Author: StMarksAdmin

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Gear up for the 2022 LCS Walk/Run!

The start of the Lutheran Community Services Walk/Run for Hunger

It’s almost time for the 2022 Lutheran Community Services (LCS) Walk/Run — one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for LCS, which provides emergency and essential assistance to thousands of people in our community. St. Mark’s has been a strong supporter of this event for many years, so lace up those sneakers, get your cheering squad ready and pull out your checkbook or credit card to help us provide resources for this outstanding service agency.

This year’s Walk/Run will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 at a new site — Concordia Lutheran Church, 3003 Silverside Road, Wilmington, DE 19810. Registration starts at 9 a.m. and the Walk/Run starts at 10. Read more for details on how to support this event!

The day includes raffles, door prizes and a friendly, non-competitive walk for adults and kids alike. Those who fundraise for the event engage with their friends, family and otheLori Weniger and daughterr personal contacts to support LCS and its mission to help provide essential needs. The funds raised and food collected from this event go directly to LCS’ food pantries.

Pastor Fred Melton (former pastor of St. Mark’s) has been a longtime supporter of this event and returns this year with a dedicated team. St. Mark’s also has a new team — “Pastor Kelley’s Krew” — named for our new pastor, Kelley Ketcham.

To register as a walker or runner, look for the forms in the church lobby or fill out the online form at this web address: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/20walkru/register/form/classification

To donate to a specific team or participant, you can give a check (made out to LCS) directly to the participant or donate to a specific team or participant at this website:  https://secure.qgiv.com/event/20walkru/

A recent addition to the Walk/Run is a Family Fun Fair, immediately following the event. We love to interact with old and new friends with games, rides, music and food.

The Walk/Run & Fun Day is traditionally held on the third Saturday of September, rain or shine, and is hosted by one of our church partners.

Hope to see you there!

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Celebrating the rite of installation of the Rev. Kelley Ketcham

Pastor Kelley Ketcham at the altar

Please join us Sunday afternoon, August 21, for a very special event in the life of St. Mark’s as we gather for the rite of installation of our new pastor, the Rev. Kelley Ketcham. The service, which begins at 3 p.m. in the sanctuary, is the culmination of three years of prayerful work and a day of great celebration for all.

Special guests include the Rev. Robin Simpson Litton, assistant to the bishop for leadership, who will preside over the service, and Bishop William Gohl Jr., leader of the Delaware-Maryland Synod, who will bring the sermon.

The St. Mark’s choir and “Souls on Fire” band will participate, along with guest musicians Maria Rusu (violin) and Genevieve Hahn (flute), led by John Lasher, director of music and worship arts.

Pastor Kelley wrote a wonderful description of the significance of this gathering for our newsletter, The Lion. We include that here for your benefit:

“During the rite of installation, I will make promises: To commit myself to this responsibility; to preach and teach in accordance with the confessions of the church and the constitution of the ELCA; to be diligent in my study of scriptures and the use of the means of grace; to love, serve and pray for you; to nourish you with the word and sacraments; to lead you by my own example; and give faithful witness to the world.

“This is a pretty daunting task and it is one that I’m sure I will fail more often than I uphold. And so my response to each of these questions will be: ‘I will, and I ask God to help me’ because it will only be with God’s help that I can faithfully carry out these promises.

“But I am not the only one that will make promises in this service. You, the people of St. Mark’s, will also be asked to receive me into this community, to pray for me and my family, to help and honor me for my work’s sake, and in all things strive to live together with me in the peace and unity of Christ.

“I know that there also will be days when this is easier said than done for you. And so, your response will also be: ‘We will, and we ask God to help us’ because it will only be with God’s help that you will be able to faithfully carry out these promises.

“It is also important to remember that my installation as your pastor is not the end of the journey; it is the beginning of the next part. The past will not miraculously disappear now that you have called me to be your pastor, nor do I bring with myself a magic wand to wipe away all the struggles ahead of us. But what will happen is that we will work together as pastor and people to better share the Gospel with our community and our world.

“As we go forth in this journey as pastor and people together, may we remember the promises we will make to one another, and that it is only through God’s guidance, love and mercy that we will be able to uphold them.”

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Introducing … St. Mark’s new pastor!

