Worship Schedule
8:30 AM English Worship Service
9:46 AM The 9:46 Crowd
10:00 AM English Worship Service
11:05 AM Sunday School combined English/Spanish
12:00 PM Spanish Worship Service
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INVITATION TO FRIENDS AND VISITORS
"Coffee with the Pastors"
This Sunday, September 16,
you are invited to come and get acquainted with the pastors,
some members of the congregation and each other.
11:00 AM (same time as Sunday School)
In the Blue Room, downstairs (Watch for signs.)
Nursery provided.
Then the following Sunday, September 23,
during the 10:00 AM service, New Members will be received
followed by a narthex reception.
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A message from Pastor Albert
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Dear Sisters and Brothers in the Love of our Triune God,
I am still celebrating last week’s ReConnect Sunday. It was wonderful to see so many members of our family connecting and reconnecting around worship and fellowship! I am energized for this coming Sunday!
Today I want to tell you about an exciting opportunity. As Pastor Varinia mentioned last week, there is a spiritual retreat for adults coming up in October. It is called
Via de Cristo
. It is an opportunity for members of St. Mark’s to connect with God and grow more deeply in faith.
Because our church council is committed to our congregational spiritual growth and connection with the Almighty, they have approved sponsorship for everyone St. Mark’s can bring! But space is limited. There is only room for 10 males and 10 females from St. Mark's at this year’s retreat, so please act fast.
What is a
Via de Cristo
? It is a full three-day spiritual retreat designed to draw participants closer to God and help them better understand their baptismal identity. I have not yet participated in a
Via de Cristo
, but I have intended to since 2004 when members of my first congregation made the pilgrimage. Their experiences were life- and ministry-changing.
The men’s
Via de Cristo
will be October 11-14 and the women’s will be October 18-21. Each participant is paired with a sponsor who will keep in touch and check in on how our spiritual journeys are going. My sponsor will be my friend Pastor Jeff Wilson. It turns out he will also be a leader at this year’s men’s retreat.
Registration will be done through St. Mark’s. Please email Pastor Varinia at
gvespinosa@stmarks-elca.org
if you have additional questions or to be registered.
See you Sunday!
+ Pastor Albert
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St. Mark’s Montessori School is underway for the 2018-2019 school year!
We would like to invite all interested parties to a seminar we will be having at St. Mark’s on
Friday, October 5
th
, about an (unfortunately) important and timely topic: Active Shooters. The speaker will be Dr. Willie McElroy from Health Best Services. The program will run about two hours and will start at 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall.
AND, if you haven’t seen our new natural playground yet, please check it out. Even better, come to our Peace Day celebration on Friday, October 19th, when we will have a formal dedication of the playground. This program also starts at 9:30 AM in the Fellowship Hall. Hope to see you at one or both events!
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Have you seen it: The words "Montessori School" have been added to the sign along Backlick Road. At the request of the Montessori School and the work of the Property Committee, the sign shows the relationship between the school and our congregation.
What have we done: You have seen that pews have been removed from the front and rear of the Sanctuary. Council deliberated on this matter for a full year before requesting action. The primary motivation was to create a greater sense of intimacy during worship. Closer proximity to other worshipers is sought to enhance the sense of Christian fellowship by bringing worshipers forward toward the altar. We wish to foster participation rather than observation for all attendees. The Sanctuary has much beauty to the glory of God with the stained-glass windows, green marble wall, kneelers, and the altar area. The flooring is an eyesore at this point and contributes to an unfinished look, but this will be addressed when narthex issues are worked out.
Paul Palm, Council President
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Three Opportunities for Service
Here are three opportunities to help our local communities, to raise money for good causes, and to expand your own health:
"NAMI Northern Virginia's 10th Annual Walk for Mental Health"
9:00 AM on Saturday, September 22, 2018
Tysons Corner Center on the Plaza
"#FIGHTINGCHANCE 8K Run, Walk, or Bike for the Children" and "1 Mile Fun R
un"
Saturday, October 6, 2018
8:00 AM is the 8K Run, Walk, or Bike for the Children
9:00 AM is the 1 Mile Fun Run
Burke Lake Park Shelter A
"5K Hero's Run/Walk" sponsored by the Salvation Army of Fairfax
to benefit the after-school program providing youth with homework assistance, social activities, and music instruction
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Start at the Salvation Army of Fairfax, VA parking lot (dress as super hero!)
[See race flyer and donation form attached for this one.]
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Dwelling in the Word – Bible Study
Enrich your connection with God and each other and join our Tuesday 7:00 PM or Thursday 10:30 AM
Dwelling in the Word
Bible reading events. We resume this week, after Re-Connect Sunday! All are welcome and no previous Bible knowledge is required! We will continue the reading of Paul’s letters, which we began in the spring. (He was quite character.)
We meet in the narthex and look forward seeing you there.
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Boat Flipping Party
This Sunday, September 16th
2:00 PM
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Updated
Boat Flipping Party, rescheduled to this week
It’s an odd invitation in an unlikely place but it is what it is. :-) As you may know, the Triolos have been building a boat, our second. We started it 24 months ago. Well, it is ready to be
flipped! (It’s built upside down.)
All are invited to come and help this Sunday (hopefully). We were rained out last week and this weekend has potential for more rain. We will gather at our home at 2:00 PM. The grill will be going and drinks will be on ice. Our plan doesn’t require too many people but the more hands on deck (pardon the pun) the better.
Please email me at
atriolo@atmarks-elca.org
if you plan to attend, both for the address and so that we might better prepare for the food.
Fondly,
Pr. Albert
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Life Center Seniors Trip
Join us on a trip to the Graves Mountain Apple Festival!
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October 13, 2018 9:00 AM-4:00 PM
Graves Mountain is a working apple farm in Central Virginia, about an hour and 40 minutes from Washington, DC.
The festival includes 70 craft vendors, bluegrass music and food, and lots of food. Cost is $20 per person to cover the cost of transportation. We will either carpool ($ will be given to driver to cover gas) or rent a bus, depending on the number of participants.
We have to cap the number of participants at 40, so sign up early! We will have two cars available for those who are unable to ride the bus due to a handicap.
Sign up sheet and brochure is on The Life Center bulletin board in the Narthex. (next to big bulletin board)
For more information: Contact Jeannine Van Nostrand at 703-981-1404.
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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.
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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
.
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