Committing to the Story

A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about the story of our congregation, with a summary of everything we have been up to this past year. We are a deeply faithful community rooted in worship, with a wide variety of ministries focused on faith formation and outreach. If you haven’t had a chance to read that letter, I hope you take a look and see just how much St. Mark has been up to. All of these ministries are made possible because of the generosity of our members.

On Sunday, October 22nd, we officially kicked off our annual season of stewardship. Every October, all members of St. Mark are encouraged to make a plan for giving in the upcoming year. We do this so that our council and leadership can prepare a budget that represents the commitment of our congregation to our ministries. In order to continue the story of our mission, we hope to meet a goal of $710,000 in committed giving for the coming year. 

To be to the point, we did not meet our goal last year. Even though this year’s goal is slightly lower, we will not meet it either, unless members like you pledge to increase your giving by a small percentage. If giving were to increase by even 7%, we could get there. Not everyone is able to make such an increase. If you are, though, I hope you will prayerfully consider how you could help us meet our goal and allow us to continue all we are able to do in our congregation and with the community.

Take a look at the table on the back of a pledge card, or on the online Plan for Giving form, and see how much you might be able to give to these ministries of ours in 2024. After some reflection and prayer, please complete your pledge and return it. You can use the enclosed envelope or bring it with you the next time you come to worship. You can also complete your plan for giving online by going to www.stmarklc.com/give or by scanning the QR code below.

No matter how much you pledge, thank you for your commitment to St. Mark and our unique story of how we grow in faith and share God’s grace. All gifts, large and small, are what allow us to share the story of Jesus Christ. You are part of this story, and it is an absolute joy to be with you in this wonderful ministry we share.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

Telling the Story

 Dear St. Mark Member,

It is time for us to reevaluate how we talk about our budget. If you have ever been to an annual meeting, you know how the conversation typically goes. We look at lines with labels like “Outreach” or “Christian Education” which are fairly self-explanatory and always overshadowed by lines like “Property." Someone always stands up and asks what “Stewardship & Finance” means. While these categories are necessary for our leadership, they don’t exactly paint a picture of how much we actually value the primary ministries of St. Mark.

Take Outreach for example. Our congregation operates school uniform co-ops at four elementary schools on the west side of the city. We are able to provide regular meals to places like Rock House Kids and Carpenter’s Place. We give directly to local agencies and charities through both the budget and our endowment. The Sew & Sews meet twice a month to make blankets, quilts, and medical port pillows for people in need. We host four support groups, two bridge clubs, a Mosaic Hub, and other outside organizations. Recently, we began providing pre-packaged foods and other essential items in the St. Market cabinet by the kitchen entrance. I would even include our weekly coffee and donut hospitality as a form of outreach.

While much of what we do relies on volunteers, everything also relies on our pastors, staff, and property. The parking lot is plowed in winter to provide space for outside groups and volunteers who rely on a heated and well-lit building. All those behind-the-scenes expenses exist to support the ministries of our congregation. In fact, for every dollar we spent this year, 26 cents went to ministries that care for our community and welcome our neighbors.

Another 24 cents per dollar went to our ministries of Faith Formation. Mainstays like Sunday School and Vacation Bible School are strengthened by regular family fellowship events. Adult Forum on Sundays, as well as the Wednesday morning bible studies, provide learning opportunities for adults. And, we are excited to be partnering with Grace Lutheran in Loves Park for our new shared youth ministry. Growing in faith is a life-long process, and we are blessed to be able to provide opportunities for faithful people of every age.

We are also blessed to have such vibrant and varied worship. New members often cite our music ministry and choirs as a main factor in their decision to join our congregation. Life-long members can be seen lingering in their seats after worship to enjoy the full breadth of the postlude. Our praise band diligently leads worship every week, both inside and on the lawn. With two services every Sunday, evening prayer in Lent, and worship on major holidays, it’s no surprise that the largest ministry at St. Mark is Worship. It accounts for 33% of our budget because it’s what we do. Worship is where our community gathers to grow in faith together, as the love of Jesus unites us into the Body of Christ.

