Church Council Welcome
Upcoming Meetings
| Tuesday, Sept 7, cancelled |
Rescheduled for Sept 12 |
| Sunday, Sept 12, 12:30 pm |
Congregational Forum on ELCA study |
| Sunday, Sept 12, 2 pm at St. Mark's |
Special Council Meeting |
| Monday, Sept 13 - cancelled |
Special Council Meeting - cancelled |
| Monday, Sept 20, 6 pm at St. Mark's |
Monthly Council Meeting |
Welcome to St. Mark's Church Council webpage. Your Council has established the following priorities for 2010. Click on the underlined priorities for progress.
Council Representatives
Your church council consists of 8 members, 7 elected by the congregation and the Senior Pastor. Click here to view pictures of council members. The election process is governed by St. Mark's constitution and by-laws. Council members include:
| Name |
Officer |
Term |
Name |
Officer |
Term |
| Pastor Perry Fruhling |
Sr. Pastor |
|
Jeff McGuire |
Treasurer |
2009-2011 |
| Chris Lindell |
President |
2009-2011 |
Von Cary |
Chaplain |
2009-2011 |
| David Brauhn |
Vice President |
2009-2011 |
Kurt Beenen |
|
2008-2010 |
| Jan Rushford |
Secretary |
2009-2011 |
Emily Wellnitz |
|
2010-2012 |
Invitation to Church Council Meetings
All St. Mark's partners are invited to church council meetings. The meetings are usually held on the third Monday of the month at the church and the times are published in advance. If you have an agenda item, click here to contact the church council president or Senior Pastor. Some time is available at each meeting for partners' comments and questions.
Partners are encouraged to contact council members or pastors at any time with questions, suggestions or concerns. Click on the specific dates to the right to review minutes of past Council meetings.
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125 Year Celebration
On November 8, 1885 sixteen Swedish immigrants chartered the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Saron Congregation of Cedar Rapids. In 2010, St. Mark's celebrates 125 years of serving our Lord. The following celebrations pay tribute to this special year:
| March 28 |
125th Anniversary Kickoff & Groundbeaking Festivities |
| May 2 |
A Musical Celebration - Organ & Instrumental Recital |
| May 16 |
Our Choral Heritage performed by the Chancel Choir |
| June 13 |
Scandinavian Smorgasbord Historical Arifact Display |
| August 29 |
Rally Day Activities |
| November 7 |
Founder's Day Celebration |
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Discipleship Plans
Our discipleship or spiritual growth plan for adults is summaried by the acronym ABC: Alpha, Basics and Crossways. Click here for a summary of the plan. By the end of 2010 all the major elements of our adult spiritual growth path will be in path. In the years ahead we will continue to enhance and improve them.
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Resource Development
The last meeting of the resource development was April 27. The next steps in resource development are:
- Groundbreaking (May 2010)
- Designated Giving Emphasis (Sep 2010)
- Core Value Series (Oct - Nov 2010)
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ELCA Study Task Force
As a result of last year’s ELCA’s church-wide assembly, St. Mark’s study and discussions of the assembly and our annual meeting, this year our church council is leading a study of St. Mark’s relationship with the ELCA. The five broad categories we are studying are:
- Bible & Theology
- Culture / Emotion
- Denominations Issues / Support
- Social / Perceived Issues
- Structure / Process/ Data
Our objective is to sort through the facts, fiction, opinions and suppositions about the ELCA while re-affirming St. Mark’s beliefs. How do the beliefs of the ELCA compare to other Lutheran denominations? How do St. Mark’s needs and beliefs match and support the ELCA and/or other Lutheran denominations? What Lutheran affiliation(s) best serves St. Mark’s vision for the future and mission to serve our Lord? All members of St. Mark's are encouraged to participate in these discussions and discovery process.
The following materials summarize our discoveries so far:
| Item |
Description |
|
2 views- Part 1
2 views - Part 2
2 views - Part 3
|
 January 17, 2010 Congregational Forum with 2 Biblical experts. The title of the forum is "Homosexulaity and the Bible - 2 Views" MP3 format. |
| Study Topics |
St. Mark's ELCA Relationship study topics developed through an affinity diagramming exercise at March 29, 2010 Council Meeting |
Letter to the Bishop Burk
|
April 22, 2010 letter to SE Iowa Synod Bishop Burk informing him of St. Mark's study |
| Letter to Congregation |
June 15 letter from Council President inviting the congregation to upcoming forum on June 27 where the format of the study and results of the first topic, structure, data and process were presented.
|
| Letter to Bishop Burk |
Invitation from Pastor Fruhling to Bishop Burk to participate in the June 21 Church Council meeting to discuss Bible and Theology section of St. Mark's ELCA Relationship study
|
| Background for Bishop Burk |
Background materials prepared by Pastor Fruhling for Bishop Burk in anticipation of the June 21 council meeting to discuss theology and Bible topics
|
| Invitation to Bishop Burk |
June 3 invitation to SE Iowa Synod Bishop Burk to June 27 Congregational Forum |
| Response from Bishop Burk |
July 12 email from Bishop Burk responding to Pastor Fruhling's confirmation of June 21 council meeting discussions |
| Follow-up response from Bishop Burk |
June 24 letter from Bishop Burk to Council with responses to Background materials |
| June 27 Forum |
Presentation and minutes from the June 27, 2010 Congregational Forum. Results of Structure, Process and Data part of St. Mark's relationship study was presented.
|
| ELCA Website |
Link to ELCA website |
|
Bible & Theology
Denominational Comparison
|
These two links are temporarily inactive as materials are updated. Please check back. Presentation materials from the August 15, 2010 Congregational Forum. Topics presented and discussed were Bible & Theology and a comparison of the ELCA, LCMC and St. Mark's on a variety of denominational issues.
|
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Successful Building
On May 2, 1999 St. Mark's dedicated the current church building after moving from 1st Avenue. Over the past four years the Future Facilities Team along with ministry teams, staff and many dedicated partners have worked with architect Gary Landhauser of Novak Design to develop a solution to St. Mark's growing facilities needs to continue to fulfill our mission. On February 15, 2010, our congregation approved proceding with a construction project to more than double the space available to serve our growing needs. Click here to view the meeting materials. Check out the live webcam of the addition to St. Mark's under construction.
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