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TRANSCRIPT
Serve The Lord With All Your Heart February 2019
Yes, Cliff’s Notes are back from my original term as President, (The original CliffNotes started in 1958 as a student study guide and the brand lives on today) but mine are to keep you informed about the workings of St. Mark. The theme I would like to follow this year is “Giving Glory to God” and acknowledging that Christ is the head of our church and that by following His word, we will spiritually enhance our worship, our membership, and all that we do for His kingdom. As we move forward this year let us all pray for wisdom, discernment, and His guidance. My personal goals for the church mirror many of those of past councils. 1. That we give glory to God in all that we do from our worshiping at St.
Mark to presenting a Christian life in our communities. 2. Promote community outreach through our members and programs. 3. While we have many long-term volunteers, our need is to expand the
volunteer pool to help on committees and projects. 4. That we enhance the communication efforts to our membership such as
publishing a synopsis of the Council meetings, such as the one printed in this issue.
5. That we continue to have a positive relationship between the Council and the committees so that we can work in greater unison.
6. Ensure transparency in all Council decisions. 7. That the Council meetings are long on quality and short on quantity. I’m
an advocate for short meetings! I pray that my agenda is not too aggressive, but I would like to move St. Mark forward spiritually, because through God, all blessings flow. In the coming months, I will elaborate on the items that I have presented so that we can all join in celebrating and promoting God’s kingdom here on earth. Glory to God, Cliff Ewert
OF ST. MARK LUTHERAN
VOICE The
February 2019
ARTICLE DEADLINE
The deadline for December’s
The Voice is Friday, Feb.15th.
Please Email articles to
stmarkcommunications@
gmail.com & [email protected].
In This Issue: Meet The Team
Pastor’s Letter
Missouri Musings By Bob
Yarbrough
St. Mark Council News
Thank-You’s
Ministry Opportunities & Bible
Study Reminders
Youth & Family Events
First Communion Class
Schedule
VBS Sign Up Reminder
Rummage Sale Information
Event Recaps and Reminderrs
Thrivent News
Contemporary Worship
Concert Invitation
NEW WENDY’S FLYER
Complete Details Inside or
Find Us Online @ www.smlc.info
“Cliff’s Notes” by Cliff Ewert
President’s Message
Serve The Lord With All Your Heart February 2019 Page 2
ST. MARK COMMITTEES
FINANCE
Overseen by :
Board of Trustees
Pam Preston
Lynn Wetterberg
Jill Winling
PARISH EDUCATION
Overseen by Elder:
Chris Luetke
Karen Gerold Lori McKenzie Jane Milani
STEWARDSHIP
Overseen by Trustee:
Laurie Kerns
Pete Bolender
Laurie Kerns
Carl Norlin
EVANGELISM
Overseen by Elder:
Jeff McKenzie
Lori Jenkins Walter Klein
WORSHIP & MUSIC
Overseen by Elder
Joni Wasmund
Charlie Burke
Tabra Gomski
Rebecca Gundlach
Wendy Weidner
CONGREGATIONAL LIFE
Overseen by Trustee:
Gary Olson
Mary Anderson
Polly Eastburg
Brooke Frusti
Terri Selz
PASTOR CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR
Terry Breum | [email protected] Deb Zuchowski | [email protected]
BOOKKEEPER/HR OFFICE ASSISTANT
Sharon Schranz | [email protected] Rhonda Doran | [email protected]
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC COORDINATOR NURSERY COORDINATOR
Todd Stickney | [email protected] Deb Heide | [email protected]
FINANCIAL SECRETARY ORGANIST/TRADITIONAL MUSIC COORDINATOR
Patrice Sutton | [email protected] Collin Crowl | [email protected]
YOUTH & FAMILY MINISTRIES COORDINATOR MAINTENANCE ASSISTANT
Josiah Frusti | [email protected] Jim Schaufel
Next Council Meeting: Feb. 14th at 7:00 pm in the Library. Next Committee Meeting: Feb. 26th at 7:00 pm in the Main Building.
All Council and Committee meetings are open to the congregation. Please feel free to attend!
