Annual Report of the Pastors

Dear Siblings in Christ,

As your pastors, we feel blessed to journey alongside you. This past year brought a change to St. Mark. As of November 3rd, we are co-pastoring and are sharing leadership equally. You all overwhelmingly supported the idea of co-pastoring at our congregation meeting that day, and we are blessed to have your support as we lead St. Mark into a new era.

We are thankful for all of our amazing volunteers– those who volunteer inside the walls of the church and in the community. You are the church, and you make St. Mark what it is. In fact, the ministries of St. Mark would not happen without you. It is our volunteers who ensure that St. Mark supports so many organizations in our community. Members actively serve at Habitat for Humanity, Mosaic, the Uniform Co-op, Carpenters Place, Rock House Kids, Rock River Valley Pantry, Bridges to Prosperity (formerly One Body Collaborative), Katie’s Cup, and Cornucopia Pantry.  This summer we also supported Ryan, an Eagle Scout, whose Eagle Project was rebuilding the dumpster enclosure. 

The fall, fourteen of our members trained to lead our first Listening Campaign. Over the course of eight weeks, this dedicated team reached out to 147 members and had 93 one-to-one conversations with you. The team identified a number of areas where we can continue to grow. One of the outcomes that began during the Listening Campaign is the Grief Support Group.  This group offers a safe space for people to share their grief, and they now regularly meet on the first and third Thursday of each month. As we move into the new year, our Listening Team intends to address the other areas they identified.

On average, we have had about 193 people in worship on Sundays– a number we have not seen since before the beginning of the pandemic. This speaks volumes to who we are as a church. The hospitality shown to guests is genuine and kind. This comes from all of you. Thank you for your kindness to others. 

Our worship services continue to bring together God’s word not only with scripture and preaching, but also with beautiful music from our Bell Choir, Praise Band, Voices of St. Mark, as well as soloists and other groups. We are so blessed to have so many talented musicians here! We are also blessed to have a concert series like no other. Folks from all backgrounds come and perform in the sanctuary. 

We want to thank the amazing staff of St. Mark Lutheran Church, who go above and beyond for all our ministries.  Church work is not easy and can be exhausting, but it is also life-giving. Our staff is faithful and amazing and we are so grateful for all they do. 

This past year has been a year full of exciting adventures. We will continue to follow God’s call to love others in this new year, and we cannot wait to see what God has in store! 

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna and Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

Still With Us

As baffling as it may sound, there are many people in our midst who actually like winter. Some folks love to go for a run, letting that dry, cold air fill their lungs. Some love to ski or skate, or simply cozy up next to the yellow warmth of a fireplace. No matter how you feel about the season, though, everyone will find it harsh and unrelenting at times. The same storms that give us conditions for play also slow us down and put drivers in danger. Scarce daylight hours can damage our moods. Sometimes the cold is simply too much to handle.

My feelings about winter seem to change with the weather. It can be lovely at times, but I would probably love it more if we could just have a soft blanket of snow on the ground from the moment the last leaf falls to the day the first shoots of spring emerge. When all is overcast and brown, it is hard to get much joy out of a barren landscape. I think this is one reason why so many folks use lights and colorful decorations to liven up the outside of their homes during Christmas. 

So many of us celebrated the good news of Jesus’ life by bringing signs of hope into a world that has turned drab. We brought that hope through decorations, music, generosity, and togetherness. As people of faith, we are called to still proclaim that good news even beyond the holiday season— especially in a world that still feels dim and devoid of vibrance in so many ways. The light of Christ shines in the darkness of night, and we need the warming assurance that Emmanuel is still with us.

This is one reason why we have kept a few decorations up around the building— to remind ourselves that the Messiah we celebrated in December is with us even now. You may have noticed the paper stars in the windows of the Fellowship Hall. We originally chose these because the quilt-like patterns within them worked well with the imagery our Advent devotionals. The confirmation students and I spent a few Wednesdays folding them and progressively filling the building with their color throughout Advent. 

Now that Christmas is behind us, all the stars have relocated to the windows in the Fellowship Hall. We have lifted the blinds to let the light shine through them, filling the space with radiant color. They will probably remain there a little while longer. And while this little installation won’t replace your Vitamin D supplements, hopefully it can lift your mood ever so slightly. And, like the Star of Bethlehem, hopefully these points of color will remind you to continue to seek out the love of Jesus and share that joy with all the world.

Peace, Pastor Chad McKenna

 

Outsiders in the Bible

It is important to discuss the outsiders in the bible for a few reasons.  First of all, many of us have felt like an outsider at some point in our lives. Perhaps knowing there were outsiders in the biblical stories will help us feel better about times when we felt like an outsider. Many of the outsiders in the bible do amazing things and their stories are not a part of our regular lectionary cycles.

