May 19, 2019

Worship Schedule 8:30 AM English Worship Service 9:46 AM  The 9:46 Crowd  (Adult Forum) 10:00 AM English Worship Service 11:05 AM Sunday School combined English/Spanish 11:06 AM  The 11:06 Crowd  (Adult Forum) 12:00 PM Spanish Worship Service

A Message from Pastor Triolo

Dear Sisters and Brothers,   I was blessed to once again attend an Iftar hosted by our friends at the Ezhar Bloom mosque, now in Chantilly. A member of the community shared a presentation with us about their faith; he is an electrical engineer and IT worker at NOVA-Annandale. His presentation was a wonderful reminder of how each member of the church has both the  ability  and the  responsibility  to explain the basics of the faith, each in their own way and based on their own gifts and experience.   His presentation was simple and straightforward, organized like an engineer. He asked the question, “What is the purpose of life?” His answer was that our purpose is to  acknowledge ,  recognize , and  appreciate  that God (Allah in Arabic) is the creator of everything. I loved this. It resonated very well in light of our Dwelling in the Word reading of Romans on Tuesdays and Thursdays. St. Paul wrote in Romans 1:20: “Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made.”   Our presenter displayed a series of images from nature, each more striking than the last. There were flowers and trees, streams and oceans, mountains and volcanoes, and so forth. God’s creative presence was evident in each of them. I was reminded of the many times I have seen God’s presence in nature AND in works molded by human hands. When I was a high school student, I would walk around the streets of Manhattan looking up at the buildings. I would constantly marvel at the human ingenuity and praise God for the ability for us to create such things. How have you seen God through the things around you?   Naturally, there are significant differences between our Muslim and Christian faiths. How one enters heaven may be the most significant way our faiths differ. Simply put, Muslims believe that if people choose to do good instead of evil often enough, they will enter heaven. Christians believe that just one evil deed or thought are all it takes to disqualify us from heaven; since no one can choose good often enough, Christians look to Jesus for forgiveness. (Read Romans 1-3 and join us Tuesdays or Thursdays.)   May the love of the Lord fill your hearts with hope, peace, and joy. + Pastor Albert

Announcements

Julio Cuellar Many of us appreciate the music of Julio Cuellar. If you would like to hear more you can purchase his album. Go to iTunes , Amazon.com or Google Play to hear more.

Click here for updated information.

Next Military Packages Collection: Sunday, May 26   Our recipient this month will be Matthew McGough—he is the nephew of a neighbor of Sandy Lind’s.     Matthew is an E-3 in the Navy. He turns 22 on May 22, this month! Matthew is from Colorado and has a love of hunting, hiking, rock climbing, hockey, and the Denver Broncos. Matthew has 100 sailors in his berthing on the ship, so he will share your goodies with his friends. In response to our request for suggested items, they said: Twizzlers, BBQ sauce, sunflower seeds, all kinds of beef jerky, pre-packaged snacks, cookies, homemade chocolate chip cookies, brownies, Oreos, books, sports magazines, DVD's or Blu-ray movies the congregation doesn't want any more (these get shared all over the ship for entertainment), unwanted PlayStation games and Xbox games, magnetic picture frames so they can put up pictures in their rack, and sticky-back Velcro (they use this to attach to their phones/players and hang them from above to watch movies while they are lying in their rack.)     Matthew is on the  USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) —you may have heard news of this ship the past week.   An update from his mother:   At this time their stops have been suspended—many of the sailors are working 16+ hour shifts now, and they are working 7 days a week.    ·         Packages are taking longer now to get to their ship—so if you are bringing your delicious home baked goods, you might want to save yourself a bit of packaging and skip the napkin some of you so diligently include, so the napkin doesn’t rob the goodies of any moisture by absorbing the moisture.  ·         Temperatures are hot, and they aren’t even at the peak of the heat yet—“Cool rags” are being shared amongst everyone from the day shift to the night shift … and we will send some of the wonderful cool scarves that our amazing quilters make. ·          Protein bars, protein powder, and instant oatmeal  are like gold right now!!!!  ·         Food/snack items—food is the main thing they all need and want, with their rigorous schedule. And sometimes the ship-provided food is not up to par, according to their reports. J   His Mom continues:  I’m so impressed with your congregation and the help and support they provide. Love to you and everyone that supports this effort!    Thank you to all of you for your continuing and generous support of our deployed troops via this project!   Since this collection will occur during Memorial Day weekend, you may wish to put items in the collection box in the narthex either the week before or after—the box is in the alcove area behind the comfy chairs in the narthex—we’ll check the box for items.