PROPERTY & MANAGEMENT
Overseen by Elder:
Dean Miller
Robin Korom
BOARD OF ELDERS
Chris Luetke Jeff McKenzie Joni Wasmund
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Laurie Kerns Dean Miller Gary Olson
PRESIDENT
Cliff Ewert
[email protected] | 847-356-6523
VICE PRESIDENT
Joni Wasmund
COUNCIL SECRETARY
Tom Gourley
ST. MARK COUNCIL
FINANCIAL TREASURER
Brock Millsop
Serve The Lord With All Your Heart February 2019 Page 3
From the Desk of Pastor Breum
Dear Friends,
I know it is February and way past Christmas, but thank you for all of the Christmas cards and gifts. I sure hope you each received a thank you note. If I made a mistake, which is quite possible, I am saying, “Thank You” to you right now. We are most fortunate to have a seminary student in our midst who will graduate this Spring. Daniel Doran has been attending Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He will be ordained into the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ, the same denomination we are, upon his first call. Daniel will be leading liturgy and more from time to time in preparation for a lifetime of ministry. He is always open to suggestions and more than willing to serve in any way asked to serve. We are an important part of his education. The Three Days of Prayer has already come and gone. Thank you to all who participated. Our goal is to keep prayer in the forefront year-round. The highlight for me was the confirmation class doing a prayer walk throughout the entire church and Ed Center, asking for God’s blessing and protection in every single room. We have a new council. They are eager to move St. Mark forward. The emphasis is to bring glory to God in all that we do and pursue. I want to personally thank the former president, Robin Korom, for working so hard on the Council for over 5 years, both as trustee and then council president. She will continue to work on the Property and Management Committee improving the facilities. Thank you Brad Gundlach, Ed Rosquist, and Gary Edwards for your excellent work and the Godly wisdom you contributed. We are all the better for it. May the Lord God bless us all richly as we seek to serve the Lord with all our hearts bringing glory to God. Pastor Terry Breum
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MISSOURI MUSINGS BY BOB YARBROUGH
Leaves and Sin
In Chicagoland, January is snow-shoveling time. In east-central Missouri, in a wooded area like this one, the problem is just as apt to be leaves.
Having said that, at the moment we are looking at 11” of fresh, heavy, wet snow. Still, well into most winters, leaves are the bigger issue.
They begin to fall in September, first the walnuts and elms and ash, then the maples, then the various oaks (white, red, black, post, pin, blackjack, chinquapin).
This year they fell over a period of over three months (until Thanksgiving). They flutter down and pile up; you rake and blow them off over the hillside—but then more come down. You have to do something or the lawn will turn yellow and die under the heavy and eventually sodden layers.
I was keeping up until late November. At that time, Chicagoland endured a late autumn blizzard (Sunday, Nov. 25). Down here we got snow showers, temps falling from 55 to 25 in just a few hours, and . . . winds gusting over 40 mph. The lawn and fields along our road (about two acres) had been fairly clear of leaves. But the gales brought more, more, and still more, I’m convinced, from the next county. So I had to blow and rake and pile on tarps and drag off leaves AGAIN. And for the umpteenth time I had to clamber up onto the roofs of three different buildings to clear out leaf-choked gutters. While laboriously deploying my Stihl BR700 backpack blower (23.4 pounds not counting the two pounds of gasoline it holds), I had time to do a lot of leaf-seasonal thinking.
My leaves are like my sins. Here are some ways:
-Like autumn leaves, my sins are unwanted. But they pile up anyway. -Like autumn leaves, my sins cannot be ignored. They do damage. -Like autumn leaves, my sins can look pretty, at least to me. But eventually I am reminded: they are not! -Like autumn leaves, my sins require careful and repeated attention for removal. -Like autumn leaves, my sins call for my opposition continuously for as long as I inhabit this world. “One and done” is not how you deal with most sins successfully. What you throw out the front door comes creeping back in from the side if I’m not careful. And yet . . . in the course of every autumn, with perseverance we do manage to get the upper hand over the leaves. It’s the same with our sins. God in Christ deals with them not by our power but through faith. He replaces our fixation on what God forbids with “whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, what-ever is commendable” (Philippians 4:8).
We thus (re)learn the goodness of dedication to him. “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8).
In God’s grace and mercy,
-“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10).
-God “will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). -Christ “gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Galatians 1:4). -Christ “himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Leaves call for unwillingness to give in and consistent firm response. It’s no different with our sins. What better time of the year than the beginning of 2019 for giving thanks and praise “to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood” (Revelation 1:5)?
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To help our members better understand the decisions made by the Council we will be publishing the highlights of
our meetings in The Voice. Our goal is to keep you informed about decisions so you have the opportunity to
share any concerns with us.
Should you desire additional in-depth information on our meetings, please take a copy of the St. Mark Council
Minutes from the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall.
News from the January 3, 2019 Meeting:
The Council expressed their sincere appreciation to Gary Edwards, Brad Gundlach, Robin Korom,
Dale Kumpula and Ed Rosquist for their dedicated service as Council members and wished them
God’s blessing in their future endeavors.
