Proclaiming Christ’s Abundant Love

This Week at St. Mark’s

SUNDAY, JULY 26 (The Touring Choir’s special worship performance has been rescheduled to Sunday, August 23rd) 9:00a WORSHIP 10:30a WORSHIP

MONDAY, JULY 27 9:00a Lydia’s Piecemakers & Knit Pickers

TUESDAY, JULY 28 1:00p Staff Meeting 6:30p Endowment Board Meeting 7:00p Bell Ensemble Rehearsal 7:30p Worship Committee Meeting

WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 9:30a Bread Wrappers 1:00p Office Volunteers 6:00p Hope Circle - Ladies Night Out

THURSDAY, JULY 30

FRIDAY, JULY 31

6:30p Al-Anon

SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 Coffee Sales 5:00p WORSHIP

SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 Coffee Sales Doughnut & Coffee Connection 9:00a WORSHIP 10:30a WORSHIP

Hesed House Help Needed

July Outreach Collection

July Outreach Collection St. Mark’s is putting together a Home Starter Kits for a families who are moving out of Hesed House and into their own home. These gifts will help these families make a successful transition into their new lives. If you would like to help, please see our list of items needed at our table in the Narthex. Many items are very inexpensive. The collection bin for the donated items will be next to the table in the Narthex.

CDC Wish List & Fall Enrollment

Our younger students, ages 6 weeks to 6 years old, could benefit from non-fiction books. Gently used books with real life pictures about: plants and animals; life roles, such as cooking; and different cul-tures, are the most needed. We do not need Golden Books at this time.

Used T-shirts and old dress shirts are needed to be used as smocks for painting and other art projects. Please drop off your contributions to the CDC at 1995 Downer. Thanks for sharing!

We are currently enrolling for fall. We have the following openings: “premium” Pre-Kindergarten classroom, Infants, Toddlers, Preschool 1, and Preschool 2. Preschool 3 will meet in the education wing of the church with the Pre-Kindergarten class. Please come and see the fun, learning activities that we do every day. You are always welcome to come by the CDC to see what we do on a daily basis. It is always a blessing to be involved in the lives of children.

Hesed House Help Needed Trader Joe’s on Randall Road in Batavia has offered to provide Hesed House with a variety of produce every Sunday evening between 8-8:30pm. We are looking for volunteers who would be willing to pick up items one Sunday a month and drop them off at Hesed House. If you would like to help, please contact Bruce Bachmeier at: (630) 914-6429 or bbachmeier@hesedhouse.org or call Janet Guinnane at: (630) 892-7492.

Children & Youth Ministry - Register For Fall

It’s time for our annual Rally Day celebration! This year we will be releasing butterflies again to celebrate the new year of our Children's Programming. Everyone is welcome to join us for a special celebration between services on Sunday, September 13th.

Please register your child(ren) for Sunday School (Age 3 - 5th grade); or our Wednesday night programs including Faith in Daily Life (1st - 5th grade, 5:30-7:30pm), Confirmation (6th - 8th grade, 6-7:30pm), or Senior High Youth Group (9th - 12th grade, 5:30-7:30pm). Registration forms are available in the Narthex or you can register online at: www.stmarksaurora.net. Please contact Kari Reiseck with any questions about our children's programs or how you can volunteer to help! We always need teachers, subs, kitchen helpers, and music leaders and would love to have you join us!

Let’s Get Moving - Exercise Classes Exercise with personal trainer Vicki Lettow. Vicki will show us how to use our body weight as a tool to build our core and increase balance. Modifications will be made according to physical abilities. Classes will be on Mondays and Fridays for three weeks from August 3rd to the 21st, from 11:00am to Noon. It will be $30 for the three week session. We need a minimum of six participants for the classes to be held. Please sign up at the Welcome Center.

St. Mark’s Exterior & Interior Painting

Adult Fellowship - August

St. Mark’s Exterior & Interior Painting CertaPro Painters of Elmhurst has begun the project of prepping and painting the entire exterior of St. Mark’s. We will post any additional information as it becomes available, so please keep checking back for updates and news.

The pre-school wing at St. Mark’s is being painted in preparation for the CDC Pre-K children’s return in early August.

