At our congregational meeting last Sunday, we said thank you to Pastor Phil Rue on behalf of the whole congregation. Phil has served as our Visitation Pastor at St. Mark's and he is retiring at the end of January. In our thanksgiving, we remembered the gifts of the Holy Spirit that Phil passed on to us, including wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, trust, and joy. We also presented Phil with a beautiful quilt and a gift certificate for some time away on the Hood Canal. We look forward to an ongoing relationship with both Phil and Mary Rue as they continue their life journey with us.

Welcome Pastor Sigi Helgeson!

 

We are very happy to announce that Sigi Helgeson will be our new Visitation Pastor, beginning February 1. Our Church Council voted unanimously to bring Pastor Helgeson on to our staff to serve in this way. Sigi has been an ordained Lutheran pastor since 1984. She has served as a parish pastor in congregations of our Synod, and she is now serving as an Advancement Officer for Church Relations with Lutheran Community Services Northwest. In addition to her Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary, Sigi has also completed a Master of Education in Counseling from the University of Puget Sound. With that special training, she has served as a counselor with Northwest Pastoral Counseling in Tacoma and as a chaplain with St. Joseph's Medical Center. We will welcome and commission Sigi for Visitation Ministry at St. Mark's during all three worship services this coming Sunday, February 4.