Joni Wasmund was elected vice president of the Council. Joni has served as a past president and a member on
many church committees.
The Council was delighted that Patrice Sutton decided on another term as financial secretary and her acceptance
was approved by the Council.
Committee liaison positions were arranged and agreed upon by the Council members.
Evangelism: Jeff McKenzie Parish Education: Chris Luetke Worship and Music: Joni Wasmund Congregational Life: Gary Olson Finance: Brock Millsop Property Management: Dean Miller Stewardship: Laurie Kerns
The constitution requires that all committee members be approved in January for the coming year and Council
was pleased to approve their continued efforts.
The Council approved the following items:
• A revised Requisition and Purchase Policy • Benevolence recommendations for 2019 • Automatic approval and payment for reoccurring budgeted vendors
The Council sent a proposal for another volunteer luncheon to Congregational Life for their
consideration.
Council was adjourned with reflective time and a closing prayer.
Many thanks to Heidi Selgert for overseeing our SMLC library for over 15 years. We appreciate you shelving, buying and organizing our library. Heidi did an especially great job putting together our St. Mark Author’s Corner. Thank you so much for work-
ing with this important SMLC ministry. We will miss your special library touch.
We want to welcome our new SMLC librarian Judy Zawacki! Thank you so much for taking over this position. Wishing you God’s guidance as you begin your work in this ministry!
Serve The Lord With All Your Heart February 2019 Page 6
It takes 12 people every Friday night to staff The St. Mark PADS Site. PADS ministry opportunities begin Friday evening and continue into Saturday morning.
We need VOLUNTEERS of all ages (especially adults over 18) for the 2018-19 season! Please sign up on the St. Mark website at smlc.info. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage, and click on the PADS square where you will be directed to the opportunities to serve.
Please contact Jill Decker at [email protected] if you have questions.
Become part of the PADS future!
Every month St. Mark collects food and sends 6-8 volunteers to the Open Arms Mission, a community-based food pantry whose mission is to provide daily living necessities while encouraging self-sufficiency for individuals and families in need. They serve an average of 298 families per week in the Lake Villa, Lindenhurst and Antioch areas. Food donations may be dropped in the yellow barrels at either of the main entrances.
To volunteer at the site, please sign up on the bulletin board in the Fellowship Hall.
Dates: The 3rd Wednesday of every month Times: 4:15-6:30pm
If you would like more information, please contact Terri Selz at [email protected].
February Donation Item: Cereal
Open Arms Food Pantry
Winter is upon us and we need your help! We need to develop a team of snow-shovelers to keep the walkways at the church and the Education Center safe for our congregational members. Primarily this would be before the Saturday evening and Sunday morning services. We would like to develop an on-call rotational team to assist. The more team members we have, the fewer times you would serve. If you would be interested in using your time and talents to serve the church in this way, please contact Jim Schaufel for more information or sign up on the sheet by the Welcome Center.
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Join us every 4th Saturday in the Fellowship Hall as we unpack problems common to men. (Man In The Mirror by Patrick Morley.) Fellowship & Setup 7am, Breakfast 7:30am, Discussion 8am, Depart 9am.
For more information, send an email to Jerry Doran at [email protected].
We always have room for one more man!
A Ministry to Every Man February 23rd / Chapter 14 Priorities: How to Decide What's Important
March 23rd / Training: "Behind the Walls" Equip and Ignite / Evangelism 101 (includes women and area churches)
Stephen Ministry training has begun! Eleven men and women have committed to attend training on Monday evenings from now until the end of April. Three Saturday retreats are also part of the training. During training these men and women will develop and practice new caring skills. Please keep these men and women in training in your prayers as they nurture their gifts and acquire new skills so that they can bring Christ’s love and care to
hurting people on behalf of our congregation. Also pray for our two Stephen Leaders who will guide them through training. Through your prayers you are part of the Stephen Ministry team.
Help for Hurting People
MUGS & MUFFINS
Mugs & Muffins will not be meeting in February.
Stay tuned for further information on future dates and
Serve The Lord With All Your Heart February 2019 Page 8
Walls.
Break Through. St. Mark Youth & Family Ministries-February 2019
To start off the year, our youth will be discussing what keeps us from forming Christian relationships with one another and the people we meet. There are countless distractions and busy pieces to our daily lives that have become normal. The ways we communicate, how we spend our free time, and the expectations of our culture all play a role in weakening our relationships and friendships. I encourage you, as you begin your year, to look at your families, friends and spouses and ask the question: "What Walls do we need to break down?" And focus on these words: "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another -" Hebrews 10:24-25a
Super Bowl Party: February 3rd 5-9pm
Youth Group: February 10th 6:30-8:30pm
Lock-In: February 17th-18th 7:00pm-7:00am
Youth Group: February 24th 6:30-8:30pm
St. Mark is always looking to grow our youth ministry team.
