join Pastor Elizabeth for a trip to the "Peninsula" on Aug. 13, Wednesday, 10:00 - 3:00. We will begin with a delicious, home-style breakfast or lunch (your choice) at the famous Peninsula Creamery in downtown Palo Alto. For more than 85 years, the Peninsula Creamery has been owned and operated by the same family serving delicious breakfasts and lunches as well as the best milkshakes around. After eating, we will take a short ride over to the Stanford Shopping Center and have free time for strolling and browsing at this beautiful outdoor mall. On our way home, we will drive through Stanford University and find out why the campus is affectionately referred to as "The Farm". (Meet at Brockie Lounge at 10:00 sharp.) Bring $10 for your meal at the Peninsula Creamery and $2 for gas money. To RSVP please contact the MLT office at 415.885.1084.
Interfaith Food Pantry Dates
The Interfaith Food Pantry is held every Saturday at the Old First Presbyterian Church. Here are the St. Mark's dates in 2014: August 16th, October 4th and November 15th. All Faiths Dates in 2014: August 23rd, October 11th, December 6th. For more info, contact Wendy Figliuolo at Northern.cal@gmail.com.
Fall Newsletter submissions due August 18th
The September, October, November Voice is just around the corner! Please submit all articles, photos, etc. to the church office by emailing them to dayton@stmarks-sf.org. We'd like to have all content by Monday, August 18th.
Do you love to arrange flowers?
If so, we need volunteers to purchase and arrange flowers for Sunday morning services. The budget is $50, paid by the donor for that Sunday and Flower Mart badges are provided by St. Mark's. If you would like to take part in this important ministry, please let Louis Gutierrez (twopugs98@yahoo.com) or the church office know. Our two flower arrangers, Louis Gutierrez and Sharon Reinbott will do some demonstrations to help newcomers to this ministry.
Trip to Cordero de Dios with St. Mark's in November 2014
The El Salvador group at St. Mark's will travel to Cordero de Dios on Tuesday November 25 (probably around 12:30am), and return Sunday evening, November 30. We encourage all parishioners, including families with children, to consider making this trip to walk with our brothers and sisters in Soyapango, El Salvador. Come join us for this family friendly pilgrimage. We ask that potential travelers make a final commitment by August 1. Talk to Pastor Elizabeth, Pastor Bekah, Liv Beck beckliv@gmail.com or Mary Ritter mlrpeds@aol.com if you have questions or are ready to commit to go. -St. Mark's El Salvador Committee
Worship Leaders for this Sunday
Assisting Ministers...Kyle Schiefelbein (9); Marge Okuley, Rebecca Swee (11)
Lectors...Tina Hogan (9); Margaret McLean (11)
Chalice Bearers...Jeremy McClain, Marisa Louie (11)
Acolytes...Emma Gray (9); Ed Chitty, Clovis Curl (11)
Welcome Ministry...Kimberly, Katherine and David Lam (9); Jennifer Parker, Tina Niu, Pedro Ospina, Linda R. Jackson (11)
Refreshment Hour Chairs...Nadine Robinson, Kimberly Hamilton-Lam