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The Marks
God’s Work. Our Hands
From the Pastor
Worship
Service
Faith Formation
2
Council News
Safe Child Policy
Parsonage Renovations
3
Dinner Church Service
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Memorial Service
Altar Flowers for January
4
Worship and Music
5
Homework Help Program
Thank you from the Stewardship Team
God’s Global Barnyard
6
Cradles to Crayons
Thank you from Social Ministry
Fair Trade Coffee
7
Sunday Morning Classes
Theology on Tap
Preview for Lent Bible Study
8
Fellowship / Evangelism Easter Egg Industry
9
Library Corner
Meet the new Members
10
Christmas Caroling
Coffee at the Train Station
11
Worship Assistants
12
Church Calendar
13
Well, the garlands are being
packed away, the lights are
starting to come down
around town and another
Christmas is over and a New
Year is about to begin. For
us here at St. Mark’s, 2015 is going to be a big
year! This spring we will be celebrating our
125th Anniversary as a congregation. We will
gather to celebrate the anniversary officially in
April and leading up to the event, we will be
highlighting various parts of our history that
has been an important part of our identity and
work as a congregation over these last 125
years.
Another big part of our work this year is going
to be a renewed look at our ministry efforts.
As we continue to live in these four key
ministry areas - Service, Evangelism/
Fellowship, Faith Formation and Worship - we
will be exploring ways in which we can bolster
our efforts together. The first part of this
process we will be surveying the congregation
using an online electronic survey to see where
our congregational energy lies. Using this
information will help the church leadership to
develop and deepen our ministry efforts here
at St. Mark’s in smart ways that lead to a
stronger sense of a vibrant church. Karen
Hanna and Kim Kriebel have agreed to help
with the survey process and more information
will be coming out in the following weeks.
Also, coming up this month is our annual
congregational meeting. On Sunday, January
25th, we will hold our annual congregational
meeting after the 9:30am worship service.
Please note, this meeting is open to all, but we
do need to meet a quorum of voting members,
so confirmed members of this congregation are
encouraged to attend so that we can approve
the 2015 budget and elect new church council
members. There will also be special items that
need to be discussed this upcoming year – for
the details of those items please check the
council corner section of this newsletter.
It’s going to be a big year for St. Mark’s and we
are going to try some new things, celebrate
some old things and – like the Wise Men,
“follow the star” that is Jesus Christ. A very
happy, healthy and blessed New Year to you
all!!
+Pastor
Christian Care Team
Please help take care of our members. If you know of someone having a baby,
coming home from surgery, or just needing a little TLC, please contact Nancy
Januzelli at [email protected] or at 484.679.1868
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Council News
Annual Congregational Meeting – January 25th @ 10:45am
At the annual congregational meeting, several items to be discussed and voted on is the 2015
church budget and to elect new church council members for a 2 year term. In addition to these
business and voting items, we will also be meeting to vote on two special items, the approving of
funds for the parsonage renovation and preparing and implementing a “safe child” policy here at
St. Mark’s. So please join us for this important meeting of the congregation.
Safe Child Policy
Over the last few weeks, the members of council, faith formation, pastor and volunteers in the
nursery have been working to create a ‘Child Protection Policy’ that we can implement in the
coming year here at St. Mark’s. At the present time, there is no official policy for the
congregation. We hope to remedy that by voting on a policy and then working to implement
those new procedures and policies in the coming year. Our insurance company notified us that
they would drop our liability coverage for sexual misconduct if we don’t have a policy in place, so
we are working to rectify that and implement a policy in the coming year. With the explosion of
kids here at St. Mark’s, I am sure you can see why we need to have a policy in place as well.
Thank you in advance for your support of this new policy.
