Welcome to St. Mark Church 2

Don’t Forget to Return Your Barn Bank of Change

All through Lent we have been collecting excess change and any other larger cash donations for our Sunday School outreach program. On Easter, bring in your filled barn bank and empty it into the glass container in the narthex. Help us fill it up so that we can help families in need. An animal can make a world of difference to lift families out of poverty. Animals provide food to eat and fertilizer to sell on the market. With your gifts, we can help a family escape the cycle of hunger and poverty for good. After Easter the Sunday school kids will count up the money and make the selection of animals to be given through Lutheran World Relief.

Employment Opportunity

As noted in the council happenings, we regrettably accepted Dale Dull’s resignation as our church custodian. As a result, St. Mark will be once again looking for a new custodian/housekeeper to begin at the end of April. This position’s hourly rate is $13.50 to $15.00 an hour with a flexible work schedule of 15-to-20 hours a week, Monday through Friday. The job requires someone who is dependable, hardworking and can work independently to assure the building’s rooms and hallways are routinely cleaned and maintained for all daily uses. Please refer applicants to the Church office (717-637-8904) or go to our website (stmarkhanover.org) to find the application.

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, April 16th at 10:30am, rain or shine, we will be searching high and low for those colorful eggs. We want to thank all those who have brought or are bringing in candy for this hunt. All the donations need to be in by April 10th so that we have time to fill the plastic eggs and get them to the bunny who, of course, hides them in time for the hunt. All children from nursery age to 10 years old are invited to take part. Sign up your child, grandchild, neighbor’s children, or friends’ kids on the narthex signup sheet or call the office at 717-637-8904. Get hopping: sign up soon!

Lenten Soup Dinner

Lenten Soup Dinners & Bible Study: The Lenten Soup Dinners on Wednesday nights finish up on March 30th and April 6th. There is still time to join in the good food that so many have made and shared (thank you) and learn a little about the prayer that our Lord taught us.

April 6th - 6th Wednesday of Lent

And lead us not into temptation (6th Petition)

But deliver us from evil. (7th Petition)

For thine is the kingdom, and the power,

and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. (Conclusion)

NEED HELP!!!

Are you Alone? Are you running short?

We live in unusual times, but no matter what comes, we can still be there to help each other. No disease or hardship can stop us from caring and reaching out to offer aid and support for one another. If you find that you are lacking something, please call the church office at 717-637-8904. We have members that have volunteered to do grocery and pharmacy pick ups. We have people that have volunteered to share supplies. We have a loving church that can and will overcome all things to serve in God’s love.

Remember: many grocery stores and pharmacies offer adjusted hours and curbside pickup for seniors – call your store for details.

Other resources that may help in these emotional times:

National Alliance on Mental Health – Covid-19 health care guide

Go to this video https://www.nami.org/covid-19

Licensed Psychologist Jon Sirkorski offering strategies for combating Fear and

Stress During Coronavirus – Go to this video https://youtu.be/z_7MSExWnGA

Dr. Shefali Tasbary explains how people/parents deal with the uncertainty of life

Go to this YouTube video https://youtu.be/cGKRwE99fc4

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK.

Remember

CHURCHES are Life-Sustaining

St. Mark is OPEN

11am – 3pm Monday through Friday

717-637-8904

If visiting, please protect us and you -- wear a mask. Thanks.

Needs, Concerns or Questions can still be addressed by phone.

Offering Envelopes can still be mailed to the Church office.

Altar Vases - April Weekends

Weekend April 2nd & 3rd –

Altar Vase – available

Altar Vase - available

Weekend April 9th & 10th –

Altar Vase – Given in honor of our parents’, Nancy and Carl

Sandruck, 67th Wedding Anniversary by Melanie, Sally &

Pete, and David & Romi.

Altar Vase - available for dedication call church office

Weekend April 16th & 17th –

Altar Vases - Given in praise and gratitude for Christ’s

sacrifice at the cross and his victorious resurrection that

gives eternal life to all those who believe.

Weekend April 23rd & 24th –

Altar Vases - Given in memory of our mother, Helen Ruth,

by the Ruth family.

