New Changes

As with most things these days, there is always room for improvement.  This is especially true when it comes to communication.  The drastic rate of change in the means and methods of communication leaves many gasping for breath.  It can be hard to keep up with the swift advances of technology and their myriad applications.  As a congregation, we need to stay current with these changes so that our communication with you and the community remains effective and inclusive.

After much consultation, we are making a few changes to better accommodate our methods of communication.  Specifically, the Memos newsletter you received via email every other week will now be sent to you weekly.  We will refer to it as the “Weekly Memos.”  Thus, we will no longer have need to send you separate weekly “announcements.”  Following this week’s Memos publication, the front-page Pastors’ articles will be moved from the Weekly Memos to the home page of our St. Mark web site.  This will encourage members and guests alike to visit our web site for more comprehensive information and articles.  The new Pastors’ Blog will also contain previously-posted Pastors’ articles, thus creating a valuable archive that will remain accessible for future referral.  Also, our Sunday bulletins now include the weekly prayer list and several pertinent announcements inside the back cover.  As you can see, there is no reduction of communication.  We are simply consolidating our various means of communication to make it easier for you to receive it.

Speaking of communication, former St. Mark Pastor, Wayne Viereck, has written a book, Then is Now: Reading the New Testament in the 21st Century.  Here is a description from Amazon.com: “Wayne R. Viereck has been a pastor for fifty-five years. During his decades of service with different Lutheran and community congregations, he confronted the same questions over and over, reminding him of his own days in the seminary. Like the members of his congregation, he too had many questions about the interpretation of scripture and its modern applications. Viereck remembers his disappointment as instructors chastised him for asking too many questions and his joy at discovering there were others who celebrated and encouraged his natural curiosity. Viereck’s new biblical study, Then Is Now, is in honor of all those curious congregants. He hopes that his work not only answers your questions about the New Testament but fires you up and inspires you to dig deeper into scripture. Viereck provides an in-depth examination of the birth, passion, and resurrection accounts found in the Gospels. He shows how the Bible can be seen through both first-century and twenty-first-century lenses.”

Wayne’s book is available for purchase through Wilma Reinke between Sunday services in the narthex on Nov. 12 & 19 ($10 for an autographed copy that will be shipped directly to you), as well as through direct purchase on your own (no autograph) at Amazon.com.  It’s great reading!

Walking this journey of faith with you,

Pastor Mark Hagen