Saint Mark Lutheran Church

It has been great fun to have our outdoor worship-picnic and animal blessing as part of our kick off for fall programs, including Sunday School. This year Rally Day will also begin the Season of Creation. September 8th at 9:30 am will be Animal Sunday, so bring those pets for their blessing and plan to have a great time. Following the service, we’ll pack up September’s BackPack Buddies supplies, then gather for an outdoor picnic and games. This year, we invite those who are able to bring either a salad/veggie or a dessert to share. Hotdogs and hamburgers will be provided. New this year: animal show: judges with clipboards and ridiculous categories and prizes! Is your cat the fluffiest or dog the homeliest?

On Saturday, September 7th, we’ll pull out the fishing booth, paint some faces, hand out balloons, and invite those passing by on their way to market, to think about coming our way and St. Mark-it! This first family friendly activity will run from 10am to 2pm. Attached to the balloons will be invitations to come back for Rally Day (the next day) and information about our Child Development Center.

The October “Saturday, St. MarkIt!” will be October 5th, and offer workshops on Environmental concerns as part of our Visiting Theologian program.

For the next St. Mark Connections event, the Hoelter family will host a family-friendly movie screening of The Princess Bride in their backyard on Friday, July 26. Sunset is at 8:46 p.m. so the movie will likely start at 9 p.m. Bring chairs or blankets; feel free to arrive anytime after 7:30 p.m. Popcorn will be provided! Details or questions, please contact Peter Hoelter at peter@hoelter.net.

Please join us as First Congregational, Christ the Good Shepherd, Holy Cross, and Saint Mark come together to offer Day Camp staffed by enthusiastic counselors from Camp Lutherwood.

Designed for kids entering 1st – 6th grade, the kids will participate in bible adventure stories, creative arts, games, and creation awareness led by highly trained college‐age Camp Lutherwood staff. We will also be collecting books to donate to kids who are part of the Backpack Buddies program.

Plan to arrive at Saint Mark Lutheran Church (790 Marion St NE), back doors off the parking lot, by 8:50 am on Monday, July 1, to sign in. Please do NOT “drop off” your child in the parking lot. All parents/guardians MUST COME INTO THE BUILDING to sign in their child each day.

We look forward to sharing an exciting week with your child.

• Monday – Called to be me
• Tuesday – Called to love and serve
• Wednesday – Called to live boldly

Everyone is invited to an Ice Cream Social on Tuesday night at 6:30 pm to share the excitement from the week with our families.

Turn in your registration form or call the church office (503‐588‐0141) to reserve your spot.

Day Camp Information Sheet (pdf)

Day Camp Registration Form (pdf)

What to bring to day camp:

1. Completed registration form and behavior agreement
2. A labeled bag lunch. Morning and afternoon snacks will be provided.
3. Shoes appropriate for safely playing running games. No flip flops or sandals that kick off.
4. New or gently used books for elementary‐aged kids for donation to the Backpack Buddies program.

Questions?

Contact the Day Camp Coordinator: Jennifer Morace, 503.363.3920, jlmorace@usgs.gov

The Saint Mark Care for Creation committee invites the congregation to an event in celebration of Earth Day on Saturday, May 11th.

Are you interested in birds or just getting outside and experiencing God’s creation? Then, please join us for a presentation on Birds of the Willamette Valley by Saint Mark member Phil Caudill. Along with slides of the beautiful birds of our area, Phil will discuss the basics of bird identification, where to go in the area for good bird watching, what field guides you might use to identify birds, and what might be the best binoculars for you.

The program begins at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 11th, in the fellowship hall. Please bring your own “bag lunch” and beverage from home. We will eat at the church immediately following the presentation. After lunch, about 12:00 noon, those who wish to continue the day outdoors will carpool to Ankeny National Wildlife Refuge (30 minutes away) for bird watching. We’ll stop at Eagle Marsh and Pintail Marsh. Then, we’ll walk the boardwalk at Rail Trail and Egret Marsh looking for spring birds. Bring your binoculars, if you have them, your family, and friends. We’ll spend about 1 ½ hours checking-out the observation spots at the Refuge, then return to the church in mid-afternoon.

Feel free to attend either the morning event or the event in the afternoon, or both! We hope that you will join us for a celebration of EARTH DAY!

St. Mark Lutheran Church will feature four students in its 13th annual Young Organists’ Concert.

The recital on the 57-rank Schantz pipe organ will be at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 14th, in the church, 790 Marion St. NE. Admission is free.

(please note that the date listed in the Statesman Journal is incorrect)

The young organists are taught by Pamela Miller, a longtime organ and piano instructor in Salem. They are: Meg Cutting, 16, a junior at South Salem High School; Paul Lim, 12, a home-schooled student from Corvallis; Athena Paraskevas-Nevius, 15, a freshman at South Salem High School; and Ariana Parks, 18, a home-schooled student in Salem.

The concert is sponsored by the church and coordinated by Tim Bibelheimer, longtime St. Mark organist. A reception will follow, sponsored by the Salem Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.