What I have been describing is not simply an overview of our congregation, but a narrative budget. When you donate to St. Mark, this is what you support. When we talk about our expenses, we are talking about ministry. An increase in giving allows us to do even more. Almost all of our budget can be attributed to those three areas of Outreach, Faith Formation, and Worship. The remaining 17% covers our mortgage, insurance, and other administrative costs.

Our staff and council are beginning to prepare the ministry budget for 2024, and you are a vital part of the process. On Sunday, October 22nd, everyone will have the opportunity to make a commitment for giving in 2024. It can be an act of worship to declare how much we will give toward the ministries of this unique and wonderful community of faith. If you are able, I would invite you to consider increasing your pledge for the coming year. Whatever amount you decide to give, though, I wholeheartedly thank you for supporting all the wonderful ministries that we share.

Peace,
Pastor Chad McKenna 

How do we settle ourselves when life gives us lemons?

When Life gives you lemons, make lemonade.  This is a phrase that many of us have heard in our life.  It is the proverbial phrase used to encourage optimism and a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity.  But what if you don’t like lemonade?  I ask this question not just to be the devils advocate, but to acknowledge that making lemonade in a time of adversity is not possible for everyone.

As humans, we want to fix things and make them better.  We want to ease the pain of people we love and care about.  Unfortunately, we can’t do that every time.  Struggles in life are real and they are hard. 

I am currently reading a book titled, My Grandmother’s Hands, by Resmaa Menakem.  In Chapter 10, titled “Your Soul Nerve” he talks about how his grandmother was a strong and loving woman, but her body was frequently nervous.  Like she felt something bad was about to happen. This feeling rarely left her.  She would soothe herself by humming and rocking while she was in the kitchen.  This was a sacred ritual, imbued with meaning a purpose.  The soul nerve in the health profession is called the vagus nerve or wandering nerve.  The soul nerve (vagus nerve) reaches into most of our body and it regulates all your body’s basic functions.  Resmaa Menakem goes on to talk about how we can with practice, settle our body, and soothe ourselves during difficult or high-stress situations.  He talks about humming, belly breathing, buzzing, slow rocking, rubbing your belly, singing aloud to yourself, and more.  I want to elaborate on two, belly breathing and rubbing your belly. 

Belly breathing is where you focus on your belly, breath in and out deeply and slowly.
Follow your breath as it flows in and out of each part of your respiratory system.  Do this as you sit in a comfortable position and continue this for about 4 minutes.  Notice what you body is experiencing. 

Rubbing your belly, this may sound crazy and you may think there is no way this will work, but I tried it and I was surprised how my body felt afterword.  You place the palm of your hand on the center of your belly, relax your shoulders and slowly rub your belly for three minutes.  I was surprised how my body felt at ease and less tense.

There is a lot of tension in our world right now and so much going on that we may not understand or have control over.  I encourage you to take time to settle your body by trying one of these practices.  I pray that these practices will help when life throws lemons at you.

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber  

Faith Like the Grasshopper

If you have been worshipping regularly with us for the past month, no doubt you have noticed that the first reading every Sunday has been carrying us through the story of Moses and the exodus from Egypt. We have reached the point in the Israelites’ journey where they make a hard transition from city-dwelling slaves to wilderness foragers. When they complain of hunger, God gives them manna. When they thirst, God provides a rock that Moses needs to crack open.

There is plenty of manna to go around every morning, but it has a short shelf life. The rock quenches their thirst, but it isn’t a permanent solution. In fact, through this whole ordeal the Israelites haven’t had a moment to stock up or plan ahead. They can only trust that God will provide enough with each new day.

I recently heard another pastor say this part of the story is the opposite of Aesop’s fable of the ant and the grasshopper. In that story, the ant is praised for spending its whole summer stockpiling food for winter, while the grasshopper fritters its days away. 

