TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Widows are visible everywhere in today’s readings. Jesus denounces those scribes who pray impressive prayers but devour widows’ houses. He commends the poor widow who in his view gave far more than the major donors. Jesus doesn’t see her simply as an object of compassion or charity. She, like the widow of Zarephath who shares her last bit of food with Elijah, does something of great importance.
This Sunday at St. Mark's - Commitment Sunday
9:00 am - Holy Communion with Children’s Time - Sanctuary
9:50 am - Sunday School - Sunday School Rooms
10:00 am - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour - Heritage Hall
10:00 am - Confirmation - Youth Room
10:00 am - Town Meeting: Becoming a Sanctuary Congregation - Heritage Hall
11:00 am - Choral Eucharist Worship Service - Sanctuary
12:15 pm - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour - Heritage Hall
“TOWN MEETINGS”: SHOULD ST. MARK’S BE A SANCTUARY CONGREGATION?
November 11 and 18, 2018
10-10:50am
St. Mark’s Heritage Hall
St. Mark’s is an inclusive congregation, now and in the past.
Our St. Mark’s Mission Statement says...
“St. Mark’s Lutheran Church is a growing Christian community rooted in tradition and open to new expressions. Responding to God’s compassionate love, we reach out in service to the community and the world. With openness of heart and spirit, we welcome all.”
Our Sierra Pacific Lutheran Synod voted in 2017 to be a Sanctuary Synod. We are increasingly aware of the difficult issues for our immigrant friends and neighbors in the community and around the world. We are in a Sanctuary city and partner with several Sanctuary congregations in the city and Bay Area, including two Lutheran Sanctuary congregations, Santa Maria y Santa Marta in San Francisco, and University Lutheran Chapel in Berkeley.
So, should St. Mark’s be a Sanctuary Congregation?
Come and join the conversation on November 11 and 18 at 10am in Heritage Hall as we consider the following:
1. What does Sanctuary look like in the 21st century?
2. We are an ELCA AMMPARO Welcoming Congregation. What would be the difference if we were a Sanctuary Congregation?
3. Would we house immigrants or protect them from deportation?
4. What are the legal issues of Sanctuary?
5. Can we work with other Sanctuary Congregations or immigrant resource agencies, or would we be a Sanctuary Congregation alone?
6. What are the financial costs?
7. What are the staffing and volunteering requirements?
Come and join the St. Mark’s Sanctuary Task Force and St. Mark’s members on November 11 and 18 at 10am in Heritage Hall as we prayerfully consider these issues.
St Mark’s Sanctuary Task Force
Mary Ritter, Chair
Laura Evenson
Kimberly Hamilton Lam
Jason Jennings
Pastor Ron Moe-Lobeda
Cora Rose
Reminders:
Commitment packets were distributed October 28th or mailed to you on October 29th.
Commitments can also be made at St. Mark’s website, stmarks-sf.org/giveagift.
Our goal is to have 100% participation!
Every commitment has a direct impact to our St. Mark’s ministries!
THANK YOU TO ALL THOSE WHO FILLED OUT A TIME AND TALENT SURVEY!
We received over 40 surveys from members and friends of the congregation wanting to share their gifts and skills to support the ministries God has called us to do. We would love to have every member and friend of St. Mark’s to fill out the survey. Your gifts are important and needed.
Once we have compiled and organized the survey, you will hear back from leaders of our different ministry groups inviting you to be involved in specific ministries. Thank you to all. You can fill out the survey on-line on the website:
www.stmarks-sf.org/resources/forms-and-downloads/
WOMEN'S MONTHLY STUDY GATHERINGS
All women are welcome to come and study together at our Women of the ELCA Gatherings. In November our groups will meet on:
Second Tuesdays – November 13 from 11:00am to 1:00pm in the
Fireside Room. All women are invited to come for study at 11:00 and at noon to bring their sandwich or salad and share fellowship. Drinks and dessert will be provided. Our Bible study will center on “Repentance: Turning as the Church to the World” and we will take our yearly Thanksgiving offering.
NOVEMBER 2018 SENIOR LUNCHEON
St. Mark’s Seniors! Thursday, November 15 is the next MLT monthly luncheon in Heritage Hall, from 12:00-1:30pm.
Please join us for a delicious Mediterranean meal. Entrées are Grilled Marinated Chicken Kebab with veggies or Grilled Organic Tofu with seasonal vegetables. All entrees come with Couscous with garbanzos and currants, Garden Salad with vinaigrette dressing and Hummus with pita bread. Dessert will be Warm Apple or Berry pie.
MLT resident, Tom Berg, will grace us with his musical talents at the piano. The cost is $5. Please sign-up in the MLT Office by Friday, November 9th. Come be among friends. Hope to see you there!
If you can volunteer with set-up and serving please contact Pr. Elizabeth at
ekdale@stmarks-sf.org or 415.928.7770 ext. 2300.
REV. MITRI RAHEB SPEAKS AT PACIFIC SCHOOL OF RELIGION
Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, Palestinian Theologian and Founder of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, will be the featured speaker at the Pacific School of Religion chapel (1798 Scenic Ave. in Berkeley) on Wednesday, November 14 at 7:00 p.m. This event is co-sponsored by Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary.
INTERFAITH FOOD PANTRY, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17
St. Mark’s members staff this food pantry on several Saturdays throughout the year at Old First Church in SF from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. You could help for any length of time by unloading the food from the truck, setting up the distribution sequence, or handing out food to over 300 people. The next distribution date is Saturday, November 17. Please contact Diana Gomez if you have any questions (dianamrsgomez@mindspring.com).
