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LIFE
A Publication of St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church
2363 West Third Street, Davenport IA 52802
Phone: 563-322-5318 Pastor Travis Fisher: 563-676-8160
Email: [email protected]
October 2014
Volume 47 Issue 10
Isaiah 11:2
2
The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him,
the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.
From Pr. Travis
As the Spirit moves us, so do transitions…
First, Bev Blake has resigned her position at St. John’s, Rock Island and First Lutheran, Moline. In her letter to
the congregations she cited family responsibilities (she is a new grandma) as a reason to cut back her working hours.
Bev’s last day with them was August 31st. Their loss is our gain, as Bev has agreed, Unity Point has agreed and the
council has agreed to increase Bev’s hours at St. Mark from 1.5 days per week to 3 days per week. She will increase her
hours after her October vacation. We are blessed to have Bev as she continues as our Parish Nurse, guiding us to grow
our minds, body, and soul.
Second, Jeff and Keri Bass have resigned their volunteer position as Youth Leaders. In a letter to the council
Jeff writes: “Keri and I have been honored to be able to work with the young people of St. Mark, but as volunteers, we
are unable to give the necessary time required to make this become a strong and growing part of St. Mark.” We thank
them for their leadership to the St. Mark Youth and friends over the years, especially this last year as volunteer youth
leaders, who faithfully taught Breakfast Club, took care of permission slips, copies of insurance cards, sign-ups, held
and coordinated fundraisers, wrote grants for youth, secured donations and chaperoned youth events including the week
long Work Camp. Their work has helped shape many young people to a way of Christian living and service to others.
Jeff and Keri will still lead our WOW services; come, join us on Wednesdays at 7PM.
Third, we have had some transition in Sunday School. We thank Linda Anderson for being the Sunday School
Coordinator and we are thankful that she is still going to lead our Sunday school youth in music and be the coordinator
of the Christmas Program. We also thank Barb Dunsworth for her years of dedicated service as a Sunday school
teacher. Barb has taught our children the basics of faith in her years of teaching, and we are grateful.
Fourth, Julie Good, who was coordinating the Smart Choice Foods Program, has decided that it would be
beneficial to collaborate and combine services with St. Albans on Central Park. Please contact them for future orders
563-386-4087. We thank Julie for her dedication and coordination of this ministry and pray that her shoulder pain
(there is the possibility of surgery) may be relieved.
Fifth, we are thankful for Pam Oosting’s continued recovery and thank her for her years of service as Volunteer
Funeral Luncheon Coordinator along with her funeral luncheon crew. We pray for Pam as she continues therapy. I am
happy to announce the Linda Wescom has agreed to be the Volunteer Funeral Luncheon Coordinator. We are grateful
for her willingness to take on this position.
Lastly, our partners in ministry who work with the Safer Foundation have gone through some transitions. There
are some new faces on staff and additional participants. We continue to work well together in creating a welcoming and
hospitable environment for them and they have been accommodating to us in our use of space. There are a few projects
that they will be helping us with this fall. Let us be thankful for this partnership and ministry opportunity.
We are a church of the reformation; we continually change as the Spirit moves us in our words and deeds. With
each change we see new beginnings, opportunities, and Spirit led volunteers ready to answer God’s call to serve God
and God’s people.
Journeying with you,
Pr. Travis M. Fisher
Volume 47
Page 2
FAMILY RESOURCES and PREGNANCY RESOURCES
FAMILY RESOURCES received 100 items for the month of AUGUST. They received lots
of personal care items, toilet paper, paper towels, clothing and tote bags.
PREGNANCY RESOURCES received 232 diapers and a package of wipes, also some
sample formula for a total of 241 items. Thank you so much for your donations. They are
all greatly appreciated.
We are still collecting items for our LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF PERSONAL CARE KITS. The items
needed are listed in your SEPTEMBER LIFE. They are also listed on the bulletin board in the lounge. These
kits will be delivered to Cedar Rapids on OCTOBER 16. Thank you for any help you can give us for these
kits.
The needs for OCTOBER are as follows:
FAMILY RESOURCES: pots, pans, dishes, utensils, towels, diaper wipes, baby lotion, powder, shampoo, bed
linens, paper towels, dish soap, laundry detergent, cleaning and personal care items
PREGNANCY RESOURCES: diaper sizes; newborn &2-5, towels & strollers, boys and girls clothing sizes 18
-24 months, and 2T fall/winter clothing
Colossians 3:17 "And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
through Him to God the Father."
