The Bridge
         
The Weekly Newsletter of St. Mark's Lutheran Church by The Narrows                  
 April 4 , 2018 
        
 
Sunday Worship      
8:30 a.m. Blended
9:45 a.m. Contemporary
11:00 a.m. Traditional
 
 
To hear podcast recordings of our Sunday Sermons
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St. Mark's Staff
Pastors
Sigi Helgeson, Visitation
Staff
Ingelaurie Lisher, Youth and Family
Music Ministry
Contemporary Music Ministry
Manager of Finance and Operations
Office Coordinator
Ministry Links

 

Giving

 


 
       Contact Us  
St. Mark's Lutheran Church by The Narrows

6730 N. 17th St.
Tacoma, WA 98406

Office: 253-752-4966
Preschool: 253-752-4929
Join our mailing list.
Wednesday Church Night Tonight

5:00-6:30 p.m. Dinner: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, salad
   Suggested donation: $5
6:00 p.m. Praise Team Rehearsal
7:30 p.m. Evensong 
*No Midweek Renewal, Children's Choir, or Holy Moly.

St. Mark's Scholarship Process for Continuing Students is Open
 
If you are a member of St. Mark's who is pursuing an undergraduate degree, please consider applying for a St. Mark's Scholarship. The application process for current college students is open until April 22 . Information and application materials may be found on the St. Mark's website ( www.smlutheran.org ). Click on the "Growing in Faith" tab. Questions? Please contact Pastor Shjerven at rebecca@smlutheran.org.

Note: The application process for current high school seniors will open in late April.

Thrivent Action Team Info Meeting

Want to know how to put together a Thrivent Action Team and access the funds available to you? A brief info meeting will take place on  Sunday, April 15 at 11:00 a.m.  in the Fireside Room. 

Walking to Jerusalem Thank You

Thank you, thank you to all 102 of you who reported miles during our Walk to Jerusalem. Not only did we get to Jerusalem, but we were able to make side trips on the El Camino Santiago, some of Luther's haunts, and some of the cities visited by St. Paul on his missionary trips. You logged a cumulative 14,618.8 miles! Now celebrate the successful walk by joining us for cake after service on April 8.

Community Group "Third Quarter"

Christian friends in the "third quarter" of life are welcome to join others age 50ish -75ish in supportive community to share hope, laughter, and love through active events.  

Thursday, April 12,  6:00 p.m.  Potluck and Sing-along in the Parish Commons. Featuring 60s and 70s camp, folk, and pop songs.
Thursday, May 10,  6:00 p.m.  Potluck and Game Night in the Parish Commons.

Please contact the church office for additional information.

Care of Creation 2018 Hikes

Care of Creation Hikes will average 4-7 miles (round trip) and will not exceed 1200 feet in elevation gain. The first hike/walk will be around Point Defiance Park on Saturday morning, April 14.  We'll meet at the church at 8 a.m. Any questions please feel free to call or email Tom Hulst (thulst@live.com or (253) 460-2683). The complete schedule for Spring and Summer 2018 is shown below as follows:
  1. Saturday April 14-Walk in and around Point Defiance.  Meet at church at 8 a.m.
  2. Saturday May 19-Hike to trail near North Bend on Middle Fork Snoqualmie River. Meet at church at 8 a.m.
  3. Friday June 22-Walk at the Nisqually. Meet at Church at 8 a.m.
  4. Thursday-Saturday July 19-21-Family car-camping outing Mount St. Helens, Olympics, or ocean beaches TBD.
  5. Friday August 10 -Hike to Chinook Pass, Naches Loop Trail. 8 a.m. 
  6. September date and activity TBD
Women of St. Mark's

Tickets will be available starting April 8 for the 2018 Spring Tea starring Katie Cootsona's 2017 Dresses!  The tickets are $10 each or a donation to help pay for the food.  Information regarding the Tea and the offering are available at our table in the Narthex.  We still have a few slots open to help make desserts (the recipes for the desserts will be provided).   Please plan on joining us on  April 21 at noon . Questions? Contact Barbara Meyers at  253-756-9352 .  Blessings to you all.

Children and Youth Faith Formation
  
Sunday, April 8 Regular Sunday AM classes for children 3 years old to youth grade 12, 9:45-10:45 a.m.

Thanks  to everyone who helped out with the Easter Breakfast on Sunday and for all of you who supported the youth.
 
Holy Moly will not meet this Wednesday, April 4. We resume on  April 11.

Thursday Night Youth Programs (gr. 6-12th) Youth Group and Choir will NOT meet Thursday, April 5 (Tacoma's Spring Break). Youth Choir resumes Thursday, April 12 at 6:30 p.m.; Youth Group resumes Thursday, April 19 at 5:30 p.m.
 
CYFF Ministry Team Meeting--Tuesday, April 10, 7 p.m. in the Fireside Room.

April 20-21 Area Lock-out for youth, grades 8-12. Cost: $35.00 per person. Sign up on the Youth Board by April 8 if you plan on attending. Adult volunteers are needed to make this happen. Don't worry you can come in shifts. 

