joyline! for november 2009

8/14/2019 Joyline! for November 2009

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Front cover image:

The St. Mark Cougar Varsity Soccer Team battles Memorial Lutheran

on Thursday, October 8. Thus far this season, Varsity Soccer has won

2nd Place in the Concordia Tournament, 2nd in HLAC regular season

and 3rd in the HLAC post-season tournament. Go Cougs!

It is often said thatyou cannot communicate too much.I dont know if thats true or not, but I suspect that, even if its not,

we are a long way off from overcommunicating!

We are trying to remedy some of that.

You may have heard of online blogs and of social networks

like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the like. St. Mark has had a

basic blog for awhile but we have now also added Facebook, Twit-

ter, and YouTube (and a couple of other blogs) to the list of ways

we can communicate and share what is happening at St. Mark.

Although not all of these avenues are fully integrated at this

time, all of their addresses should be fairly easy to remember. (The

following is not an exhaustive list, but it does include what will be

the most important avenues of information and communication.)

St. Marks Website: www.stmarkhouston.org

St. Marks Blog: stmarkhouston.blogspot.com

St. Marks Facebook: facebook.com/stmarkhouston

St. Marks Twitter: twitter.com/stmarkhouston (or just

follow @stmarkhouston)

St. Marks YouTube: youtube.com/stmarkhouston

There is also a new and very cool youth web site which

is almost ready for show...but not quite yet. Stay tuned!

Our presence online will continue to increase to include wor-

ship services, special events, newsletter articles (before they showup in the printed version!), and the like; so please keep your eye

on them.

In addition, there will be several specic RSS feeds for these

items published for you soon so that you can receive the news you

need in the form and manner that will work the best for you!

Socially yours,

Pastor Scott Heitshusen

Social!Lets Get

GIVING 100%10 Goals of 10 by 2010

All but two teams now have leaders and have been

meeting to discuss their charge in one way or another.

God is very good in that several of the teams look like

they will meet their goals without too much difculty. A

few will have a very difcult time reaching them. All-

in-all, however, I continue to thank God for the work of

so many to bring together the Body of Christ here at St.Mark and work together for Gods glory and the benet

of His people!

Thank you and blessings in Christ!

Pastor Scott Heitshusen

Thanksgiving ServiceNovember 25 @ 7:00 pm


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Board of Directors

REPORTIf you havent read the book of Nehemiah recently, please take some time to do so.

It is a tremendous account of seeking and accomplishing Gods will. There are many, many

outstanding lessons that can be learned from Nehemiahs story.

At the time of Nehemiah, 140 years have passed since the Babylonians conquered

Jerusalem and generations of Jews have been in exile. The wall that was once around Jeru-

salem has been reduced to rubble and the gates are cinders. Remember that when Nehemiah

heard the news about the wall he lived hundreds of miles away from Jerusalem. Nehemiah

followed certain principles in order to accomplish Gods will. We are also trying to followcertain, similar principles to accomplish Gods will for St. Mark through the Giving 100%

Campaign.

Nehemiah rst identied a need, just as Pastor Heitshusen did as he outlined 10 differ-

ent areas which he felt needed intentional direction. Second, Nehemiah then spent time in

prayer. Fred and Katie Tonn have done

an outstanding work putting together a

specic prayer team praying for each

of the 10 groups. Third, Nehemiah ap-

proached other leaders to assist him with

the resources he needed. The Board of

Day School Ministries, Board of Elders and

Board of Directors are solidly behind this effortto be of assistance in any way possible and to

provide necessary resources.

Nehemiahs next step was to assess the situation. Each of the 10

groups will assess the current situation as it relates to their specic

charge and use this as a baseline to measure accomplishments. Nehe-

miah followed this up with meeting with people to explain his plan. Pastor Heitshusen has

done a great job in casting this vision and explaining the specic goals. Nehemiah encour-

aged the people, organized them and got them involved. We are diligently working to get as

many people involved in this campaign as possible. It is much better to have many people

involved; it lessens the work load, creates synergy, fosters better teamwork, encourages

creativity and produces better results in less time. Nehemiah stayed focused on rebuilding

the wall and did not get discouraged by naysayers and other distractions.

