Newsletter

Christopher J. Franz, Pastor - E-mail: pastorcjf@comcast.net - Home telephone: 610-394‑6948

it is produced approximately two months prior to the month in which it is published.

above to learn about October events that were not covered in the newsletter.

As this newsletter is going to press, we are waiting to confirm the date of October 18 for Martha’s House to return to St. Mark to lead both of our morning worship services. Stay tuned for more information!

On Sunday, October 25, we will celebrate the Reformation which began 490 years ago and eventually resulted in the birth of the Lutheran Church. To this day, Martin Luther's emphasis on the centrality of the Bible and the need for all church members to see themselves as part of the Body of Christ guides Lutheran Christians. The 11 am service will include special music and the celebration of First Holy Communion for a number of our children.

Also, sign up to help sell pumpkins during the rest of October. No experience is necessary. Details are in the Narthex, including various incentives that include money for youth accounts or having a chance to win various prizes.

If you have read “The Shack” or want to know about it before you do, join the Spirituality Book Club for a lively discussion on Saturday morning, October 3 at 10 am.

During October, please bring small wrapped candies and put them in the candy basket in the Narthex. These will be given out on Halloween night to our trick and treaters - a long-standing tradition at St. Mark.

Our second annual Community Fun Day will be held on Saturday, October 17 from 10 am to 3 pm. We will have pony rides, the Eagles mobile van, a pig roast, face painting, a DJ, slides, a ministry table, food, baked goods, a pumpkin decorating contest, a health fair, an Alex’s Lemonade Stand and other activities. All St. Mark and community individuals are invited to set up a table at which they may sell flea market items, crafts, baked good, etc. The fee for a table will be $10 - call 610-789-4730 to make arrangements. Please sign up to help out in the Narthex.

The date for our October Fun Night with DJ for those in the 4^th through 6^th grades is Friday, October 9. Don’t miss the fun!

We are blessed that Jeanne Kampmeyer continues to lead our Children’s Choir. They will sing at our 11 am service on October 4. Don’t miss them!

As we write this, children are still being enrolled in our Christian School and KidsTime Before/After Care program. We are almost full in all of our classes. Our budget for the new School year includes a tithe of $27,000 to the church which will defray expenses incurred by the church for utilities, insurance, office supplies, maintenance, etc. Best of all, we make Christ known to our children in their formative early years.

Our first Christian Summer Camp was a big success. Final results will be known late in August and reported in our November newsletter.

Our Attic Thrift Shops continue to experience significantly stronger sales than those of last year.

The Good Works Circle will meet on Monday, October 12 at noon at the church. Bring a sandwich - dessert and beverages are provided. The Circle enjoys sending cards and notes to our shut-in members.

Once again, St. Mark members have an opportunity to tutor or provide library assistance at Westbrook Park Elementary School. You choose the day, time, age and subject matter. All those interested in participating are asked to attend the orientation at the school. For more information, speak with Pastor Chris.

Teddy bears and dogs will be available, during October, in the Narthex. They are to be taken home, dressed and returned to St. Mark on Sunday, November 1. We will display the bears and dogs for two weeks and then return them to the Salvation Army where they will be given to needy children at Christmas.

Phillips Brooks, a noted pastor and author, once told of a primitive tribe to whom a sundial had been given. They wanted to honor it and keep it sacred, so they built a small roofed hut to put it in. We should be careful not to smile, for great numbers of civilized people take many of God’s gifts and treat them in just the way the tribe did that didn’t understand what a sundial was for. How many there are who take God’s gifts, not to use for larger life, but to keep and protect. So they out them in banks and in safe deposit boxes. They house them and build a roof over them. Those primitive people never did own that sundial. It was not something to use and serve with, but something to be kept, to be guarded, to be concerned about. They had, in a measure, to live for it, not by it. So, too often our gifts from God, our treasures and our talents, never belong to us. We have to keep them, worry about them, care for them and share them in such a way that others will be drawn to Jesus. Nothing really belongs to us until we pass it on to others.

When contributions are posted to your account and listed on your year-end financial statement, the distribution of them to various accounts is not shown. We chose to take a simpler approach to our posting process. However, when the tellers count the contributions and record them for the Treasurer, the breakdown of contributions to various accounts is shown and your money is allocated to the account that you requested.

Please help make our offering counting process easier by putting your envelope number on a pew envelope when you use one. It will help ensure that you receive proper credit for your contribution. Thank you.