MISSION ACTION: Fred and Milly Heskett
The St. Mark
Lutheran Church food
pantry has been
chosen as the Charity
of the Month for
October at Doland Jewelers! “The staff at Doland
Jewelers is putting on blue jeans and paying for it.
For the privilege of wearing jeans to work on
Saturdays, each staff member contributes weekly to
our designated Charity of the Month,” says Teresa
Pagan, of Doland Jewelers. “In addition, all battery
sales on Saturdays are included in the donation.” The
St. Mark food pantry also will get a mention in the
Doland Jewelers email newsletter. When you shop at
Doland Jewelers, 3865 Elmore Ave., Davenport,
please thank them for their generosity and support.
-Linda Cook
A total of 400 people were served at our food pantry
in August 2014.
Items were donated from
St. Mark, Grace United Methodist, Grace Lutheran,
Trinity Lutheran, Faith United Methodist, Heritage
Church, Midwest Food Bank –Peoria Division,
and Good Samaritan.
During the month of October the food pantry will
collect pasta and sauce for our clients.
Thank you!
The Friendship Group will
meet at Pizza Ranch.
at 11:30am on Oct. 7th
Everyone is welcome to
join us for lunch! If you
would like to come, please sign up in the lounge and
indicate if you need a ride. Hope to see you there!
Share-a-Meal is October 23rd, 6pm
Please take time to look over the
sign up sheet in the lounge to see where
you can help. Each month we need
servers, hot casseroles, vegetables and
desserts. This is a worthwhile ministry
that St. Mark is involved in. The beauty of this is
anybody can help, no special skills are needed. Just a
warm and giving heart is all you need. I promise,
once you break the ice and take that first step you
will find out how gratifying it really is. The meal site
is located at the Salvation Army Family services
building at 5th and Harrison Streets. Meal starts at
6pm. Please email me at [email protected]
or call 563-508-6127 for more exciting details! God Bless you, Dave Jessen
Volume 47
Page 3
(W)holistic Living....
Thoughts from the Parish Nurse
Animal lovers have always known it. Now health researchers are confirming it:
pets are good for your health. Just ten minutes of physical interaction with a
beloved pet can lower blood pressure and increase finger temperature- both clear
signs of relaxation- according to a number of research studies.
One study found significant differences in those taking ACE-inhibitor medication
for blood pressure and results of their physiologic reactions to a stress test.
Those with pets were about half as reactive to stressors. This demonstrates the
health effects of pets in conjunction with medication.
Another study showed that children who expressed fear and anxiety prior to their dental visits had significantly
less behavioral stress when a therapy dog was present. There was significantly less crying and struggling
compared to a group of children who were not exposed to the therapy dog.
Several studies on Alzheimer’s patients living in special-care units revealed that residents were less agitated
and expressed more socially interactive behaviors when therapy dogs were present. This was especially true in
late afternoon or at sundown when agitation tends to escalate.
The study of pets and therapy animals has been researched for the past twenty five years. As our population
ages and pressures on healthcare spending increase, the healthcare system may find the important and
relatively inexpensive role of animals increasingly valuable in maintaining and improving human health.
So whether you have a more traditional pet such as a dog or a cat or a bit less traditional one such as a rabbit or
a reptile. These four-legged family members are not only serving as our companions, but helping each of us to
live a healthier lifestyle.
In faith, hope and love, parish nurse Bev
http://www.washingtonpost.com
Wellness Opportunities for October

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Bev will be gone the month of October and will return to St. Mark November 3.
Soulfit exercise class Tuesdays @ 9:30 in Luther Hall.
CROP Walk October 5
No Life Together meeting for October.
UnityPoint @ Home Foot Clinic October 27 1-3 PM in the Bride’s Room.
Jeff Anderson
[email protected]
Jeff Bass
[email protected]
Nancy Beaderstadt
[email protected]
Maureen Currier
[email protected]
Pr. Travis Fisher
[email protected]
344-7558
505-7525
381-4386
386-5584
676-8160
Bob Garman
332-1199
[email protected]
Steve Hines
391-8986
Barb Jakubowski
381-2030
[email protected]
Robb Kauffman
579-7285
[email protected]
Paul Thorndyke
381-2662
[email protected]
Volume 47
Preschool is off and running with
a wonderful, energetic group of 3,
4, and 5 year olds and a dedicated
preschool staff. Thank you to Angi
Kauffman and the MOPS group for hosting a Bake Sale
with proceeds to be used for new dress-up clothes for our
preschoolers.
