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By: Janeen Smith

In the sixth chapter of John, Jesus feeds many hungry people and goes on to say, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” and “I am the bread that came down from heaven”. The adults who hear him respond something like, “Hold on. He grew up in Nazareth; we know his father and his mother. He didn’t come from heaven and he clearly isn’t bread”. John could have used reports from a few of the children in the crowd he fed that day, I think. Children who would say, “Mmm, bread, I love bread. Bread makes ME feel loved; bread makes my tummy happy because I’m not hungry any more. Jesus makes me feel that way too.”

The bread that helps me think and feel like a child is my mom’s Swedish Rye Bread. The recipe was my great grandmother’s, but my mom sure made it well. When it came out of the oven, we could hardly wait (and sometimes didn’t) for it to cool enough that we wouldn’t burn our fingers and mouths. I don’t recall the bread ever lasting long enough to cool, maybe it did sometime, but what I remember is waiting for it to come out of the oven and eating it right away. It was a kind of nourishment that was more than the calories and the nutrients contained in the bread. It was a nourishment that enriched life, and was shared with everyone present, including visiting friends and neighbors.

Isn’t that the way with bread? At least real, homemade bread? Risen, waited for and baked, with the tantalizing odor only baking bread has? Who can leave it alone? Jesus says, “I am the bread of life”. Do we get it? Do we

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Coordinator of Ministry Message

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Christian Education 2 Worship & Music Ministry 10Congregational Care 3 Youth & Family Ministry 12Peace & Justice Ministry 5 Birthdays & Anniversaries 14Stewardship Ministry 7

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yearn for this bread with every spark of our being? If we do, then we know that this bread is for sharing, it isn’t for hoarding. It isn’t for keeping to our-selves; it is for breaking into pieces and passing around.

I have been blessed to come to know and journey alongside you here at St. Mark’s. I can affirm that adults as well as children here know the hope that bubbles up and ferments from a living faith in the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ. We know because somewhere, some-time, someone has taught us about that hope; someone has shown us his or her faith in that hope by the witness of their life; someone has welcomed us and introduced us to the Bread of Life. Each of those persons who helped bring us to faith and life in Christ were graced by God with special gifts and they used those gifts to build up the Body of Christ, the Church. Even as the way our individual bodies reflect who we are, so does the Body the Church reflect who and whose we are.

Those who have never heard what we say within these doors, know who we are by what we do and by the glimps-es they get of our actions. I will be ever thankful for having been part of this community; for having shared the many and diverse gifts God has given you in his service as the living Body of Christ in this place of grace. God’s love shines brightly through you into the world.

God be with you until we feast togeth-er again

Until We Feast Together Again

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New adult forum series: Let's Talk About Heaven!

Beginning on Sunday, August 9th, we'll meet to search for a Biblical answer to common questions about what heaven will be like and our life together there. Pastor Tollefson will be the facilitator.

Resources available will be Randy Alcorn’s books: “Heaven,” “50 Days of Heaven.” and “Heaven for Kids.”

By: Pastor Otto Tollefson

Topics may include: Will we meet our loved ones in heaven and how will we recognize them? How can we be sure we will go to heaven? What is the difference between earthly time and heaven, where time is never measured? Will our beloved pets meet us there? Will we have bodies? How will we travel? Will we bored? Can we plant tulips? Can we play guitars instead of harps? Will there be a golf course? Will Pastor Otto direct an orchestra?

Sundays, beginning August 9th, at 9:45 A.M.

Getting Ready for Sunday School

Have you thought about serving in children’s ministry, nurturing and teaching children in faith? Would you consider being a part of our Sunday school teaching team? What do you need to do to get involved in this way? What is involved in this commitment? Stop by the Sunday school office in the new education space for a description of the important volunteer role of Sun-day School Teacher and complete a volunteer infor-mation form. Please see or contact Char Leone (253-566-1050, e-mail: charleneleone1@aol.com) if you are interested. August is teacher enlistment month.

Some dates to note: Saturday, September 12th, 9:30 a.m. • Teacher’s Orientation for Preschool – 5th Grade

Sunday School

Sunday, September 6th, • Blessing of our Educators during Worship

By: Char Leone, Sunday School Coordinator

Sunday School Registration Packet coming to families

Families with children from age 3 through 5th grade will receive a packet of infor-mation in late August which will include a Sunday School registration form and information about our Fall Sunday School start-up and plans for the year. Look for this to come in your mail. You can also pick up extras in the Sunday school of-fice. Sunday classes for children start on September 13th in the new education spaces.

If you pre-registered for Vacation Bible School 2009 we be-gin at 9:00 a.m. Monday, August 3rd. Registration opens at 8:45 a.m. VBS runs Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to lead a group or activity site. We could not do it without you.

Blood Mobile on August 16 from 9-11 at the church. We need 12 people to sign up.

Blood Pressure Screening Sunday is August 23rd. Parish Nurses will be in the Parish Hall all morning.

Congregational Care No. 8

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This is the first in a two part series about sleep.

