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Genesis 25:19-34 "is a story about Isaac (son of Sarah and Abraham), Rebekah, their twin sons, Jacob and Esau, and the ten�sion they have with each other. Jacob and Esau, rival brothers in this story, give a por�trayal of a dichotomic harsh relationship of young men, and we encounter Esau exchang�ing his birthright for a bowl of the stew that Jacob has prepared.
Although the tension between the brothers peaks when Esau comes home and smells the stew, their struggle has been since long before Jacob and Esau were old enough to argue over food. These twins were fighting even in the womb, as God warns Rebekah in verse 23. There is a great distinction in the text between both Jacob and Esau. Their physical appear�ance is described as different and their interests are very different, too. While Esau likes to hunt, we encounter Jacob, in this text, in the kitchen making stew. Hungry for Jacob's stew, Esau trades his birthright - disregarding or despis�ing it. For Jacob and Esau's era, birthright refers to the honour and privilege conferred upon the oldest son of the family. It meant that Esau, being the first-born twin, would have a double share of the family inheritance. It also meant that he had a larger role within the family - taking on leadership responsibilities of the family when the father died. A birthright could be transferred or revoked. In Genesis 27, we read how Esau's sale of his birthright is confirmed when Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him the blessing of the oldest son.
. . . . In many ways the story of Jacob and Esau is setting the stage for future readings where the dynamics of the relation�ship between these brothers impacts our reli�gious history. How do you understand your birthright as a child of God? In what ways might the readings for this week help us to navigate the tensions and struggle of com�munal/family life?"
- from "Tension and Presence," Seasons of the Spirit Curriculum, July 13, 2014.
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Sunday, July 13
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Fifth Sunday after Pentecost: Genesis 25:19-34; Romans 8:1-11; Matthew 13:1-23
"Your word is a lantern to my feet and a light upon my path." - Psalm 119:105
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Worship
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In the baptismal covenant, we are asked, "Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?" and we respond, "I will, with God's help."
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Lakefront Lemonade and Cookies
Please sign-up to bring and set-up cookies  and/or lemonade and/or cups and napkins at the lakefront. It's easy to do: simply sign up by going to this website http://bit.ly/LakefrontLemonade or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].We especially need folks to sign-up for July 20th's Potluck Coffee Hour after Beach-a-Palooza!
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4 Churches Beach-a-Palooza 3
On Sunday, July 20, St. Mark's, St. Matthew's, St. Luke's and St. Andrew's Pentecost Episcopal Churches will join together at the lakefront (Burnham Shores- Hamilton Street and the Lake) for ONE WORSHIP at 10:00 a.m. as we celebrate our One-ness in Christ. Our worship will be followed by a potluck coffee hour! Signup for the potluck at http://bit.ly/LakefrontLemonade and mark your calendars for July 20 and plan to join as more than 200 Episcopalians come together to worship God!
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This Week's Lay Ministers
Thank you to the following individuals for bringing their best gifts to God in ministries at St. Mark's. If you would like to become involved, please contact Pastor Debra at 847-732-9564 or [email protected].
- Eucharistic Ministers: Liz McElhatton
- Lectors: Carol Martin
- Flower Guild: Michael Schoen
- Altar Guild: Evelyn Russel, Sharon Friend
- Vestry Persons of the Day: Bruce Gaede, Rima Lockwood
- Ushers: John Lucadamo, Nancye Kirk, Doug Sondgeroth
- 8 a.m. Coffee Hour Snacks: Last Names beginning with D - I
- 9:30 a.m. Lakefront Lemonade and Snacks: Aina Gutierrez, Debra Bullock
- Welcoming New Worshippers: All the People of St. Mark's
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Where I Worshiped on My Summer Vacation ...