Bishop Claire Burkat invites you to an evening of discovery with fellow Lutheran leaders from each conference. Please join us for an evening of fun and fellowship as we discover Paul's secret to a full, faithful life as outlined in Philippians 4:11-13. Each of the fall Conference Gatherings begins at 6:30 pm. A location is identified in each conference, but you may feel free to attend any gathering that fits your schedule. Save the date of November 2 for the Delaware Conference meeting which will be held at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Springfield, PA. Church Council members are expected to attend.

Our October Senior Dinner (first of the season) will be held Friday, October 2 at 6 pm - the cost is $7 per person. This will be a wonderful occasion to share food and fellowship with “old” and “new” friends. After dinner, Pastor Chris will show the DVD of his trip to Germany. (NOTE THAT THE DATE WAS WRONG IN THE SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER - OCTOBER 2 IS CORRECT!)

Sunday, Nov. 1	8:30/11 am	Healing service at St. Mark
November 2	6:30 pm	Synod Fall Conference Gathering with Bishop Burkat - St. Matt’s
November 7	7 pm	Spaghetti Dinner and Bingo - benefits our youth and Habitat for Humanity
November 10	1:30-7:30	Red Cross Blood Drive at Holy Spirit
November 22	6 pm	Nancy Scharff leads our Worship and Praise Service- followed by our traditional Thanksgiving dinner

NOVEMBER 1

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS AT 2 AM

TURN CLOCKS BACK ONE HOUR

Our next Fun Night with DJ is set for Friday, October 9. If you are in the 4th through 6th grade, you can have lots of fun. If you are in the 11th or 12th grade, you can earn money for chaperoning. If you are younger than 4th grade, you can look forward to coming to our monthly dances next year, or the year after.

At the 11 am service on October 4, our youth choir, led by Jeanne Kampmeyer, will sing. Don’t miss this chance to hear their beautiful voices.

On Sunday, October 4, at 3 pm, a truck will pull up to St. Mark delivering thousands of pumpkins. As you may know, many St. Mark members are too old to help unload them. But not you! So, get ready to put your muscles to work and show the community that, at St. Mark, children are not part of the church of the future - they are the CHURCH TODAY! Before you get to work, you can enjoy a hoagie luncheon, plus there will be the opportunity to earn money for your youth accounts and win a prize or two.

Jesus told us we should feed His sheep. There are lots of hungry people (because Jesus is our Good Shepherd, all people are His sheep) in our country and some of them live real close by. In October (your teacher will tell you the exact date), during the Sunday School hour, we will be working to help feed needy people. Please bring a wrapped dessert (like a Tastykake) with you. Younger children will decorate the bags, those somewhat older will make cards and older youth will make sandwiches and assemble the meals.

We will be holding our second Community Fun Day on Saturday, October 17. Plans are underway as this is being written. We’ll have moon bounce slides, pony rides, a DJ, the Eagles mobile van, another Alex’s Lemonade Stand, a pig roast, good food, our October 50-50 and other fun things. Of course, the pumpkins will be waiting to find good homes. Call the church office at 610-626-5295 to see how you can help and come out to enjoy the fun.

Martha’s House will again lead worship at St. Mark in October. We hope that it will be October 18 but details are still being confirmed as we write this. Stay tuned and don’t miss the opportunity to participate in worship led by this wonderful group!

If you want to volunteer, you can help at our monthly senior dinner - Friday, October 2. Speak to Pastor Chris for more information.

On Sunday, October 25, many of your friends will be receiving Holy Communion for the first time. Following the service, there will be a reception. Join the celebration. Come to church at 11:00 am and prepare to worship the God who created you!

At St. Mark, 7th grade and older youth begin a program leading to their Confirmation. Details were in last month's newsletter. But really, Confirmation begins the first time you step into a Sunday School class and learn more about the faith your parents began to give you at Baptism. In fact, Christians are called to continue to learn more about God's love throughout their lives. That is why St. Mark offers an adult Sunday School class and weekly Bible study opportunities.

We need kids like you to light the candles (acolytes), people to carry the cross (crucifers) and people to read the Psalm (lectors). Pastor Chris would love to have a Gospel Procession on October 25, so he needs a book bearer and two candle bearers in addition to the other helpers. Please call the office at 610-626-5295 - to say that you’ll be there to help.

If you are new to St. Mark, you might not know that karate classes are held here each Tuesday and Thursday. Classes for kids younger than 12 are held at 4:15 pm. Classes for teenagers and adults are held at 6:45 pm. Sensei CindyLou Shaffer tithes all income from these lessons to St. Mark. Call the church office and leave a message or contact Sensei Shaffer at bushidobranches@rcn.com.