I you have a desire or willingness to serve our youth, please get involved!
Email Josiah Frusti (Youth & Family Ministries Coordinator): [email protected]
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Dear Students and Parents,
I am excited to begin the journey of diving into Communion with you over the next month and a half. The Lord’s Supper is one of the most personal and powerful ways that we grow in our relationship with Jesus. It is a foundation we can stand on as an example of our promised forgiveness and God’s love for us.
The First Communion for the students will be on Maundy Thursday, April 18th. This is will be a part of the service where both students and parents will come forward to receive Communion and a blessing.
(Class location TBD by class size. In the schedule below, please note the cost for chalise painting on March 10th and that parents should attend the “Review Day” on April 14th.)
– Josiah Frusti, Youth and Family Ministries Coordinator
First Communion Class Schedule:
February 17th: Introduction and Lesson One – “Remembering Jesus” Luke 22:7-23 February 24th: No Class (Timber Lee Sunday) February 25th: Lesson Two – “Jesus is With Us” Luke 24:36-43 March 3rd: Lesson Three – “Jesus Gives Us Gifts” Matthew 26:20-35 March 10th: Painting of Chalices (Through Ceramics For You in Gurnee) Cost for Chalices: $8.00 per person. (Parents welcome to paint one too) March 17th-24th: OFF For Quake and Spring Break March 31st: Lesson Four – “To Be Forgiven” Mark 2:1-12 April 7th: Lesson Five – “Getting Ready” Luke 19:1-10 April 14th: Review Day – *Parents Attend* April 18th: First Communion (During Maundy Thursday Service) Parents and students receive
Henry Luy
Son of Pamela Louise and David John Luy
Eva Lee Jasper
Daughter of Stephanie Ryan and Codie Jasper
BAPTIZED INTO THE FAMILY OF GOD AT ST. MARK IN DECEMBER
May the guiding presence of God be with these individuals as they grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ!
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This year VBS is June 17th- 21st from 9am-noon, and the theme is ROAR. We will spend a fun-filled week playing games, learning about God’s word and how, even though life can be wild, God is always good!
I hope that you pray and God moves you to help in anyway that you can with this year’s fun-filled Vacation Bible School.
Below is a list of important dates to mark down:
-VBS sign up (volunteers) March 2nd, March 3rd* -Rally Sunday May 19th -VBS training dates (volunteers: need to attend one) June 9th, June 16th -VBS Week June 17th-21st
-Celebration Sunday/clean up June 23rd
*Mark your calendars for March 2nd and 3rd because those are our VBS sign up days for volunteers!! Volunteer sign up will be in the narthex. If you already know what position you would like to help with, please feel free to shoot me an email or give me a call!
Please contact VBS Director Kayla Weidner at my email: [email protected] to sign up or if you have questions.
Join Fellow Parents... When: First Wednesdays of the month 5:45 –8:00pm Location: Education Center office What: Open-ended discussion of topics chosen by participants Facilitators: Cliff and Barb Ewert Refreshments/snacks will be served For more information call Josiah Frusti 847-356-8140
Serve The Lord With All Your Heart February 2019 Page 11
Yes! Those are the days for St. Mark’s 2019 Rummage Sale. Set up starts July 29th for the Ed Center and August 4th for the main building, so mark it in red on your calendar so you won’t miss all the fun. We have an awe-some crew that has been together for many years, but each year the sale gets bigger and better and we need new help and new ideas to make the sale successful. So join us, we promise you will have a good time and make some new friendships.
We are already working on ideas to make things easier on all. We have added a few new things to our “do not accept list.” This year we have added large entertainment centers, sleeper sofas, large wooden or metal desks and large glass top tables. This is in addition to the usual items we don’t take...artificial Christmas trees, large appliances, microwaves, TVs, large exercise equipment, pianos or organs, encyclopedias or textbooks, maga-zines, mattresses, paint or any chemicals, building materials or tires. These items don’t sell and are very hard to get rid of.
We started a new idea of pre-pricing as donations came in last year and it worked great! For this we needed lots of boxes, so for right now we are asking you to save computer paper boxes. If you do not have room at home, you can bring them in and put in the coat room and we will pick up.