During the summer, we hope that everyone at St. Mark's will take one Sunday to worship somewhere else. You heard right - we want you to not come to St. Mark's for one Sunday this summer and attend another church's worship. But, here's the catch - we want you to be a Greeter Spy. We have developed a "Greeters' Spy Sheet" which is available on our website at http://bit.ly/GreetersSpySheet and a copy is in this Sunday's bulletin! Use the Greeter Spy Sheet as a tool for your visit. After worship, complete the form and return it along with a copy of  the visited congregation's bulletin or welcome brochures (or both) to St. Mark's. You can either give these to any member of the vestry, to Pastor Debra or to the volunteer office at the church. We'll use the data we collect to identify some best greeting practices (and perhaps some warnings about the worst!) and we'll create a bulletin board of "Where We Worshiped On Our Summer Vacations" with the bulletins and brochures. We hope children will participate too! Invite your child(ren) to provide their input on the Greeter Spy Sheet and/or have them take some photos - or draw a picture - of the congregation you worshiped in. Photos can be sent via e-mail to [email protected] (make sure they are clearly labeled by city and state (for our bulletin board) and who any people are in the photo). Drawings can be returned along with the Spy Sheet and church bulletins. We hope everyone will take part!
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Social Justice & Outreach Opportunities
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St. Mark's continues its commitment to young people through its many social justice and outreach opportunities. Each Sunday we pray, "Bring newness and change to our streets, O God, that we might commit ourselves to our young people and address the epidemic of gun violence which plagues our communities, our country, and the world. Awake, O Streets, rise from death!" Following are a list of ways in which you can get involved with the St. Mark's community in helping to create a better world.
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Third Sunday Food Drive
On the third Sunday of each month, St. Mark's collects  non-perishable food items to be shared with local food pantries. On Sunday July 20, please bring your boxes of cereals, cans of soup, jars of peanut butter and other non-perishables with you to church or to the lakefront. The big red shopping cart will be waiting for you at the back of the sanctuary and boxes will be available at the lakefront. This month's donations will be given to the food pantry at the Salvation Army in Evanston.
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150th Anniversary Blood Drive
Help us give 150 pints of blood to LifeSource! Schedule an appointment at LifeSource (2436 Main Street, Evanston) at your convenience by calling 877-543-3768. Be sure to let them know you are giving on behalf of St. Mark's Episcopal Church - give them our code: 057G (zero, five, seven, g) - so that your donation is counted toward our goal. Also, LifeSource will be at St. Mark's - Sun. Oct. 26th in Cunningham Hall, please plan on giving that day as well! For more information contact Donna Richardson at 847-677-0701 or [email protected].
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This Week at Saint Mark's
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Wednesday, July 9
7:00 p.m.
Budget and Finance Committee Meeting, Volunteer Office
7:30 p.m.
Families & Justice Forum, Trinity Lutheran Church, 3637 Golf Road, Evanston
Friday, July 11
6:15 p.m.
Second Friday Dinner, Home of Dick & Carolyn Brooks
Sunday, July 13
8:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist - Traditional, Lady Chapel
9:30 a.m.
Holy Eucharist and Baptism with Music, Lakefront
Monday, July 14
7:30 p.m.
Worship Life Ministry Team Meeting, Bethlehem Chapel
Wednesday, July 16
7:00 p.m.
Mayor's Town Hall Meeting, Chandler-Newberger Community Center
7:30 p.m.
Families & Justice Forum, Trinity Lutheran Church, 3637 Golf Road, Evanston
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July 3
Ruthanne Brule
Amaru Greene
July 4
Phyllis Lyons
July 8
Elsa Sondgeroth
July 10
Asher Sondgeroth
July 13
John Fitts
Gordon Lewis
July 14
Char Wiss
July 24
Joshua Lettner
July 25
John Sagan
Lisa Liang
July 26
Meagan O'Dowd
Catherine Heindel
July 27
Alice Yanaga
July 29
Sharon Friend
Nadia Himrod
July 31
Richard Forst
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July 14
Ed & Jane McCarron
July 16
Vittorio & Dorothy Laudati
July 25
Hector Cortes &
Byron Scott
July 28
Theodore & Donna Richardson
July 30
Bob & Trish Barr
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Families and Economic Justice
Interfaith Action of Evanston, an organization of faith-based groups and individual members bringing direct help to many in our community, is co-sponsoring a three-session education offering on "Families and Economic Justice" led by The Rev. Peg Otte at Trinity Lutheran Church, 3637 Golf Road, Evanston on July 9, 16, and 23 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact [email protected]
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Curt's Caf�
Everyone in the St. Mark's community is encouraged to enjoy coffee, sandwiches and more at Curt's Caf�, 2922 Central Street, Evanston. Curt's Caf� is a non-profit organization that provides training in food service and life skills for at-risk youth in Evanston.
