St. Francis Sunday

We worship this Sunday with all the creatures we love. We join the Psalmists and rejoice with all living things. We sing with all the birds and animals that make our lives richer because of their presence. We pray for all animals that are endangered, neglected and abused. We remember our beloved friends that we have lost.

This Sunday at St. Mark’s
Blessing of the Animals
9:00 am - Holy Communion with Children’s Time - Auditorium
9:45 am - Sunday School - School Rooms
10:00 am - Confirmation - Youth Room
10:00 am - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour - Fireside Room
11:00 am - Choral Eucharist Worship Service - Auditorium
12:15 pm - Refreshments and Fellowship Hour - Fireside Room

St. Mark’s Adult Forum Kickoff on Sunday October 16 & 23 with Dr. Barbara Pitkin of Stanford University, 10:00AM in the Auditorium
Barbara Pitkin specializes in the history of Christian thought, with a particular emphasis on the religious developments in late medieval and early modern Europe. She received her B.A. in German language and literature from Carleton College and her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Dr. Pitkin teaches courses on the history and future of Christianity, sixteenth-century reformations, the history of biblical interpretation, and women and religion.

October 16 - Dr. Pitkin will talk about the 95 Theses in the context of late medieval Christianity. In 2017, Lutherans and others will mark the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther’s 95 Theses. What did Luther hope to achieve by drawing up the 95 Theses and how did his aims fit within the context of Christianity at the time? How did this event come to be understood as the birth of the Reformation?
October 23 - Dr. Pitkin will widen the scope and talk about the Reformation as more than Luther. Even though many of Luther’s contemporaries—both supporters and critics—identified Luther as the Reformation’s first champion (or heretic, depending on your point of view), the movements for religious reform that sprang up across Europe and England had their own local and unique points of origin. Who were some of these other Reformers and how did these men (and, occasionally, women) contribute to the massive changes to Western Christianity 500 years ago?
Oct. 30 - Dec. 4 - Together by Grace: Six Weeks of Introducing the Lutherans Who are the Lutherans? Where are we/they? What do we/they believe? How do we/they live our their faith in the world? As we begin this upcoming year of commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, join Pastor Elizabeth Ekdale and Dr. Kyle Schiefelbein for six weeks of exploring local and global Lutheran identity. This interactive adult forum is designed for novice and experienced alike and draws upon multiple learning styles. Using the book Together by Grace: Introducing the Lutherans as the primary guide for the journey, each session combines focused topic questions, prayer, readings from the book and Small Catechism, and discussion of diverse experiences of Lutheranism. See Pastor Elizabeth to purchase a copy of the book. Join us as we walk together by grace!

Flooring, Elevator, Windows Update (FEW Committee)
lant Construction and Eureka Valley Floor Company diligently continue with the installation of the new solid wood floor in the Church. It is rewarding to observe their fine craftsmanship. It is an honor to our stewardship of this remarkable building. The transformation will be worth our efforts and wait. The wood flooring has been installed. The sanding and finishing will be done near the end of September. Re-installing the pews is on schedule the first weeks in October. Gary Schilling has taken photos which are posted on the wall of the Fireside Room. Please take a few minutes to appreciate the care that is being given to our Church.

We will return to the sanctuary on Sunday Oct. 30, Reformation Sunday. On that day, you will be able to enjoy the new flooring in the sanctuary and see your Capital Campaign gifts at work! Thank you to all who have pledged and/or given to the Forward in Faith: Lifted by Love campaign. Please consider a gift if you have not already done so. You can do so by going to the St. Mark’s website: www.stmarks-sf.org and clicking on the Give icon. Every gift directed toward the campaign will be used to restore the stained art glass, install a brand new elevator and/or purchase new flooring for the sanctuary. Thank you!

Mosaic television show focuses on the homeless
Pr. Elizabeth’s upcoming Mosaic show will be broadcast on Sunday, Oct. 16 at 5:00 a.m. on KPIX (channel 5). Pr. Lyle Beckman from San Francisco Night Ministry and Ms Laura Slattery from the Gubbio Project - Sacred sleep and sanctuary - are her guests. Both Pr. Beckman and Ms Slattery have extensive experience and compassion for their work with the homeless in San Francisco.

Support St. Mark’s through your Amazon Purchases!
St. Mark’s is now enrolled in Amazon Smile, which donates 0.5% of every purchase to charitable organizations. Make your Amazon purchases through the St. Mark’s Amazon Smile portal, using your Amazon log-in: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-1418294

You will see eligible products marked as “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Note that recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible for donations.

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 October our groups will meet on:

Evening Gathering – October 4 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in the Fireside Room
All women are invited to come for dessert and fellowship for the first half hour and then discussion until 8:30. This month we will be reading the chapters of Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery of Loving by Krista Tippett on Love, Faith & Hope.
Second Tuesday – October 11 from 11:00am to 1:00pm in the Fireside Room
All women are invited to come for study at 11:00 and then at noon to eat their sandwich or salad and share fellowship. Drinks and dessert will be provided. Our Bible Study will be on “Jesus and the Evil Eye: When God Blesses the Undeserving” as found in the September issue of Gather Magazine.

