Second Sunday in Lent
Though we sometimes doubt and often resist God’s desire to protect and save us, our God persists. In holy baptism, God’s people have been called and gathered into a God-initiated relationship that will endure. Lent provides the church with a time and a tradition in which to seek the face of the Lord again. Lent provides another occasion to behold the God of our salvation in the face of the Blessed One who “comes in the name of the Lord.”
9:00 am - Holy Communion with Children’s Time - Sanctuary
9:45 am - Sunday School - School Rooms
10:00 am - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour - Heritage Hall
10:05 am - Adult Forum—Power and Powerlessness - Auditorium
10:05 am - Journeys In Faith - Fireside Room
10:15 am - Women’s Bible Study - Conference Room
11:00 am - Choral Eucharist Worship Service - Sanctuary
12:15 pm - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour Heritage Hall
12:30 pm - Call Committee Meeting - Fireside Room
4:00 pm - SF Early Music Concert - Sanctuary
Adult Forum series on Sunday mornings in Lent led by Pr. Elizabeth and Pr. Tita 10:05 am in the auditorium
Over the next six weeks, we will journey together through the season of Lent, reflecting on hunger, hope, and God's love in a world of both abundance and need. Each weekly session is based on a devotion from ELCA World Hunger's 40 Days of Giving, a special devotional for you to use each day during the season of Lent. Extra devotional material is available in the narthex for you to pick up.
Midweek Lenten Series: Open our Lives, O God.
We hope to accompany each other in our Lenten journey of prayer, reflection and silence. Every Wednesday (February 17, March 2,9,16), 6:00 pm Supper and Fellowship (Heritage Hall) followed by 6:45 Vespers Prayer Service (Sanctuary) and 7:15 Biblical Reflections and Conversation (Heritage Hall) focusing on “Bearing Fruit” Devotions will be led by our Pastors.
The season of Lent is a time of change. Come and let us journey together.
Bring a friend to share a meal, pray and worship!
Wednesday, February 24, 7 pm, in the Sanctuary
You are invited to a very special Lenten mid-week concert with the Augustana Choir of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois under the direction of Jon Hurty. This concert will be a special opportunity for us to listen and contemplate this season of Lent. Don’t miss this excellent ensemble.
Lenten Box Offering - Recipient Lava Mae
Bring your filled boxes back and hand them to an usher at worship during Holy Week or Easter. Please fill them with your spare change or with a donation check. This year the funds will be donated to Lava Mae. Lava Mae is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to deliver dignity and unlock opportunity for those experiencing homelessness - one mobile shower at a time. They do this by repurposing retired buses to provide free private showers, toiletries and toilet facilities. This enables mobility to serve the homeless residents of San Francisco where they live. For more information please visit lavamae.org
Memorial Service for Marge Jencks
A Memorial Service for Marge will be held February 24th at 11:00am. We give thanks to God for Marge’s witness of faith and her love of St. Mark’s. A lunch reception will follow.
Invitation to tour Lutheran Social Services offices in the Tenderloin with Pr. Elizabeth, Feb. 29 @ 9:30 am
The offices are located at 191 Golden Gate ave. Pr. Elizabeth will be bringing the donation of white socks which members contributed during our Epiphany Service. Thank you all. Everyone welcome.
Do You Need A Baby 0r Pet Safety Gate?
A new Cardinal Gates Safety Gate (model PG35) with doorway extender is available in the Church Office. The gate features an auto-lock and is good for high traffic areas. The gate can fit doorways 29 to 33.25 inches wide and the extender widens it an additional 5 inches. The height is 29.75 inches. The retail value is $100. If you would like this item, a donation to St. Mark’s would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Chiara DeJoy at dejoy@stmarks-sf.org if you are interested in the gate or would like more information.
