Remember what is written on the the shampoo bottle? “Lather. Rinse. Repeat.” On this joyous night, Christmas Eve, Pastor Eric reminded us that Jesus comes to us in repeated ways. We repeat the sounding joy of his birth in everything we do. We feel his presence every week in communion. We hear his voice in…
Do you remember the TV show ‘Fear Factor’ where people had to compete against each other and face their fears? What makes you feel afraid? How often do you make decisions based on a fear? Fear motivates us in different ways and it can be crippling. Fear can keep us from living fully as God…
We lost a friend and brother in Christ. Jim Spaid passed away Friday night after performing the Hallelujah Chorus with the Olympia Choral Society. Pastor Eric, who is also a member of OCS, was with Jim when he passed. During Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Eric took some time to speak about Jim. More than living fully,…
Pastor Beth shared a confession with us this morning. And then a story. She went on to say that this week she had noticed a man walking down Pacific Ave. who was yelling as he walked which reminded her that this is not the most wonderful time of the year for everyone. Blue, in a…
Today was the 1st Sunday of Advent and the Gospel of Matthew 24:36-44 describes what Jesus said his second coming would be. Pastor Eric defined Advent to mean an arrival and an adventure and Jesus asking us all to be ready. There were two large pictures of Jesus on easels on the alter. One was…
The Liturgical Art is signaling the beginning of Advent 2016. Josh E. is our resident artist and Week One is a simple yet beautiful depiction of the four Advent candles. Each week the picture will be added to, with the final product revealed on Christmas Eve. Many activities are scheduled during the Advent season so…
Today was Christ the King Sunday. This was the last Sunday of the church year when we praise Christ as King. The Bible promises that God’s power and majesty differ radically from the reign of human monarchs. In today’s recording, you will hear three people, Pam Buckner, Leah Wilson and Terry Shaw, speak to us…
For the past two months Josh E. has displayed his art creation on the Sanctuary wall. The wall shows many faces of happy children with colors signifying the stained glass of the St. Mark sanctuary. The painting represents our goal that St. Mark Lutheran Church is all about kids. We have had impacts on children…
It is now November and the St. Mark Community Garden is done producing for the year. We are grinding up corn stalks, bringing Vicki’s horse manure to enhance the soil, and tarping the central garden to hopefully kill the weeds during the winter. The garden has once again been a prolific producer of crops for…
Our Tuesday Morning Bible Study Group hosted a viewing of the documentary “Before the Flood” in the church lounge at 10:00AM on Tuesday. This excellent documentary about Climate Change addresses what must be done today to prevent catastrophic disruption of life on our planet. There were many positive comments about the film from those in…