Weekend January 30th and May 1st -

Altar vase - Given in honor of our 53rd Wedding

Anniversary by Dave and Kathy Gates.

*Please Note - The vases can be dedicated in memory or honor of loved ones. Simply fill out the week you want in the Altar Vases page in the book hanging above the shelf in the narthex or contact the church office at 717-637-8904. Each vase is $17.00 or two for $34.00.

Altar Care

Volunteers are greatly appreciated. If you are willing to help fulfill this role, please contact the church office at 717-637-8904. At this point it is making sure the flowers get taken out of the vases and given to the weekly sponsors.

Altar Care Schedule:

We give thanks for our altar care people who make sure the flowers get distributed correctly and help in any other way cleaning up after worship. We could always use some other helpers to assist or fill in one of the empty months. If you can help, call the office or sign up on the bulletin board by the flower book.

April – Bob & Jane Bish,

May – OPEN

June - Glen & Nancy Mummert

July – OPEN

August- Shellene Griffin

September – OPEN

October – Jo Kuhns

November – Susan Miller

December – OPEN

Holy Communion Distribution Weekends

For the most up-to-date information about Holy Communion offerings, please call the church office. We will update the website when we get additional information.

- In the center aisle, Pastor will be offering the wafer and wine by pastoral intinction to be dropped in palms of worshiper’s hands as they depart.

- A tissue will be available to take and fold into your open palm to receive the wafer cleanly and safely.

- We ask that you extend your hand out, palm side up covered with the tissue to receive the wafer with no touch abilities. Pastor will then drop the wafer into your open covered palm.

- Please allow each row to depart from back to front keeping physical CDC spacing.

- After receiving the wafer, please depart outside where you can safely remove your mask and consume the wafer and wine, giving thanks to God for this gift.

- If you do not wish to receive communion, simply depart through the side aisles.

Please contact the pastor if you have any concerns or need further options to receive the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Help Ukraine through LDR

(Lutheran Disaster Response)

LDR is accompanying our companion churches in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, as well as such ecumenical partners as the Lutheran World Federation and Church World Service, in their humanitarian responses to the crisis. They provide refugees with immediate support and supplies such as food, blankets, water and hygiene kits. Your gifts marked “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” will be used 100% to assist those affected by the crisis in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

Mail directly to Lutheran Disaster Response P.O. Box 1809, Merrifield VA 22116-8009. Be sure to mark on your check “Eastern Europe Crisis Response”

Holy Week Schedule

Please invite your neighbors and friends to join you as we walk with Jesus through the week that leads up to the Resurrection Celebration. There will be one special bulletin for the entire week as we move through the different stages of Christ’s last days with his disciples. Please plan to keep and use that bulletin all week.

Palm Sunday 9:00am - April 10th

We will enter into worship rejoicing and singing

our “Hosannas” and lifting our prayers to our coming King of Glory

Maundy Thursday 7:00pm - April 14th

We will sit at the table of the Lord and join in prayer of the Passover

Good Friday 7:00pm - April 15th

We will travel with Jesus from the Garden of Gethsemane to the cross, hearing his prayers of sacrifice.

Easter Vigil 5:30pm - April 16th

From creation and the fall to the restoration of new life, in Christ we give thanks in prayer.

The Resurrection of our Lord Sunday 9:00am - April 17th

Easter has arrived. Our Prayer is answered as we see the empty grave!

Congregational Meeting

Special Congregational Meeting: Following morning worship on April 10th (back up date: April 24th), we will have a short congregational meeting to vote on a council-recommended proposal to replace the two doors on the Willow Street side of the Fellowship hall entranceway with a new electric sliding doorway (similar to the one at the Willow Street handicap entrance). Proposed work done by Susquehanna Door Company would be for the replacement and installation at $14,515 (not including running electric, getting lock keyed to match, and encasing any outside exposed framing). There is currently over $19,000 dedicated in a replacement door fund saved for this type of project. An agenda and proposal sheet are available for pickup in the narthex.

There is a new addition in the sewing room! While our dedicated sewers, pinners, cutters, tie-ers are working, they enjoy discussing, trading, and recommending books. “Seeewww”, everyone started bringing in books to share until quite a few books were amassed.

