Saint Mark Lutheran Church

The Fifth Annual Saint Mark Women’s Retreat will be held in Lincoln City the weekend after Easter, April 13th-15th. We are now accepting reservations – the fee is $110-125, dependant upon the type of room or bed selected. This includes 2 nights accommodations and all meals.

Our retreat theme is “Twelve Places to Listen for God,” to be presented by our retreat facilitator, Deb Mantey. Only 23 spaces are available, with registrations due March 25th. Registration forms are available in the west narthex, from the church office, and can also be downloaded from the church website. We hope you can join us!

Women’s Retreat Brochure & Registration Form  (pdf)

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feast

There will be a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Feast on Tuesday, Feb. 21st from 5:30 – 7:00 p.m. We will be serving the traditional Saint Mark pancake dinner and King Cake. There

will be a good will offering as this function serves as a fundraiser for the youth. Stick around after you eat to enjoy some fellowship and games! Hope to see you there

Ash Wednesday Services

Ash Wednesday this year is Wednesday, February 22nd. Saint Mark will worship with Holy Communion and Imposition of Ashes at both 12:05 noon and 7:00 p.m. If you are unable to attend worship but would like to receive ashes, please call the church office.

Valentine’s Day Organ Concert, The Love of God, will be presented by our organist, Tim Bibelheimer, on Friday, February 17th, at 7:00 p.m. The concert will feature gospel organ arrangements performed in theater organ style and assisted by Judy Linder, soloist, and Deb Mantey, narration.

Following the concert will be a Valentine’s Day theme reception. Come, bring your friends and hear the pipe organ transform into the Mighty Wurlizter!

Saint Mark’s Annual Congregational Meeting will take place on Sunday, January 29th at 9:45 a.m. The agenda will consist of adopting a budget for 2012, nominating synod assembly representatives for 2012, and electing Church Council members. All confirmed members are encouraged to attend.

Come on Friday, December 16 at 5:30pm for the Traditional Swedish Meatball dinner, caroling and then at 7:00pm enjoy Tim Bibelhimer’s Advent Organ Recital along with Marjory Lange (violin), Kay Mitchell (oboe), and Orion Davidson (flute). Tickets for Adventfest are $3.00.

On Sunday, Nov. 20th, St. Mark celebrated the congregation’s Oct. 30th vote to become a Reconciling in Christ church, reaffirming our commitment to be welcoming to all people.

Parishioners celebrated with special music and readings in both worship services. Reconciling in Christ, a program of Lutherans Concerned/North America, recognizes Lutheran congregations that welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) believers. A LCNA representative presented the congregation with a certificate, acknowledging St. Mark’s RIC status, and songs were sung that emphasized the welcoming theme, including Marty Haugen’s “All Are Welcome.”

Both services included the following Reconciling in Christ litany, which incorporates the congregation’s RIC statement:

Both services concluded with the hymn “Soon and Very Soon” as members of the congregation processed out of the sanctuary and gathered in front of the church’s sign where the RIC logo was added, next to the words “All Are Welcome,” as a signal to the community at large and as a reminder to ourselves that we must live out the welcoming statement. Voting to adopt RIC is not the end of a journey, rather, it’s a new beginning.

Pastor and company leading the congregation in “Soon and Very Soon”:

The Statesman Journal ran an article about Saint Mark’s Reconciling in Christ celebration in its November 26th edition (see St. Mark Lutheran welcomes gays, lesbians). The paper’s religion column published the day before included a mention of St. Mark’s RIC status, which drew several visitors to services. And Willamette University’s student newspaper, Collegian, also covered the RIC vote (see St. Mark’s opens its arms to the LGBT community).