CDC Wish List & Fall

Adult Hearing Screenings

Exercise Classes

Dominican Literacy

Nursing the Spirit

Thank You

CDC Cook Position

Dominican Literacy Center Volunteers Needed Tutors are needed at the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora which provides a literacy program for immigrant/low income women. Female volunteers (with high school diploma) are trained to help individual students to read, write, and speak English. Tutoring sessions are 90 minutes, once a week, from September to May at 260 Vermont St., Aurora (behind St. Therese Church). Tutors do not need to speak Spanish or have teaching experience. All volunteers must complete 4 training sessions at the Center. The next training is August 18, 20, 25,

and 27 from 6-8:30pm. The Center is not handicap accessible. To volunteer, email Alison Brzezinski at: Alison@dominicaliteracycenter.org. For more information, visit: www.domnicanliteracycenter.org or call: (630) 898-4636.

Adult Fellowship Outing - White Pines The sign-up deadline for the luncheon theater performance of “’S Wonderful!”, a musical tribute to the Gershwin’s at White Pines on August 27th has passed. We will meet in the parking lot of St. Mark’s at 10:00am to carpool to the park. Attendees willing to drive are needed, please contact Priscilla Offhaus at: (630) 553-0543 to volunteer.

Adult Hearing Screenings According to a study published in JAMA Archives of Internal Medicine (01/13), findings showed those with hearing loss experience between 30-40% greater decline in thinking and memory, compared with those without hearing loss. Approximately 2/3 of adults 70 and older suffer from hearing loss. Join us on Sunday, August 16th from 9:30 – 11:30am for hearing screenings performed by Dr. Lori Johnson, Audiologist. Please pre-register at the Welcome Center! Questions? Call Jean at: (630) 897-6891 X-23.

July 25th & 26th, 2015

Welcome!

We’ve been waiting for you! Our mission at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church is to proclaim Christ’s Abundant Love. We are called to reach out to persons of all ages and life situations with Christ’s own hospitality and acceptance, to invite you to be our companion on the spiritual journey as we discover together the ways that Christ is offering hope, healing, and a renewed sense of meaning for our lives.

If you are not a member, we would love to talk to you about our ministry. We invite you to talk to one of our pastors or stop at the Welcome Center near the church entrance.

May your worship experience here at St. Mark’s draw you closer to Christ and His Abundant Love!

Today’s WORSHIP FOCUS

What We Honor

Today’s readings reveal human fragility and possibility as reflected in the light of God’s miracles. In the reading from 2 Samuel, we see the fallibility of David in light of temptation – the human spirit at its worsts. In contrast, the reading from John demonstrates the way in which God’s grace can be revealed and multiplied in the context of a sharing community. Perhaps the power of community can be a catalyst for God’s miracles to be revealed.

Next Week’s WORSHIP FOCUS

What we Experience

The life of Jesus reminds us that physical bodies, and what we do with them, matter to God. The writer of Ephesians exhorts community members to follow their sense of calling, not for personal fulfillment, but for the sake of unity in Christ. As they each follow God’s call, they will come together to achieve God’s vision of unity.

All of today’s readings give insight into individual feelings and responses to events in our lives, yet, as we do that, we are ever mindful that our own actions have an effect on the greater community.

For More Information… Call the St. Mark’s office or email if you have questions about the following areas of ministry. You may also visit our web site for more information about St. Mark’s.

Pastoral Staff

Pastor Patricia Geiseman Ext. 15 pgeiseman@stmarksaurora.net

Ministry Staff Kristin Young Ext. 16 kyoung@stmarksaurora.net Director of Worship & the Arts Sue Hilderbrand Ext. 24 shilderbrand@stmarksaurora.net Bell Choir Director Kari Reiseck Ext. 22 kreiseck@stmarksaurora.net Director of Children’s Ministries

Support Staff

Deb Arcilla Ext. 10 darcilla@stmarksaurora.net Office Manager John Themanson Ext. 19 jthemanson@stmarksaurora.net Finance Administrator Ed Malert Ext. 12 emalert@stmarksaurora.net Gregg Kobliska (Summer Substitute) Ext. 12 (Gregg is using Ed’s email) Facility Manager Nicole Ferrier Ext. 27 nferrier@stmarksaurora.net Director of Communications Terese Ruppel 630-466-1036 ter60554@gmail.com Nursery Coordinator

Faith Community Nurse

Jean Clementz Ext. 23 jean.clementz@presencehealth.org

Financial Secretary

Jim Erickson 630-897-0291 jerickson@stmarksaurora.net

St. Mark’s Child Development Center Merrilee Parkhurst 630-897-6063 stmarksdir@att.net Director