We are making progress in most every area of this campaign. At this point, only two

teams remain without leaders. Many teams have already been meeting to work towards

accomplishing their respective goals. I mentioned last month that it sometimes feels as if

we are behind the eight ball a little. Re-reading Nehemiah always puts things in perspec-

tive again. The wall around Jerusalem had been in ruins for over 120 years. God worked

through Nehemiah to rebuild the wall in 52 days. I no longer feel as if we are behind. This

entire endeavor is in Gods hands...in His timing...and under His direction. All things are

possible with God! Mark 10:27b

In His Name,

Duane Heckmann, Chairman,

Board of Directors

This entire endeavor

is in Gods hands...

in His timing...andunder His direction.

10/10 BibleStudy GroupOffers Survey

As most of you know by now

we have teams working on increas

ing participation in some areas in the

church through Pastor Heitshusensinitiative of 10 Goals of 10 by

2010. One of those areas is Bible

Studies. As a member of St. Mark

I feel very strong about this area

This is the place where we get the

most out of the Word of GOD. This

is something we take with us for

the week ahead. We go to church to

be forgiven of our sins and to Bible

Studies to help us grow in our faith

(and to do better on the not sinning

part!). So if we go to Bible Study

to grow in faith - why do we call it

study? We are not there for a tes

or to be tested, but to grow...to feed

on the Word of GOD.

With this being said - what if we

called our groups growth groups

or something similar? We still go to

them to learn. We meet new people

within the groups and different stud

ies that interest us. Our current home

studies are called JOY GROUPS.

So, with this being said I would

like to ask everyone to fill out a

survey that the 10/10 Bible Study

Team has prepared. This survey is

going to help us get a better picture

of what the people of St. Mark are

looking for!

The link to access this survey

may be found on St. Marks web

site at www.stmarkhouston.org or a

hard copy may be obtained from the

Welcome Center desk.

We ask that all surveysbe completed by

Sunday, November 22!

Thank you for your input

David McManners,

Team Leader

Group Members

Cheryl Dinwoodie, Tim Peterson

Rita Schaller & Bruce Schaller


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Note from the author: A portion of this article is reprised from

November 2005 when it originally ran in The Joyline. Portions of

this material are from the Master Your Money series by Ron Blue.

Its principles are timeless.

Leaders of St. Markask you, from time to time, to giveto this fund or that fund, this project or that project. Certain times

of the year there are multiple projects and fund raisers going on at

the same time. Perhaps you ask yourself, How do I decide which

fund to support? and How can I manage to give to more than

one fund at St. Mark? Those are great questions. Giving is a key

part of our spiritual growth processand with growth, we have

questions, we learn, and we experience growing pains.

Giving is an outward, material expression of an inside, spiritualcondition. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there

may be food in My house. Test Me in this, says the Lord Almighty,

and see if I will not throw open the oodgates of heaven and pour

out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

(Malachi 3:10)

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap

sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give,

not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful

giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in

all things at all time, having all that you need, you will abound in

every good work. As it is written: He has scattered abroad Hisgifts to the poor; His righteousness endures forever. Now He who

supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and

increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your

righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can

be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will

result in thanksgiving to God. (II Corinthians 9:6-11)

These Bible verses encourage and command us to give, and

clearly spell out for us the fruits of the spirit of giving. But what

about your how questions from the rst paragraph above? To

answer those questions, there are three very relevant questions you

should also ask yourself as you plan to give:

1. When should I give?

2. Where should I give?. How much should I give?Scriptural guidelines and principles answer these questions

and they can be summarized in six words.

Preemptively

Periodically

Purposefully

Proportionately

Planned

Precommitted

When Should I Give?A. Preemptively - Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord

with your possessions, and with the rstfruits of al

your increase. Giving should have the rst priority

over all other uses of money.

B. Periodically - I Corinthians 16:2 On the rst day of every

week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in

keeping with his income.. Giving should be done asincome is received.

Where Should I Give?Purposefully - II Corinthians 9:12 This service that you

perform is not only supplying the needs of Gods people but is also

overowing in many expressions of thanks to God. We should

make a purposeful decision to give where the Scripture says God

interest lies. The answer to the question where should I give is

different for every person; however, one thing remains the same

For everyone who gives to St. Mark, not one of the funds is more im

portant than the others. Just as you have short-term, medium-term

and long-term nancial needs in your household, so does St. Mark

The Bible clearly tells us to give not only to supply our day to dayneeds but also to store up for later needs, and to leave an inheritance

for future generations, to give to the needy, for evangelism, and for

discipleship in our community and all over the world.