Upcoming events include Open House and
Scholastic Book Fair on Monday, October 6 from 6:007:30. We will also be kicking off our Cookie Dough
Fundraiser with proceeds to go toward new flooring in the
preschool classrooms and office. Parent-Teacher
Conferences are set for October 23 and 24.
Quad City Dining Tour Books are available.
Proceeds go toward the Hazel Stellrecht Preschool
Scholarship Fund. For more information contact me at 326
-5060 or catch me on a Sunday morning. Please remember
our little ones, their families, and our staff in your prayers.
-Pam Carstens
Notes from Sunday School
by Amber Sherrod
We would like to thank everyone for bringing your
children to Rally Day this year. We had a great turn-out
and the children had a blast! We would like to thank the
following people who helped bring items, run games, and
helped to tear down/clean-up afterwards: Sarah and
Hannah Garland, Kyle Crews, Reagan Guy, Egan
McDermott, Julie and Chip Schumann, Robb Kauffman,
Sandy Wexell, Cassandra Burdick, Levi Conklin, Ashley
Sherrod, Robert Sherrod, Kim Sherrod-Hensler, and Barb
Dunsworth.
As we look forward to a new Sunday School year,
we have some changes to our program. We would like to
wish Barb Dunsworth a happy retirement as she steps
down as the 1st and 2nd grade classroom teacher. Barb has
done a fantastic job with the kids in our Sunday School
program for many years and we would like to thank her for
her years of dedication. Stepping in for her classroom will
be Levi Conklin and Ashley Sherrod. We would like to
welcome them into the fold of the rest of our amazing
teachers.
We would also like to thank Linda Anderson for
her service as the Sunday School Coordinator over the last
couple of years. She is stepping down from the position,
but will continue on as our Sunday School Music Director.
Thank you to Linda for all of your hard work!
We are also going to be starting a brand new
curriculum that we got to test this past spring called Whirl
Lectionary. We are about how much more involved the
children will become. It also has a take-home aspect so the
parents are involved in the lesson, too!
I have been handed the reigns of Sunday School
Coordinator and feel very blessed in being in this position.
If anyone should have any questions, please feel free to
contact me at [email protected] or 309-721-6022.
Page 4
Here are a few
upcoming dates,
events, and deadlines
to watch for:
 ELCA National Youth Gathering, Detroit, MI





July 15th thru 19th. Registration with $150
deposit deadline is October 12th. If you have any
questions please contact Pr. Travis.
Work Camp registration and $50 deposit
deadline is October 12th. Work Camp will be in
Garnett, KS July 5th thru July 11th. If you have
any questions please contact Pr. Travis
Sunday, October 5th is the Crop Walk. This is a
great family activity.
Sunday, October 26th we will once again be
providing snacks for the Trick or Trunk.
Saturday, October 18th is the tentative date set
for the Corn Maze.
Save the date: The B.I.G. youth group will host a
breakfast on All Saints Day, Sunday, November
1st. Please watch the church bulletin and
November Newsletter for further details.
MOPS NEWS
October Meetings are
the 6th and 20th from
5:30pm to 7:30pm. On
October 20th, Cpl. Hank
Jacobson, from the
Davenport Police Department, will give a lecture on
the topic of Stranger Danger.
We want to welcome and thank, Brenda
Sehmann as a new Mentor Mom and Beverly Blake
who is our Parish nurse and our Staff connection this
year. Their support and love will be such a blessing to
all of us.
The St. Mark MOPS Fall Bazaar and
Luncheon will be held on Saturday, November 15th
from 9am to 2pm, with the luncheon being served
from 11am to 1pm. Tickets are available from any
MOPS Mom or Mentor Mom. Tickets will once again
be $5.00 in advance and $6.00 at the door.
Mom's Night Out for all Mom's of St. Mark
Lutheran Church will be meeting on Friday, October
17th at 6pm, in Luther Hall. We will have 2 demo
classes from QC Simply Fit of Blue Grass. Please
wear comfy clothes, bring water bottles and a healthy
snack to share.
