For God so loved the world…. you have heard it before.  You may remember the guy at the baseball games who stood in the bleachers with the rainbow hair and the sign John 3:16…..You have seen it on billboards and you have seen it connected with Tim Tebow as some people have ordained him as the savior of the Denver Broncos and now the New York Jets. When people hear this verse — if you are a Christian or not, images come to...

How much have you thought about your name?  Do you know why your parents named you the way that they did?  Do you know your family history? I always find people’s name stories fascinating.  I love hearing how people got their names, not only their given names but nicknames as well. Growing up with the name “Joe” I never really had a cool nickname.  Sometimes I would get called “Big Joe” or “yo-sef”...

 Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will...

This summer St. Mark’s Lutheran Church is partnering with Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Fayetteville, NY to bring 31 youth and adults to New Orleans for the National Lutheran Youth Gathering July 2012.  We will gather together with 37,000 of our closest friends and partners in ministry in New Orleans to practice discipleship, practice justice and practice peacemaking. The theme, citizens with the saints, comes from the book of...

Every year hundreds of thousands of kids dress up for Halloween and they go door to door and ask for candy.  There are many organizations that ask kids for their candy back in exchange for something more intising.  They are doing this to help fight childhood obsiedy and to perhaps save some teeth!! This year at St. Mark’s we decided to have a trunk or treat.  We invited people from the church and community to come to St.  Mark’s...