St. Mark’s on Facebook! As part of our commitment to increase connections, we began streaming our services through St. Mark’s Facebook page. And what connections we have made! On average, the livestreams and their archives have had 150 views, 100 engagements, and 200 reaches. Our Easter service almost tripled these numbers! Viewers have shared comments expressing their gratitude for allowing them to not only hear the Word of God but to see our celebrations of it as well. The following is just a sampling of these comments: Thank you for having this!! Just moved to AL and was under a tornado watch, so couldn't get to a local church. Was so happy to share worship with you all. Live broadcasting could spoil me real fast especially on these rainy days. Great to be able to not only hear the service but to see it as well. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. Happy Mother's Day! thank you for streaming the service! :)  Steph Ogle  beautiful sermon!! God Bless! :)  If you have a Facebook page, please take time to “like” the St. Mark’s Facebook page—just click on the Facebook icon—and to share it with all of your “connections”! Our Lord’s message can be spread in many different ways—this is just one of many!

Thank You

Myriam Avalos Teie Benefits Concert May 19, 2019 5:30PM All proceeds will be donated to St. Mark’s Music Department

Click here for Program

Myriam Avalos Teie

Passion and power, expression and sensitivity – words used by critics in praise of Myriam Avalos Teie. Her performances and master classes throughout the United States, Latin America, Europe, and Asia have earned her critical acclaim as a soloist, chamber musician, clinician and pedagogue. At the age of three, she gave her first public performance, made her orchestra debut with the National Symphony Orchestra of Peru at twelve, and was awarded full scholarships to the Eastman School of Music and the Peabody Conservatory. Ms. Avalos Teie holds a Doctoral degree in Chamber Music. She is a collaborative pianist at the Kennedy Center, maintains a private studio in Northern Virginia, and is a guest faculty and performing artist at festivals in the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America  Appearances and broadcasts include the Kennedy Center, the Phillips Collection, Dumbarton Concert Series,  Embassy Concert Series, Purcell Room in London, Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm, Voice of the OAS, San Antonio Festival, WGMS Radio, Teatro Municipal de Lima and two US State Department-sponsored tours of China and Brazil. For her pedagogy, Steinway & Sons recognized Dr. Avalos Teie with the Top Teacher Award for outstanding instruction and leadership in piano education.  She has recorded for the MSR Classics label. In 2004, Dr. Avalos Teie was conferred the title of Cultural Ambassador by the Government of Peru.  Her mission is to promote and expand the arts in Peru, and to expose and exchange Peruvian artists and students throughout the world.

This summer we are headed to the African Savannah to explore how God is good, even when life is tough. We will be exploring this through five different Bible stories.

Vacation Bible School is June 23 – 27, 2019. Register now! Look for registration forms on the VBS bulletin board in the Narthex and on the St. Mark’s website. We will soon have a bulletin board highlighting specific donations we will need to support our programing. Donations will include monetary, craft supplies, and food. The monetary donations will be used to purchase craft supplies, decorating supplies, and food. Checks (marked VBS on the memo line) can be dropped in the offering plate or mailed to the church office. Our evening will begin with a family-friendly dinner at 5:30 PM. The program for children ages 3 through rising 6th grade will be from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Rising 7th graders and older may volunteer to help.   Thank you for all the ways in which you support this annual experience for St. Mark’s children and the community. If you would like to volunteer, please look through the list below and email Rachel Bowerman at Rachel.Defassio@gmail.com or call at 724-689-3681. Specific Volunteers Needed: Small Group Leaders , Games Leader , Music Leader , Registrar , Volunteers for general support , and Decorator Guru

The Rejoice! Music Ensemble is looking for additional singers. Need is greatest in the tenor and baritone range, but additional soprano/alto voices are needed on occasion. Ability to read music and harmonize a plus. Rehearsals are Thursdays from 5:45 PM to 6:45 PM in the Sanctuary. Please contact Debbie Griffes at debgriffes@gmail.com with questions/interest.

Connecting with Community

Shepherd's Center Lunch N' Life  Thursday, May 23rd, 11:30 AM-1:00 PM. Reserve your seat now! Join us to dance to the Nitehawks Swing Band! St. Mark's Lutheran Church 5800 Backlick Rd, Springfield, VA 22150 Open to the public-all are welcome! RSVP by Monday,May 20th Cost is $10 per person for lunch and music  If interested, please contact the Shepherd's Center at 703-941-1419 between 10 am and 1 pm Monday through Friday or shepherdscas@vacoxmail.com

News from ECHO

On June 10 and 11, Spartans Family Restaurant, 9542 Burke Road, will share proceeds from all meals, carry-out or dining in, with ECHO. Those who want to be a part of ECHO’s mission simply by enjoying a delicious meal can download the flyer at ECHO’s website and print it, or show it on a cellphone, or just tell your server you are there to support ECHO.

