The Publicity Committee meets as necessary in the narthex. The frequency of the meetings are determined by the current publicity needs of the church and the availability of the committee members.

The committee offers its assistance to groups of St. Mark's in promoting their activities both within the church and in the local newspapers. It's primary function is the development of, updates to, and maintenance of the St. Mark's website.

The goal of the Stewardship Committee is to help God’s people at St. Mark’s grow in their relationship with Jesus through their return of the money, time, and talents that God has allowed them to use. We believe stewardship must be based on biblical teaching and is about our need to give (as an act of discipleship), versus the church’s need to receive.

Throughout the year, the committee educates the congregation about the many benevolence projects and ministries of St. Mark’s, asking for support by all members. Using The Weekly Messenger, the E-Messenger, and Sunday bulletins, we tell the congregation about individual ministries. The committee relies on the leaders of St. Mark’s ministry groups to contribute to our educational efforts, through written articles and "Ministry Minutes," ensuring the congregation knows the importance of St. Mark’s ministries and their support from the congregation. We explain our stewardship philosophy to new members and remind them how important their time and talents are in the life of our congregation. We thank givers for their stewardship.

In the fall, the committee conducts an annual commitment campaign, to obtain the commitment of financial resources to support St. Mark's ministries for the following year.

We manage the annual purchase and distribution of weekly offering envelopes to members. We encourage e-Giving as an efficient alternative to the use of envelopes and work with the Financial Secretary to coordinate e-Giving and envelope giving.

If you are interested in participating in the Stewardship Committee, please get in touch with Colleen. We will rebuild the stewardship program with members who can help provide the spark to connect our vision and our resources. You don’t have to be a financial expert, fundraiser, or motivational speaker. We need people who are good with words and with creating messages. We have many great stories of faith in action at St. Mark’s. Can you help the rest of our members tell that story?

Committee meetings are normally the second Tuesday of each month, at 7:30 PM, in the office conference room. We invite anyone interested to attend our meetings—and to join our committee! Contact Colleen Struss, Chairman.

The purpose of the Altar Guild is to clean and ready the Altar for worship. This involves weekly cleaning of the acolyte robes and crucifier's gloves as needed; changing paraments; and other tasks that provide an appropriate Altar at which to worship our Lord. If you are interested in joining the Altar Guild, please contact Mary Eskelund at 703-569-0761 or Worship@stmarks-elca.org.

Do you like working with a few figures and money? If the answer is yes, please consider becoming a counter at St. Mark’s.

We are looking for younger adult (and up) church members who enjoy working as a member on an experienced team. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated by all members of our count teams. When one of our counters moves or is unable to continue counting, you will be asked if you can fill his/her place.

Currently there are seven teams. Each team of three or four serves two Sundays in a row approximately every twelve weeks. Our counters are a congenial group we think you will enjoy meeting and serving with.

"We are privileged to serve our Lord by counting the offerings of his people."

Please contact the church office to volunteer or Ellie Schwarze ( Email), who is currently Counting Coordinator of the counting group. Your help will be appreciated. Thank you.

The Eucharistic Guild prepares the bread and wine for service of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. If you are interested in Eucharistic Guild membership, please contact Nancy Hartman.

The Flower Committee, operating under Altar Guild, consists of several individuals who arrange flowers for Sunday Services, Festivals, and weddings. Sunday morning Altar Flowers may be given to celebrate or remember a person or occasion, with the dedication listed in “This Week” in the bulletin; contact Patty Carlson at Worship@stmarks-elca.org to make and to pay for ($20) a dedication. Two members of the flower committee are assigned to arrange flowers for Services each week. Each person arranges flowers approximately ten times per year. Flower arranging workshops are occasionally held for those desiring to be a part of the Flower Committee. If you are interested in joining the Flower Committee and learning the art of flower arranging, please contact Trudy.

Greeters perform the vital function of cheerily greeting and welcoming worshipers as they enter the church for Sunday morning services. St. Mark’s is a nice place to worship, and we want to make everyone feel welcome. We are identified by the red ribbon on our special name badges. We arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the beginning of the service and try to greet everyone entering the Narthex on his or her way to church. Normally, at least two greeters are scheduled for each service. Individuals are scheduled no more than three times per quarter, and receive a printed schedule each quarter. Please contact the office to come join us as a greeter!

The Kitchen Guild oversees the operation, use, cleanliness, and maintenance of the church's kitchens. In 2002 and 2003, the kitchen was renovated to modernize its equipment, update its storage systems, and improve its functionality. The Guild depends on people interested in the kitchen and dedicated to its upkeep to ensure that the church has a facility that can meet church and community needs. If you are interested in either using the kitchen for an event, or becoming a member of the Kitchen Guild, please contact the church office.

Volunteers are needed to take care of babies and small children as their parents attend the worship services. Contact the church office if you can assist in this ministry.

Ushers assist in worship by preparing the narthex and nave for the upcoming service. Pre-service responsibilities include handing out bulletins and assisting in seating. During the service ushers assist in communion, the offering, and an attendance count. After the service ushers straighten up the pews and transfer used bulletins to the recycling containers. Each of St. Mark's services has rotating volunteer usher teams scheduled for Sunday mornings. The assignments come up about every six weeks. Families and friends can be scheduled together and certain Sundays blocked out to accommodate schedules. Special services such as Christmas Eve, Lenten, and Funerals do not have scheduled teams but depend on usher volunteers. New usher volunteers are always welcome and appreciated.

Friends of the Welcome Committee consider it their job to make everyone feel welcome at St. Mark's, especially visitors and newcomers. On Sunday mornings they follow a rotating schedule and man the welcome table in the narthex, identifying themselves with big red name tags and greeting worshipers, always on the lookout for new faces.

Several times a year, they host a reception when new members are received into the congregation. Occasionally, the welcome committee is given a special task, such as planning an event to greet a special guest, and these tasks are coordinated via email. Scheduling committee members to work at the narthex welcome table is also all done by email.

Questions? Interested in becoming a Friend of the Welcome Committee? Contact chair Sandy Lind at Welcome@stmarks-elca.org.

Worship leaders at St. Mark’s include adult and youth members of the congregation who assist the pastors at the altar during worship services. These worship leaders include assisting ministers, communion assistants, worship assistants, and crucifers All perform specific duties that help each service go smoothly and reverently. The assisting minister reads scripture and offers prayers to God for the offering, for the gift of communion, and for the needs of the people. Someone volunteering as crucifer carries the processional cross at the beginning and the end of the service. When we distribute communion, we make a direct connection with each person as we look in their eyes and offer the body and blood of Christ, present in the bread and wine. What a distinct honor and privilege to assist the pastors and connect God with the congregation during worship services at St. Mark’s.

If you would like to become a Worship Assistant please contact Martha Flanagan (for English-language services) or the church office (for Spanish-language services).