On January 19^th 2025 we began our adult forum series the Outsiders in the Bible with a discussion on Tamar, an ancestor of Jesus.  We will continue the discussion through March 2^nd.  During the next several weeks we will discuss Jesus healings of named and unnamed people; Potiphar’s wife, Rahab, Mary Magdalene, and Bathsheba. We will hear their stories and discover the importance of their presence in the biblical story. 

Last Sunday we discussed the story of Tamar.  We looked at her genealogy.  Tamar is an ancestor of Jesus.  Matthew 1:1-3 says, “An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.  Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar…”  The majority of Tamar’s story is in Genesis 38.  She is not treated well by Judah and she had to take matters into her own hands to protect her future. 

The genealogy of Tamar and Jesus. 

I encourage you to attend the adult forums to learn about the Outsiders in the Bible and their importance to the biblical story. 

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

Epiphany

Epiphany - while many know it as the day marking 12 days after Christmas and the time to take down the tree and decorations, it's actually a holiday with significant meaning. Epiphany means “appearance or manifestation.”  Christians throughout the world celebrate the twelve days of Christmas.  On Epiphany, Western Christianity recognizes Christ’s manifestation to the Gentiles. The Gentiles were represented when The Magi visited the child Jesus and showed how God’s gift of the Good News is for everyone.

Epiphany was established by the early church leaders in the third century.  This holiday celebrates and recognizes Christ’s birth, baptism, the adoration of the magi, and the first miracle at Cana.  Observing Christmas and Advent began at the end of the fourth century. 

The church calendar ensures that we cover the entire breadth and depth of the Gospel in a year.  The church year begins at Advent.  From Advent through Pentecost, we concentrate on the life and work of Christ. The six months from Advent to Pentecost covers all six major events: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. The remainder of the year, Pentecost to Advent, the church year focuses on the teachings of Christ. Epiphany is the manifestation of God.  It is a lovely opportunity to rejoice that Christ has appeared to all, regardless of our status.    

Some historical traditions around Epiphany are celebrations focusing on the Magi’s journey, processions and ceremonies, children would receive gifts from the three kings not Santa, baking and enjoying a kings’ cake with a trinket baked inside (whoever finds the trinket is king or queen for the day), and a feast. 

This year we will celebrate Epiphany with worship on January 5^th, 2025 at 6:30 pm.  All the youth will be leading the worship service.  We will begin with a blessing for the new year and the service will focus on Jesus as the light of the world.  This is also a good time to remind us to keep Jesus at the center of our lives, and it is a beautiful way to start the New Year. 

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber   

Our New Advent Paraments

A few years ago, our Sew & Sews group did their best to touch up the paraments we use at Advent. It was a lovely set, but after so many decades of use and repair, the detailed piping on those old pieces could only be improved so much. It was clear then that we would soon need to have a brand new set of artistic fabrics to decorate our communion table, lectern, and pastoral stoles for Advent.

The Altar Guild had such a lovely experience working with Ann Anderson of Interwoven Studio when we commissioned our paraments for Lent in 2022. It was a no-brainer to call her up again and see what ideas she could come up with for us this time around. We went back and forth about vision, style, and details this past summer and fall, and if you have worshipped with us this Advent, you have seen the results of those conversations. 

One thing I love about Ann’s artistry is how she is able to capture an image or a moment, and yet leave it abstract enough for us engage her work with our own interpretations. Stars dot the stoles and paraments alike. The stole itself has a small seedling rising from below, a reminder of life’s persistence in the cold of December. 

I have always been enamored with the bold message of an Advent Wreath. As the days get shorter, the light in our worship space pushes back with increasing luminance until at last God’s own self enters into the world on Christmas Day. Like the increasing light of an Advent Wreath, the altar piece gains a new panel each Sunday in Advent, filling in the emptiness we might feel this time of year. The design seems to blend in more and more with the stained glass in the chancel, pulling us in to the story. Is that Mary and the Christ Child in the center of the altarpiece? Or is it an angel? Each week, the art speaks to us in new ways.

The piece on the lectern may seem less complex, but it emanates movement. A single figure stands on the edge, as if their journey is still in motion. A star rises to the left. But just who is that supposed to be? So many different people in the Christmas story are on a journey, guided by the heavens. Perhaps you have felt like you are being pulled into a journey of hope and trust in this season of your life. 

I pray that this new artwork has helped you encounter the season of Advent in new ways this year. I am so grateful to Ann Anderson for creating this new set of Advent Paraments, and to Christy Malenchik and the Altar Guild for their tireless work to make it happen. And, thanks to our Memorial Committee, these lovely new paraments were paid for in full using funds given in memory of St. Mark members. May their memory be a blessing as we await the one whose birth has given us all hope for new life in God’s love.  See the pictures below of the paraments.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

We are Better Together!