Council Members

Rebecca Mueller (President), Preston Runyan (Treasurer), Roger Shields (Property), Jeanne Flynn (Care & Nurture), Melvin Smith (Worship), Julie Simpson (Stewardship), Nicole Ferrier (Welcoming), Don Friend (Worship), Lindsay Meyer (Small Groups)

Prayers

5:00 p.m. Tad Dyer, Beth Edwards, Gary Francis, Rita Gannon, Ryan Johnson, Mary Kenner, Christopher Knight, Sharon Ross, Mary Witter

9:00 a.m. Karen Bausch, Bill Beattie, Barb Brown, Craig Cooper, Homer Easley, Ed Fleming, Kirk Harding, Ryan Jackman, Fred Krueger, Ben Martin, Carol Martinez, Julie Michaels, Sadie Miller, Blake Rottick

10:30 a.m. Brooke Bess, Jennifer Franke, Rebecca Perez, the family of Matthew Skowronski

Continuing Care Chuck Best, Wes Ehler, Jim Kalish, John Lange, Bruce Lindgren, Grant Oestriech, Charlie Walters

Paul’s Ministry We give thanks to God for the staff, congregation, and ministries at St. John Lutheran Church in Lincolnwood, IL and Truth Lutheran Church in Naperville, IL.

Check us out online! Head to www.stmarksaurora.net to find online versions of both the Courier and Vineyard, and “Like” St. Mark’s on Facebook to

get the latest updates about our events and programming!

Proclaiming Christ's Abundant Love

Submissions for the weekly Courier are due each Monday by noon for that weekend’s publication. Submissions for the September Vineyard are due by noon on Monday, August 24th. Submissions will be added in the order in which they are received. Early submissions are always welcomed!

Please email articles for the Vineyard and Courier to Nicole Ferrier at: nferrier@stmarksaurora.net or place handwritten articles in her mailbox. If you have any questions please email or call Nicole at: (630) 897-6891 ext. 27.

Please send all 2015 photos from any St. Mark’s ministry or event to: smyearinreview@gmail.com.

St. Mark's Lutheran Church 27 South Edgelawn Drive Aurora, Illinois 60506

Phone: (630) 897-6891 Fax: (630) 897-4842 Web: www.stmarksaurora.net

CDC Cook Position The St. Mark’s Child Development Center is looking for a cook to prepare food for the children’s breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snack. This is a full time position with hours from 7am-4pm. The job requires knowledge of food preparation, although all meats are precooked. The CDC feeds approximately 90 children daily. Basic sanitation knowledge is a plus, and some lifting is required. Applicants must possess a high school diploma and be willing to be fingerprinted. Candidate should be organized, dependable, and have the ability to multi-task. For more information, please call (630) 897-6063.

Nursing the Spirit: Lifestyle Habits to Keep Your Brain Healthy How healthy is your brain? You might not think about it much, but over time your lifestyle habits can have an impact on your brain. What you eat and drink and the activities you engage in make a difference. Here's what you can do to keep your brain healthy: 1. Sleep well. Getting regular and restful sleep is essential for brain

health. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night.

2. Eat a whole foods, plant-based diet. Research suggests that a whole foods, plant-based diet low in saturated fat and processed foods is best for your brain and overall health.

3. Exercise your body for brain health. Exercising on a regular basis can improve memory, learn-ing ability, and prevent or delay mental decline that comes with aging. New research suggests that both aerobic exercise and resistance training performed regularly can help maintain your ability to think and remember as you age.

4. Combine healthy behaviors. Adopting one healthy habit is a good start to protect your brain. Combining multiple healthy behaviors like a healthy diet, regular exercise, and adequate sleep does more for your brain than just one of these alone.

5. Stimulate the brain. Your brain likes to have fun. Make time to play board games, do crossword puzzles, dance, read, and be social.

6. Spend time in nature. Getting out in the great outdoors can benefit mood, health, and overall well-being. 7. What to leave out. While there are many things you can do to keep your brain healthy, there are

some things you should avoid. Don't smoke. Limit or avoid alcohol. 8. See a doctor. Regular check-ups are important for mental and physical health. See a doctor to

discuss preventive measures for brain health.

While there are many things in life that you can't control, you can choose to eat healthy, exercise regularly, get enough sleep, and practice other healthy habits that will protect your brain.

Worship & The Arts Thank You Thank you to Jeff Humm for serving as a Sunday morning Worship assistant since 2007. We appreciate Jeff’s faithful, prayerful, and sincere leadership. Now that he is retired Jeff has places to go and people to see! Jeff’s last Sunday will be July 26th.