Parsonage Renovation
As many of you know, the Pastor has moved into the parsonage and is in the process of completing
a renovation to the house. The Pastor is asking for a sum of $50,000 for the renovation which will
include a top to bottom facelift, new kitchen and each of the bathrooms renewed in the 5
bedroom, 2.5 bath house. Most of the costs of the renovation will be for the needed material,
plus Pastor and Matt will be doing most of the work. The plan is to take these funds from the
endowment in 3 dispersals ($20,000, $20,000 and $10,000) over the course of 2015. The Pastor
has agreed to use the housing allowance and keep a below minimum guidelines salary to pay back
these funds over the next 2 years. So in the annual budget for this year, you will see a
“renovation allowance” rather than a “housing allowance” in his benefits package. In order to
approve this dispersal though, we need the congregation’s support. We will spend time at the
congregational meeting talking about this and any other questions you may have about the
project.
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Worship
How we worship God together at St. Mark’s
Join us for Dinner Church Thursdays @ 6:30pm
Dinner Church is held each Thursday evening at 6:30 PM in the
lower level of St. Mark’s. A very casual meal of soup and/or salad is
shared by those attending, along with a study of Scripture and Holy
Communion is celebrated also. We have a regular attendance of
about 15 people each week. Won’t you come out and join us?
Would you be willing to help with this important ministry of
St. Mark’s? We are in need of congregation members to make soup
for the Thursday evening meal. You may prepare the soup at home,
freeze it in plastic bags and bring it to church anytime to be stored in
our freezer (in the Easter Egg room), to be used as needed. Others
can then heat the soup in time for Dinner Church. There is a sign up
sheet in the McCarthy Room or you can email or phone the church office of your willingness to help with this all-important ministry of St. Mark’s.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Memorial Service
The Ministerium of Conshohocken (network of churches in Conshohocken) will gather to honor and
celebrate the memory and work of Civil Rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Sunday
January 18th at 7:00pm. This year has shown us that this country still has a long way to go in the
fight for racial equality, so join us as we honor and celebrate what the Spirit is doing among us to
achieve the dream that Dr. King had, that one day we would live, “in a nation where (His
children) would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
Altar Flowers for January
1/4 - For the Glory of God
1/11 - Mr. & Mrs. John Hadfield in Loving Memory of Toni’s parents, Mr. & Mrs. Frank Bosco and
Pam Keebler in Memory of Loving Husband, Bill
1/18 - Barbara Snear in Loving Memory of William and Alberta Ardell
1/25 - Nancy Saldutti in Memory of Loved Ones
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Worship
Worship and Music
Christmas Recap
This year for Christmas something new was tried at St. Mark’s. Instead of the
traditional Christmas Eve service at 4 pm, a quiet service was held, for those who wish to
celebrate Christmas and the coming of our Savior’s birth, but in a quiet way, rather than with the
traditional celebration. Our 7 pm service was the traditional celebratory service, with carols, a
Gospel procession, the reading of the Christmas story from Luke and the celebration of Holy
Communion.
The Season of Epiphany
During January and the first part of February the Church will be celebrating Epiphany. One
of the most popular hymns for Epiphany is “We Three Kings”, recounting the coming of the Magi
and the gifts they bring to worship the baby Jesus. It is during Epiphany that we reflect upon the
coming of our Savior into our world, as celebrated at Christmas and are particularly aware that
the Gospel is for all people in the world, not just for a select few. During this time, some
churches put special emphasis on evangelism and world missions.
Some important dates during the season of Epiphany are:
January 6th – Epiphany of our Lord (The first day of Epiphany)
January 11th – The Baptism of Our Lord (The first Sunday after the Epiphany)
February 15th – The Transfiguration of Our Lord (The last Sunday after the Epiphany)
Note that two liturgical colors are being used during the season of Epiphany. White is used for
the day of Epiphany and the following Sunday, The Baptism of Our Lord. This continues the celebratory mood of Christmas, which also has the liturgical color of white. During the second
through fifth Sundays the liturgical color is green, suggesting spiritual growth. The color white is
again used on The Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Save the Date - Ash Wednesday
Looking ahead, mark your calendars for Ash Wednesday on February 18th. Plan to
join us as St. Marks’s will hold an evening service with imposition of ashes to mark the day and
the beginning of Lent.