If you participated in the recent Par-ish Nurse exercise challenge, you might be interested in another way to take good care of your health and fitness: Sleep.

A Columbia University School of Public Health report states that if you are middle age and sleep five or less hours a night, you may be increasing your risk of developing high blood pressure. “Sleep allows the heart to slow down and blood pressure to drop for a significant part of the day.”

When compared to people who slept seven or eight hours a night, those who slept five or fewer hours a night also exercised less and were more likely to have higher body mass index. They were also more likely to have diabetes and depres-sion and to report day time sleepi-ness. Sleep deprivation has also been shown to increase appetite and compromise insulin sensitivity.

Sleep Hygiene: Helpful Hints to Help You SleepPoor sleep habits (referred to as hy-giene) are among the most com-mon problems encountered in our society. We stay up too late and get up too early. We interrupt our sleep with drugs, chemicals, work, and we over-stimulate ourselves with late-night activities such as television.

Below are some essentials of good sleep habits. Many of these points will seem like common sense. But it is surprising how many of these im-portant points are ignored by many of us. Your Personal Habits

• Fix a bedtime and an awaken-ing time.

• Avoid napping during the day.

• Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime.

• Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime.

• Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4-6 hours before bed-time.

• Exercise regularly, but not right before bed.

Your Sleeping Environment• Use comfortable bedding.

• Find a comfortable tempera-ture setting for sleeping and keep the room well ventilated.

• Block out all distracting noise, and eliminate as much light as possible.

• Reserve the bed for sleep and sex.

Getting Ready For Bed• Try a light snack before bed.

• Practice relaxation techniques before bed.

• Don't take your worries to bed.

• Establish a pre-sleep ritual.

• Get into your favorite sleeping position.

Next month’s topic will include get-ting up in the middle of the night and a word about television.

Sleep By: Helen Bache, Parish Nurse

Successful Aging

Successful aging can be defined as• Having no depression

• Having five friends

• Walking 30 minutes a day

It is Normal to • Slow down

• Retain intellectual vitality

• Sustain human relationships

• Utilize wisdom and experience

Seven Rules for Successful Aging• Dedicate yourself to things

outside yourself.

• Be realistic about longevity.

• Establish advanced directives.

• Find a personal M.D.

• Understand long-term care directives.

• Fight loneliness.

• Celebrate life at its end.

Richard Powers, M.D.Psychiatrist, Researcher and Author.Atlanta, Georgia

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Blood clots are a natural part of healing, but can also be dangerous.

A blood clot can be life threatening if it forms or lodges within any of the following arteries:

• The pulmonary artery, which travels from the heart to the lungs. Blockage in this ar-tery is called a pulmonary embolism and may result in damage to the lung and, in some cases, death. These clots may be caused by an abnormal heart rhythm called atrial fibrillation or by a peripheral venous disorder in the deep veins of the legs (e.g., deep vein thrombosis).

• One of the coronary arteries, which are lo-cated on the surface of the heart and sup-ply the heart muscle with fresh, oxygen-rich blood. Blockage of any of the coronary ar-teries could trigger a heart attack.

• The carotid arteries, which lie in the neck and supply the brain with oxygen-rich blood. Blockage could trigger a stroke or a mini-stroke (transient ischemic attack TIA).

Blood ClotsBy: Helen Bache, Parish Nurse

Signs and SymptomsBlood clots may be “silent” and display no symptoms. A DVT or deep vein thrombosis/clot may occur deep in a person’s veins. This clot can cause a pulmonary embolism if it becomes dislodged and travels through the blood supply to the lungs. If this occurs, people can die 30 to 60 minutes after symptoms begin. People may die of a pulmonary embolism/clot without ever knowing that they had a pulmonary embolism. Many of those who survive have complications that negatively impact their quality of life. That is why it is important to know the risk factors of blood clots and pulmonary embolism.

While blood clots and embolism do not always cause symptoms, identifying one of the following symptoms could help save your life:

Deep Vein Thrombosis Pulmonary EmbolismSwelling of Extremities Shortness of Breath

Tenderness Sudden CoughingRedness Chest Pains

DiscolorationVisable Surface Veins

You can help prevent blood clots if you Stay Active!• Take all medicines the doctor prescribes you…es-

pecially anti-coagulants.

• Drink enough water.

• Eat a healthy and varied diet.

• Wear loose-fitting clothes, socks, or stockings.

• Raise your legs 6 inches above your heart from time to time.

• Wear special stockings (called compression stock-ings) if your doctor prescribes them.

• Do exercises your doctor gives you.

• Change your position often, especially during a long trip.

• Do not stand or sit for more than 1 hour at a time.

• Eat less salt.

• Try not to bump or hurt your legs and try not to cross them.

• Do not use pillows under your knees.Good News! Pat Lelvis, a former missionary with World Mission Prayer League, and later a teacher at the Lu-theran Bible Institute in Issaquah, will be our retreat speaker at Carol Paulson’s home on October 3. Pat will talk about her recent trip to Ecuador.

