What is Our Mission?

St. Mark’s mission statement is everywhere. It is on every bulletin and in every email. It has been printed on t-shirts, annual reports, and banners. It is so prevalent that if you are anything like me, you gloss over it and barely notice it’s there. It is an excellent statement, written way before I was in the picture. After everything we have been through the last three years, it would be a good idea to step back and reflect on what our mission statement can mean for this group of individuals who share life together in the community we call St. Mark Lutheran Church.

“Growing in Faith. Sharing God’s Grace.” That’s it. When we do it right, this two-part mission gives us what we need to sustain our faith, and it creates in us a desire to take part in the amazing things God is doing in our world. Worship, Sunday School, Study Groups, Circles, Outreach, and so many opportunities in between help us grow and share the good news of God’s love with the world. I am continually amazed at how well St. Mark does these things, thanks to the tireless commitment of so many volunteers, staff members, and donors.

Sunday morning will kick off Stewardship Season at St. Mark. While it is as important as ever to ensure our budget is sound, this year we will also reflect on how we might pledge our whole selves to our mission statement. The work of any congregation depends on the gifts of resources, time, and talents. Because of that, our goal is two-fold: To meet our financial needs for 2023, and to commit our time and talents to our many ministries.

The council has set a goal of $720,000 in pledged giving for 2023, which was our goal last year. We all have the opportunity to pledge toward that goal by filling out a Plan for Giving card on a Sunday, or by submitting a plan online. For the first time this year, we will also have the opportunity to complete a Servant Commitment Form, where we can recommit to the ways we are already involved, as well as take part in new opportunities. My hope is that 175 of our members complete this form during the month of October. Members will receive all the necessary materials in the mail next week, and we will have all month to pray and reflect on how we can continue to be a church united in God’s grace.

Our ministries and programs, as well as our budget, will depend on the response you give. These goals are filled with a lot of hope, and if we meet them we can continue to thrive as we grow in faith and share God’s grace!

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

 

Jesus is Lord ...

A while back, I attended a meeting at a local, non-Lutheran congregation. Their building wasn’t always a church. Their store-front sanctuary shares a few walls and a parking lot with other businesses. When I stepped inside, though, it was unmistakably a house of worship. Aside from the typical layout of chairs and podiums, the wall behind the stage was emblazoned with the words, “Jesus is Lord.”

I was early for the meeting, and so before starting up a conversation with some of the other pastors present, I pondered those words for a few moments. I read them over and over. “Jesus is Lord.” 

We hear these three words all the time. Saying them is one way for folks to identify their religious preferences to others. If you want someone to know you are a Christian, you can simply exclaim, “Jesus is Lord!” But, as I stared at those words on the wall of that sanctuary, they began to sound less like a complete declaration of faith and more like a prompt— the first half of a statement, asking me to fill in the blank and complete the sentence. Jesus is Lord… of what? 

Jesus is Lord of my life. But what parts of my life?

Jesus is Lord of Heaven and Earth. But how does that truth affect the world we live in?

In the first century, those three words were dangerous. They were a challenge to the dominance of Caesar and all the cruelty and selfishness of the Roman Empire. Things are different today. Those three words no longer carry the same weight. In fact, aside from simply indicating our personal beliefs, they can lose meaning altogether. In a world where being Christian carries very little risk, our statements of faith can become overly spiritualized and disconnected from the world God created. What difference does it make to the world when we say “Jesus is Lord”?

Allow me to try and give some weight to such a declaration. Jesus is Lord of me. Jesus is Lord of all people. Jesus is Lord of the changing seasons, the migrations of birds and people, the cycle of death and new life we hold in our hands every time we dig at the earth or rake up a pile of oak leaves. Jesus is Lord of the hungry and the wealthy, those in power and those who cannot speak for themselves. Jesus is Lord of our children, our elders, and all of us in between. Jesus is Lord of every person you disagree with, every lifestyle you cannot understand, and every nation under the sun. Jesus is Lord of every creature in the sea, every insect in the field, every balanced and beautiful ecosystem created by God. Treasure these three words, and complete the sentence yourself. Jesus is Lord—

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

St. Mark Update

This summer has been an amazing and busy summer.  We had a successful Vacation Bible School.  Becca Honzel was our summer intern and she did a great job.  The youth did an amazing job on their week of service.   There were three baptisms this summer, I just love baptisms.  And sadly, we said goodbye to some beloved members, who made an impact on lives of many people. 

