A Request from Pastor Albert

My Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Bill Turner (our St. Mark’s council vice president) and I are leading the 2025 Council Retreat on Saturday, March 29. Part of our time together will be to review the history of St. Mark’s and to consider our values as a congregation through the decades. The most important part of this segment will be to discuss our values at the present time. Your participation will make this much more fruitful. Please complete the simple 6-question questionnaire by following the link below. It is important that as many members of the congregation to participate as possible. I know we just had a survey. This one is completely different and very important as we prayerfully discern God’s direction and mission for His St. Mark’s congregation. The survey will close at 11:59PM on Thursday, March 27. So, please do not delay in responding.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkjgiunM3uXJlMYqcizgzay4ZZTgEmSj2c5V2h3iEX6lTkEg/viewform?usp=sharing

Gratefully, yours in Christ,
Pr Albert

Midweek service bulletins are found on the Worship Page HERE.

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2025 Lenten Series ~ Each Wednesday at 10:30 AM and on-demand

Experiencing God: Every Sense Engaged

Week 1: “See” Candles, Images/Icons, and Statues—link to text HERE
Week 2: “Touch” Candles, Images/Icons, and Statues—link to text HERE
Week 3: “Hear” Candles, Images/Icons, and Statues—link to text HERE
Week 4: “Smell” Candles, Images/Icons, and Statues—
Week 5: “Taste” Candles, Images/Icons, and Statues—

Help Send a Mission Group to Honduras

Be a part of Grace Presbyterian Church’s “Home Team” in support of their 22nd year of sending a mission group to Honduras. Donate eye glasses either new or used “readers” eyeglasses (Dollar Tree purchases acceptable) or much needed NEW over-the-counter medical supplies, such as eye drops, vitamins, bandages, pain relievers, antiseptic creams, etc. Pastor Saul and Aida, his wife, and Sue Czarnetzky have previously been part of the mission trips. Collection containers will be in the narthex through March 31. See more HERE!

Pastor Triolo’s 12/15/2024 Sermon

Click HERE for Pastor Triolo’s Advent sermon of Sunday, December 15, 2024 in both English and Spanish.

New Community Gateway Operating Hours

The Community Gateway is now closed during the Montessori School operating hours. and it will be open during evenings, weekends, and school holidays. St. Mark’s members may see some more foot traffic during the daytime along our main entrance. If you have a church-related social services event that needs gateway access prior to 6:00 PM, please contact the Church Office, and Maritza will coordinate with the school. (The gateway will be opening early on Tuesdays for Food For Others.)

Food for Others Needs Help on Tuesday Evenings!

Due to members moving away and some others being unable to help distribute food on Tuesday nights, our staff is in need of people to step up and help fill this tremendously satisfying need. The past weeks have had 60-70 people at our church doors needing food … please, can you help?

Driver needed for Food For Others. Once every 4th Tuesday—pick up in Merrifield about 4:30 PM and drop off to Fellowship Hall. Need to have space in car for crates/boxes of food. We’d appreciate it, even if you can help temporarily.

Contact Nan Ackerman or Debbie Brown to volunteer or ask questions.

Want to know our latest financial Update? … find it HERE!

THANK YOU FROM ONE OF OUR BOY SCOUTS …

… from Minh-Vien on his computer refurbishing project—read more about this great project HERE!

The "Watch and Pray" Bunch …

We’re still meeting every Sunday for 10-15 minutes after the English service at 11:00 AM in the Fellowship Hal1 for prayers … won’t you join us?!
Every Tuesday at noon the Lunch Bunch meets in the Lounge for lunch (bring your own) and prayer All are welcome.

St. Mark’s Mission Trip to Red Bird Work Camp
July 2024

Last month, St. Mark’s sent a team to participate in Red Bird Mission Work Camp. Jim Kyger, Harriet Latta, Maureen Murphy, Alice Real, and Mary Crumrine (Alice’s sister) spent July 21 through July 26 in Beverly, Kentucky, working on home improvement projects in the surrounding community. Guided by Red Bird Crew Leaders, Brett and Kevin, they repaired and replaced a bedroom floor and water heater in an elderly couple's trailer home, and they mudded drywall and installed underpinning around an addition to the couple’s nephew's home across the street. The addition will be a new bedroom for several of the nephew's children. 

Two New Announcements!

If you need to have a document notarized, our own Maritza Cerritos is now a certified Notary Public—check with her in our church office.

Also, the 2024 annual reports are ready! An electronic version will be sent to all by default, but you can pick up a hard copy in the Narthex or church office, or click HERE. 