St. Mark's Pastor Kelley Ketcham

St. Mark’s is thrilled to introduce the Rev. Kelley Ketcham, who will soon join us as our new pastor. After unanimous agreement by the St. Mark’s Council and Call Committee, the congregation voted to call Rev. Ketcham to St. Mark’s and she has accepted this call. She will join us in June.

​”Reverend Kelley will not only be a fabulous pastor, she is a fabulous person!” said Francine Passerini, who chaired St. Mark’s Call Committee.

Rev. Ketcham was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance at Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. After working in the retail industry for a few years, she attended the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, graduating in 2009 with a Master of Divinity degree.

Her first pastoral call was to a church in Pine Grove Mills, Pennsylvania, where she served for four years before moving to Ohio in 2013 in advance of her marriage to Robbie, who is also a pastor. She and Robbie welcomed their daughter, Abby, in 2015.

The Rev. Kelley Ketcham at a meet and greet at St. Mark's
The Rev. Kelley Ketcham visited St. Mark’s during a weekend in February.

During this period, she served as an interim pastor in Continental, Ohio, then was called to the pastorate of Augsburg Lutheran Church in Toledo, Ohio, in 2015.

When she is not serving the church, she enjoys performing with community theater groups, leading her daughter’s Girl Scout troop and watching the latest Marvel and Star Wars content on Disney+.

We are grateful to God for his guidance and provision and ask for your prayers as Rev. Ketcham and her family make this significant transition.

St. Mark’s is also grateful for the work of the Call Committee — including Chair Francine Passerini, Amy Lane, Vicki McDowell, Elise Mitchell, Michael Patterson, Cheryl Powell, Jerry Schrack and Wayne Smiley. We are also grateful to the Rev. Robin Litton, assistant to the bishop of the Delaware-Maryland Synod, who helped to guide us through the process, and to the wonderful interim pastors — the Rev. David Mueller and the Rev. Dr. Barbara Melosh — who served our congregation during this three-year transition.

As we anticipate this wonderful new chapter in St. Mark’s history, Council President Kitty Dombroski has some observations and suggestions:

“Approximately three years ago St. Mark’s was left without a pastor. It was a difficult time for our congregation. Between then and now we have learned a lot. We were blessed to have an interim pastor who understood our situation and the pain we were going through.

“We now have a new pastor and are about to embark on a new chapter in our journey. I don’t have to tell you this is an exciting time with lots of possibilities. We are not the same congregation we were three years ago. The world has changed and we have changed. Together with Rev. Kelley we will move forward in ministry.

“I just finished watching a movie called “tick, tick … BOOM!” There’s a song stuck in my head again — “Louder than Words.” It reminds me of all the possibilities ahead of us. ‘Cages or wings — which do you prefer?’

“Let’s not get stuck in the old ways of doing things. Yes, traditions are important. So are possibilities and potential.

“Let’s lean into this next chapter, welcoming and supporting Pastor Kelley and each other. There are so many possibilities for Jesus’ ministry at St Mark’s.”

Call Committee Chair Francine Passerini embraces the Rev. Kelley Ketcham, new pastor of St. Mark's.
Francine Passerini, who chaired St. Mark’s Call Committee, embraces the Rev. Kelley Ketcham after the congregation confirmed her call.

 

 

 

 

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Holy Week schedule

Palm frond

Please join us as we gather during Holy Week, the period from Palm Sunday through Easter. Our worship plans are as follows:

All of these services also are accessible via our YouTube channel. Click on the underlined words above to connect to the YouTube livestream or recording you wish to access.

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Lutheran Disaster Response provides humanitarian aid in Eastern Europe

A dove and the flag of Ukraine

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine on Feb. 24, millions of people have fled the country and are seeking refuge in neighboring countries including Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. There are major humanitarian concerns for both internally displaced people and refugees. Many of these Ukrainians fleeing their homes need shelter and such basic necessities as food, water and toiletries. Care for people also includes pastoral and psychological support to address the trauma they’ve endured.

Lutheran Disaster Response is accompanying our companions in Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, as well as such ecumenical partners as Lutheran World Federation and Church World Service, in their humanitarian responses to the crisis. These partners provide refugees with immediate support and supplies such as food, blankets, water and hygiene kits. Your gifts will support people impacted by this crisis. Gifts designated to “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” will be used in full (100%) for direct response to assist those affected.

