The MessengerSt. Mark’s Lutheran Church 1900 St. Paul Street Baltimore, MD 21218 Phone 410.752.5804 www.stmarksbaltimore.org APRIL 2016

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Staff Pastor ...................... The Rev. Dale W. Dusman Cantor ......................................Mr. James Harp Administrator ..................... Mr. Stephen Kohler Sexton ................................ Mr. Jeffry Spangler Congregation Council Officers President ............................. Mr. Daniel Wilkey Vice President ........................ Ms. Teri Bennett Secretary ..................... Mr. Woodland Pomeroy Treasurer .............................. Mr. William Krim St. Mark’s Mission Statement The mission of St. Mark’s Church is to embrace diversity, practice hospitality, and make known Christ’s presence in word and deed. Newsletter Editor Mr. Stephen Kohler Webminister ................. The Rev. Stuart Wright

St. Cecilia Society

of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church presents

The Soloists of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church Choir

Gabrielle DeMers, Soprano; Leslie

Procter, Mezzo-Soprano; John Noh, Tenor, and Aaron Thacker, Bass-Baritone, accompanied by James

Harp on the piano, will present an afternoon of operatic highlights.

Arias and ensembles from the works of Verdi, Puccini, and Bizet will be

featured.

Sunday, 10 April 2016

2 o’clock PM

The Messenger Page 2 APRIL 2016 Birthdays/Anniversaries – April 3 Sylvia Lukemire 6 Gene Miller Woodland Pomeroy 7 Jeremy Walston 9 Robert Klein Pr. George Kibbe (85) 12 Jane Parker 13 Susan Surrey Joseph T. Manson Keith Merkey 16 Nancy DeBell 17 Paul Walker 19 Harriet Clark 20 Dorothy White Caroline Schultz 25 Bill Krim & Jimmy Meyer (A) 30 Eiko Wolf

FELLOWSHIP HOUR HOSTS - APRIL

3 Sue Romanic 10 Richard Cerullo 17 Andrew Colletta 24 Austin Lee, Joe Blout, David Hoffmeyer

The Messenger Page 3 APRIL 2016 A Message from the Council President Alleluia! The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Happy Easter! Its hard to believe that it is April already. Many thanks to Linda Chinnia, Assistant to the Bishop, for speaking with us on Palm Sunday. We had a great turn out, that created an open dialogue about the call process. If any of you were not able to make it, we have copies of the presentation if you would like one. The council is working on solidifying the MSP (Ministry Site Profile) Committee . If you are interested in being on this committee, please reach out to a council member. This committee should be ready to start by May 1st. Please feel free to ask questions about the process. We will be creating a bulletin board with information about the process and a place for parishioners to ask questions and get answers. An important point that stuck with me: Prayer! This is a Spirit-led process. We need to let God guide us forward. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:18-19 Many Thanks to all that helped with Easter! It was Pastor’s last Easter liturgy at St Mark’s and what a blessed Easter it was! Everyone came together and helped. From the bulletins, to the beautiful flowers on the Alter and around the church, everything looked

wonderful. A special thank you to Jim Harp and our Choir for the beautiful music; it was spectacular. We are blessed to have your musical expertise. I leave you all with a quote from a friend of mine, something for all of us to reflect on as we look forward to the year ahead: “Don’t be upset with the results you didn’t get with the work you didn’t do.” My blessings to all of you! Dan Wilkey Council President Giving Tree Thank you from the Parish Life Committee for the response to the Lenten Giving Tree which has been a most generous one. We have received 62 gift cards with a total value of $995. These cards will be carefully given to persons requesting assistance. And, tho’ Lent is over, gift cards are always welcome. You may speak with Pastor Dusman or Richard Spittel. Now that we have seen the resurrection of Christ, let us adore the all-holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless one. We bow in worship before your cross, O Christ, and we praise and glorify your resurrection, for you are our God, and we have no other, and we magnify your name. All you faithful, come: let us adore the resurrection of Christ, for behold, through the cross joy has come to the world! Let us always bless the Lord, let us sing his resurrection, for by enduring for us the pain of the cross, he has crushed death by his death.

Easter Sunday Orthodox Liturgy

The Messenger Page 4 APRIL 2016

Jennie Wohlmuther, St. Mark’s oldest member, died Sunday, 20 March, at St. Mary’s Nursing Center, Leonardtown, MD. Jennie was 95 years of age. Along with her family, Jennie began attending St. Mark’s in 1925 and remained a member until

1950. In 1982 she and her husband, Gus, rejoined St. Mark’s congregation. We extend our sympathy to the Wohlmuther family. Services were held on Friday, 25 March, at the Eline Funeral Home, with burial at Lake View Memorial Park. Keen Agers… Wednesday, 20 April, 10 o’clock AM. Our program, entitled, Baltimore’s “Historic Neighborhoods”, will be led by local historian, Wayne Schaumburg. Mr. Schaumburg will talk about Fells Point, Locust Point, Mt. Vernon and other Baltimore localities. Please join us for what will be an informative and fun morning! Lunch will be served ($5). Reserve a place for lunch by calling the church office as soon as you can. Thanks! See you on the 20th!