Remember to register for the Bible Study Event at Trinity on August 22. Information and registration forms are in the narthex.

Risk Factors Include:*Hospitalization *Major surgery *Trauma *Long periods of immobility, for example air line fl ights.

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One of the important tasks of the Church Council this summer has been to make sure that the leader-ship needs of the congregation are met following the departure of Ja-neen Smith, Coordinator of Ministry. By the time you read this newsletter Janeen will be up at Holden Village, where she will serve as a member of the volunteer staff.

The first step in the process was to ask the Leadership Development Team to examine our current minis-try goals and then make a recom-mendation to the Church Council about the best way to align our staff with those goals. Leadership Development Team is made up of the following people, appointed by the Church Council to serve as advisors in matters such as this: Ruth Saathoff, John Avery, Tom Hulst, Patty Reinkensmeyer, Barb Holme, and Jim Pence. Jim Pence recused himself from this discussion, since he is married to one of the current staff members at St. Mark’s. After many fruitful hours of deliberation, the Leadership Development Team,

News from Church Council

along with two members of Church Council, proposed that the full-time Coordinator of Ministry position should be divided into two half-time positions, since the functions of the job were very broad. They pro-posed that the first position should be a Parish Administrator that will focus entirely on the daily oversight of all financial and operational as-pects of our congregation’s minis-try. They noted that as our congre-gation grows, this kind of leadership is becoming more and more impor-tant. A job description for this half-time position was adopted by the Church Council at their July meet-ing and the Executive Committee then appointed a Search Commit-tee. The Search Committee consists of Jan Pence, John Wascher, Steve Titus, Eileen Tellefson, and Jan Ruud. They have already begun to adver-tise this position and hope to inter-view candidates during the second half of August. The job description for this half-time Parish Administrator is also posted on our congregation’s website. The Executive Committee also appointed John Wascher as In-

terim Parish Administrator. John will serve in this role until the new person is hired.

The second half-time posi-tion, which is yet be defined, will focus on the task of link-ing people with ministry and providing direction and support to all the various ministry groups that are ac-tive at St. Mark’s. The goal is to present a proposed job description for this position to the Church Council at the August meeting. Once the final draft of the job de-scription has been adopted by Church Council, they will post it on St. Mark’s web-site and appoint a Search Committee for this position as well. Please keep all of these people and this process in prayer as we move forward in mission.

Peace & Justice Ministry

By: Vangie Billingsley

Think School Kits Now I hope you have been watching for bargains on school supplies.They are showing up. Each kit needs:three 70 page spiral notebooks, 6 pencils, 1 lg. pink eraser, 1 ruler, 1 pencil sharpener (with shaving holder), 1 scissor (blunt), 1 box of 24 crayons, 12 sheets construction pa-per (assorted colors).

School bags will be available soon if you wish to fill one with the above

items to make a child smile. In many countries parents cannot afford the school supplies and the child can-not attend if they do not have what is needed. If you have children it would be an excellent opportunity to share with them this need and let them help to fill a school bag for one of these children.

If you would rather just buy the items there will be a box in the nar-thex to receive your gifts. If shop-ping is difficult for you we will have a jar available for your financial gift at the school bag table if you wish. We will shop for you.

Last week 1 found 6 pencil sharp-eners for $1.00 3 rulers for $1.00 and 2 pink pearl erasers for 60 cents. Hoping to find a good bargain on the notebooks. With three to each kit they are greatly needed.

Thank you for supporting this minis-try.

Layettes are Being MadeMany thanks to you who found flannel sheets at 2nd hand stores or estate sales; and many thanks to those of you who use the flannel to create diapers and receiving blan-kets. Each layette also needs baby shirts, a sleeper, diaper pins, lg. bar of soap, and a baby sweater.

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Five words, spoken by Jesus calling for action. It’s a bit abbreviated from the actu-al statements He made, but critically relevant to our lives. They are verbs, not nouns. It calls for action. Yes, it’s the kind of action I, perhaps all of us, would sometimes like to avoid. But it fits in with Je-sus’ call to discipleship when He said, “Take up your cross and follow me,” in Mark 8:34. (I suggest you read all of that paragraph, Mark 8: 34-38). I read it often and it energizes me to be about the “Tell” and “Feed.”

Our August offerings will go to the familiar Nativity House, located on S. Jefferson here

in Tacoma. We have a faithful cad-re of people from St. Mark’s who go there the 4th Saturday of each month. They take food, prepare it and serve it to those in need. They are great examples of compliance to that “Feed” command of Jesus.

I have gone to Nativity House sev-eral times in the past. It always shakes me up a great deal, espe-cially as I talk with some while they are eating. Many don’t even want to talk, just eat. Many have experi-enced job loss, some have health/mental problems, and many other forms of human tribulation and suf-fering. With our current economic condition, that number keeps grow-ing. Most of the time children are involved as well. When I see them, Jesus’ words always pop into my mind, “Let the little children come to me, and forbid them not, for of

such is the Kingdom of God.”