Town Hall RECAP of Sunday,
February 23, 2025

Thanks for those who were able to attend our Town Hall on February 23rd to talk about our aging congregation and potential future use of our property. For information on the Town Hall gathering AND to access the follow-up information and surveys, click HERE to go to the Town Hall webpage, where you can find presentations, handouts, and links to the survey. If filling out an online survey would be challenging for you, paper surveys are available in the Narthex.

Here is a link to the TOWN HALL FULL BRIEFING DECK: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eI9iozap50uAg1ekeLLcTo3Vy_r0VngM/view

Do you need to change your electronic donation for 2025?

Click HERE to download the form to use to change the amount and/or frequency of your electronic donation to St. Mark's. Download it, print it, fill it in as needed according to the directions, and drop it into our church Treasurer’s box in the church office and the new information will be entered into the Vanco system.

Health Fair Recap …

St. Mark’s held our annual Community Health Fair on Saturday, August 17, hosted by the Life Center. Thanks to all of the St. Mark’s volunteers who helped set up, host the event, and clean up afterwards. A special big Thank You goes out to Pete Morrison for leading the Life Center efforts. Thanks also to Boy Scout Troop 881 and to our DJ, Marvin Flores. This year, we used the parking lot for general information, food and entertainment, and the Fellowship Hall for all of the health screenings. We served 109 families, and we had a total estimated attendance of about 250. All 100 school backpacks were distributed by Second Story and ICNA Relief. All of the eggrolls, fried rIce, pupusas, and frozen treats were distributed, and we had been planning for about 200-300 people. A variety of health and social service providers distributed information to our guests at 15 tables in the main area. Our neighbors also received pediatric dental screenings and health screenings for Hepatitis-B, A1C, Cholesterol, and HIV. The Health Fair included singing performances, grocery gift card raffles, musical entertainment from our DJ, a Lion Dance, and a special presentation by Supervisor Lusk. It was a long day, but we all felt very blessed to be able to hold this event for our neighbors.

2025 Quarterly Benevolences

Our Quarterly Benevolence Schedule for 2025 is:

Q1 – ECHO/St. Mark’s FFO
Q2 – Mar-Lu-Ridge/Caroline Furnace
Q3 – ELCA World Hunger
Q4 – Facets/Lamb Center

From January through March, we will be collecting benevolence donations to be divided equally between ECHO and St. Mark’s Food for Others. Both of these are local charities.  Learn more HERE * …

From the Council President’s Desk …

Click HERE to see what’s new from the Council!

A St. Mark’s 70th Anniversary Proclamation from Fairfax County …

At our Community Health Fair last summer, Franconia District Supervisor Lusk presented us with a plaque commemorating 70 years of service by St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Fairfax County! Learn more HERE!

2025 FLOWER DEDICATIONS … Click HERE to learn about how our beautiful altar flowers are created
and click HERE for the form to dedicate flowers or one or more Sundays in 2025!

* * A NEWEST ADDITION TO OUR CHANCEL—”THE TABERNACLE” … Click HERE to learn all about it! * *

See CHOIR PHOTOS OF CHRISTMAS AND EASTER SUNDAY CELEBRATIONS by clicking HERE!!!

Wear Your Nametags

Please remember to wear your nametags to every church service. The nametag "tree" is located in the narthex--pick up your nametag on your way into the sanctuary and return it to the tree when you leave--it helps visitors, new members, and those of us with name recall difficulties. Thank you!

Have you a computer to donate?

Scouts of Troop 881 at Saint Mark’s are starting a computer refurbishment program. They would like to collect old computers, refurbish them, and donate them to low income families in the community. If you have any of the following to donate—laptops and desktops with Windows 7 or higher, any Mac computers, or monitors with power cords (no CRT monitors)—email the troop HERE or call (571) 354-8659 to arrange a time to drop them off at the church.

A Word of Caution!!!

To those of us who have keys to the church—and we all know this is an important responsibility! Please remember to check when leaving to ensure that this and any door you use is properly locked—especially Door #12 to the Fellowship Hall … THANK YOU!

Help for Disaster Relief—Eastern Europe and Ukraine

Looking for ways to help victims of the recent horrific earthquake damage in Eastern Europe and to assist Ukrainian refugees? The stories and images coming from these humanitarian crises are heartbreaking. Click HERE for more information, and you may donate online to assist in their efforts directly at https://community.elca.org/eastern-europe-crisis-response?_ga=2.266466318.1699478920.1646717665-1017767480.1646717665.  

Our current schedule is as follows:
9:45 AM, English Communion Liturgy
12:15 PM, Spanish Communion Liturgy

Sundays: 11:00 AM COFFEE HOUR —
ZOOM MEETING NUMBER:
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