How Much Should I Give?A. Proportionately - the should give level, in proportion

to the amount we have received.

B. Planned - the could give level, the amount that I could

give if I were willing to give up something else. Sacricial giving

Deferred giving from estate plans.

C. Precommitted - the would give level, committing our

selves to giving if God provides a certain amount supernaturallyFaith giving.

Our challenges are many. Consider this one: To prayerfully

make a pledge (to St. Mark Lutheran School, to St. Mark Lutheran

Church, to the Sign Campaign, to the Endowment, etc.) and then

watch what God does to cause it to become a reality! But remember

to do what God convicts YOU to do, not what anyone else says.

Give cheerfully, and freely, what He tells you to give, and He wil

bless your life!

In Him

Kelly Biar, Director of Operations

Being a

CHEERFULGiver


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Your entire Board of Elders has now met to review the deci-

sions made at their August Retreat and conrmed their role insupport of a more Simple, Focused and Excellent discipleship

ministry as espoused in Simple Church by Rainer and Geiger, a

book I referenced in last months column. In a nutshell, well take

a more team-based, intentional approach in the work we do. Lets

review some recent decisions that will help us to revamp the Elders

role toward modeling and facilitating discipleship at St. Mark:

Family Assignments. The key decision here is the assign-

ment of families to two-Elder teams instead of to a single Elder as

was done in the past. The benet to this approach is maintaining

consistency in the event that one of the two Elders resigns and an

allowance for mentoring between newer and more established El-

ders. At this point, the Board has made the assignment of familiesand your Elders have been encouraged to reach out to you directly.

If you have not been contacted and would like to know who your

elders are, please contact the church ofce (713/ 468-2623).

Homebound Team. Somewhat related to the Family As-

signments, is the formation of a specialized team lead by Pastor

Duerr and Leonard Vogt, along with Pastor Freed, Gerry Woelfel

and several other lay members, to address the

spiritual needs of our more senior members. This

team will ensure that our homebound and nurs-

ing home members are visited at least bi-weekly,

receiving comfort, prayers and Holy Com-

munion. Thus far, the Pastors, Leonard

and Gerry have done a remarkable jobof visiting these members and with a

larger, specialized team, we believe

our capabilities in this area will be

further improved.

Hospitalized Members. Pas-

tors Duerr and Freed will serve as

the rst responders for any hospi-

talized members and will maintain

regular communications to the

Board, including the assigned Elder

team, and convey any specic needs

such as prayer and further visits. Aswith the Homebound Team, too many

members in the past werent visited in a

timely manner, but with the Pastors tak-

ing on this role weve already seen great

improvement with nearly every hospital-

ized member visited at least once during

their stay. Please contact Kim Radtke at

the church ofce (713/ 468-2623) if you

know of a member needing a visit from

one of the Pastors.

New Member Orientation & Confirmation. These are

our entry points for membership, albeit at two ends of the age

spectrum. This is where St. Mark teaches Church doctrine and

key Lutheran Church-Missouri

Synod (LCMS) tenets. While

the Elders have been peripher-

ally involved in both these en-

try points, weve committed to

taking an intentional and team-

based role in this ministry. Ledby Willis Schrampfer and Steve

Wible on one end and Art Bor-

man, Bill Reese and yours truly

on the other end, our intent is

to involve a broader base of

Elders in these critical teach-

ing opportunities and share

the wealth, so to speak, with

Sunday responsibilities. In

addition to the 10-week New

Member Orientation program,

your Elders will also lead a

3-week program for existingLCMS members transferring

into St. Mark and, through the leadership of David McManners as

part of the Giving 100% Campaign, were revamping our Adul

Bible Study program with more emphasis placed on Growth Groups

- small groups focused on discipleship. Please see the 10/10 Bible

Study Group Offers Survey article on page 3 of this issue and take

time to complete the survey as this will greatly help our efforts!