So again, I invite and encourage you to walk forward on Sundays with a contribution to that little wicker basket setting on the communion rail. You will be blessed.

Thanks for your June contributions, which went to the Tacoma Rescue Mission. They amounted to $660.84.

(Correction: the offerings for the previous month were incorrectly la-beled. It should have been: May--$1,060.34 to ELCA World Hun-ger Fund)

Go Tell . . . Feed the Hungry

Muchas GraciasBy: Pastor Jan Ruud

The Mexico Mission Team wants to thank the whole congregation for your support of this year’s mission trip and for the many prayers and words of encourage-ment that were shared. With your help, we built houses for four wonderful families that had been chosen by the local Lutheran congregation. We also welcomed a large group of children and parents each day to Vaca-tion Bible School, which we did outdoors in the neigh-borhood where the homes were being built. All in all, it was an opportunity to establish many new friendships with the people of Mexico and to renew old ones with families we have come to know in previous years.

One of the great joys of this trip every year is the chance to worship, work, eat, and play with the pastor and members of El Redentor Lutheran Church in El Flori-do. We worshipped with them on Father’s Day, and, by the end of the service, every father in the house (in-cluding those from our group) had been hugged by ev-ery member of the congregation. In the middle of the week, members of the congregation prepared a feast of good food for us, which was followed by games and dancing that kept us all laughing and smiling through-out the night.

While we there, we learned that 75% of the church groups that had planned to build houses in Mexico this

year had cancelled their trips, so our presence there seemed to have an even greater impact. There were lots of tears shed at the blessing of the homes on the last day of our time in Mexico, and team members are already looking forward to the chance to be reunited with these loving families when we go there again next year.

When we presented the families with the key to their new home, we also gave them a quilt made by mem-bers of St. Mark’s. This is always a beautiful symbol of the love and support that every one of you ex-tends to these broth-ers and sis-ters in Christ through your support of this mission. So, again, muchas gra-cias.

Stewardship Ministry No. 8

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God’s plan revealed in the Word For example, Psalm 119 invites us to know and follow the purposes of God. The writer uses verbs like keep,delight in, treasure, honor and observe in relationship to the plans, purposes and acts of the loving kindness of God. Those plans and purposes and acts of loving kindness include God’s law, decrees, ways, precepts, statutes, commandments, ordinances, word, utteranc-es, judgments, works, promises, truth, name, portion, favor, righteous judgments, steadfast love, goodness, faithfulness, mercy, teaching of the mouth, lamp, light, hiding place, shield, hope and salvation. This celebra-tion of God’splan is an example of the highest form of stewardship.

Job 28 is a song of the search for wisdom. God alone knows the place of wisdom. This whole chapter is an ex-ample of total attachment to God and God’s purpos-es. This is worship. This is the highest form of stewardship.

The Bible is filled with examples which would draw our eyes away from ourselves and the world around us to an immersion in the worship of God. We follow the ex-

ample of Jesus and the teaching of the church through the ages when we let worship be cen-tral in our lives.The first and the best One aspect of worship which was emphasized in Bible times was the bringing of the first and the best to the Temple as offerings. There are pages of instruction in the Book of Leviticus which concern the choos-ing and offering of first and best from field and flock as a sign of trust in and dependence upon God. In Deuteronomy 26: 1-11, instructions are given for the offering of “first fruits” as a state-ment of faith and an act of thanksgiving. This theme continues into Christian theology when we as believers are encouraged to offer that which is dearest to us as a sign of our willingness to honor God and to have no other “gods” stand in the place of God.

Our worship is not perfect; we are still marred by our mixed motives and our inconstant be-havior. Even when we try our best to honor God we recognize that God’s grace supplies God’s goodness to us, and even our finest worship cannot earn that grace.

The Theology of StewardshipBy: the Rev. Michael Meier, from The Depth and Breadth of Stewardship Theology

For those interested in a challenging wilderness experience, a four day hike is planned from August 13-16 on the Pacific Crest Trail. This will involve carrying a backpack and sleeping in tents for three nights. This trek will include about 30-miles of trail north of Rainy Pass (that intersects the North Cascades Highway). Backpackers should be in good shape and enjoy ridge walking and nights under the stars. Please contact Tom Hulst at 253-460-2683 or Rod Hanke at 253-460-5921 if you would like to discuss this experience further.

Backpackers

General & Benevolence Fund June YTD to June 30

Total Gen & Benev Fund Income $42,490 $324,392

Planned Benevolences $7,204 $27,992Ministry Team expenses $1,673 $14,931Administrative expenses $2,845 $25,920Property expenses $3,548 $23,933Staff expenses $42,448 $252,276Total Gen & Benev Fund Expenses $57,717 $345,053

Operating Difference -$15,227 $-20,661

June and YTD Finance Report June, July, and August are months the church often falls behind in its ability to fund ministry. However, God's work through this place of grace is ongoing. As you travel this summer, we appreci-ate your continuing to give generously to St. Mark's.