Baptism/Brunch
Sunday, January 19th, we will be celebrating the baptism of Anderson Carbo at the 9:30am
service. Courtney and AJ would like to invite the members of St. Mark’s to attend a brunch in
Anderson’s honor immediately following the service in the auditorium.
Please let them know if you would like to attend. You can reach them at 267.847.3260.
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Service
All the ways we serve God with our hands, our feet and our treasures
GOD’S WORK - OUR HANDS OPPORTUNITIES
Our Homework Help Program continues at the Conshohocken Library
on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 – 7 p.m. We have decided to start
a little earlier since most of the children seem to be showing up by
5:30-5:45 p.m. We are looking for volunteers to help these children
with their homework who may not have the help and support at
home. There is a sign-up sheet in the back of the church. The dates
for January are: January 7th, 14th, 21st and the 28th.
Thank you from the Stewardship Team
The Stewardship Team extends a big THANK YOU to all those who completed the Stewards of
God’s Love booklet! We are grateful that you are willing to serve St. Mark’s as we continue to
grow in our Worship and Music, Faith Formation, Service, and Fellowship and Outreach ministries.
If you haven’t completed the Stewards of God’s Love booklet, it’s not too late to let us know
how you want to serve!
You can find a copy of the booklet on the shelf in the rear of the sanctuary and completed copies
can be returned to the office or in the offering plate.
God’s grace comes down to us in many gifts of time, talent and treasure. Once again, we thank
you for sharing those gifts with St. Mark’s.
The Stewardship Team – Susan Dryburgh, Don Dunn, Matt Hoffman, Charlotte Pakan, Pastor Bryan,
Nate Ramsden
God’s Global Barnyard
During Advent the children were working hard to collect change to help change the world. As
part of the weeks of Advent the children had little barn piggy banks that they were using to
collect change to help “purchase” a sheep. In all the children were able to collect over $200 to
help change the face of poverty in our world by supporting the Lutheran World Relief work. With
those funds, the children found out on Christmas Eve that they were able to buy 4 sheep! What a
great way to celebrate the baby Jesus, the gift that really did change the world!
Thank You
Social Ministry would like to thank all those who contributed to the Christmas Gifts for families in
need. It was an over-abundance of blessings that we were able to offer the families this year. It
went a long way to show that we care about sharing our “light” in a very dark world.
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Service
Cradles to Crayons Needs Pants and Toys
In the month of January, we are looking to help fill the shelves of Cradles to Crayons. Right now
they are in need of children’s PANTS - so any gentle used or new pants sizes 2T through 14/16
boys and girls would be greatly appreciated. Please bring the donated items into the “God’s
Work, Our Hands” donation center in the rear of the sanctuary and we will make sure the items
are taken over to Cradles to Crayons.
We are also planning a trip to the Cradles to Crayons site on Tuesday, January 13th at 6:00pm.
Watch for details in the bulletin in the coming weeks
Also, since many kids received new toys for Christmas, now would be a great time to audit those
toy closets and donate any used toys for the children at Cradles to Crayons. If you have any items
you wish to donate, please bring them to St. Mark’s and we will take care of getting them over to
the Giving Factory.
Dr. Martin Luther King’s Day of Service
On Monday, January 19th Lutheran Children and Family Services (LCFS) will be at St. Mark’s
holding a service project. LCFS works with families and individuals who come to the United States
as refugees; (often with nothing but the clothes on their backs) get settled in the Philadelphia
area. As part of that work, LCFS and a network of churches help to collect furniture to help
furnish homes for these refugees. Most of that furniture once it is collected is actually stored
here at St. Mark’s in our garage. On Monday LCFS will be working to set up a “home goods”
center in one of our unused Sunday School rooms upstairs, so that kitchen and household items
are easy to grab when refugees arrive.