Worship Teams. Theres still some decision-making to be

done in this area, but for now were expanding our footprint to

support Fred and Katie Tonns Prayer Team after each service and

were considering ways in which to involve the Acolytes beyond

the lighting of the candles. John Burns, whos leading our Giving

100% Worship Team, would certainly appreciate any constructive

feedback you may have about improving our worship. He can be

reached at [email protected].

Education & Training. Educating and training our Elders has

been performed mostly through word of mouth and, as you can

imagine, things get lost in translation. Taking a lesson from suc-

cessful discipleship programs, your Elders will devote signican

time in formally educating ourselves. From prayer to caring, from

Holy Communion to teaching, we understand that a Biblical ap

proach to these responsibilities as well as continued practice, wil

Simplify our actions towards an Excellent ministry. Weve already

begun to rewrite our outdated Elder training manual and have added

a few chapters. In the new calendar year, we hope to devote someFocused time to go through this training.

Much of the above remains a big challenge for our group, bu

we know with Gods help that well be successful. Specically, you

Board asks for your continued prayers of patience and encourage

ment as well as the support of lay volunteers and men of God wholl

consider joining us in the new calendar year. Speaking of which, if

you do have an interest in supporting your Board of Elders in their

caring of families as either a layperson or Elder, please contact me

Ed Hardin at [email protected].

Ed Hardin, Chairman

Board of Elders

MembershipReport

Baptisms10/11 Alexandra Violet Pamp

New Members09/17 Joshua Jackson

09/26 Becky Duerr

Marriages09/19 Lillian Johnson and

Troy Gomez

Deaths09/18 Elgin Lochte

10/10 Ben Kelm

BOARD OF

ELDERSDefning the Elders Roll


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All Gods ChildrenThere is certainly an international avor demonstrated at St. Mark Lutheran School! As a matter of fact, the ethnic background of our

student body has changed signicantly over the past few years. This year we have students enrolled that are from the Bahamas, Mexico

Korea, Taiwan, Columbia, and India. The ethnic background of students at St. Mark comparing 2009 and 1995 is shown in Chart 1.

MAM Toy DriveMemorial Assistance Ministries (MAM) Second Annual

Christmas Program for children is now underway and the students

of St. Mark will once again assist in this effort. MAM helps many

families in our community who struggle to provide food and basic

necessities for their children. During the holiday season, they also

want to share the joy of Christmas with the children.

During December 2009, the goal is to provide toys for about

600 children ranging in age from newborn to age 15. Younger chil-

dren will receive toys and books while older children will receive

Wal*Mart gift cards. MAM needs to collect or purchase over 1800

toys or gift cards!

St. Mark School families and Church members can help by

purchasing and donating toys that are newand unwrapped(retail

value not to exceed $50). Donation deadline is Friday,

December 4.

The following are suggested toy donations that are popular...

butANYitems are welcome! (No stuffed animals, please.)

Chart 1 2009 1995

Percent Actual Percent Actual

African American 2% 8 0% 0

Caucasian 75% 264 92% 322

Korean 8% 28 1% 4

Hispanic 13% 47 6% 21

Other 2% 7 1% 5

It is a real joy to see all the foreign students as it allows us the

opportunity to reach out with the message of the Gospel of Jesus

Christ to so many who may not have heard His message.

We have also seen the percentages of churched children and

unchurched children change signicantly during the history of St

Mark. Those statistics are shown below in Chart 2.

Chart 2 2009 1995 1959

St. Mark Members 24% 55% 94%

Other LCMS Churches 3% 12% 2%

Non-Lutheran Churches 50% 25% 3%

No Church 23% 8% 1%

One can readily see, in more ways than

one, that the mission eld has certainly come

to St. Mark Lutheran Church & School. Theamount of school families with no church

home has increased signicantly. We have stu

dents coming from overseas and from within

our own community that are anxious to hear

about Jesus Christ. St. Mark Lutheran Schoo

is an excellent setting for that to happen. Wha

a privilege and joy it is to share the message

of Gods love through Jesus Christ to these

children and their parents!

Thank you to the members of St. Mark

for your strong support of St. Mark Lutheran

School and All Gods Children!