We also received in June, among other designated gifts, $661 for Hunger Basket, $3,422 for the Mexico mission trip and $22,270 for Grace Upon Grace. All des-ignated gifts are sent to the ministry or organization for which they were desig-nated.

Sun Mon Tue Wed

28:30, 9:45, 11-Worship9:45—Sunday School9:45—Adult Forum

3 Vacation Bible School

7:00 Boy Scouts

4 Vacation Bible School1:00 Staff Mtg.6:00 Worship Team

5 Vacation Bible School

98:30, 9:45, 11-Worship9:45—Sunday School9:45—Adult Forum11 Stephen Min-istry Training

107:45 am—Stephen Ministry Training

7:00 Boy Scouts

111:00 Staff Mtg.6:00 Worship Team

129:00 Visitation Team

168:30, 9:45, 11-Worship9:45—Sunday School9:45—Adult ForumBlood Drive Today!

17ELCA Churchwide As-sembly—until Aug. 23

7:00 Boy Scouts

181:00 Staff Mtg.6:00 Worship Team6:00 Church Council

19

238:30, 9:45, 11-Worship9:45—Sunday School9:45—Adult ForumBlood Pressure Checks

24

7:00 Boy Scouts

251:00 Staff Mtg.6:00 Worship Team

26

4:30 Worship & Mu-sic Comm. mtg.

308:30, 9:45, 11-Worship9:45—Sunday School9:45—Adult ForumSR ALYVE—Day at the Beach (time TBA)

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7:00 Boy Scouts

August 2009

Thu Fri Sat110 Summer Choir Practice

Weekly Parish Nurse Hours:

Sunday - 9:30-11:00 a.m.Wednesday -4:00-7:30 p.m.Thursday - 9:00—-noon

6 Vacation Bible School5:30 Executive Comm.

7 Vacation Bible School 8 Weekly Nursery / Child-care is offered:Sundays - 8 a.m.-12:15 p.m.Tuesdays - 6:00-8:30 p.m.

1310 Caregiver Sup-port Group

Backpacking Trip (thru 8/16)

14

Backpacking Trip (thru 8/16)

15 Viewpoint Deadline

Backpacking Trip

20

6:00 Support for Families of Incarcerated Persons

21 2212:30—Serve at Nativity HouseBible Study Event @ Trinity

27 9:30 Viewpoint Assembly

28

Staff Retreat

29

Staff Retreat

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church by The Narrows

Worship & Music Ministry

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By: Pastor Jan RuudThe addition of the beautiful new multi-purpose space and rooms for Sunday School, Preschool and VBS have already made a big impact on our ministry. Every week, people say” Wow! How did we manage without this?” Even on Sunday mornings, countless people have re-marked on how different it feels to have space to move around freely and gather with others for conversation and fellowship. Sunday School teachers are gushing about the possibilities that are opened up with this new space, and they are excited to welcome children every week for Summer Sunday School. The same goes for those who have been planning for Vacation Bi-ble School, which will take place during the first week of August. Finally, our children are getting the best space we have to offer at St. Mark’s.

With the completion of the new facilities, our attention now turns to the renovation of exist-ing ones. This, too, is part of Grace Upon Grace. Projects that we want to complete in the near

future include: Upgrade and remodel of our Nursery space for children; remodel of the old preschool wing to serve as a dedicated space for music ministry; re-model of the old Sunday School wing to serve as ex-panded space for Youth Ministry; relocation of the of-fice workroom to a larger space and creation of work stations for part-time staff; remodel of the sacristy to accommodate the needs of the altar guild, ushers, and musicians who use that space every week; upgrade of our lighting in the sanctuary; and a few other small proj-ects. The Church Council has appointed a committee to oversee these projects and we welcome your par-ticipation in this very important work. If you have some free time this summer, please contact the church office and we will put you to work.

Another important part of our on-going support to Grace Upon Grace is the monetary gifts we offer. We are now beginning our monthly mortgage payments to the Mission Investment Fund of the ELCA, so your regu-lar support is extremely important. Thank you to all of you who have been so faithful in honoring the pledges of support you made to Grace Upon Grace, and those of you who have made new gifts and pledges in these last few months. We still have a ways to go to meet our goal, so we encourage every member to consider sup-porting this ministry in a way that reflects your ability to give.

Thanks be to God for all that has been accomplished. It truly does make a difference.

Grace Upon Grace: Linking Ministry and Facilities

Last Chance for Summer ChoirAugust is your last chance to participate in the 2009 Summer Choir. Summer Choir is for all ages and all ability levels. We will practice on Saturday, August 1st from 10:00-11:00 a.m. in the St. Mark’s Sanctuary and then sing on Sunday morning at the 11:00 service (warm-up practice from 10:30-10:45 in the Fireside Room). If you know that you can participate, it is helpful to let Danielle know (for music selection purposes). If you don’t know but can come, please just show up.

If you have any questions, please contact Danielle at 253-752-4966 x105 or danielle@smlutheran.org.