If anyone knows any groups that might like some of our leftovers and can pick up on Saturday let us know. For
now, mark the dates, start cleaning out those closets and help us have another successful sale!
Laurie Kerns, Sue DeYoung and Mary Anderson
Sunday School Offerings : Please keep bringing in your offering money and book donations to help support Bernie's Book Bank! Book donation bins are located next to the Sunday School Coordinators' desk and in the basement of the Ed Center.
Serve The Lord With All Your Heart February 2019 Page 12
Matthew 21:13 “”It is written, He said to them’ My house will be called a house of prayer.’”
Three Days of Prayer
St. Mark Lutheran
We praise God and thank our Father for providing the Lutheran Church for Missions in Christ
with the spiritual vision for The Three Days of Prayer in 2019.
We will continue to pray that St. Mark Lutheran Church will glorify our Lord and make the Lord its priority.
We Pray that Each Member: Glorify our Lord, choosing His priorities by: 1) Seeking God’s will 2) Listening to His voice 3) Obeying His guidance in service to others Grow in the faith through worship, Bible study, and prayer Develop a personal relationship by seeking to know Christ, not just to know about Him
Petitioning the Holy Spirit to: Protect us from all evil and distractions and help us seek God’s call upon our lives and trust Him to help perform our life mission Sustain and grow St. Mark Church as a “house of prayer” Minister to Pastor, staff, leadership, committees and Council Minister to Pam and Charlie Burke in their Tuesday evening prayer meetings
These petitions we ask of you Lord, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Thrivent Action Team Ideas! Help Kids: -Cut and tie snuggly fleece blankets for patients in a children’s hospital. Seed money: Buy materials for the blankets and activity books for the kids. -Create “Birthday Bags” for families at local shelters. Seed money: Buy party favors and items for the bags.
Help Animals: Hold a community dog wash and donate proceeds to a local animal shelter. Seed money: Buy dog shampoo and mini pools for washing the dogs.
Use Thrivent Choice® dollars by contacting your Thrivent Representative.
Don’t Forget to Direct
Choice Dollars ®
Grant funding from Thrivent Financial through its Thrivent Choice ® program can help support the church. Donate before year end to help with this year’s budget.
To learn more, go to Thrivent.com/thrivent choice, call 800-847-4836 and say “Thrivent Choice” after the prompt, or contact your Thrivent Representative.
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Next Event: February 8th
Next Event: February 21st
Community Fellowship Events
These events are a fun way to contribute to the mission of St. Mark! Just dine-in, carry-out or visit the drive-thru.
A portion of your sale benefits our mission here and abroad.
Flyers and coupon available at smlc.info/events.
**COUPON IS REQUIRED AT WENDY’S for St. Mark to receive credit**
*Please see the last page of The Voice for a paper copy*
We gathered 62 hats, 58 pairs of mittens/gloves, 9 scarves and 4
sets. All the proceeds will be going to Twice as Nice Mother & Child.
It is a charitable organization that strives to ensure that moth-ers and children have their most
basic needs met.
It is here in Lake County.
Thank you for the wonderful
donations made to our mitten tree!!
Members Asked: • Is there a tax benefit if I donate to the church directly from my IRA? ‘It depends.’ If you’re 70 ½ you might be able to do a ‘Qualified Charitable Distribution’ or QCD for short. Done the right way, you might be able to take a tax free distributions. • How do you become a Thrivent Member? Is there a fee? 1. Owning a Thrivent Product (Investment or Insurance) is the most common way to become a member. Moving existing products to Thrivent is by far the most common way, but starting something new counts too. 2. Opening a Thrivent Credit Union savings or checking account makes you a member too, the account minimum is $1 (PS – we give you the dollar.) 3. You can pay a membership fee and join, $20/year. Benefits are based on products you have with Thrivent.
If you want more information on QCD / membership / benefits send an email to [email protected] or visit our website at: www.thrivent.com/membership.
And If you have questions or want help with being wise with money or expressing your generosity, I would love to hear from you. Call 847-271-8632 or email [email protected].
Thriving Minds Want to Know!
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CONTEMPORARY WORSHIP
CORNER
COME IN FROM THE COLD! By Todd Stickney, Contemporary Worship Coordinator
Join us for a FREE Winter Concert! Our contemporary worship bands will be per-forming in the Ed Center on Sunday, February 10th from 3:00-5:00pm. Each of the bands will be performing, so you won’t want to miss it!
Friends are always welcome! Come in from the cold for some great music and fellowship.
See you there!
We are also in need of Sound and Power Point operators for our regular Sunday contemporary worship services!
Please reach out to Todd Stickney at [email protected]
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