Herb Mock, Principa

St. Mark Lutheran Schooo

Scooters, skateboards, roller

blades, games like Sorry, Mo-

nopoly or Twister, baseball bat

& ball, soccer ball, football,

construction toys like Legos

or Duplos, dolls, craft kits,

trains, cars, riding toys,

push/pull toys, shape sort-

ers, pretend playsets likegarages, airports or doll houses,

play gyms, books, CDs or Wal*Mart

gift cards.

Your generous donations may

be left at the Welcome Center desk.

Thanks for your support!

PleaseHELP

ourtoydrive!


7/12page

Check Out theConcession Stand!

We nally have a concession stand on our athletic elds

We recently converted part of our storage container into a

comfortable concession stand, complete with air conditioning

and a drink cooler! Special thanks to St.

Mark member Bill Bailey for taking thelead on the construction and retrotting

work; to Danny Melcher for air condi-

tioning work, and to Coca-Cola for pro-

viding a beverage cooler. The only other

thing wed like to do is paint the side

of the container. Someday,

perhaps an artist and a few

volunteers might be interested

in that project!?! The conces-

sion stand is operated under

the direction of Dale Quickel,

Director of Church and School

Athletics; prots are returned tothe athletic department.

Save Lids to Save LivesYoplait Yogurt has new lids on the yogurt containers they have

released this fall to support the Save Lids to Save Lives program

For every bright pink label with the Breast Cancer

Ribbon sent in, Yoplait will donate .10 cents

to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It doesnt

sound like much; but it would take just ONE

out of every 10 women in America to send

in ONE labelto add up to 1.5 million dol-

lars! St. Mark staff member, Linda Peterson,

has graciously offered to collect and mail in

any labels collected between now and mid-

December. You may drop off your clean labels

at Lindas ofce door (down the church hall with the

water fountain) or mailbox. Help nd the cure! More information on

this initiative is available at www.yoplait.com/slsl/. You may con

tact Linda at 713/ 255-3678 or [email protected].

On the

Scene

SportsThe JV Girls Volleyball Team wrapped

up their 2009 season with a 15 & 1 record. The

girls nished in 2ND Place in the HLAC and brought home a 1ST

Place trophy from the Lutheran High North JV tournament and

another 1ST Place trophy from the Salem JV tournament. Team

members are 5th graders - Taylor Barge, Lena Goodman, Rebecca

Mauer, Alice Morse & Julia Shim. 6th graders - Annabelle Bellows,

Olivia Chapa, Cameron Freeman, Sydney Good, Grace Heckmann,

Kristen Krueger, & Annie Messina. The JV Cougars were coached

by Casandra Brisbin.

The Varsity A Volleyball Team won their rst match against

a higher seeded Concordia-San Antonio, 3-2, at the LutheranVolleyball Championship of Texas in Brenham. Way to go VB

Coaches Julie Hardin & Lynn Mauer and VB Cougars Jordan Barge,

Dominique Del Signore, Ashley Fritcher, Jordan Hardin, Vanessa

Hernandez, Julia Mauer, Hannah OMalley, and Alexa Pratt.

The Cougar Cross Country Team has been making TRACKS

in Cross Country meets this season. Notable nishers are 8th

grader Marissa Clark with 2 - 1ST Place nishes and 1 - 2ND

Place nish; 6th grader Kayla Clark has come in 2ND Place 2

times and 7th grader Presley Good has a 2ND Place nish and 2

- 3RD Place nishes.

The 6th grade girls team of Annabella Bellows, Kayla Clark &

Grace Heckmann brought home the 3RD Place team plaque fromthe Houston Christian Cross Country Meet. The Cougar

Harriers are coached by Duane

Heckmann.

The Varsity A Soccer team

finished in 3RD Place in the

post-season HLAC

tournament.

Congratulations to Coaches Francisco Elizondo & Liz Mc-

Glynn and Varsity A players Chandler Atkinson, Marissa Clark,

Sean Dandy, Parker Dice, Gloria Elizondo, Marco Farias, John

Ferguson, Presley Good, Jack Goodman, Alexander King, Sterling

McDaniel, John McGlynn, Beth Thompson, Drew Willingham &

Nick Zander. What an awesome season!

Keep up the GREAT work!

Dale Quickel, Athletic Director

GOCougars!

Helpnow!