Direct your Thrivent Choice Dollars Now
Giving back has always been important to Thrivent and to us at St. Mark’s. Please take a moment to direct your Choice dollars – they will expire soon. This is an easy and cost-free way to help St. Mark’s ministries, stewardship, and capital campaign (or a charity you favor). In total, St. Mark’s members of Thrivent have a large balance of Choice dollars waiting to be directed. Please do it NOW. Just go online: www.Thrivent.com/thriventchoice and log-in, or phone 800-847-4836 and say "Thrivent Choice" at the prompt. If questions, ask Omer Voss or Greg Jahnke.
Annual Congregational Meeting
The annual congregational meeting was held on Sunday, January 31, 2016 following the 11am worship service. Highlights of the meeting included:
-- Approval of a balanced budget for 2016
-- A congregational vote in favor of fully proceeding with the three capital campaign projects: installation of an elevator, repair of the art glass windows, and replacement of the floors in both the sanctuary and the balcony, and a vote to use the housing equity fund as a bridge loan to fund the remaining costs of our sanctuary renovation projects, to be repaid within ten years of the end of the capital campaign
-- Election of new Council members Matthias Will and Nadine Robinson, and returning Council members Matt Helland and Mark Semonian
-- Reports from Margaret McLean on behalf of the Call Committee and the Endowment Committee, from Jon Moeller on behalf of the Redevelopment Task Force, from Matt Helland on behalf of the Human Resources Committee, and Omer Voss on behalf of the Martin Luther Tower Board
-- Distribution of a congregational survey: if you have not yet completed the survey, please do so online at: https://eSurv.org?s=LLDJIK_fd9575d4
California Bach Society Concert, Friday, February 26, 8pm
California Bach Society, Paul Flight, Artistic Director presents ORATORIOS & DIALOGUES: A Genre Emerges. Friday, February 26, 8 pm, St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. Doors open 30 minutes prior to performance.
Advance Ticket Prices:
General - $28, Senior - $20, Students and Under 30 - $10
At the door: General - $33, Senior - $24, Students and Under 30 - $10
Special early bird discount for St. Mark’s Parishioners!
Order your tickets by 5 pm, Thursday, February 25 and get $5 off the price of General and Senior tickets. Order by phone: (650) 485-1097 and mention St. Mark’s SF, or online: http://www.calbach.org/tickets.pland enter the code stmarkssf (online orders subject to $3 handling fee.
Guide others to be wise with money and live generously Explore a career as a Thrivent Financial Representative
Thrivent is a membership organization of nearly 2.4 million Christians that offers a unique blend of faith, finances and generosity to help strengthen families and communities. We’re looking for men and women representatives who have a passion for building long-term relationships and helping others make the most of their time, talent and treasures, knowing their financial strategies are solid and on track.
Our ideal candidates are caring, self-motivated, trustworthy and have a passion for helping others. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about our financial representative opportunities, please contact Tim Barth at 916-759-9498.
Women’s Monthly Study Gatherings
All women are welcome to come and study together at our evening and/or morning Women of the ELCA Gatherings. In February our groups will meet on:
Third Sunday Bible Study – February 21 from 10:10 to 10:50 in the Conference Room
All women are invited to come for Bible study from the Women of the ELCA’s Gather Magazine. Our winter study is on the book of Philippians and our monthly topic is “Servant-shaped Soldiers.”
If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Smith at 415-285-7438 or suzathome@comcast.net.
Worship Leaders This Sunday
Director of Music...Dr. Timothy Zerlang
Assisting Ministers...Liv Beck (9); Ed Chitty, Linda Jackson (11)
Lectors...Jeremy McClain (9) Shannon Valenti Cheng (11)
Chalice Bearers...Mark Semonian (9)
Acolytes...Grace Ekdale-Hoch, Ericka Taylor
Sacristan and Altar Guild...Richard Boyle, Ed Chitty
Ministry of Welcome...Omer Voss (9); Debra Varian (11)
Coffee Hour Chairs...John Elford, Marge Okuley, Hiroko Nagata
Next week Coffee Hour Chairs...Donna Dindia and Chuck Lewis
