The Bridge
        
The Weekly Newsletter of St. Mark's Lutheran Church by The Narrows                  
   December 4,  2019 
        
 
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
Click Here
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
 
       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: Taco bar, chips & salsa, beans, salad (Suggested donation: $5)
5:00-5:30 p.m. Little Angels Choir (Preschool-K)
5:30-6:00 p.m. Joyful Noise Choir (Grades 1-2)
6:00-6:45 p.m. Jubilation Choir (Grades 3-5)
6:00 p.m. Praise Team Rehearsal
6:15-7:20 p.m. Midweek Renewal 
7:30-7:50 p.m. Evensong

Sign Up to Have Your Holiday Shopping Dollars Help St. Mark's
 
Did you know that St. Mark's can earn "free" money nearly every time you shop at Amazon, Fred Meyer, or Bartells? These companies will donate money to our church at absolutely no cost to us - and it can really add up. Every dollar earned is applied to our Mortgage Principal Retirement Fund. Please take the time to sign up, following the instructions below. The same information can also be found on our church website under the Give tab. Please contact Jennifer Droubay in the church office if you have any questions.
 
Amazon Smile
St. Mark's can benefit financially almost any time you shop with Amazon! AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, shopping features, and Amazon Prime member benefits as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on AmazonSmile, the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible products to the charitable organization of your choice. Since you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile, your shopping cart, Wish List, registries, and other account settings remain the same. 
 
To register, go to  smile.amazon.com. Under your Accounts & Lists menu, click into Your AmazonSmile, search for "St Marks Lutheran By the Narrows", and designate St. Mark's from there.
 
Fred Meyer
If you have a free Rewards Card at Fred Meyer, nearly every purchase you make there can benefit St. Mark's. (If you don't have a card, applications should be available at all registers or at the Customer Service Desk.) You just need to link your card once to St. Mark's. Go to  www.fredmeyer.com. If you don't have an online account, you will need to create one. Then scroll all the way to the bottom of page and click on Fred Meyer Community Rewards link --> click on Link your Rewards Card Now and search for "St. Mark's Lutheran Church by the Narrows." You will continue to receive Rewards Points, Rebates and Fuel Points.
 
Bartell Drugs
St. Mark's can earn up to 4% on eligible purchases from Bartells if you have a free 'B' Caring Card. (If you don't have a card, you can pick one up at any Bartell Drugs.) There are three ways you can choose to link St. Mark's to your Bartell's card: (1) complete a hard copy "escrip" registration form at the store; (2) call 1-800-931-6258; or (3) register online at https://secure.escrip.com/signin/index.jsp.
 
Thank you in advance!




Annual Christmas Fair Trade Bazaar!
Sunday, December 8 
9 - 11 a.m.

Choose beautiful gifts that change lives ! Shop for unique, handmade Christmas items, beautiful home décor and jewelry--along with delicious coffee, tea, chocolates and spices. Every Fair Trade purchase you make brings security, hope, and dignity to disadvantaged artisans around the world.

Advent Book Study

Advent book study: Sunday, December 8, 15, and 22 at 11 a.m.  "Living Well Through Advent," a 40-day devotional book focusing on practicing peace with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind.  

Hosted by Ingelaurie Lisher and Sigi Helgeson in the Fireside room, Sundays at 11 a.m.

Journeying Through Grief

This 5-week class runs through December 11. 6 p.m.- 7:15 p.m., in Pastor Ruud's office. The class is for anyone experiencing a significant loss in their life. Pastor Sigi Helgeson will facilitate and guide the class through the materials provided.  

Giving Tree 2019

Thank you for your generosity in supporting 17+ families from DeLong Elementary School this year!  Please make sure to return your unwrapped gift or donations to the Giving Tree on or before December 15th.  Questions? contact Celesta Smith @  celesta.smith@smlutheran.org

Elf's Workshop

You are invited to join us for some holiday cheer as we wrap all the generous gifts for our Giving Tree families on Sunday, December 15.  Christmas music and lots of cheer will be shared as we prepare all the gifts and food baskets to be delivered to the families for the holidays.  The Workshop will open in the lower Youth Wing at 11:00 a.m. and continue until all gifts are wrapped. Stop in to wrap one gift or a whole families worth. PLEASE SIGN UP at the Giving Tree table in the Narthex.  QUESTIONS?  Contact Celesta Smith @  celesta.smith@smlutheran.org or Katie Cootsana @  katie.cootsana@smlutheran.org.

Third Quarter

Those in the "Third Quarter" of life are welcome to join others age 50ish-75ish to share hope, laughter, and love through monthly active events.


Friday, December 20 at 7:30 p.m. Symphony Tacoma presents Handel's "Messiah" at St. Charles Borromeo Church, 7112 S. 12th St, Tacoma. Meet in the foyer by ticket sales at 7:05 if you want to purchase $30 tickets with seats together. If you prefer to buy tickets ahead, go to 
tacomaartslive.org  or call them (253) 591-5894. 

Thursday, January 16, at 6:00 p.m. potluck in the Fireside Room and highlights of each others' travels. 

Chase the Chill

Chase the Chill is in action again!  We are encouraging knitters and crocheters to get those needles busy making warm hats and scarves. We will be delivering them to agencies who work with our homeless population in Tacoma. Questions? Come see Linda McKeller and Eleanor Sherry in the church office.