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August 2009Saturday, August 1st Summer Choir practice, 10:00-11:00 a.m.

Sunday, August 2nd 8:30 a.m. service: Sherry family11:00 a.m. service: Summer Choir

Sunday, August 9th 8:30 a.m. service: Bell Duet (Kristina/Regan)9:45 a.m. service: VBS children sing11:00 a.m. service: Bell Duet (Danielle/Ruth)

Sunday, August 16th 11:00 a.m. service: Iverson family

Sunday, August 23rd 8:30 a.m. service: Postovoit family11:00 a.m. service: Trio (Janet R., Karen G. Danielle)

Wednesday, August 26th Worship and Music Team meeting, 4:30 p.m.

VBS Children SingThe children that attended Vacation Bible School from August 3-7 will have another chance to sing their songs for the St. Mark’s congregation on Sunday, August 9th at the 9:45 service. There will be no warm-up practice – just come to service and we’ll sing some of our favor-ite songs. Hope to see you all there

Tuesday Night Music ChangeStarting in September, music practices for Tuesday night children and youth music groups (Babies of St. Mark’s, Joyful Noise Choir, Jubilation Choir, Children’s Chimes and St. Mark’s Ringers) will be changing from Tuesday night to Wednesday night. Practices will be basically the same – the schedule (subject to change) will look like this:

• 4:45-5:15 OR 5:15-5:45 p.m. – BABIES OF ST. MARK’S• 5:15-5:45 p.m. – JOYFUL NOISE CHOIR• 5:45- 6:30 p.m. – JUBILATION CHOIR• 6:30-7:15 p.m. – CHILDREN’S CHIMES CHOIR• 7:15-8:00 p.m. OR 8:00-8:45 p.m. – ST. MARK’S RINGERS

Adult groups (Bells of St. Mark’s and Worship Team) may also change, though your leaders (Danielle and Darren) will be talking with you be-fore any changes are made.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Danielle Lemieux, Director of Music Ministry at danielle@smlutheran.org or 253-752-4966 x105.

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St. Mark's is a busy place all week long, but it's at its busiest on Sunday morn-ings. That's when there are three full services, Sunday school, adult forums, and tables for free trade cof-fee, and special events, as well a continuous opportu-nity for fellowship. We have worked over time to get the timing right for all of this, but still it's sometimes been rushed. With that in mind, the Worship and Music Min-istry Team has considered recommending adjusting the worship times to allow for more time between ser-vices. The hope was that with more time, the musi-cians would be able to set up and start the services in a less rushed manner and that we all would have more of an opportunity to have fellowship with each other.

Since we all have much invested in the Sunday schedule, the team decid-ed to survey the congre-gation for input. We asked which of two options were preferred: Option 1 of 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 or Option 2 of 8:15, 9:45, and 11:15. The results of the survey were in-conclusive with 43% voting for # 1 and 54% voting for #2. 2% voted, as indicated

by their comments, for no change. A respectable number, 334 individ-uals, responded. In the comments, congregational members had a chance to express their feelings. Some were fine with the proposed changes; some were for keeping things the same, "Don't fix what isn't broken," wrote one respondent. In reviewing the comments, the min-istry team had the sense that while the congregation would make the needed change and adjust from the current schedule, there wasn't a passion for making the change. In addi-tion, when the chang-es were first proposed, we were in the building process. Now we have an expansive new fa-cility where there is ample room for fellow-ship and promotional tables in between ser-vices. We just are not squeezed for space as we once were. Re-modeling has also meant we have a new sound system and antici-pated changes to the sacristy. The sound check needed to change from one service to the next can be taken care of with a push of a button, and the sacristy will have space to store some of the musi-cal equipment, which means easier and closer access for the musicians. In other words, set-up will be easier and less time-consuming.

Given the response to the survey and the changes to some of the technical issues of moving from one service to the next, the team rec-ommended to the council that, for the present, we not change service times. Changing times is a good idea for many reasons, but the impulse for it was not, in the main, coming from the congregation. The survey told us that the congregation would adjust, but there was little evidence

of a passion for the change coming from members. The Church Coun-cil, heard the recommendation at its July 14th meeting and agreed that we would allow for some time to live into the new building and re-evaluate, if needed, at some future date. The Worship and Music Minis-try Team thanks the congregation for responding to the survey and for its patience as we worked to make a recommendation.

A Report on Worship Timesby John Avery, Worship and Music Ministry Team

Youth & Family MinistryYouth & Family Ministry No. 8

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Vacation Bible School (August 3-7) See page 2 for more details

Children’s Ministry3 years - 5th Grade

Summer Nursery/Childcare Schedule:

Sundays: 8:00 a.m.-12:15 p.m.Tuesdays: 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Middle School Ministry: JR ALYVE6-8th Grade (2008-2009 school year)• Save the date - Sunday, August 30th Day at the

Beach. Time TBA

• Confirmation and Middle School Youth Ministry BBQ, Wednesday, September 9th

• JR ALYVE Youth Group Night moves back to Wednesday nights beginning October 7th 6-7:15 p.m. This group will meet the 1st and 3rd Wednes-days of each month.