HABITS OF FAITH (50,000 Earthcare Actions) CAMPAIGN

INTRODUCING THE CMEC's CONGREGATIONS RESTORING

CREATION.

The following is submitted by Brad Schlegel.

In response to this challenge, the Central

Maryland Ecumenical Council and Ecumenical Leaders Group and Maryland have created an Awake and Arise campaign, called “Habits of

Faith,” to develop a comprehensive approach of practices and behaviors for your congregation, its

congregants and you to respond in faith.

(http://www.cmecouncil.org/AwakeArise.html) We hope that among all congregations and denominations participating in the Habits of Faith campaign of Awake and Arise, we will collectively accumulate 50K earth care actions during the 50 days of Pentecost this year. Sustainable behaviors/actions can be categorized into five categories (listed in our Awake and Arise booklet for participants): water, food, energy, investment, and economy. Participants will be able to log their denomination, congregation, and category of their earth care actions via an online and mobile system called "Track it Forward." Login information will be provided to participants. They will be able to track their own earth care actions, see their progress on their timesheet and charts, and check if they've reached their congregation’s or denomination’s milestones. By the end of the 50 days, we will compare across Maryland denominations and celebrate what we as a faith community have collectively achieved. We pray this will ignite and encourage stronger congregational green action team participation in Maryland, and for these habits of faith to become lifestyles of stewardship.

On March 22, the Congregation Council approved our participation in the Awake and Arise process, of

The Messenger Page 5 APRIL 2016 which the Habits of Faith campaign is a part. Over the next few weeks Brad Schlegel will ask members of the congregation to either sign up for an account on the “Track it Forward” site or complete a short check sheet of Earthcare actions taken and submit it to him. The Campaign organizers hope that people will start tracking actions between Easter and Pentecost (if not for longer).

Here is the volunteer log: http://www.trackitforward.com/site/awake-and-arise-1-hour-1-action

Full instruction are at the site towards the bottom of that site.

If your earth care action/topic is not listed under Activity, the last part of the Activity list is for "Other", where you can write in your activity. St. Mark’s should be listed in the next few days. Until then, people can write in St. Mark’s Lutheran at the bottom of the denominations' list.

Examples of Earthcare actions are listed on the “Track it Forward” site. Here are some of them:

WATER – House - Retrofit kitchen or bathroom, shorter shower, turning off faucet when brushing, only washing dishes/clothes with full load, repairing water leaks

ENERGY – Transportation – Using public transportation instead of car, carpooling to church/school/meetings, taking train for vacation instead of plane (if possible), trying local vacation instead of farther one

FOOD – Local – Using locally grown food; shopping at your farmer’s market, starting community gardening, planting an orchard, growing food in church/home/school yard, joining food co-op

FOOD – Compost – Compost food scraps in yard, compost through nearby composting company

FOOD – Natural – Buying organic food or food grown naturally

FOOD – Shopping – using cloth bags, not using plastic bags, not overbuying food (i.e. Smaller, more frequent grocery trips)

ENERGY – Temperature – Keeping thermostat in the “68-78” range, using windows for cool air instead of fans/AC, sealing drafts from windows/door frames

ENERGY – At home – replacing incandescent light bulb with energy efficient compact fluorescent or LED light bulb, turning off lights/electronics when not in use, installing motion sensors to outdoor lights, getting Energy Star home appliances, line drying

WATER – Planting- trees or bay-friendly plants

ENERGY – Local Advocacy – Opposing Curtis Bay Incinerator, attending a lobby night for clean energy, supporting clean energy through your bills, etc.

St. Mark’s friend, Rev. George Kibbe, will celebrate his 85th birthday on April 9th of this year. We are urging members and friends to celebrate with George by sending him a card. He and his wife Sharon reside at: 300 Wyndhurst Avenue, Baltimore,21210 Your thoughtfulness will be greatly appreciated.