The Israelites, on the other hand, do best when they rely on their faith in God instead of their own self-sufficiency. Despite what the wealthy told them about hard work and success, their liberty came first from God. Every morning, any leftovers they held onto go bad, but God provides yet again. Daily bread truly is daily.

One of the more popular reality-competition shows over the last few years is Alone, where a dozen or so survival experts are sent into the wilderness, and whoever lasts the longest wins. A few seasons ago, one contestant struck it rich with an abundant catch of fish. He prepared them, dried them out, and seemed a shoe-in for first place. Instead of sustaining himself on this bounty, though, he became Aesop’s ant preparing for a winter that never came. He chose to go hungry to safeguard his stores, and the judges pulled him out of the competition for being dangerously malnourished. Nobody ever ate his stockpile of food.

Aesop’s fable wouldn’t be complete without an ending full of consequence. When winter comes, the grasshopper has nothing and begs the ant for food. In more cutting versions of the tale, the ant foregoes compassion and shuts the door in the face of his hungry neighbor. The ant cares so much about a possible future need that he refuses to do something about the reality of hunger today. 

Faith is approaching each day as a gift, taking care of ourselves and our neighbors today first, before we even begin to be concerned about what tomorrow may bring. It goes against every survival instinct and lesson, but we thrive as people of faith when we rely fully on God. What has God given us today, and how can that gift nourish us and our community now?

As Jesus put it, nobody has ever added a day to their lives by worrying about tomorrow. With God, the question is never, “Will we have enough for the future?” but rather, “Has God given me enough for today?” Emergency supplies expire, and stock markets crash, but God always endures. Today’s sufficient scarcity has far more value than an abundance that will go bad before it can even be enjoyed.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

Oh, the joy!

SeptemberFest was amazing!  The Groove Hotel Concert on Friday was a great way to kick off the SeptemberFest weekend with a concert full of wonderful music and talented musicians.  Worship on Sunday was spirit filled, energetic, joyful, fun, exciting, etc.  The fellowship after the worship service was marvelous with great food. The outdoor activities were enjoyed by kids of all ages.  The generous donations of cereal and luggage/backpacks filled the barrels and the red truck.  What a great day! Thank you to all who made SeptemberFest a success.  You all are a gift and we appreciate all you do for St. Mark. 

I’m sure some of you saw me clapping and dancing to the sending song, “I Saw the Light/I’ll Fly Away”.  At the end of worship, I was so filled with joy and excitement for the day that I just had to express it.  Plus, I love when the praise band sings this song.  In that song, we proclaim with joy that we are happy and we praise the Lord.  Despite the songs connection to death, it is a joyous song that proclaims there is no sorrow in sight.  I think we need songs like this to remind us that Jesus is the light and that we will be home on God’s celestial shore.

As I looked through a devotion book titled, Dancing on Mountains by Kathy Keay, I came across a prayer titled, God Dances With Us by Jan Berry which reminded me of the way I felt during Sunday’s worship.  It says…

“God, you invite us to dance in delight, shaping and forming in figures of grace.  We move to the pulse of creation’s music and rejoice to be part of the making of earth.  Praise in the making, the sharing, the moving; praise to the God who dances with us.

In the steps of Jesus we reach to our partners, touching and holding and finding our strengths.  Together we move into patterns of freedom, and rejoice to be part of the sharing of hope.  Praise in the making, the sharing, the moving; praise to the God who dances with us.

We whirl and spin in the Spirit’s rhythm, embracing the world with our circles of joy.  Together we dance for salvation and justice, and rejoice to be part of the moving of love. Praise in the making, the sharing, the moving; praise to the God who dances with us.  Amen”

What a blessing it is to be invited to dance with God.  In this dance with God we can rejoice for being a part of the moving of love and the sharing of hope as we move to the pulse of creation’s music. 

 Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber

Use Your Voice

What does it take to speak up? Very few of us talk simply for the sake of filling the silence. When I lead a Bible study or other group discussion, I have noticed that when a person decides to say something, there is typically an emotion behind it. Excitement, nervousness, fear, and even anger can be an undercurrent behind a person’s words. We speak because we want to be heard by others and make connections with one another. That sort of desire always comes with a bit of vulnerability, and hope that our words stir up a similar emotion in others.

But what stops us from speaking? So many of us were trained from an early age that we need to raise our hands and wait our turn in order to speak, a method that has probably always seen mixed results of success. Many children are taught to not interrupt, which is healthy advice. When grownups get together, some kids are taught to not speak at all, which is perhaps less healthy. Social pressures can keep your voice locked away. You may feel that your opinion has little value or that it isn’t your place to speak up. You may feel that you need to wait your turn, and then you wait so long that time runs out.

 The first time my oldest daughter stood up for herself was on our way out of the grocery store. Her vocabulary was barely in the double digits, but when I pulled her out of the toddler seat of our shopping cart, she mustered all her willpower to add a new word to her list. With calm indignation she said, “Shoe.” She repeated her one-word plea a few times with increased intensity until I looked at her feet and realized her shoe had fallen off when I took her out of the cart. She used her voice and received justice, however small.

 A recent study of 2,000 Norwegian adults found that among climate activists, anger is the strongest predictor of self-reported activism and policy support.  It was strongest in women and younger people, two groups who have been traditionally kept out of the conversation. Sometimes, it takes a strong emotion to break the dam of silence.

Silence is wonderful for contemplation, especially in worship, but there is one portion of our worship that does not need to remain so quiet anymore. At St. Mark, we pastors lead the prayers of the people, which includes naming everyone on the prayer list. For years, we have concluded that list with something along the lines of “…and all those we name within the silence of our hearts.” You may have noticed a slight shift in that invitation this summer: “…And all those we name out loud or in the silence of our hearts.”

Those additional two words, “out loud” are a small encouragement for you to speak up; however, to my knowledge no one has taken us up on it. Who in your life needs prayer? Say their names. Who is sick or hurting and in need of God’s grace? Use your voice. Talk to God. You may even receive support from those around you, or remind them of dear members in our community who need their prayers. Speak those names with hope, nervousness, and even anger. Speak up and seek justice from our God of mercy.

Peace,

Pastor Chad McKenna

Being in Community

Over the past few weeks, I have thought a lot about community.  I have thought about communities from my past that even though I am no long actively participating in them, they helped to make me who I am today.  I have thought about my current communities and how they impact my life. Healthy communities know how to balance loving and supporting each other and holding each other accountable. 

Communities from my past helped me to become the pastor I am today.  They guided me on my faith journey and empowered me to take that first step in starting seminary.  Even the unhealthy aspects of community have helped form me.  I have learned to name things that are unhealthy and I have learned how to set boundaries. 

My current communities continue to help me grow and learn.  As an extrovert, I love being around people and hearing their stories.  This is one of my favorite parts of being in community.  Another aspect of community that I greatly value is the support of a community.  I have witnessed this support many times.  The community of St. Mark doesn’t hesitate to support me when I needed it.  Whether it was the death of my father-in-law back in January or recently when I broke my toes.  The care and concern for me was palpable.  I am so grateful for the St. Mark community. 

Each member of a community has value, from the newborn baby to the oldest member.  Our roles in community change over time, and I find that beautiful.  We cannot be actively involved when we are young children and we may not be able to be active when we are older, but that doesn’t mean we are less valuable.  Our value in community doesn’t change with our role.      

I invite you to reflect on community and how different communities impact your life.  What do you find valuable?  When you gather within community, what role do you feel you have?  What have you learned from being in community?  If you are comfortable sharing, I’d love to hear your answers.    

I give God thanks for the community of St. Mark.  I thank God for each one of you who are a valued member of this community of faith.  I look forward to another year of learning and growing in faith with you all. 

Yours in Christ, 

Pastor Katrina Steingraeber