The plan is to meet at 9am here at St. Mark’s. We will work organizing til about 12:30pm when
we will break for a Pizza lunch and some education about the work that LCFS does on an
ongoing basis to help refugee families.
Fair Trade Coffee
Through the LWR Coffee Project, a partnership between Lutheran World Relief and
Equal Exchange, Lutherans can enjoy delicious fairly traded products while supporting small-scale farmers across the world. Farmers can earn a fair price for their
crops, have access to affordable credit and can invest in education, health care and
sustainable agriculture, building a better future for their families.
St. Mark’s serves Fair Trade coffee in support of the LWR Coffee Project. Fair
Trade coffee and candy bars are also available for your purchase at church.
Buying Fair Trade products through St. Mark’s provides an opportunity to raise funds for our missions and allows us to take advantage of special pricing and free shipping offers. Go to lwrcoffee.com to see what is available and contact Susan Dryburgh ([email protected]) to place
your order by Sunday, February 1st. Delivery is expected on Sunday, February 8th. Payment
can be made by cash or check (payable to St. Mark’s. Be sure to mark on your payment envelope
that the funds are for “Fair Trade.”
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Faith Formation
How we form disciples at St. Mark’s
Sunday Morning Classes
Join us on Sunday mornings for an hour of
learning either in our Family Class upstairs or as
part of our Adult Forum class which meets in
the library. Both groups explore the lessons we
read in worship and discover how the lessons fit
into the larger liturgical season. In the coming
weeks, we will be exploring the season of
Epiphany, where we too, will have an
“epiphany” of sorts by learning what it means to
follow Christ in our own lives. Both classes start
at 8:30am so make a resolution to join us this
year!
Theology on Tap — January 15th
We will gather at the American Pub on
Thursday January 15th for an evening of
theological conversation around the topic of
the Cross. What happened on the cross, what
exactly was Jesus doing on the cross?
Together we will explore our images and
understandings of the cross and how we, as
Christians, are formed by this symbol both
practically and theologically.
Preview for an upcoming book study in Lent
Beginning Tuesday, March 3rd, for Lent we will meet for a study of Barbara Brown Taylor’s book
Speaking of Sin: The Lost language of Salvation.
In Speaking of Sin, Barbara Brown Taylor brings her fresh perspective to a cluster of words that
often cause us discomfort and have widely fallen into neglect: sin, damnation, repentance,
penance and salvation. She asks, “Why, then, should we speak of sin anymore? The only reason I
can think of is because we believe that God means to redeem the world through us.
“Abandoning the language of sin will not make sin go away. Human
beings will continue to experience alienation, deformation, damnation
and death no matter what we call them. Abandoning the language will
simply leave us speechless before them and increase our denial of their
presence in our lives. Ironically, it will also weaken the language of
grace, since the full impact of forgiveness cannot be felt apart from the
full impact of what has been forgiven.”
Contrary to the prevailing view, Taylor calls sin “a helpful, hopeful
word.” Naming our sins, she contends, enables us to move from “guilt to
grace.” In recovering this “lost language of salvation” in our worship and
in the fabric of our individual lives, we have an opportunity to “take part
in the divine work of redemption.”
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Fellowship and Evangelism
All the ways we get to know one another &
spread the gospel to our neighbors
Easter Egg Industry
The Easter Egg Industry is gearing up for it’s 97th year starting January 12th. Be sure to watch
the bulletin and Newsletter for more detail information to come.
Mondays : Fondant from 6:30 - 9:00pm
Wednesdays: Coating from 6:30 - 9:00pm
Fridays: Packing from 10:00 - 11:30am
This tradition is so long running that many in the community know St. Mark’s as the Easter Egg
church. There is no full time commitment, come out and help when you can, there is work for
everyone - just about any age, you can ask Stella and Ava Ruggiero about how to help.