The need for a bookshelf was mentioned to Bob Bish who proceeded to build a beautiful one for them on wheels! Thanks very much to Bob for sharing his craftsmanship once again to add to the beauty of our church.

For those interested in seeing the bookshelf and borrowing or sharing books, please contact any of our sewers (Pat Hagarman, Jo Kuhns, Susan Miller, Carol Reese, Deb Teal, Linda Gouker, Sandy Haymaker) or just come in to the church on a Thursday morning to touch base with the group.

Registration for 2022-2023

Currently the Mon/Wed morning 3-year-old and the Mon/Wed/Thurs morning 4-year-old classes are both FULL. We have remaining spots in the Tues/Thurs morning 3-year-old class and the Mon/Wed/Thurs afternoon 4-year-old class.

If you know any families that might be interested, please tell them to check us out by going to our website www.stmarkhanover.org

A big thanks to all who supported the Joe Corbi Fundraiser this spring. Orders can be picked up after 11:00am on April 7th.

We wanted to thank Dale Dull for arranging the delivery of the new playground wood chips and making sure they got spread throughout the playground.

St Mark Preschool Staff

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Good Gifts / God’s Global Barnyard

Your gifts support work in 77 nations around the world.

Every project in every community starts with listening. We believe that our congregations, companion churches and partners know their communities best. That’s why they identify the needs and priorities in their communities, as well as the solutions they believe will make the biggest impact. These gift items are from projects currently supported through different churchwide ministries. The projects have been planned by our partners — meaning that each community receives exactly the kind of support it needs and none of what it doesn’t.

Donations can be made directly through your congregation’s offering or sent directly to the ELCA Good Gifts, Evangelical Lutheran Church

in America P.O. Box 1809 Merrifield, VA 22116-8009

Prayer Squares

Many of us at St. Mark enjoy yarn—buying it, using it, knitting, crocheting, you name it! Since we have a sewing group, it seemed like a great idea to have a yarn group. We have different donation opportunities and project ideas.

Currently, the Prayer Square project led by Jo Kuhns is doing great! The baskets at the Willow Street entrance and the Fellowship Hall door are needing regular restocking so they are definitely being distributed. Please feel free to take one for yourself or take several squares to give to those who might need them. Patterns, yarn, needles, and hooks are available in the basket in the office hallway.

Thank you, Jo Kuhns, for heading this new project!

St. Mark Monthly Offering for Designated Needs

St. Mark’s Monthly Offering for Designated Needs gives us an opportunity as a congregation to support specific domestic and international needs which are predetermined by our council each year.

April’s offering benefits Itete Hospital of the Konde Diocese. Of the various partners who support Konde Diocese, through the work of our Konde Medical Needs Committee, we, as the Lower Susquehanna Synod, are the only partner providing ongoing support for the Itete Hospital. As the Itete Hospital in the Konde Diocese of Tanzania grows in its capacity to care for people as a District Designated Hospital, their needs grow.

To contribute to this month’s designated need, please mail your donations to our office or place them in our weekend collection plates by specifying for April's Designated Giving on your check or the “other” line of any of our weekly offering envelopes.

Please remember that whenever a donation is made on the “other” line that does not have a written designation, it will automatically be given to the ministry fund designated for that month.

DOING MINISTRY IN THE COMMUNITY -

Provide-A-Lunch(PAL):

Team #2 will be serving at HACC on April 24th:

Our team members include: Joann Berwager, Pat Brooks, Dale Dull, Shellene Griffin, and Lynn Gross.

We are so grateful to all of our PAL (Provide-A-Lunch) volunteers who provide such a wonderful ministry as they represent St. Mark in our community. PAL is the one community meal that is served every day free to anyone who is hungry all 365 days a year. Our three teams rotate covering the fourth Sundays of every month, serving a nourishing meal to all who enter the dining room of HACC. If you are interested in helping with any of our PAL teams, please call 717-637-8904.