If you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Smith at 415.285.7438 or suzathome@comcast.net.

Sunday School Schedule
All children ages 3 years old through 6th grade are welcome to participate in Sunday School. Sunday School rooms are on the ground floor of the Urban Life Center. Parents are welcome to stay and watch.

October 9th: Big Group, all classes meet together. The topic this Sunday will be Prayer and will be taught by Pastor Elizabeth.
October 30th: Big Group, all classes meet together. Reformation Sunday will be celebrated with a puppet show about Martin Luther.
November 27th: Big Group, all classes meet together. Advent Sunday will be celebrated with games and Advent craft.
No Sunday School December 18th, 25th and January 1st.
January 8th: Big Group, all classes meet together. We will stuff stockings for the homeless. Please bring toiletries or small items suitable for stuffing. (tooth floss, granola, bars, mints...)

SYNOD Hunger Workshop: Saturday, October 15
Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, Davis, CA - 9:30AM - 4:30PM
Learn how faith and justice are intertwined in a hungry world! This hunger education workshop, by the Sierra Pacific Synod Hunger Network, explores both the life-saving work of the ELCA Hunger and Disaster Appeals, and how the immigration and refugee crisis impacts world and domestic hunger. For more information contact Pr. Tita at valeriano@stmarks-sf.org

Join us for Night Ministry’s Annual Fall Gala
The members of the Governing Board of the San Francisco Night Ministry invite you to attend their Fall Gala under the theme “1001 Nights around the World: An International Extravaganza”. Proceeds will support the ministry and outreach of Night Ministry which has offered pastoral care, counseling and crisis intervention every night of the year between the hours of 10:00 PM and 4:00 AM for the past 52 years!

Saturday, October 8, 2016, 5:30–8:30 p.m.
St. Mark’s Lutheran Church (Urban Life Center)
Reception, program, live music, small plates from around the world, beer and wine bar, soft drinks, with silent, live and reverse auctions
$104.00 General Seating at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2589844
Sponsorships available upon request by contacting Night Ministry at Office@sfnightministry.org

Clergy Appreciation Month
The month of October has been designated as Clergy Appreciation Month and is a special time for congregations to honor and thank our pastors and their families for the hard work, dedication and multiple blessings they provide. We have some special things planned for October 23rd…mark your calendar.

FLOWER ARRANGERS NEEDED
Flowers at St. Mark’s are arranged by volunteers and our small group cannot cover all the Sundays. We need you! Arrangers have badges for the SF Flower Mart and purchase flowers there (budget $50), bring the flowers to St Mark’s and arrange them in St. Mark’s vases. Expenses are reimbursed with receipts. If you are interested, please let the office know, or email Louis Gutierrez at twopugs98@yahoo.com or Sharon Reinbott at sharon.reinbott@gmail.com.

Worship Leaders This Sunday
Director of Music...Dr. Timothy Zerlang
Assisting Ministers...Sharon Reinbott (9); Greg Jahnke, Ed Chitty (11)
Lectors...Dianne Velleno (9); Suzanne Smith (11)
Chalice Bearers...Jeremy McClain, Mark Semonian (9); Viknesh Silvalingam (11)
Acolytes...Mila & Tayte Sall
Sacristan and Altar Guild...Ed Chitty
Ministry of Welcome...Pam Cheung, Tina Niu, Pedro Ospina, Linda R. Jackson (11)
Coffee Hour Chairs...John Elford, Marge Okuley, Hiroko Nagata
Next Week’s Coffee Hour Chairs...Donna Dindia and Chuck Lewis

Prayers of the Parish

Cassie Allen
Benson
Debbie Brant & Ted Bernardi
Diana Bock
Natalie E. Bock
Riley Brooks
Jo Chadwick
Corrine Cottrell
Marilyn Desmond
Bonnie Elliot

Jack Heiter
Carolyn Johnson
Taylor Jones
Stephen Krefting
Arnold Lehmann
Beatrice and John Love
Margaret Massialas
Roderick Mobley
Stan Moeller
Lee & Irma Opitz
Ryan Parker

Cassie Pili
Marc Randall
Travis Schwartz
Matt Seiples
Tim Selander and family
LaVonne Strutz, mother of Geri Bailey
Mary Sukanya
Dana Utz
Carl Velleno
Jerry Witherspoon
Brent Wolfe

For Liz, Tom, Alexa, Killian and Art Benson who mourn the death of Erika Benson

For Pr. Tita mourning the death of her father

For Mary Birkel and family who mourn the death of Mary’s father, Pr Ray Birkel

For all military personnel, especially Will Lehmannin Afghanistan

For the growing families of St. Mark’s, especially those who hope for andthose who are expecting children

For the Kigali Parish of the Lutheran Church of Rwanda

For the Cordero de Dios congregation in El Salvador

For our Missionary, Pastor Kate Warn, YAGM coordinator in Rwanda

For all Christians in the Holy Land, especially Bethlehem

For the people of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen, and Oman

For the Kindergarten Cynthia Espinoza in Paraguay

For MLT Residents who are hospitalized or in hospice care

Every effort is made to keep the Prayers of the Parish current.
Please email Lawrence@stmarks-sf.org to add, remove or update a name on the prayer list.