There are many ways to give:

  • You may write a check to St. Mark’s — including “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” in the memo line — and place it into the yellow pew envelopes
  • You may send checks or money orders by mail to Lutheran Disaster Response, P.O. Box 1809, Merrifield VA 22116-8009
  • Give by phone, by calling (800) 638-3522 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST)
  • Give online at https://community.elca.org/eastern-europe-crisis-response

Be sure to write “Eastern Europe Crisis Response” in the memo line of your check.

Together, we pray for our siblings in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. May God be with them in their time of need.

A prayer for peace:

Merciful God, we pray for peace as war rages in Ukraine. Shelter all living in fear; protect those seeking refuge in neighboring countries; sustain families separated by the horrors of war; tend to those who are injured; comfort all who mourn their dead. Direct your people into the way of peace. In your mercy, receive our prayer.

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Vigil for Ukraine

Vigil for Ukraine information

We are invited to join with faith partners and musicians from around the community at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 27 to offer prayers and supplication for an end to the war in Ukraine. The vigil will be held at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, our neighbor at 503 Duncan Road.

The Rev. Kate Morgan, interim pastor at PCOC, will be joined by The Very Rev. Volodymyr Klanichka, rector at St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church on Lea Blvd, to officiate the service.

All are welcome!

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Come and meet our pastoral candidate Sunday, Feb. 20

Welcome sign

St. Mark’s Council is pleased to announce a special congregational meeting Sunday, February 20, to approve a new pastor. The candidate has been unanimously approved by both the Call Committee and the Church Council — the culmination of a process that began in 2019.

Thank you, Congregation, for your prayers and support! Thank you especially to our Transition Team and Call Committee!

This is an exciting time for St. Mark’s and we are planning a special weekend. Check the email that was sent to all members last week for more details on a “Meet and Greet.”

Then join us Sunday, February 20. There will be no 8:45 service that day. Instead, we will gather at 11:15 a.m. for a Unity Service. Our candidate will preach and our special congregational meeting will follow at noon.

I strongly encourage all members of St. Mark’s to be present Sunday, February 20, to vote and show our support.

Thank you!

Kitty Dombroski

President, St Mark’s Church Council

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St. Mark’s schedule updates for Sunday, February 6

Open doors

With no big storm in the forecast, we will be open on Sunday, February 6, with a few schedule changes.

There will be no 8:45 a.m. traditional service. Instead, we will start with the Adult Forum at 10 a.m. in the Great Room. This week’s guest is Allison David, CEO of the Claymont Community Center.

At 11:15 a.m., we’ll gather in the sanctuary for a Unity Service, led by Interim Pastor Barbara Melosh. Immediately after the service, we will hold our annual business meeting, which was postponed by last weekend’s snowstorm. Please review the packet mailed to all voting members for more information and instructions on how to vote if you are joining us remotely.

Our services are also available online on our YouTube channel.

Hope to see you soon!

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Snowstorm update: Sunday worship canceled, annual meeting postponed

An illustration showing a line of colorful snow shovels

Because of snow, ice and frigid temperatures, St Mark’s has canceled our worship service for Sunday, January 30, and postponed the annual meeting which was to follow. The annual meeting now is scheduled for Sunday, February 6. The time and other details will be announced shortly.

Many previous services are available online at our YouTube channel. If you missed one, this may be a great time to catch up!

Alternatively, you may want to take a virtual visit to another congregation of the Delaware-Maryland Synod. Our Synod’s website has a directory of congregations that offer online services.

Please stay warm and safe!

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New Pettit Scholarship to benefit Hilltop youth

Helen and Clarence Pettit

We thank God for a new scholarship designed to provide support for students affiliated with one of St. Mark’s ministry partners, Hilltop Lutheran Neighborhood Center.

The scholarship, created in honor of the Rev. Clarence and Helen Pettit by philanthropists Gordon and Fran Fisher, will help multiple students with the cost of private secondary schooling and/or post-secondary schooling.

The Pettits have served the community for many years and Clarence Pettit will also be familiar to those who have seen St. Mark’s Midweek Extra videos, where he was featured in several conversations with our former Interim Pastor David Mueller.

The scholarship offers successful applicants up to $2,000 for tuition and up to $500 for textbooks.

All are invited to support Hilltop students and honor the Pettits through this fund. To learn more about the scholarship and how to give, visit Hilltop’s website.

 

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