The making of the Easter Eggs runs until Palm Sunday. Order forms will be available in the coming
weeks.
Any questions, please contact either Debbie Rodenbaugh at 610.825.4341 or Joanne Popowicz at
610.639.2011.
Library Corner
Throughout last year, the Stewardship Team invited members of the congregation to explore how
God’s love has come down to us and how we have experienced God’s grace in our lives. Two new
books in the St. Mark’s library explore the topic of grace.
In his book, The Anatomy of Grace, Peter W. Marty, a pastor and radio host invites
readers to reconsider their faith lives with fresh eyes. His collection of reflections
are organized around the temes of serendipitous grace, unobtrusive grace,
ordinary grace, surprising grace, mysterious grace and weightless grace and
explores why congregational life matters.
Ann Lamott’s latest book, Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace,
offers a message of hope and celebration of the triumph of light over the darkness in
our lives. She writes about that our victories over hardship may seem small, but those
victories change our perceptions and our lives.
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Fellowship and Evangelism
Welcome to
Our
Newest Members
Meet the Logan Family
We are so glad to be new members of St. Mark’s! Dave is originally from the area, growing up
near Lansdale and Brooke is from right outside Carlisle, PA. After finishing our Graduate
programs, we moved to Arizona, where we lived for 8 years. We enjoyed the opportunity to
experience another part of the country. Our two great children, Connor (3 yrs old) and Erin
(almost 6 months), are the reason we moved to Plymouth Meeting, wanting to be closer to family.
Brooke is a Hearing Support Teacher and Dave oversees Academic Advising for undergraduate
students in the Center for the Arts at Temple University. We love music, sports and spending
time with family and friends. When we first visited St. Marks, we felt immediately welcomed by
everyone. We are excited to raise our family in this great Church Community!
Meet Erin
Erin lives in Conshohocken. She works for a health
care company as a Project Manager implementing
software solutions. Erin enjoys spending time with
friends and family, travel, yoga and skiing. The
community and faith formation activities drew Erin
to membership at St. Mark's.
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Fellowship and Evangelism
Christmas Caroling in Conshy
th
On Friday December 19 , a group from St. Mark’s and a few from other churches headed down
Fayette Street to carol at the Marshal Lee Towers. We brought with us some good cheer, some
music and our magically talent Adrian, who agreed to play some of our Christmas Hymns! A good
time was had by all as we shared Hot Coco with the residents who had some special cookie treats
waiting for us as well. The kids especially enjoyed the snacks!
Coffee at the Train Station
On Thursday December 18th,St. Mark’s practiced a little
radical moment of grace by giving away free coffee at the
Conshohocken Train station. Lots of folks stopped by and
chatted for a while saying how “nice” and “amazing” it was
that we were doing it. Some at first, wanted to know what
we were “selling” and when we told them nothing and in
fact we were giving stuff away for free they couldn’t believe
how nice that was. One gentleman even remarked that this
was “exactly what he needed this morning.” A big thanks
goes out to Joe Ruggiero for helping to put it together and
the girls for standing with us out there for a bit.
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January
4th
11th
18th
25th
Assisting
Minister
Kim
Kriebel
Joe
Jacovino
Theodora
Morley
Kathy
Pokalo
Communion
Assistant
Mike
Sloan
Open
Joanne
Copestick
LJ
Kriebel
Reader
Bill
Portzer
Sandy
Spinner
Brianna
Clark
Karl
Schreiter
Ushers
Theodora Morley
and
Karen Hanna
Joanne Copestick
and
Terry Spence
LJ Kriebel
and
Pam Keebler
Matt Fiore
and
Joe Dryburgh
Acolyte
Ana
Smith
Joanne
Popowicz
Garrett
Kriebel
Nate
Ramsden
Nursery
The
Ruggiero
Family
The
Kriebel
Family
The
Yakeley
Family
The
Ramsden
Family
Altar
Guild
Susan & Joe
Dryburgh
Stef Conklin
and
Lara Hoffman
Jennifer & Karl
Schreiter
Jennifer & Nate
Ramsden
Counters
Susan Dryburgh
And
Lara Hoffman
Susan Jacovino
And
LJ Kriebel
Joan Holohan
And
Matt Fiore
Luella Claffey
And
Pam Keebler
Offering
Recorder
Kathy
Pokalo
Pam
Keebler
Jennifer
Schreiter
Jeanette
Nazaryk
Fellowship Hour
Erin
Orekar
The
Schreiter
Family
The
Hoffman
Family
Open
If you are unable to serve on the date given, please notify the office who is replacing you as
soon as possible. Thank you! A current phone/email list can be obtained through the office.