AN INVITATION FROM THE NIGHT MINISTRY
The San Francisco Night Ministry is growing! We’d like to celebrate and share our good news at an event on Saturday evening November 10 at 6:00 pm. Please join us in welcoming our new Night Ministry executive team. Rev. Valerie McEntee is the 5th Night Minister, and the first woman in the position since it’s inception 54 years ago, and “because one pair of shoes was too big to fill” after Lyle Beckman’s retirement, our new Executive Director and CPE Educator, Rev. Thomas R. Carter, who brings the SF Night Ministry presence into the daytime hours. Dinner and light entertainment will be provided. There will be live and reverse auctions to support our ongoing ministry. Tickets for $54 (in honor of our years in ministry) can be purchased at facebook.com/sanfrancisconightministry Donations can be made at our webpage at sfnightministry.org or talk with St. Mark’s member and SFNM Board member, Diana Gomez.
DONATE FLOWERS
St. Mark’s members and friends can sign up to donate flowers for the chancel on a Sunday by placing your name on the chart for the Sunday you wish. We still have dates available in December for Advent so please sign up!
Your donation can be in memory of a loved one or in honor of a particular occasion. Please go to www.stmarks-sf.org/flower-donations/ to sign up on our online chart. If you are unable to sign up online please call the office (415-928-7770).
The donation is $50 and can be paid via check in the offering plate. Please note “Flowers” in the memo of the check. If you would like to submit your payment online please click on the donate tab on the main page on St. Mark’s website and enter your flower donation under the “other” option and write flowers in the box.
NEW TO ST MARK’S? NEW JOURNEYS IN FAITH GROUP FORMING
Information Gathering for New Journeys in Faith Group: November 18. New to St. Mark’s? Thinking about your faith journey and a community to support it? What does it mean to be a member of a church? How do you become a member of St Mark’s?
All are invited to learn about participating in our next Journeys in Faith group. We will meet in the Urban Life Center in the Journeys in Faith room at 10:00 on November 18th. For more information, contact Liv Beck (beckliv@gmail.com)
CALLING ALL ANGELS AND SHEPHERDS!
Preparations are underway for the St. Mark’s Christmas Pageant! If you have participated in the past you know it is a great event. If you haven’t, please consider starting a new tradition this year! All families are welcome, and there is a role for everyone!
The Pageant is at 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Call time will be 4:00 p.m. Rehearsals are Saturday, December 15 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm (although we will likely stagger the rehearsal so not everyone has to stay the entire time), and Sunday, December 23 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. Note this change from previous years! The second rehearsal is on Sunday so we don’t have to break the set down after rehearsal, and to free up that final Saturday of December. We will make sure there is enough food for everyone to eat for lunch.
Please contact Matt Helland (helland@nka.com) if you plan to participate or if you have any questions.
QUARTERLY MINISTRY TEAM LEADER MEETING WITH PASTORS ELIZABETH AND RON
On Nov. 29, we will hold our Ministry Team meeting at 7:00 in the conference room of the Urban Life Center.
All Ministry Leaders are invited to attend to hear about the Annual Vision for Ministry, congregational goals, and governance changes. Please come and meet with other leaders for support and communication.
ST. MARK’S ADVENT AND CHRISTIAN DEVOTION BOOK TO BE DISTRIBUTED ON SUNDAY, DEC. 2
This daily devotional book has a personal devotion and prayer written by a member of St. Mark’s. Each day you can enjoy a devotion as a part of your Advent and Christmas celebrations. Pick one up in worship on Sunday, Dec. 2, the 1st Sunday in Advent.
SHARING WITH OUR SISTER CHURCH IN EL SALVADOR
As our delegation of travelers prepares for our trip to El Salvador, on November 20-25, we are thinking about ways for the St. Mark’s community to participate in the spirit of sharing and accompaniment that is key to our sister church relationship with Cordero de Dios. We’ve thoughtfully put together a list of items we are bringing to share, and if you have any such items you are looking to repurpose or reuse to give to another family, please bring them to the box located in the Narthex labeled “El Salvador Sharing.” We are collecting through the afternoon of Sunday Nov 18.
Our wish list includes: Larger luggage (50 lbs capacity, the kind you check) with wheels, Soccer gear for teens and kids (cleats, shin guards, jerseys, etc.), decorative candles in fun colors and styles, pizza-making supplies, and children’s books in both English and Spanish side-by-side (preferably soft-cover). Used items are preferred since this specific project is about sharing more than giving. If you are interested in giving, we also have a very specific medical need for a young woman at Cordero de Dios who is currently hospitalized. For a donation to medical expenses you can write a check to St. Mark’s with “Cordero de Dios Medical” in the memo. Please talk to Mary Ritter (mlrpeds@aol.com) to learn more.
Thanks for considering this ministry.
ST. MARK'S NEW JANITOR
Jose will no longer be working at St. Mark’s. We are thankful for him and his service to St. Mark’s. Our new janitor is Alcides Recinos, please welcome him if you see him on Sundays.
WORSHIP LEADERS THIS SUNDAY
Director of Music...Dr. Timothy Zerlang
Assisting Ministers...Jennifer Sun (9); Pam Reynolds, Phil Krikau (11)
Lectors...Barbara McCormick (9); Barbara Bock (11)
Communion Ministers...Matthias Will, Kate Knickerbocker (9) Nadine Robinson, Geri Bailey (11)
Altar Guild...Cora Rose, Cory Schooland
Acolytes...Grace Ekdale-Hoch, Tayte Sall
Sacristans...Kyle Schiefelbein-Guerrero
Ushers...Randy Schieber, Tapio Boles (9); Donna Dindia, Linda Jackson, Pam Cheung (11)
Fellowship Hour Chairs...Eva & Matt Dober, Kate Knickerbocker
Next Week’s Fellowship Hour Chairs...Barbara Bock