High School Ministry: SR ALYVE9-12th Grade (2008-2009 school year)

• Sunday, August 30th Day at the Beach Time TBA

• SR ALYVE Bible Study and Discussion group resumes Wednesday, September 23rd from 6-7:15 p.m. This group will meet the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month.

• Synod wide Servant Event—September 25-26th Chehalis WA. Please sign up by Sun-day, September 6th if you are attending.

• Let Justice Roll-Hearts4Justice event at Hold-en Village, October 3-5(Saturday-Monday). Cost: $150.00 per person. We can take 3 youth grades 10-12th and 1 adult. Please let Ingelaurie know by September 19th if you are interested in attending.

• Adult leaders are needed both Holden Vil-lage and the Synod Servant Event. Please contact Ingelaurie if you are interested in attending.

Rocky Boy Mission TripThanks to Brian Compton, Susan Newsom, Mary Jo Larsen and Bruce Sadler for leading this group. And to all of the parents who helped transport us to and from the train station.

Thanks also to everyone who helped support us for this trip. We spent most of our time working at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church on the reservation working with Mission Builders from the ELCA. Some of projects included: painting, building and putting on shutters, learning how to install insulation, and building a Tee Pee. We also had the opportunity to clean some local rodeo grounds, do some bead work and take a tour of the Bear Paw Battleground near Chinook MT.

We will share our Montana adventures with the congregation on Sunday, August 2nd at all 3 worship services.

If you haven’t turned in your M&M tubes filled with quarters it is not too late. Please drop them off to Ingelaurie in the church office.

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14August BirthdaysAugust 1 Nadine Carroll Jason Conley Shirley Morstad Ray ShjervenAugust 2 Sheri KurashimaAugust 3 Floyd Bachman Charleen Barnes Spencer Crenshaw Hildegard Filar Natalie Popish Shannon FleischfresserAugust 4 Volly GrandeAugust 5 Nathe Lawver, Sr. John Summerour Melanie Summerour Michelle WilhelmAugust 7 Helen Bache Helen Conroy Dustin Hartman Luke McConnellAugust 8 Elliott CrenshawAugust 9 Dana Cheesman Lauren Larson Lawrence Wiimberley

August 10 Dale WrightAugust 11 Linda Hulst Kennedy Lee Claudia SilverthornAugust 12 Bob Chapman Rob Irwin Claire WileyAugust 13 Denise Allen Ralph LeistikowAugust 14 John Christensen Alison Wigstrom-HosethAugust 15 Phil Birkeland Mike NelsonAugust 16 Rolf Morstad Martin NeebAugust 17 Benjamin ShjervenAugust 18 Marie Hoiland Kay Lueken Dorothy ReitanAugust 19 Julia Brink Earl Steen Jade-Emily McClellandAugust 20 Mary Jo Larsen

August 21 Viola Clark Ingelaurie Lisher Camille SullivanAugust 22 Ryan Gustafson Chris SpauldingAugust 23 Mark Gaimster Jim PenceAugust 24 Greta HixonAugust 25 Tom Chapman Don ReinkensmeyerAugust 26 Jerrid Hixon Gene Keller August 30 Stan Adams Drew Albaugh Natalie Albaugh Kendrick O’Neill

(Our apologies to Judy Morstad—we forgot her birthday in July! Happy belated birthday, Judy!)

Pastoral Acts

Address Changes:

Carol Franklin8629 Zircon Dr SW #C-3Lakewood WA 98498-4015

Mirjam HoferFichtenstrasse 791186 GoetzenreuthGermanyEmail: mirjam_hofer@hotmail.com

Pr. Otto & Barbara Tollefson1707 N. Vassault St. #6-6Tacoma WA 98406-2565Phone: 253.301.0764

Death:

We received word that Clifford Arne Johnson died March 1, 2009 in Oregon City, OR. Cliff was a member at St. Mark’s from 1957-1964 and was active in the church choir. If you would like to contact Cliff’s wife, Caryl Johnson, her address is: 6605 Lowry Dr., West Linn, OR 97068.

Baptisms:

Lucian John Crocco, son of Vince and Prudence Crocco Born: March 25, 2009 Baptized: July 5, 2009 Sponsors: Antonia and Michelle Caro Micah and Michelle Reitan Pastor Rebecca Shjerven and Pastor Mark Reitan, officiating

Charles Michael Finch, son of Grace and Michael Finch Born: March 29, 2009 Baptized: July 12, 2009 Sponsors: Matthew Finch, Jolene Finch, Jermaine Purcell, Shenan Purcell Pastor Rebecca Shjerven, officiating

Riley Denton Jones, son of Ryan and Katie Jones Born: December 2, 2008 Baptized: July 12, 2009 Sponsors: Philip and Kari Jones Pastor Rebecca Shjerven, officiating

PRESIDENT Kim Meade 759-9817VICE PRESIDENT Martin Duenhoelter 565-5634SECRETARY Rolf Morstad 759-0563TREASURER John Wascher 503-6765

