Newest Posts

• Second Sunday of Advent – 2021
  5 Dec 2021
  

  Welcome to worship on the Second Sunday of Advent! This week we light two candles in our Advent wreath and hear John the Baptist’s call to “Prepare the Way of the Lord!” Pastor Beth encourages us to reflect upon what this means for us and our lives. Our service includes Holy Communion. Please have your bread and wine ready if you would like to participate. https://youtu.be/u3G1MN1vpLA    

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• Giving Tree
  2 Dec 2021
  

  St. Mark, it’s time for our Giving Tree for children at Hawks Prairie Head Start and Friendly Grove Preschool! Please look in emails sent from the church office for the link to sign up on SignUp Genius. We still have names available. Gifts can be brought to church on Sundays December 5 and 12. Volunteers are needed to assist with the receiving and delivery of gifts. You can use the link for that too. Thank you!

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• Summer of 2021 was a HOT ONE!
  29 Nov 2021
  

  Gary D, our Chief Gardener, two garden interns and a handful of volunteers somehow managed to get 13,216 pounds of produce to the Thurston County Food Bank – in spite of a record breaking heat wave and drought conditions. For two years rabbits have ravaged the garden in early spring – in spite of our best efforts to discourage them.  Even so, most of the green beans and broccoli survived and ultimately thrived. Covid prevented any field trips this past spring  –  children usually plant many of our crops!  We are hoping to restart that program again in 2022.  The 5 yards of spring garden mix which usually puts a fresh layer of nutrients on our beds was contaminated with mustard seed.  This became very obvious as soon as we used a small amount of it. Activity begins in March.  If you know how to grow plant starts, if you enjoy weeding, planting seeds, weeding, digging rows for potatoes, weeding, laying irrigation lines, weeding, planting carrots, weeding, shoveling mulch, weeding, harvesting,  – did I mention weeding?  The majority of help that is needed throughout the summer is weeding!   Beginning in late June, we harvest three mornings a week and help is very much appreciated during that time. Gary D oversees all activity in the garden and directs all volunteers.  If you are interested in becoming a garden volunteer please contact Gail Frare, Garden Coordinator at gatofrare@comcast.net or call 360-870-6267.   Please enjoy below video and images from summer 2021 in the garden.   Hover mouse over below pictures to see captions and click on below pictures to expand them.

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• First Sunday of Advent
  28 Nov 2021
  

  Welcome to worship! As we light the first candle in our Advent wreath today, Pastor Eric encourages us to wonder:  “For what am I waiting?”  Also, the choir sings two beautiful anthems and sends us out with an Advent Benediction. Please have your bread and wine ready if you would like to share in Holy Communion. God bless you as you worship! https://youtu.be/QzzIf0kX_CQ  

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• Bishop Eaton’s Pastoral Message on Verdicts Concerning Death of Ahmaud Arbery
  24 Nov 2021
  

  Pastoral message on the verdicts concerning the murder of Ahmaud Arbery 11/24/2021 3:20:00 PM In response to the verdicts in the trial of Travis McMichael, Gregory McMichael and William Bryan in Brunswick, Ga., for the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, we offer a word of prayer and healing. We pray for Arbery’s family because no verdict can ease the pain and suffering of the murder of their loved one. As a church concerned for all, we pray also for the defendants, that God’s grace may transform their hearts. God has created all of us with inherent dignity, value and worth. Racially motivated hate crimes deny this to Black and Brown people. The sin of racism distorts so many aspects of life together. The ELCA’s social policy resolution “Condemnation of White Supremacy and Racist Rhetoric” states: “As persons called to love one another as God has loved us, we therefore proclaim our commitment to speak with one voice against racism and white supremacy. We stand with those who are targets of racist ideologies and actions.” May our prayers continue to lead us toward transformation and fulfilling our call to justice and care for all. He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8). In Christ,                                        Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop, ELCA Kevin Strickland, Bishop Southeastern Synod, ELCA

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• Bishop Eaton’s Pastoral Message on Rittenhouse Acquittal
  24 Nov 2021
  

  A pastoral message on the Rittenhouse acquittal 11/19/2021 4:00:00 PM Dear church, In the book of Leviticus we read: “You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor” (19:15). Our social message on Community Violence urges us to become more involved in countering the reality and fear of violence in our communities and our neighbors’ communities, pursuing justice and seeking peace no matter how long the journey or complex the challenge. When a child is allowed to become a vigilante without recourse, we are forced to confront the idols of our society: guns, violence and white supremacy. To be sure, this is not about one person, but indeed about all of us, together. Today’s acquittal is an injustice. It points to the disorder in which we all live. As we seek to restore justice; so also will we restore God to God’s rightful place at the center of our life together. In Christ, The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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