Any questions please contact Angela Kauffman at
(563)579-7285 or at [email protected].
Volume 47
Notes from the Organ Bench
Page 5
by Ellen Bowlin… October 2014
At this writing, all of our bell and vocal choirs are up and running. The Chancel Choir which
meets on Wednesday evening at 7:00PM welcomes anyone who likes to sing to “try it out.”
Also, anyone who attends the 8:00 service is welcome to come to the sanctuary at 7:20 the first
Sunday of the month to rehearse a song with what we have called the “Family Choir”( referring
to the St. Mark “family”) and then sing at that service.
Reformation Sunday is the highlighted festival in the month of October. Its “signature” hymn is
“A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. Martin Luther wrote this hymn in the late 1520’S and regarded it as a
“hymn of comfort” rather than a militant battle cry that many have come to regard it. Luther based it on Psalm
46 and used a rhythmic version of the tune (ELW #503) to give the text the flexible comfort that Luther and
his colleagues perceived. We have been accustomed to singing the isometric version (ELW #504) which has a
more even rhythm and came into being 2 centuries after the Reformation. When we sing this hymn on October
26th, we will hear the choir sing the rhythmic version on one of the stanzas.
We also celebrate with Dalton Carstens and Hunter Bell on their upcoming confirmation on Reformation
Sunday at the 10:00 service.
Let us praise our Lord and help us to keep singing…
Baptized
September 2014
Samuel Kenneth Robinson
9/6/2014
Parents are:
Jennifer and Jason Robinson
Frederick Royce Swihart III
9/21/2014
Parents are:
Emily and Frederick Swihart II
Hospitalized
in
September
_______________________________________
Elaine Bernauer
Wally Kelding
Robert Lantau
June Strobehn
We offer the
Families of:
Annetta Berger
Jacob Nagle
words of love,
support and
comfort. May
they rest assured
in the midst of their challenges
and adjustments that God will
sustain them in the loss of their
loved one through faith in our
Risen Lord. Because He lives,
we too shall live.
Our Church Staff
Pr. Travis Fisher
Bev Blake
Ellen Bowlin
Pam Carstens
Mick Carstens
Pastor
Parish Nurse
Minister of Music/Organist
Dir. of Preschool &
Asst. Dir. of Music
Administrator
Lisa Willey
Milly Heskett
Paul Regginello
Steve McCalester
Trianna McCalester
Emilee Droegmiller
Office Coordinator
Event/Facility Coordinator
Sunday Custodian
Sunday Custodian
Nursery Supervisor
Nursery Attendant
Volume 47
Page 6
Due to limited space, we
are asking folks to wait
until October 19th to bring
larger items, such as
furniture, for the rummage
sale.
Rummage Sale Week:

Sunday - Oct 19th - after the 10:00 service - move
all the treasures from the old basement to the
Meyer Activity Center - lunch will be provided so
please let Rick or Janet Martin, Sue Nelson or Pat
Thode know if you can help.
 Monday - Wednesday - Oct 20-22 - 8:00-4:00 - set
up and price. If you'd like to help but are only
available in the evenings, let us know so we can
have someone here to work along side of you.
 Thursday - Oct 23rd - the sale begins! Doors open
at 8:00 AM and we'll stay open until 7:00 PM for
working families.
 Friday - Oct 24th - the sale continues - 8:00-4:00
 Saturday - Oct 25th - Last day to shop! $3 a bag
sale. 8:00-noon (or until the last customer leaves)
noon-2:00 pack anything left for Salvation Army
pick up.
We will continue to take your donations through
Tuesday Oct 21st.
Please consider helping us make this another successful
sale. Besides your time, we can always use home-baked
goodies for the bake sale table.
All the money raised is to support Emily Martin as she
continues her journey to become an
ELCA Lutheran pastor.
Starting in OCT..
The Smart Choice Foods host site at St. Mark will
close permanently and we are urging people to go to
St. Albans on Central Park. Due to low orders, other
issues, health problems and lack of interest for
someone else to take over for me, I felt this was the
right decision to make. I have enjoyed bringing this
awesome and valuable service to the church. It has
been a blessing to serve this wonderful community.
Remember, this ministry is still active at other host
sites.
