Looking Back on 2025

Dear Siblings in Christ,

As your pastors, we feel blessed to journey alongside you. We want to use this year’s report to highlight just how true that is. We may be your pastors, but you are the ones who make this community what it is. Every Sunday, we rely on up to twenty-two volunteers to make worship happen, along with anywhere from seven to eighteen musicians. Of course, there is always a bit of overlap, but worship happens thanks to everyone who wears a lanyard, stands at a microphone, plays an instrument, assists with communion, and works behind the scenes.

On average, we have had about 185 people in worship on Sundays, and online worship attendance has increased since last year. This speaks volumes to who we are as a church. Thank you for your kindness and genuine hospitality to others. Even when you aren’t volunteering in an official capacity, you contribute to the warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes this place truly special.

The two of us often joke that the real boss around here is our office manager, Jill Davenport. In truth, every staff member is amazing, and we are so grateful for all they do. Church work is not easy and can be exhausting, but it is also life-giving, in large part because of you. Our staff rely on you to do their work well, and they are supported by Sunday School teachers, committee members, front desk attendants, offering counters, one incredibly committed bulletin printing assistant, and so many others.

The generosity of St. Mark’s members is unmistakable. This summer, you went above and beyond when we challenged you to match a gift given from Ulla Kercher’s estate to fund our outreach, youth, and children’s ministries, creating an account with over $25,000 to support those ministries. Every time we ask you to support a local charity with food, gifts, or donations, you do so with enthusiasm and kindness. In the last two months of 2025 alone, you donated a literal ton of non-perishable food to our local pantries, over 130 coats for our refugee community, and 60 gifts for LSSI’s foster children.

In the community, you are the body of Christ. Through the church and on your own, members like you actively serve at Habitat for Humanity, Mosaic, the Uniform Co-op, Carpenters Place, Rock House Kids, Rock River Valley Pantry, Emmanuel Lutheran Pantry, Bridges to Prosperity (formerly One Body Collaborative), Katie’s Cup, and Cornucopia Pantry. We are so grateful for all you do in the name of Jesus.

Near the end of August, we were finally able to take action on last year’s listening campaign. Over 80 people showed up for our Kingdom Caucus to learn about what our listening team heard, and the ways we can grow in ministry. Four different task forces emerged from this meeting, focusing on Senior Supports, Gathering Beyond Sunday, Expanding Outreach, and New Member Initiatives. Those four groups will be hard at work during the upcoming season of Lent to ask for your help in making their ideas a reality.

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

 

The Parable of Jesus, According to the St. Mark Confirmation Class

One of the great joys of ministry at St. Mark is teaching our confirmation students. This group of seventh and eighth graders meets every Wednesday to connect with one another and learn about faith, scripture, and life in the church. This year, our confirmation students have been working their way through the Bible. 

We recently moved into the New Testament, studying the story of Jesus and how it is told in the four gospels. Last week, Pastor Chad asked the confirmands to draw pictures of the most important moments in Jesus’ story. A few students drew crosses. One drew a nativity. Another drew a beautifully detailed depiction of the Last Supper. All of these moments and more are vital to Jesus’ story, as well as our faith, and it is amazing to see how different aspects of the story resonate with different people. How we tell a story says as much about us as it does about the events we attempt to describe.

This past Wednesday, the students and Pastor Katrina talked about Jesus’ parables. After the discussion, she asked the confirmands to write their own parable about Jesus. As they worked together to write the parable, she asked them if we could share their writing with the congregation, and so it is with their permission that we share “The Parable of Jesus, According to the St. Mark Confirmation Class.”

There was man, who name is Jesus, he was very compassionate. Some people like him, he had a group of friends but many people did not like him. He did not care about social class, he cared a lot for the lowly and the poor. He always accepted others but he was not always accepted. 

Even though he was hated, he loved everyone so much that he was crucified for everyone’s sin. But he came back! He proved to the people who hated him, that they were wrong. They now believe in him. 

Now people tell his story all the time.

How would you tell the story of Jesus in your own words? If you could only tell that story with a single sketch, what moment of his life would you draw?  

Peace,

Pastor Chad and Pastor Katrina

Announcing Our Ministry Support Matching Campaign

You may recall that when we approved our 2025 budget at the annual meeting in February, many ministries took substantial budget cuts. Outreach, children’s ministry, and youth ministry were among those most affected, with an overall budget reduction of $24,692. At the time, we mentioned that we would need to raise more funding in order to maintain our current level of service to our community. The council is pleased to announce a plan to do just that, and we need your help.

Earlier this year, St. Mark received a generous bequest from the estate of Ulla Kercher, in the amount of $10,000. Many of you may remember Ulla, who was a longtime worshipper at our 11:00am services. Even as her health declined, she made it to a number of outdoor services last summer. She supported our music ministries with her presence, kind words, and generosity.  On top of that, Ulla often gave special offerings for specific ministries­– including outreach, youth ministries, and Vacation Bible School.

Around the time we received Ulla’s bequest, an anonymous donor gave an additional $2,000 gift for children’s ministries, in response to this year’s budget cuts. We are so grateful for the generosity shown by Ulla and the anonymous donor. Their combined gift of $12,000 will go a long way toward funding some of our most essential ministries.

Here is where you come in. The council and pastors would like to challenge our congregation to match these generous gifts by raising an equal amount of $12,000. This will close the budget gap and ensure our outreach, children’s and youth ministries have the resources they need to share God’s love with our community. We ask that you prayerfully consider contributing to this matching challenge, so that our vital ministries have a total of $24,000 dedicated to cover budget shortfalls this year and beyond.

In recent years, we have had similar fundraisers in order to upgrade our electric sign and purchase new pianos for worship. Those campaigns proved to be incredibly successful, thanks to the generosity of many of our members. Because of those successes, we are confident that you will rise to this new challenge! Thank you for your continued support of the ministries of St. Mark Lutheran Church. Donate to the campaign here on Tithely. 

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna & Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

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