CHRISTIAN EDUCATIONKaren Grams, 389-1886

STEWARDSHIPEverett Holum, 752-3304

CONGREGATIONAL CAREJanet Ruud, 564-2832

WORSHIP & MUSICJacquie Crenshaw, 456-6624

OUTREACH MINISTRYJim Nettles, 759-6676

YOUTH & FAMILYBen Summerour, 857-8872

PEACE AND JUSTICEPaula Friedmann, 759-3881

Council MembersJune 2009 through May 2010

• General Office Email—office@smlutheran.org

• Pastor Jan Ruud—jruud@smlutheran.org

• Pastor Rebecca Shjerven—rebecca@smlutheran.org

• Pastor Otto Tollefson—otollefson@aol.com

• Ingelaurie Lisher, Director of Youth & Fami-lies—ingelaurie@smlutheran.org

• Danielle Lemieux—Director of Music Min-istry—danielle@smlutheran.org

• Jan Pence, Office Manager/Administra-tive Assistant—janpence@smlutheran.org

• Lisa Lindholm, Publications—lisa@smlutheran.org

• Pat Buck, Financial Recording Secre-tary—pbuck@smlutheran.org

• Laura Oellerich, Director of Preschool—preschool@smlutheran.org

• Becki Christian, Custodian and Hospital-ity Coordinator—beckic924@hotmail.com

Staff• Mike McKeller, Bookkeeper—book-

keeper@smlutheran.org

• Darren Kerbs, Worship Team Direc-tor—darrenkerbs@hotmail.com

• Caresse Robertson, Youth Music Drama Team Leader—caresse@smlutheran.org

• Phyllis Bachman, Organist/pianist

• Cooper Sherry, Organist/pianist

• Adam Manley, Sound Technician

• Craig Cootsona, Musician

• Spencer Crenshaw, Facilities Assistant

• Ruth Saathoff, Parish Nurse

• Karen Grams, Parish Nurse

• Helen Bache, Parish Nurse

• Joan Torfin, Parish Nurse

• John Wascher, Interim Parish Administrator

August 1 Barbara & Vic HolmeAugust 2 Dana & John Cheesman Rex & Susan MerchantAugust 4 Greg & Michelle TorresAugust 7 Anthony & Karin DeLormeAugust 9 Joe & Pat Buck Jim & Marie HoilandAugust 10 Erica & Peter NelsonAugust 12 Amy & Greg McCloud Katina & Anthony BundyAugust 13 Kim & Mark MeadeAugust 15 David & Helen Huseth Kathy & Stan Adams Arlyn & Alan Anderson Dan & Cyndi VillegasAugust 16 Sheri & Gary Kurashima Ren Gallier & Allison Lindsey-Iverson August 17 Ev & Mary Jo Holum Derek & Lisa Lindholm

August AnniversariesAugust 18 Ann & Frank Hruza Jon & Linda JornlinAugust 19 Deborah & John Thomas Darlene & Michael RompogrenAugust 20 Linda & Tom HulstAugust 21 Chet & Mary Novak Michelle & Scott MenefeeAugust 22 Betty & David Roberts John & Tish SteigerwaldAugust 23 Steve & Wendy GrayAugust 27 Herman & Maren TobiassenAugust 28 Earl & Helen Sakrison Kathleen & Robert HasselbladAugust 29 Dick & Sue ZatkovichAugust 30 Don & Patty Reinkensmeyer Carrie & Bob Bonner Dan & Helen ConroyAugust 31 Kris & Scott Moor

St. Mark’s Lutheran Churchby The Narrows

6730 North 17th StreetTacoma, WA 98406-1902

Phone: 253-752-4966Fax: 253-752-4990www.smlutheran.orgoffice@smlutheran.org

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDTacoma, WA

Permit NO. 525

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A Place for Grace

Our Mission StatementSt. Mark’s is a people and place for God’s grace. We are a baptized and believing people claimed by Christ. Therefore, we call all people to Worship and Witness, Learn and Serve, Share God’s Word and Sacraments, Reach Out with Words and Deeds of Love.

Worship Opportunities at St. Mark’sHoly Communion is celebrated every Sunday at our morning services.

Sunday, 8:30 a.m. —This worship service draws on a wide variety of musical traditions for both hymns and special music - from Scan-dinavian Folk Tunes to Asian or Latin American songs of praise; from medieval chants to African American Spiritu-als – celebrating the rich variety of music that God has given to the Church.

Sunday, 9:45 a.m.—The singing at this service is led by a band which includes piano, drums, bass guitar, and often another lead gui-tar or acoustic guitar, blend-ing contemporary music with historic elements of worship that are in all of our services.

Sunday, 11:00 a.m.—People often call this the "tradi-tional" worship service because we sing well-known hymns from our new Evangelical Lutheran Worship Hymnbook. The Chancel Choir leads the sing-ing, with organ and piano.

Evening Prayer Services will resume in the fall.