April 29 Mystery Event! Grades 5-7, 11 a.m.- 2 p.m. Cost: $10.00 per person, includes lunch. Sign up by April 15 if you plan on attending.

High School graduates pick out their graduation quilts the week of April 24-29, to be received June 3 during the 11 a.m. worship service. 

Sunday School Teachers Meeting grades preschool-4th grade on Sunday, April 22 at 11:00 a.m. in the Fireside Room.

Vacation Bible School will be held August 6-10 for children 4 years old to 5th grade (incoming). Youth and adult volunteers are needed; talk to Celesta Smith if you want to help out. Registration materials will be available later this spring.

Adult Faith Formation
 
Sunday, April 8, 9:45 a.m.-  Sam Altis, Volunteer Coordinator for Refugee Resettlement, Lutheran Community Services will be with us.  He will introduce the "Circle of Welcome" partnership that surrounds refugee families with care and support.

Adult Class- Sundays 11:00 a.m. in the PCC
As our  Adult Class, Dr. Traci Drake will offer Year 1 of Crossways, a faith-enriching, life-changing course that serves as your 'road map' for an unforgettable journey through the entire Bible. To order the set of Learner books, please contact the church office. The cost for books each trimester is $20. Participants are asked to cover whatever part of that cost they are able to pay. 

Tuesday "Fully Alive" Bible Study; 5:15 p.m.  in the Fireside Room
Question? Contact Sherry Mauira 253-303-1681. 

Women's Bible Study Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. (9:15 for coffee, visiting) in the PCC
We are ladies of varying faith, Bible, and life experiences, who help each other by sharing our questions and insights.  We are currently studying Discovering God's Will for Your Life. Join us! For more information, contact Linda Durant,  hotdouug@harbornet.com or  (253) 363-8202.

Wednesday Noon Text Study Luncheon in the PCC
Gather for lunch, conversation, and study around the texts that will be heard in worship the following Sunday. Conversation will be guided by who will be preaching, and by the insights and questions of the group.

Note: Wednesday 6:15 p.m. Midweek Renewal Class will resume on April 11 (note date change). 

Peace and Justice

Mexico 2018 Mission Trip
Planning meetings for the 2018 Mexico Mission trip will be held on Tuesday, April 24 (7:00 p.m.). Group members traveling to Mexico this year should plan to attend this meeting as well as an overnight retreat on  June 1-2. The annual Cinco de Mayo fundraiser will be held on Saturday, May 5.

Mexico Mission Cinco de Mayo Dinner and Silent Auction
Cinco de Mayo is coming! The Mexico Mission Team is excited about our next house-building trip in June, and we hope you can join us for dinner to celebrate and raise money for our trip on Saturday, May 5 here at church. We will have a delicious meal, fun activities, door prizes, and a silent auction! It will be a fun night and we hope you can come. We will be selling dinner tickets in the narthex on April 15, 22, and 29. Tell your friends!

Chase the Chill Kits
Are you looking for something to give to people you meet while driving who look like they might need something to eat or to keep them warm? Pick up a Chase the Chill Kit (provided by the Youth and a grant from Thrivent) and hand them out to those in need. 

Baby Care Kits
We are busy working on packing up Baby Care Kits for the May shipping and find ourselves out of soap.  If any of you are interested in donating large bars of soap that would be greatly appreciated.  They are a good buy at Costco in a package of Irish Spring.  Also if any have cloth diapers that have no stains and only gently used we could use them too.  Thank you for any help on these items and if you have any questions feel free to call Randi Holland at ( 253) 905-5693.

LWR SUPPLY DRIVE - "Hope Through a Bar of Soap" 
Join us on Earth Day, April 22, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. for our Kit build and Potluck! Thanks to those who have donated supplies! 



Support Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community at Watson's Night Out

Watson's Night Out: 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Thursday, May 3
 
You are invited to this annual event to support Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community. It is a time to shop, socialize, and support TLRC through the TLRC Foundation. It is hosted by Watson's Nursery and Greenhouse, 6211 Pioneer Way East, Puyallup. The cost is $25 per person, with each attendee receiving 30% off one item that evening.
 
Tickets available from Ron Kempe (rekempe@gmail.com) or 253-219-9621; by calling TLRC Foundation at 253-284-7538; online at watsonsgreenhouse.com; or at Watson's.



St. Mark's Preschool Updates

St. Mark's Preschool is accepting registration forms for the 2018-2019 school year! 

Invitation to Historic Elbe Lutheran Church Annual Meeting

You are invited to attend the Historic Elbe  Lutheran Church Annual Meeting to be  held on Sunday, April 15, at 1:30 p.m. in  Elbe. The monthly worship service will  be held at 2:30 p.m., followed by a coffee  hour. Please plan to attend!
 

Church Office Hours

The church office is open  Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-noon, 1:00-4:00 p.m . and  Sunday from 9:30-11:00 a.m.

*The door to the office is locked during preschool hours (8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.); please knock or ring the doorbell and someone will let you in promptly!

Have an item for The Bridge?
Send it to communications@smlutheran.org by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. All items will  run for two weeks prior to the relevant date, and will be edited for length. Don't forget to send your member notes and news!