The Messenger Page 6 APRIL 2016 Serving Schedule – April 2016 3 April – Second Sunday of Easter Assisting Minister Daniel Wilkey Chalicist Richard Spittel Crucifer John Schultz Lector Bonnie Devers Petitioner Pastor Tom Davison Greeters G Miller & D Zimmerman Tellers L. Flake, A. Lee 10 April – Third Sunday of Easter Assisting Minister Teri Bennett Chalicist Louis Flake Crucifer Louise Ricketts Lector James Hicks Petitioner Kimberly Skarupski Greeters G Miller & D Zimmerman Tellers J. Lisch, S. Surrey 17 April – Fourth Sunday of Easter Assisting Minister Deacon Connie Lisch Chalicist Audrey Huka Crucifer Graham Poole Lector Sharon Manson Petitioner Norman Hunt Greeters G Miller & D Zimmerman Tellers J. Hoyle, S. Manson 24 April – Fifth Sunday of Easter Assisting Minister Deacon Sue Romanic Chalicist Louis Flake Crucifer John LeBon Lector Christine Bentley Petitioner Jane Parker Greeters G Miller & D Zimmerman Tellers N. Hunt, P. Walker

1 May – Sixth Sunday of Easter Assisting Minister Deacon Connie Lisch Chalicist Louis Flake Crucifer Richard Spittel Lector Gene Miller Petitioner Harold Sachs Greeters Norman Hunt, Carol Conors Tellers J. Hoyle, A. Huka 8 May – Seventh Sunday of Easter Assisting Minister Deacon Sue Romanic Chalicist Daniel Wilkey Crucifer John Schultz Lector Carole Conors Petitioner Sharon Manson Greeters Norman Hunt, Carole Conors Tellers L. Flake, G. Ricketts

The Messenger Page 7 APRIL 2016 DAILY LECTIONARY – April ‘16 1 Psalm 150 1 Samuel 17:1-23 Acts 5:12-16 2 Psalm 150 1 Samuel 17:32-51 Luke 24:36-40 3 Second Sunday of Easter Acts 5:27-32 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31 4 Psalm 122 Esther 7:1-10 Revelation 1:9-20 5 Psalm 122 Esther 8:1-17 Revelation 2:8-11 6 Psalm 122 Esther 9:1-5, 18-23 Luke 12:4-12 7 Psalm 30 Isaiah 5:11-17 Revelation 3:14-22 8 Psalm 30 Isaiah 6:1-4 Revelation 4:1-11 9 Psalm 30 Genesis 18:1-8 Luke 14:12-14 10 Third Sunday of Easter Acts 9:1-20 Revelation 5:11-14 John 21:1-19 11 Psalm 121 Ezekiel 1:1-25 Acts 9:19b-31 12 Psalm 121 Ezekiel 1:26─2:1 Acts 26:1-18 13 Psalm 121 Isaiah 6:1-8 Luke 5:1-11 14 Psalm 23 Ezekiel 11:1-25 Revelation 5:1-10 15 Psalm 23 Ezekiel 20:39-44 Revelation 6:1─7:4 16 Psalm 23 Ezekiel 28:25-26 Luke 12:29-32

17 Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 9:36-43 Revelation 7:9-17 John 10:22-30 18 Psalm 100 Ezekiel 37:15-28 Revelation 15:1-4 19 Psalm 100 Ezekiel 45:1-9 Acts 9:32-35 20 Psalm 100 Jeremiah 50:17-20 John 10:31-42 21 Psalm 148 Ezekiel 2:8─3:11 Revelation 10:1-11 22 Psalm 148 Daniel 7:13-14 Revelation 11:15 23 Psalm 148 Daniel 7:27 Revelation 11:16-19 24 Fifth Sunday of Easter Acts 11:1-18 Revelation 21:1-6 John 13:31-35 25 Psalm 133 1 Samuel 20:1-23, 35-42 Acts 11:19-26 26 Psalm 133 2 Samuel 1:4-27 Acts 11:27-30 27 Psalm 133 Leviticus 19:9-18 Luke 10:25-28 28 Psalm 67 Proverbs 2:1-5 Acts 15:36-41 29 Psalm 67 Proverbs 2:6-8 Acts 16:1-8 30 Psalm 67 Proverbs 2:9-15 Luke 19:1-10

The Messenger Page 8 APRIL 2016 We are Grateful for the Following Gifts to St. Mark’s Church: To the ELCA Disaster Relief Fund: By Rev. Lee Hudson To the Flower Fund: In memory of Rev. Elmer Lisch by Harold R. Sachs To the Building Maintenance Fund: In memory of Rev. Elmer Lisch by Joan P. Hoyle To the Mission Endowment Fund: In memory of Jenny Wohlmuther by Rev. Dale Dusman

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ROGATION SUNDAY, May 1st. Join us on the portico, Sunday, 1 May, 10:45 AM, as we meet together to pray God’s blessing on the fields and plantings that accompany the spring. It is our custom to have available small plants for you to take home to plant in your garden or window box and be reminded of the activity common across the land in these months of warmth and growth.