God's Work - Our Hands

PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY - Prayer Shawls are crocheted with love and prayer by St. Mark's members. Many of the prayer shawls are given locally but some have even gone as far as Russia and Tibet. Prayer Shawl Video

PIECEMAKERS - This group of dedicated ladies meets every Tuesday, September through March, to make over two hundred quilts, which are donated to Lutheran World Relief. Piecemakers Video

BREAD and BOWL - Every Friday evening, a hot meal is served at the First United Methodist Church for anyone in need. St. Mark's, along with six other churches, take turns preparing and serving this meal. Volunteers donate salads and desserts, prepare and serve the meal, and visit with the guests.

LOCAL FOOD PANTRY - non-perishable food items are collected on the first Sunday of each month and donated to the community food pantry. The women's circles take care of delivering the food each month.

FOOD PANTRY GARDEN - fresh vegetables are planted and cared for by St. Mark's and the harvest is donated to the local food pantry.

VAN WERT BLESSINGS - Each Thursday, backpacks are filled with food for one child for the weekend. Backpacks are then delivered to the local schools to be passed out to children needing nutritional support. Volunteers help shop for food, assemble food and backpacks, and deliver backpacks to the schools.

KIDS AGAINST HUNGER RICE KITS - Each fall, 200,000 meals are assembled, with 6 meals in each Rice Kit. Kits include rice as well as other ingredients necessary for good nutrition. Seventy-five percent of the kits are sent to areas in the world that have been devastated by national disasters, to help the populations affected survive until things return to normal. Twenty-five percent are kept and used in the local area food pantry.

GLOBAL MINISTRY - St. Mark's supports global missionaries through the ELCA and supports individual global missionaries through monetary and prayer support.