We have had some maintenance work completed over the summer.  Randy Scott has replaced lights on the east side of the building and he continues to work on the outside lighting so all the lights work properly.  The exit signs and the emergency lights have been updated throughout the building.  Stenstrom Blacktop came out and filled some holes in our parking lot.

What is next?  Next week we will have some tree maintenance done on the trees near the clinic.  There are a few dead trees that will come down, several invasive trees that will be removed, and several trees trimmed to provide easier access for the lawn crew. This will give a fresh look to that part of the property.

For the past three years, money has been set aside to cover parking lot maintenance.  It is time to repair the cracks, seal coat, and restripe the parking lot.  This will take place on Monday, September 19^th and Tuesday, September 20th.  There will be limited or no access to the parking lot on those two days.  We ask that you please avoid coming to the church on those two days. 

The tent for SeptemberFest has arrived early, due to staffing.  Just a reminder that SeptemberFest worship is September 11^th at 10:30am, there will be donuts and coffee available at 10am and a BBQ lunch following the service.  You won’t want to miss the concert on Friday evening, September 9^th, at 7pm featuring Bob Rub, Margaret Dean, and the St. Mark Bell Ringers.  There is an opportunity to serve others on Saturday.  Lasagna Love Meal Assembly will take place from 10am until 1pm on Saturday the 10^th, please see Melinda for more details.

I want to thank the amazing staff of St. Mark for their part in making this summer a success.  We are blessed with an amazing staff.  Please join me in welcoming Pastor Chad back this Sunday, September 4^th.  

Peace, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber 

The Right Time

Romans 12:2  Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a youth leader at St. Mark for the last twenty-one years.  I plan to retire October 16th. I am thankful to all my St. Mark family.  I especially want to thank the people I have worked with, the inspiring pastors, all of the staff, the interims, the associates, the council members, the congregation, and most importantly the youth and their families. I’ve learned something from everyone along the way. There have been many supportive people to me over these years. Thank you!

One of my goals has always been that St. Mark reaches outward to our community.  I am thankful for being part of that outreach. I will continue to be involved, and caring about the community and our world.

Thank you to ALL my St. Mark family. You really are family! 

I want to thank my husband Paul for always being willing to help as needed, on youth trips, drive to events, haul supplies, etc.

Now it’s time to join Paul in retirement. We are hoping to ride our bicycles, and travel. We want to spend time visiting our own kids in Minneapolis, Bettendorf, and South Beloit. And we want to spend time with our granddaughter.

I am so grateful for Pastor Chad, he has an incredible heart. I am so thankful for Pastor Katrina she also has such a heart for ministry. With their combined skill set (did you know they both can do anything!) the sky is the limit! With the incredible leadership from our pastors, I feel confident in the future of St. Mark.

I love our youth and all the people of St. Mark. We plan to be here in worship and volunteer and help support the work of the church.

God is good…All the time!

Yours in community and yours in Christ,

Melinda Alekna

Youth Ministry Coordinator

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

 

The Joy of God's Creation!

There is something about the sound of gentle rain.  It is relaxing and peaceful.  Sometimes you can even smell the rain.  After the rain has stopped you can see the tiny drops of rain hanging onto each blade of grass and you can feel the rain dripping from the branches of the trees.  And falling asleep to the sound of rain, there may not be a better sound to fall asleep to.  When I take the time to notice the simple pleasures of God’s creation, I am amazed at God’s handy work.  

Today I woke up in Wisconsin, in a house on a Lake.  When I looked out on the lake I saw some fog rising off the water.  I heard loons calling out from the lake.  And there was a family of ducks hanging out on the dock.  And again, I am amazed at God’s handy work. 

As the sun breaks the clouds and shadows from the trees appear on the grass, it seems as though the earth is slowly waking up.  The lake seems to welcome the warmth of the sun. I feel very fortunate to be here, I love being on a lake.  Many of you know my family enjoys kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding, and that is what we plan to do. 

Being near a lake also seems to slow things down.  There is no rush to finish your coffee or your breakfast.  No alarm to get you moving, just a time for rest and renewal.  A time to soak in as much of God’s beautiful creation as possible. 

As I spend time soaking up God’s beautiful creation in Wisconsin, I invite you to find time to enjoy God’s beautiful creation.  I invite you to notice the color of a flower, the shape of leaves on the trees, or the dew on the grass.  I give God thanks for creation and the marvelous wonders we are privileged to enjoy. 