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Ladies! You dont want to miss out on the eventof theyear! The Womens Retreat Committee is so excited to present

our 6th Annual Womens Retreat on January 16-17, 2010. Its just

around the corner and we would love for all of you to come and

join us for this fabulous event! Why dont you make plans today

and register to relax at Sweet Life Cafe where youll enjoy time

with our Heavenly Father in the beautiful countryside surroundings

of Heartland Retreat Center in Brenham, Texas. In these times of

stress and constant activity, we need to spend time away from our

daily routines to refresh ourselves and to be refreshed by the sweet

words of God in order to handle it all. We know youll come away

from this retreat feeling refreshed and energized and more ready

to take on the challenges of the New Year!

We will have wonderful, comfortable and spacious accommo-

dations, 10 Minute Massages, delicious food (including Brenhams

own Blue Bell Ice-Cream), fun activities, small and large group

times, a service project, inspiring music, meaningful worship and,

of course, our special social time to make new friends and con-

nect with old ones. There will also be plenty of free time to rest,

Immeasurably More!When we ask Jesus to touch our lives with Himself, Jesus does

remarkable things. Know why? Because Jesus is able to do im-

measurably more than all we ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20

Sowhat do prayer ministers pray for on the telephone prayer

chain, after worship services, on Sunday nights, in hospitals and

in peoples homes? The answer isanything and everythingtha

is joyful, happy, difcult, confusing, or painful in our lives: job

issues, illnesses, decisions, addictions, relationships, grief, anger

fear, nancial issues, loneliness, forgiveness, marriages, children

the miracle of faith in Jesus...to name a few. All these and more have

been brought before the throne of God during the past year.

We welcome you to join us as we stand shoulder to shoulder

in calling upon the Presence of Jesus Christ in peoples lives. Weinvite you to join the email prayer chain and the telephone prayer

chain where youll receive the weekly prayer list from St. Mark

as well as those that come in during the week. We invite you to

join in prayer for our fellow worshippers when we pray for them

after services. We invite you to join in prayer on Sunday Nights

- prayer ministers pray from 4:30-5:00 p.m. in preparation for

praying with others from 5:00 to 6:00...its our time of warming

up! Well even schedule a one hour training session with you to

prepare you to pray!

Please sign up at Welcome Center desk for these prayer oppor-

tunities or call Katie Tonn with any questions (713/ 461-4615).

read, take a walk or shop in downtown

Brenham. So grab your moms, sisters and

girlfriends and make plans now to come to

the womens event of the year. This Retrea

is open to all women (even if they aren

St. Mark members!) so please feel free to

invite your friends from other churches

or your neighbors or someone you would

like to feed with the Word of God. Just come...youll be so glad

you did!Registrations are now be-

ing accepted so stop by the

Welcome Center desk to pick

up a brochure. Registration is

$110 for one night, 3 meals

and materials OR $60 for

just the day. All payments

are due to Peggy Ramer,

Registrar, by December 13.

You may pay half now and

half in December if you

choose. Please contact

Cheryl Dinwoodie withany questions or to have

a registration form emailed to

you ([email protected] or 713/ 463-9550).

We are praying for you to come and experience thatJesus truly is the Bread of Life -John 6:35

Reception

for New Members

A reception for 30 new adult members was held on Sunday,September 27 with pastors, staff and other church leaders in

attendance. Please join us in welcoming the following new mem-

bers to St. Mark: Gloria Bieberstein, Brian & Casandra Brisbin,

Joseph & Tina Dieber, Tim & Becky Duerr,

Tim & Jeannine Dugan, Vicky Gallegos, Sarah Hahn,

Lynn Halliday, Kacey Harman, Diane Harrington,

Katherine Heuermann-Grant, Josh Jackson,

Gregory & Laura Kieschnick, Marc & Amy Kyle, Brenda Meade,

Dana Meeks, Heidi Meeks, Andrew & Christine Pampell,

Joanie Robertson, Terry & Dana Roby, James & Pamela Stone.

TO GOD BE THE GLORY!


9/12page 9

TheSPICEsocial group met on October 1 with 31 seniors

attending for a day of games and fellowship. Pastor Duerr had

a mealtime prayer and a devotional from Romans. Novella

Dawson made delicious brownies, Mary Symmank brought a

chocolate cake and Delores Weyer made Chex Mix. For No-

vember, Clarice Holcomb and Myrtle Emery volunteered to

make some cookies or other nger food for the group to enjoy

with their coffee.