Spring & Summer Goodies

spring is here and summer willl soon be upon us. We again accepting sign=ups for aftger service goodies -- diughnuts and cookies. So, sign-up to provide refreshments. A new signup sheet will be posted, ready and waiting for you! As you know, with the treats and drinks returning, all the host(s) have to do is set up the table before worship; then, clean up after fellowship time.

When the signup sheet is available, please do your best to pick a date (and sign up) as soon as possible. Contact Barb Baublitz with any questions (717-637-9076).

St. Mark Book Club Returns

Before the shut-down, we started a book club here at St. Mark. Our first book was All the Light We Cannot See and we had one meeting in the parlor to talk about our book and discuss future books and meetings. Well, after a couple years, we are going to re-start the book club. Our first book is My Antonia by Willa Cather and our first meeting will be on January 9th in the parlor. Part of our discussion, in addition to the book, will be future books and future meeting locations. Please contact Susan Miller at sbmiller883@gmail.com or 717-632-0555 for more information. All readers are welcome!

Hanover Area Council of Churches (HACC) NEWS & NEEDS

PAL (Provide-a-Lunch) Program: Single serve fruits; Cans of string beans; Dish towels/rags; Potholders.

Shelter: Deodorant (Men & Women); Disposable gloves (Med. & Lg.); Ziploc storage bags (gallon size); Bed pillows; Lysol spray; Ajax cleaner; Clorox wipes.

General Needs: Lysol spray/disinfecting spray

Clothing Bank: Family-sized toiletries; Bread wire ties; Men’s & women’s ankle socks; Diapers sized 5 & 6.

All Donations can be placed in the bins by the office on the corner table at end of hall.

HACC Ruth’s Harvest: Feed the Children

Ruth’s Harvest News: We are seeking individual snack and food items as we get ready for the start of school in the Fall. We hope to be back fully stocked and helping give out food starting the middle of September as the school year begins.

HACC Provide-A-Lunch (PAL)

Is still operating as take and go meals each day between 11:30 and 12:30. Donations and volunteers are always welcome. Contact the HACC office for more info 717-633-6353.

HACC Clothing Bank

Tell a friend, share the news, come and shop – the HACC Clothing Bank on the 2nd floor of the Carlisle Street HACC building is open to the public. Call 717-633-6353.

CROP Walk 2021

With a history of over 70 years, the CROP will take place again in 2021! Missed in 2020 because of the Covid pandemic, the Hanover Area Council of Churches had been alerted that St. Paul Dubs will kindly take responsibility for being the central position of the CROP Walk at Codorus.

Replacing Diana Weaver after her many years of service as the CROP chairman from St. Mark, Linda Bolin will be waiting for our walkers to sign up and receive their $$ folders. Please do one of two things: Be one of those walkers and/or contribute to one of those walkers.

The CROP Walk takes place on Sunday at 1:00pm, October 17. Sign up and walk your distance, your pace, and your smile. And, we’ll all say “thanks” for participating. Some of the money will stay in Hanover—the rest will be disbursed nationally and internationally by Church World Service.

St. Mark members who receive their information by mail or e-mail and would like to participate may do so by sending checks to St. Mark made payable to “CHURCH WORLD SERVICE.” Please do not make your CROP Walk checks to St. Mark this year!

Calendar of Events for Hanover Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Hanover

Upcoming Community events and Synod Activities are being rescheduled.

Volunteer Opportunities: Our Hanover Area Council of Churches (HACC) has a plethora of volunteer opportunities for anyone looking for that little something extra in their lives! There are even some part-time employment opportunities! Please contact HACC 717-633-6353 for more information about PAL; driving needs; substitutes; clothing bank sorters, organizers, baggers, cashiers; Meals-On-Wheels drivers and runners; Changing Lives shelter staff; receptionist needs.

Want to Volunteer? Have a passion for giving? We would love to have you on one of our teams.

We need folks who are interested in helping our church grow and attract families who want to hear and learn about the message of Jesus Christ.

You need not be member of our congregation.

We recognize that many people want to try something before they are comfortable returning to it. We agree. You do not need to commit to a lengthy term of assistance. You can join for a single event to try it out.

Contact the church office (contact info below on the page footer).