God’s Peace, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

A Week of Service

We began the week of service with a Northern Illinois Synod worship with other churches from the synod and Bishop Clements.  We worshiped outside at Patriots Gateway Center, following the service we played games and shared a meal together.  On Monday we left Rockford to pack meals at Feed My Starving Children in Schaumburg with many other volunteers.  We worked as a team to pack the meals, each of us with a different job to get everything needed for each meal.  During our few hours there, a total of 73 boxes filled which totaled 15,768 meals.  This will feed 43 kids for one year.

On Tuesday, we spent the day at Rock Cut State Park.  We enjoyed kayaking and paddle boarding on the lake and had lunch at Rock Cut.  It was a beautiful day.  Wednesday was a full day.  The youth began their day at Miss Carly’s where they helped bag snacks, unload vegetables from a truck, and had a tour.  In the evening they volunteered at Rock House Kids.  The youth ate dinner with the kids and played games.  The youth really enjoyed playing games with the kids.  I think this may have been the highlight of the week.  We ended with a lock-in at church where we played games, talked about the week, and slept a little. 

I am so proud of the youth for all they did this week.  They embraced the week of service and gave it their all.  We are blessed to have these extraordinary youth represent St. Mark.  

Becca Honzel, our summer intern did a fantastic job connecting with the youth and encouraging them.  She brought energy to each service event.  I think she especially enjoyed waking them up on Thursday morning with some lively music.  I have enjoyed getting to know Becca and watching her grow this summer.  She began the summer with a fun week of VBS and she ends her internship with a week of service with the youth. 

I witnessed God’s work in many ways this week.  The youth did not hesitate to jump in and help.  I enjoyed the week of service and the fun we had.  I even enjoyed sleeping in the basement of the church.  This week has been a blessing to me.  And I will say it again, I could not be prouder of the youth and we are blessed to have these extraordinary youth represent St. Mark. 

Peace, Pastor Katrina Steingraeber  

        

Living the Life Right in Front of Us

Lately, I have struggled to make sense of all that has and is happening in our nation and our world.  I have been angry, sad, disheartened, and at a loss of what to do.  Perhaps some of you are feeling the same way.  I have lit candles and prayed, yet that did not seem like enough.  So, I decided to grab a book from my office as I stepped out to take my son for an appointment.  As I sat waiting for my son’s appointment to finish, I glanced at the contents section of the book titled, Liturgy of the Ordinary, Sacred Practices in Everyday Life, by Tish Harrison Warren.  My first thought was this is not really what I am looking for, but I was pleasantly surprised when I began reading the chapter titled Waking, Baptism and Learning to Be Beloved.    

The first thing that stood out to me was the comment on the ordinary parts of our lives and that there were ordinary parts of Christ’s life too.  “Christ’s ordinary years are part of our redemption story.  Because the incarnation and those long, unrecorded years of Jesus’ life, our small, normal lives matter.  If Christ was a carpenter, all of us who are in Christ find that our work is sanctified and made holy.”  In our small corner of the world, our ordinariness is beloved and made holy.  We can reflect God’s glory in our small, everyday tasks. 

The second thing that stood out to me was no matter our profession or position in life, we all have bodies that get tired.  “Whether you’re Mother Teresa or a stay-at-home mom, whether you’re a revolutionary, a student, or a tax attorney, life is lived in twenty-four-hour days.  We have bodies; we lag in energy; we learn slowly; we wake daily and don’t know what lies ahead.”  With the endless barrage of tragic events happening in our world, I have found myself lacking energy and emotionally exhausted at times.  Living into the ambiguity of our lives and what lies ahead is not easy.  I have found myself living in the moment or the day, and that is okay. 

Finally, “And every new day, this is the turn my heart must make: I’m living this life, the life right in front of me.  This one where marriages struggle. This one where we aren’t living as we thought we might or as we hoped we would.  This one where we are weary, where we want to make a difference but aren’t sure where to start, where we have to get dinner on the table or the kid’s teeth brushed… where we worry about those we love, where we struggle to meet our neighbors and love those close to us, where we grieve, where we wait.”  Living the life right in front of us can be hard or it can be boring and mundane.   Our whole selves, boring and ordinary, exciting or challenging, we are beloved children of God.  That is something that cannot be taken away from us and that brings me peace.  I hope it brings you peace too.

God’s peace, Pastor Katrina Steingraeber