Pizza with Jesus is the new (and improved?) name for Thursday Church. It really captures what we do on Thursdays at 6:00pm in the parish hall: We gather in a come-as-you-are kind of way (informality is normal here) and pray for the food that is prepared, which is, in fact, usually pizza. We remember our…
Today’s gospel reading, John 17:6-19, speaks of Jesus asking his Father in heaven to sanctify in truth and bring joy to His followers and Pastor Eric talked of the meaning of joy and being sanctified in truth. Pastor compared not noticing what happens within our Synod with not noticing the Rhododendrons in his yard until they burst into bloom.…
In today’s Gospel, John 15, Jesus says, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you.” This concept of intentional friendship, i.e. one soul dwelling in two bodies, was the foundation of Pastor Beth’s message this morning. It has been said that the best way to develop character is to become friends with those…
In a vineyard, grapevines are drastically pruned to preserve energy and concentrate the nutrients in order to yield a crop of grapes that is up to its fullest potential. The best grapes grow closest to the vine. Jesus says that he is the vine. God is the vine grower and we are the branches. …
St. Mark member Gail F has written a book and wants to share the strong message of God’s presence in times of personal struggle. The story is a “haunting and inspirational memoir” that describes Gail’s younger son Christopher’s “medical hell” of needing a heart transplant at age 15, and then cancer that took his life at age 22. Today’s…
The weather could NOT have been better for the 5th annual St. Mark Community Garden Potato Planting. There was a good turnout of very able bodied gardeners and not only were the potatoes planted, the pea fencing was repaired, all the beds in the central garden were weeded, and Haldor’s dahlias were planted in the…
Today was Endowment Sunday at St Mark. A day when a percentage of Endowment Committee funds are given to organizations. This year’s recipients of the fund all center around providing food for those that need it: the garden’s yet to be built Garden Utility Shed Building (shed supports St Mark Community Garden; garden supports food bank),…
Please come join us tomorrow, April 18th at 9am to plant 1000 feet of potatoes for the Thurston County Food Bank. The rows are dug and we will plant them with your help. We will also do some weeding in the larger garden, repair some pea fencing, and spiff up the raspberries. Continental breakfast and…
On the Second Sunday of Easter, we hear John’s gospel retelling the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples and then reappearing when Thomas was present. Pastor Beth asked the question: Ever have a night mare? The world of dreams is not the same as the awake world. The disciples must have been living a…
Pastor Eric’s sermon message this Easter Sunday was that “Resurrection is HOPE beyond our last breath. He illustrates this with an amazing story from his hospital chaplain days. Enjoy the sermon and know that HE IS RISEN! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! The art work on the front wall of the sanctuary was created by…