I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
-With much love and Regards, Julie Good
The following host sites will be available for
your food needs. Please contact one of these sites for
future orders:
New Life Fellowship- Moline, IL 309-757-5711
St. Albans Episcopal - Davenport, IA 563-386-4087
Word of Life Christian Center
- Rock Island, IL 309-786-1100
God Family Baptist
- Grand Mound, IA 563-593-4787
Christ Episcopal- Clinton, IA 563-242-5740
Social Ministry News
The Church Has Left the Building!
Trunk or Treat
Sunday October 26th, 2pm-4pm
East Parking Lot
This neighborhood outreach event need lots of folks to decorate trunks and hand out candy to children! It’s
fun and easy. We need lots of treats (we had over 200 children last year!).
There will be a face painter, the balloon man will be back, there will be games (and maybe even a bounce
house), station five firefighters, and our neighborhood police officer will be there for all to see. Come dress
in your favorite Halloween costume and help with all the little ghosts and goblins.
We need Halloween treats, candy or other small treats like “hippie beads”, spider rings, apples or any other
little trinkets or goodies you may think appropriate to donate to this event.
Volume 47
Thank You
Notes
We would like to thank everyone for
all their support for the youth of St.
Mark. It has been a joy to work with
such an amazing group of young
people. We would not have been able
to do any of this without your
generous gifts of time, prayer, and financial
support. Thank you to all of those who have
supported us and the youth in this ministry.
Page 7
Thank you to all who
participated in the Gods
Work. Our Hands service
opportunities. Without many
volunteers, a supporting
community, and local
grocers we would not have been as successful
filling our neighborhood pantries with food,
sending food globally to nutritionally insecure
children and families, and helping to build a
home for a family who would otherwise not be
able to afford one.
We would like to thank everyone for
the cards, flowers, and visits during
my hospital stay and continuing
recovery,
The St. Mark MOPS
would like to thank
everyone who purchased
and/or donated to our first
Bake Sale on Rally
Day. We were able to raise $200 for our service
project going towards the purchase of new dress
up costumes for the St. Mark Preschool.
-Char (& Arn, too!) Thode
-the MOPS moms
Jeff and Keri Bass
Manage your giving online!
St. Mark is excited to announce you are now able to manage your giving online!
Giving online is easy and allows you to set up automatic recurring contributions
and view your complete online giving history from anywhere you have access to
the Internet. Simply follow these easy steps:




Visit the church website at www.stmarkcares.org,
Click on the Give Now button,
Click on the Create Profile button, then
Follow the onscreen instructions to create an online profile and to schedule
your recurring contributions.
General Fund Summary
Regular Offerings Year to Date
Finance August Income $ 39,501.90
Received $279,639.95/102.31%
Corner
August Expenses $ 36,925.04
$ 2,576.86
Food Pantry Report
7/31/14 Balance
$ 2,102.48
Budget Amount $273,333.36
August Income
$ 1,170.00
Amount Ahead $
August Expenses
$
8/31/14 Balance
$ 2,832.76
6,306.59
440.72
Form 3526 is published in compliance with the United
States Postal Service for publishers authorized to claim
periodical postage rates.
Volume 47
Page 8
2:00pm Trunk or Treat
Sunday School children
sing at 10:00am
Registrations for the
2015 Youth Gathering
and 2015 Work Camp
are due today.
2014
PERIODICAL
St. Mark LIFE
ST. MARK LIFE (USPS 312-300) is published monthly by St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church,
ELCA, 2363 West Third Street, Davenport, Iowa 52802. Annual subscription of $1.00 per year is
included in payment of weekly pledge of members.
Periodicals Postage paid at Davenport, Iowa
POSTMASTER: Send changes to St. Mark Evangelical Lutheran Church,
2363 West Third Street, Davenport, Iowa 52802
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St.Mark Lutheran Church,
Davenport
Saturday Worship with
Holy Communion: 5:00 pm
Sunday Worship with
Holy Communion:
8:00am & 10:00am
WOW : WORSHIP ON
WEDNESDAY
Casual, Come As You Are
Wednesdays at 7:00 pm
1st and 3rd Saturdays
10:00am –11:00am
in the Lounge
Beginners are welcome!
Join us for fellowship,
sharing and praying!
CROP Hunger Walk
October 5
Modern Woodman Park
Meet at 1:30pm for our picture.
Donate or collect money and hand it in
to Pella Fisher or bring it to the walk!
God’s work. Our hands (and feet!) See
you there!
Envelopes for donations are in the
lounge on the sign up table.