In September the group was given an opportunity to evalu-

ateSPICEto see if their wants and needs are currently beingmet. The responses were all positive! It was suggested we might

want to play Bingo occasionally and perhaps have a pizza day.

These suggestions will be given consideration in 2010.

SPICEmeets on the rst Thursday of each month in

the Scout House. The next fellowship with games will be on

November 5. If there is someone who would like to come but

no longer drives, call Glenda at 832/ 370-7746 and we will see

what we can work out.

Remember we will have a potluck meal in December. Hope

to see you at SPICE!

SPICEREPORT!

A Christmas BlessingThe Houston Lutheran Chorale invites you to join them

as they joyfully celebrate their 25th Anniversary!

When one thinks of a 25th Anniversary, at the top of the lis

are: 25 years of marriage, 25 years on the job, 25 years of minis-

try, and 25 years of blessings! The Houston

Lutheran Chorale began 25 years ago from

a desire to communicate and share the

love of Jesus Christ and His salva-

tion to the Houston community

through music.

As we prepare for

this Christmas season, we

are reminded of the mos

amazing blessing given to

us in the form of the Baby in a

manger. The Chorale invites you to

join in the celebration at their annua

Christmas concert, A Christmas Bless-ing,on Saturday, December 5, at 7:00 p.m

at St. Mark Lutheran Church and Sunday, December 6, at 3:00 p.m

at Trinity Lutheran Church, downtown. A reception will be held

immediately following the concerts in celebration of our 25 years

Come, sing, and enjoy the familiar sounds of the season, such as

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!, Carol of the Bells, Vivaldis Glo

ria!, and much more. An Alumni Choir will be featured performing

Chorale favorites from the past 25 years.

For ticket and concert information call 713/ 869-8486 or visi

our website at www.hlc-tx.org. Thank you forblessingthis ministry

and being a part of this amazing tradition!

Music News!Conservatory We are excited to have 2 new teachers in our

conservatory this fall. Judy Luthy joins us as a piano teacher and

Barry Leitko is now teaching guitar. We welcome them both and

look forward to hearing the fruits of their labor!

Choir The choir is excited to welcome 3 new members so far

this fall. Melissa Fritsche, Vicki Gallegos, and Maddy Marrs have

all joined our soprano section and we are grateful to have them!

We could still use some tenors and basses, so guys, get off of the

sidelines and help us out!

School Music Miss Meredith Mearns has taken over the

school vocal and general music this year after Kathy Gresham

moved to Austin, TX. She has been doing a great job and we look

forward to hearing her students in concerts and in worship.

John J. Marrs, Director of Music Ministry

713/ 255-3613 | [email protected]

Upcoming ConcertsOn November 12, 2009 at 6:30 p.m., Sarah Oliver will

be hosting her graduate Harp Recital at the University of

Houstons Moores School of Music.

On February 28, 2010, St. Mark will again host pianist

Jim Hendricks in concert on our new Boston Grand Piano.Come hear his amazing musical talent in an unbelievable

FREE concert.

at St. MarkJoin us for Christmas at St. Mark on December 12! This

event will feature various fun, family friendly events throughout

the day as well as concerts by our school children. Then, at 7:00

p.m., St. Mark will present an original production called Faith toCarry On, a pageant that features the St. Mark Adult Choir and

soloists, and tells the Christmas story while comparing the faith of

the nativity characters with the faith we need to have today.


10/12page 10

Enter His gates with thanksgiving,

and His courts with praise!

Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

-Psalm 100:4

November 2009birthdays & anniversaries

Birthdays11/01 DonaldDaze

11/02 EmilyBiar

11/03 AudreyCaudill

11/03 TrinaCaudill

11/03 TomMurff

11/03 JudithSwanson

11/04 ElisaBeisert

11/04 KevinDavenport

11/04 MyrtleEmery

11/04 RuthLawrenz

11/04 TimMenzel

11/04 GaryPearson

11/04 JamesUtley

11/05 NancyGraham

11/05 MarkSchoenemann

11/06 DebbieMiertschin

11/06 KevinSpriggs

11/07 LanaBlair

11/07 JimCooper

11/07 JaniceJohansen

11/07 GarrettMeyer

11/07 DonnaSchulz

11/08 JerryBlakemore

11/08 TomBonura

11/08 EdHardin

11/08 JordanHardin

11/08 MargieMurray

11/09 JacobGogan

11/09 BarbaraKennedy

11/09 LanieMcManners

11/10 LarryDube

11/10 TerryHolcomb11/10 GilbertMoody

11/11 PaytonBridges

11/11 HaleyDearing

11/11 KellyHammack,III

11/11 CodySmith

11/11 CorySmith

11/12 ChristianBirdsong

11/12 JenniferBlack

11/12 LynnCooper

11/12 KellyHammack

11/12 JimHebert11/12 SuzanMonsen

11/12 StephanieSmith

11/13 GailGreeley

11/13 BaileyStockton

11/14 BraydenKeeton

11/14 JamesNaskrent

11/15 ThomasCook,V

11/15 MarkHuseman

11/16 BonnieCox

11/16 RitaRobles

11/16 KelleyZarker11/17 JohnBirdsong

11/17 JohnBrown,Jr.

11/17 ReggieBuford

11/17 MimiHuse

11/17 PrestonKyle

11/18 MaryPatrick

11/18 CarolynRobertson

11/19 LindaRogers

11/19 SamanthaSkrehot

11/19 HaroldWetuski,Jr.

11/19 JessicaWhite

11/20 AmandaEmery

11/20 DianaWeldon

11/21 CarolPariza

11/21 CaitlinRochow

11/21 CoryThorson

11/21 EmilyWasserman

11/22 AndrewCohrs

11/22 AnitaRogers

11/23 JohnHardie

11/23 MarvinZoch

11/25 FredBoecker

11/25 ChristopherCaudill

11/25 RuthFreed

11/25 GeraldQuandt

11/25 DonnaSunderhaft

11/25 MarkThompson

11/26 RobertByrd

11/26 ClaytonGruetzner

11/26 LeahMueller

11/27 AlfordFaske

11/27 DeborahHerbrich

11/28 GeorgeLem

11/28 DanielMusgrove

11/29 BillLarsen

11/29 WilliamReeseIII

11/29 DennisRochow

11/29 TravisSmith

11/29 FarrahSorenson

11/29 LisaWetuski

11/30 DanBatterson

11/30 SamuelHohle

Date Couple Years11/04 Steve/FondaBlair................. 20

11/07 Nathan/GretchenGroth......... 22

11/07 William/WilmaLarsen........... 20

11/10 Garry/TinaFritsche................ 30

11/11 Walter/LorettaMueller.......... 58

11/11 Brian/TammyRaymond......... 20

11/13 Edward/MaryBethWitt........... 5

11/15 Tom/JenniferBonura............. 29

11/18 Richard/DiannaRudolph....... 30

11/19 John/AnaBurns.................... 21

11/22 Paul/SuzanneThompson....... 23

11/24 Mark/LoisTurner................... 30

11/25 Rick/CynthiaGebhard........... 37

11/25 Greg/LauraKieschnick............ 9

11/25 Michael/KimStockton............. 9

11/26 Edmund/AlicePatschke......... 5911/26 Robert/KayThompson........... 52

11/29 Casandra/BrianBrisbin........... 7

11/29 Larry/MartiHuseman............ 40

11/30 Marc/AnneGrosz.................. 18


11/12page 11

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DIDYOUKNOW...youcanmakesecurepaymentsonline,24/7,toSt.Markchurchorschool

byusingtheONLINEGIVINGlinkatwww.stmarkhouston.org?!

November09

10:00 AM


12/12

St. Mark Lutheran Church

1515 Hillendahl

Houston, TX 77055

St. Mark Church 713/ 468-2623

St. Mark School 713/ 468-1492

www.stmarkhouston.org

The Joyline is a monthly publication of St.

Mark Lutheran Church. The deadline for

submitting articles for the December issue

is Thursday, November 12th. Contact Lisa

Emery at 713/ 255-3615 with any ques-

tions regarding this publication.

NON-PROFIT

ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

PERMIT NO. 8884

HOUSTON, TEXAS

joyline! for november 2009

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