We are blessed at St. Mark.  We are among a few Lutheran churches in Rockford who have two pastors. I believe that having two pastors is wonderful. I am grateful and blessed to work with Pastor Chad.  We work well together and we bring different God given gifts to the table, and this is a blessing to the church. 

When I was growing up, almost every church in Rockford had two pastors.  I didn’t appreciate that when I was a child, nor did I understand the value and blessing that two pastors bring to the church.  As a congregation you hear sermons from two different perspectives.  You have two pastors who are there for you and who will journey with you in times of grief and joy.  Having two pastors allows for one to lead the adult forum, while the other enjoys a time of fellowship with folks in the café.  The confirmation classes and bible study’s have two pastors to lead and have discussions with about the bible, book studies, the catechism, and more.  

From my perspective, having two pastors is a blessing for the pastors too.  As co-pastors, Pastor Chad and I can work on projects together, which allows us to bounce ideas off each other.  We can support the ministries better because one of us is not carrying the weight of all the ministries at St. Mark.  We are better when we work together.

When pastors are ordained we make promises.  We promise to be diligent in our study of the holy scriptures and be faithful in our use of the means of grace.  We promise to pray for God’s people, nourish them with the word and sacraments, and lead them by our own example in faithful service and holy living.  We are charged to “fight the good fight of the faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called” and to “care for God’s people, bear their burdens, and do not betray their confidence.”  Our final charge is to “witness faithfully in word and deed to all people.  Give and receive comfort as we serve within the church.  And be of good courage, for God has called you, and your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 

Pastor Chad and I take these promises and charges very seriously.  God has called us to the ministries and work in the church.  Again, I am grateful and blessed to work alongside Pastor Chad as we journey with each of you.

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber 

A Tradition of Gratitude

Thanksgiving is a complicated holiday. Sure, it has straightforward traditions, from a set menu of turkey and potatoes to the ritual of going around the table. But its origins and our nation’s history can mix up our feelings about America’s most treasured meal.

One unmistakable aspect of this holiday is the way it connects us to the indigenous peoples of North America. Every grade school kid learns the story— of how the Mayflower made a November landing in modern-day Massachusetts; how the Wampanoag people saved the Pilgrims from starvation during that harsh first winter; and how they celebrated their friendship with a grand feast the following fall. It is a lovely story of hospitality that is wonderful to tell, but it is merely the beginning of a longer, more complicated history.

If you know that history well, hearing this story on Thanksgiving, a holiday rooted in gratitude, can feel a bit ironic. With the horrific ways European settlers treated Native Americans in the following centuries, it doesn’t seem like the lesson about gratitude sank in. How different would our world be if gratitude for the Wampanoag people had a genuine, lasting effect on our relationship with the indigenous people who originally called these lands their home? Lacking such a history of gratitude for Native Americans, the story of the first Thanksgiving becomes another decoration on the table, nestled next to the cornucopia and turkey feathers.

Pure gratitude leads to respect, humility, and even love. Gratitude forms relationships, connection, and understanding. It is hard to ignore or mistreat another person when you are grateful for how that person has shaped your life.

At our Thanksgiving Eve service this year we spent some time reflecting on the tradition of gratitude practiced by the Haudenosaunee Confederacy of nations, which includes the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca, and Tuscarora peoples. This tradition is called the Thanksgiving Address, Greetings to the Natural World, or simply “The Words Before All Else.” Before any social gathering or meeting, people from these nations open with a lengthy litany of gratitude for the earth, plants, animals, and all that which gives and sustains life in our world. We express gratitude to God all the time. These words take it a step further by expressing gratitude directly to all that God has created.

Imagine going into a tense meeting, where emotions are high and conflict seems inevitable. But before anyone has a chance to sling a few hurtful words, everyone gathered takes five minutes to express gratitude to the world for all its life-giving splendor. Before raising your voice in anger, you raise your voice in thanksgiving for animals, forests, the sun, and even the wind. How might such a habit shift your perspective about squabbles with your family, co-workers, and neighbors? 

Take time this Thanksgiving to reflect on everything you are grateful for. Do more than simply recite one thing. If you want, you can read the Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address alone or with others. https://danceforallpeople.com/haudenosaunee-thanksgiving-address/. A holiday which celebrates abundance is most meaningful when met with an equal abundance of gratitude.

Note: The Haudenosaunee People see their practice as a gift to the world, and they encourage others to modify the words to fit their own context. The version used at our Thanksgiving Eve service was indeed adjusted to be true to the makeup of our little Lutheran community in Northern Illinois. 

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna