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
