Newest Posts

• Baptism of Our Lord
  12 Jan 2025
  

  Welcome to today’s service. Wade in the water to remember your baptism! If you would like to participate during communion, please have wine and bread ready to do so. https://youtube.com/live/StGWNsTBVMM

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• Meet New Member Dena Budinger
  8 Jan 2025
  

  Dena was born in New Jersey and lived in Hackettstown until she was eleven. She shared that Hackettstown is where M&Ms are made!! Then, she and her Mom, Dad and 5 siblings moved to Glendale, Arizona. While Dena lived in Petersburg, Alaska, she attended Petersburg Lutheran Church for 15 years. She was a member of the Alter Guild and in charge of training the children who wanted to be acolytes. Dena holds a Special Ed/Education degree which allowed her to work at a variety of jobs. She taught a Kindergarten-2rd grade class in Arizona; worked with families who had children birth-3 years of age with special needs in Alaska; taught Special Education classes in Hawaii; taught a class of children with Autism in Utah; worked with a Bookmobile librarian in Utah; and set up and ran a Charter School library in an elementary school in Utah. Her favorite “job” was working with the Birth-3 Program because she was able to work directly with a family, in their home, to help them make a difference in their child’s life. Currently, Dena is retired. She volunteers at the Salish Middle School Library on Tuesdays, covering and repairing books, shelving books, helping with inventory, and “whatever else needs to be done!” Dena and her husband Kermit have been married 41 years. When they met in Alpine, Arizona, Kermit worked for the Forest Service fighting forest fires. They moved to Petersburg, Alaska on their first-year anniversary and stayed for 21 years. Kermit and Dena’s daughter, Tiffany, was born in the “condemned” hospital in Petersburg, Alaska and still lives in Petersburg. She owns a Bookkeeping and Payroll Business and has 2 “fur” babies. Meho is a 6-year-old dachshund mix and Fred is a 2-year-old cat, who thinks he is a dog. Their son, Matthew, also born in Petersburg, but in the “new” hospital, now lives in Mountlake Terrace and works in downtown Seattle as a designer at Rolluda Architecture Firm. Dena adds, “He keeps himself quite busy and even though he lives close, we have to get on his schedule to see him.” In her leisure time, Dena loves to cross-stitch “as it relaxes me”, and she likes to read, go for walks, and scrapbook, although “I have not made enough time for it lately”. Dena says she feels very comfortable at St. Mark and advises to “just continue to do what you (we) do…greet people at the door, invite them to coffee, wear name tags (it really helps – I have a hard time with names)”. She recognizes that, “St. Mark does so much outreach and I was impressed by that. I think it is important to look outside ourselves and serve others. People here CARE about others, We help within the Church as well. I feel welcomed and cared about. I feel LOVED!”  

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• Epiphany of Our Lord
  5 Jan 2025
  

  Welcome to today’s service. Let your Light shine as bright as the stars above! If you would like to participate during communion, please have wine and bread ready to do so. https://youtube.com/live/ybhwW32_sSM

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• Welcome Mike & Vanessa Olson
  31 Dec 2024
  

  Mike and Vanessa Olson recently became new member of St. Mark and have offered this information as a way to get to know them a bit better. Vanessa was born in Aldershot, Hampshire, England & moved to Seattle at 15 as her dad was contracted to work for Boeing. They were only going to stay for 6 months but it ended up being permanent! Mike grew up in Washington, mainly Seattle, Renton and Issaquah. Vanessa went to Seattle Pacific University to become an elementary school teacher. After Vanessa and Mike married, they moved to Olympia where Mike worked for the State of Washington as an Information Security Analyst. Vanessa taught at Lakes Elementary school in Lacey for 4 years with fellow St. Mark member Margit Stakkestad. They then had their family. Vanessa stayed home with all four children & homeschooled each of them through the end of high school. Rachel, their oldest daughter is a doctor & lives in Kirkland WA with her husband Erik & son Leif 10, and daughters Irene 8, & Rosemary 2 1/2. David lives in Kosovo with his wife Samara & 18-month-old son Daniel. David is in charge of logistics at NATO base Camp Bondsteel. Samuel works for the State of WA in Olympia & has two daughters, Skyler 13 & Laina 10. Youngest daughter Elizabeth lives in Texas & works for a dog rescue/transport. Vanessa was baptized and confirmed in the Episcopal Church of England, & later had full immersion baptism in the Foursquare Church. She was also an ordained lay reader in the Episcopal church. After church hopping for many years and as Mike is a Lutheran, they “decided that St. Mark is a great fit!” Mike works out at the gym, plays basketball, and sings in the St. Mark Chancel Choir. Vanessa really enjoys “reading, sewing, crafts, travelling, & being with my grandchildren in my free time”. They also have cabin on Lake Tapps to enjoy The Olsons joined St. Mark in October. Vanessa feels everyone at St. Mark has been very welcoming. She states, “The congregation is so warm & friendly! St. Mark is awesome & I love the music & choirs!” Mike adds that the St. Mark people have been “wonderful”!  

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• Lessons and Carols
  29 Dec 2024
  

  Welcome to today’s service. The Christ Child is born! If you would like to participate during communion, please have wine and bread ready to do so. https://youtube.com/live/7YojGQP0qgc

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• Christmas Eve 10PM
  25 Dec 2024
  

  Welcome to today’s service. Jesus is born today! If you would like to participate during communion, please have wine and bread ready to do so. https://youtube.com/live/vzvD3w0qK0s

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