Children and Youth Faith Formation
 
Sunday AM classes for children 3 years old to 12th grade: Regular classes December 8, 15, and 22 (9-12th gr. Students don't meet 12/22).  All students on break December 29 and January 5. We resume January 12. 

Children's Christmas Program  The Light of the World  with music from Marty Haugen's Night of Silence.  Rehearsal: Saturday December 14 10:00 a.m.-12 noon here at St. Mark's. Preschool age children please arrive at 11:00a.m. Program: Sunday, December 15 4:00 p.m. (costumes and call time 3:30 p.m.); Potluck dinner following in the Parish Commons: Please bring a dish that corresponds to the following: Please bring a dish to share with at least 10-12 people.  A-I Side Dish; J-Z Main Dish, Dessert and Beverages provided. Sign up to help with the Potluck at:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0B45A4AA2FABFE3-christmas

Thursdays at St. Mark's for youth grades 6-12 ! December 5: 5:30 p.m. Youth Group Ugly Sweater Christmas Party-dinner provided (last youth group of 2019); 6:30p.m. Youth Choir; 7:30p.m. Youth Marimbas.
 
Middle/High School Movie Night!   Friday, December 20, 5:30-10:30 p.m. Star Wars: The Force Awakens & The Last Jedi. Pizza dinner and snacks provided. Parents are needed to help supervise this event. 2 shifts: 5:30-8:00 p.m. & 8:00-10:30 p.m. Please let me know if you can lend a hand. Sign up by December 15.
 
Home for the Holidays-College Age Breakfast!   Sunday, December 22, 9:45-10:45 a.m. in the Fireside Room.
 
High School Winter Baking Event!   Monday, December 23 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m. here at St. Mark's. Cost: $5.00 to help with supplies. Youth will be bringing home the goodies they make. Sign up by December 15.

Young Adult Ministry

Young Adults in Global Mission
Applications for the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) program are now open, and you can invite young adults on this yearlong journey abroad.  If you know young adults age 21 to 29, this is the time to reach out. Encourage them to apply for YAGM by the priority deadline of Jan. 15, 2020. Talk to them personally about what this opportunity will mean for their faith, identity, career and understanding of God's work in the world. 
 
Third Synod Young Adult Gathering
What are you STILL hungry for? 
We are planning a third gathering of young adults (aged 18-35) on Sunday December 8th! We will gather over a meal to share community and ponder the question "what are you still hungry for?"
In advance of this gathering please take a few moments to complete the survey at  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JVXGB93
Where: Good Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Olympia
When: Sunday, December 8, 2019 at 5:00pm
Please reach out to Kylie Whitehead  kylie.whitehead@comcast.net for more information.

Adult Faith Formation

Wednesday Adult Faith Formation
Wednesday Morning Bible Study meets in the #1 Commons Classroom. Visiting with coffee begins at 9:15. We have varying bible experiences, share our insights and concerns, and are now studying Proverbs. We will meet December 4.  We will not meet December 11, December 18, December 25, or January 1. We will resume meeting January 8, 2020. Come and join us! Questions? Linda Durant (253) 363-8202,  hotdouug@harbornet.com.

Wednesday Noon Text Study Luncheon
We gather for lunch and for conversation at noon in the Parish Commons Classroom and study around the texts that will be heard in worship the following Sunday.   Conversation will be guided by the pastor who will be preaching, and by the insights and questions of the group.


Lydia Circle meets the first Tuesday of the month at noon in the Parish Commons Classroom. Everyone is welcome to bring a sack lunch and join us.

Fully Alive Bible Study:  The Fully Alive Bible Study meets Tuesday evenings at 5:15 p.m. in the Upper Fireside Room. We will continue our study of the women of the Bible with the life of Gomer, the wife of the prophet Hosea. She's an interesting woman!  Please join us. All are welcome. For information, contact Sherry Maiura at 253.303.1681.
Moral Voices, Moral Choices

The Peace and Justice Committee at St. Mark's invites us all to use our moral voices to advocate for justice in the following areas: food, housing, creation, and immigration. We are also invited to make moral choices in our personal behavior that impact these areas.

"Give us this day our daily bread" we pray regularly, sometimes not even thinking about the words. From where does our daily bread come? Agroecology is the study of agricultural systems and the environment. The more that people can grow their own food sustainably, the less hunger there is in our world. Please read more about this here. You can skip to the last page if you don't have reading time: it has actions you can take when you do.

2nd Time Around Gift Drive a Success! 

YOU are amazing! THANKS for all the high quality items you donated to the NW Nourish Food Bank's holiday gift table. YOU have brought much needed joy to the families who receive food assistance each week!  Over 200 families receive assistance each week and now they have an opportunity to select gifts for family members.

YOU have provided their Merry Christmas!
Mary Olsen, Representative to the NW Nourish Steering Committee

Housing is the Foundation for Wholeness

Associated Ministries next quarterly meeting to address homelessness will be held Thursday, December 12, 5 to 7 p.m., at Oasis of Hope Center: 1937 S G Street Tacoma WA 98405. At these meetings attendees from faith communities in Tacoma gather to learn about resources and hear important updates on how Associated Ministries and their partners are working to confront this crisis. These meetings are an energizing space for people of faith and good will to be informed and to take action to end homelessness in our community. Members of St. Marks are encouraged to attend. More information is available at  www.associatedministries.org/events/cqm1212 , or by contacting Martha Ward or Robert Hasselblad.

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!