The donations ECHO needs most this month include, 2# bags of sugar, boxed potato products, pancake syrup, deodorant, and shampoo. Household items needed are drinking glasses and all sizes of pots and pans. Summer is on its way, so the clothing we are hoping for includes children’s shorts as well as men’s shorts in medium or small sizes. ECHO is open to receive donations on weekdays between 9:30 am and 12:30 pm, and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 9:00 at 7205 Old Keene Mill Road, Springfield.

Volunteering at ECHO requires a commitment of time and attention to a task, but volunteers are “paid” with satisfaction and the camaraderie of other interesting people who want to make a difference in our community. ECHO maintains a list of currently needed volunteer positions at www.echo-inc.org under the Volunteer tab. Most volunteer positions are designed for those who can commit long term, but, after June 1, ECHO will start signing up teen and adult volunteers to work on the Backpack Program for one or more sessions during July and August. Watch the website to find out how to sign up.

St. Mark's Youth

Youth Lock-in 5-10-19

Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Sean Murphy, Cindy, Kenya Wallace, Joy Weekly, Steph Ogle, Albert Triolo, Julia Bogstad, Maureen Murphy, and, Joseph Triolo.

Mother’s Day Sermon Thank you for all your kind words and support of my preaching on Sunday. It was a blessing to give the Mother’s Day sermon. I hope you are able to add a prayer into your daily routine, if you weren’t able to write your own, here is the one I shared that might also apply to your life: "Help me treat my home as sacred. Let everything I do be an act of worship. God, I believe you are in this place. Meet us here, restore our relationships, and make our home a place you are pleased to dwell. Shift my focus from trivial tasks to ways I can point my home to You." J Blessings, Steph Ogle

MOPS May Meeting (St. Mark’s Mom Group) At MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers & Beyond), our lesson was called the TechWise Family. After dinner and a video, we discussed the technology we use in our homes and how it can be a helpful babysitter or provide some mindless relaxation. But ultimately, we want our children to grow as kind, respectful, and skilled individuals that trust in God’s love and guidance in their lives, thus using technology in ways that promote such qualities. Another interesting bit that the video provided was that we have become a consumer culture, in which doing tasks the ‘long’ way that involves using a variety of skills rarely is done, but rather our default has become ‘quick and easy’ with technology taking away needed lessons that help our children grow in skills and understanding of the talents they have been given by God.  “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8 Our craft for the evening was Craft Display Boards to display the creations our children make. Part of the video and lesson spoke to re-imaging how you organize and purpose the spaces of your home—one way is having a space to create and craft with children as a beautiful alternative to the glowing rectangles that consume our attention in our home. It was a fun project as we discussed our lesson! Again, we had a small group due to work meetings and spring activities, however we were a different group of ladies the month before, and it was a blessing to connect together in person.

Confirmation Camp Registration Please follow the link to Online Register for Mar-Lu-Ridge  Confirmation Camp:   July 21– 26, 2019 .    https://www.mar-lu-ridge.org/registration-and-forms/   Medical Form Signed by a Doctor  is needed for all medication upon arrival at Mar-Lu-Ridge Camp. Please Register by Sunday May 19 th . Cost: $200 (Scholarship Available as needed)  Payments are collected by Church and submitted to Mar-Lu-Ridge Camp.  Please write check out to “St. Mark’s Lutheran Church”; memo line: “Confirmation Camp.” Contact Steph Ogle with any questions.

Ministry Team May 19

Altar Flower Dedications

Communion Cards.  Please don’t forget to fill out a communion card each time you  worship . Cards are located in the pew racks. If your address has changed, you can include that information so the church office can update your records. In addition, use of the card allows the church office to enter your communion and attendance in the official church records. Thank you.

Kristin's Message based on the lectionary of the week by Kristin Berkey Abbott .

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Article Deadline We need YOUR help! In order that ALL OF US receive the necessary documents for This Week, The Messenger, and the website, please send all articles you wish to have published no later than 5:00 PM on the Tuesday before the Sunday you wish for the articles to appear. Send those articles to communications@stmarks-elca.org .