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January 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
New Year’s Day
Office Closed
2
3
6:30pm AA/
Al-Anon
1:00pm
Eagle Scout
Ceremony
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
8:30am Faith Formation
9:30am Worship Service
10:30am Fellowship Hour
7:00pm Boy Scouts
.
10:30am Pastor’s
Bible Study
7:30pm Cub Scouts
5:30pm Homework
Help/Tutoring
6:30pm EEI Set-up
7:00pm Yoga
7:00pm Venture
Group
6:30pm Dinner
Church Service
6:30pm AA/
Al-Anon
1:00pm
MCYO
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
8:30am Faith Formation
9:30am Worship Service
10:30am Fellowship Hour
10:30am Church Council
6:30pm EEI Fondant
7:00pm Boy Scouts
5:30pm Homework
Help/Tutoring
6:30pm EEI Coating
7:00pm Stewardship
Mtg
7:00pm Yoga
6:30pm Dinner
Church Service
7:30pm Theology
On Tap
10:00am EEI
Packing
6:30pm AA/
Al-Anon
1:00pm
MCYO
22
23
24
10:00am EEI
Packing
6:30pm AA/
Al-Anon
1:00pm
MCYO
30
31
Reports Due
for the
Congregational
Meeting
10:30am Pastor’s
Bible Study
6:00pm Cradles to
Crayons
7:00pm Worship
and Music Mtg
7:00pm Girl Scouts
7:30pm Cub Scouts
18
20
21
8:30am Faith Formation
Deadline for
9:30am Worship Service
News Articles
Baptism
for the Marks
10:30am Fellowship Hour 9:00am Dr Martin
11:30am Baptism/Brunch Luther King’s Day of
7:00pm Ministerium
Service Project
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr 6:30pm EEI Fondant
Memorial Service
7:00pm Boy Scouts
19
10:30am Pastor’s
Bible Study
7:30pm Cub Scouts
5:30pm Homework
Help/Tutoring
6:30pm EEI Coating
7:00pm Yoga
7:00pm Ventura
Group
25
26
27
28
29
8:30am Faith Formation
9:30am Worship Service
10:30 Annual
Congregational Meeting
6:30pm EEI Fondant
7:00pm Boy Scouts
10:30am Pastor’s
Bible Study
7:00pm Girl Scout
7:30pm Cub Scouts
5:30pm Homework
Help/Tutoring
6:30pm EEI Coating
7:00pm Yoga
6:30pm Dinner
10:00am EEI
Church Service
Packing
6:30pm AA/
Al-Anon
6:30pm Dinner
Church Service
1:00pm
MCYO
CNC - Meals on Wheels 6am - 11am Monday - Friday
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St. Mark’s Lutheran Church
508 Harry St
Conshohocken, PA 19428
Phone: 610-828-0581
www.stmarksconshy.org
Our Vision: St. Mark’s seeks to spread God’s Word among ourselves and
in the greater Conshohocken community.
Our Mission We will equip our members with biblical knowledge and spiritual
growth through worship, education and fellowship, in order to share our faith in
Christ through our words, hospitality and deeds of service in the community.
January 2015
The
Marks