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Fellowship
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Where are you today? Lonely and afraid? Joyful and confident? Somewhere in between? Wherever you are in your journey of faith, know that there is a place for you here, companionship for the journey in this community gathered.
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Second Friday Dinner
 Join fellow parishioners and friends this Friday evening at 6:15 p.m. at the home of Dick and Carolyn Brooks, 1314 Ridge Avenue, #1, Evanston for pizza from Lou Malnati's. This is an all-ages event. And a BYOB event. Everyone is welcome but please RSVP to 847-424-8422 or [email protected] so they know how much pizza to order!
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Photos from Gala Celebration
Whether or not you were able to attend the Sesquicentennial Celebration at the Evanston Golf Club on April 25, you won't want to miss out on the photos! You can view them (and purchase individual photos) by going to: http://www.pictage.com/1580274. Thank you to Lynette Murphy and other members of the Sesquicentennial Gala Committee for arranging for such wonderful photos to be taken! |
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Christian Formation
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Lifelong Christian faith formation is important for lifelong growth in the knowledge, service and love of God as followers of Christ. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, no matter what season of life you are in, you are invited to enter into a prayerful of continuous learning.
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Activity Sheets
Coloring pages and crayons are available from an usher throughout the summer when we worship at the Lakefront.
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St. Mark's T-Shirts
You saw them in the parade, now own your very own St. Mark's "Being, Growing, Living" T-shirt. $5. Shirts are available in a variety of sizes (youth large, adult medium, large and extra large) at the lakefront.
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Social Media and St. Mark's
If you have your mobile device it would be good if you put it on silent when in worship. But if anything in Sunday's service - a prayer, reading, hymn or the sermon-moves you, please feel free to tweet it or post it to Facebook #StMarkEvanston. While you're at it, "check-in" with us on Foursquare!
St. Mark's website has up-to-date information on all that's new at St. Mark's - including a current calendar of events - check it out at http://www.stmarksevanston.org. Also, we are on Facebook and Twitter! Find us at http://www.facebook.com/StMarkEvanston and follow us @StMarkEvanston.
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In the Community
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God calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. Loving finds all of its meaning in relationship. The following are opportunities to be in relationship with one another and with the community of Evanston.
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Volunteers Needed: Evanston Recycling Fair July 12
On Saturday, July 12, ETHS will hosts its 4th annual Recycling Fair from 9 a.m. to noon. The event is open to everyone and aims to spread awareness about recycling. To help, 25 volunteers are needed to help with setup , cleanup, etc. Interested, go to http://bit.ly/recycleEvanston to register and learn more.
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Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival
Enjoy the sounds, tastes and aromas of other cultures and distant continents at the 29th annual Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival on Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20, noon to 7 p.m., at Centennial Park. The two-day event allows festival-goers to celebrate the diversity of our planet! Due to construction, the festival has moved just north of Dawes Park to Centennial Park, located on Sheridan Road between Church Street and University Place.
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Thought-Provoking Reading, Drama, and Discussion Presented by EPL and the Dajae Coleman Foundation
 Evanston Public Library and the Dajae Coleman Foundation are set to make this summer a time of reflection, learning, and discussion about youth violence. They will jointly present four programs inspired by the book How Long Will I Cry: Voices of Youth Violence.The book presents an oral history of Chicago youth violence through the heartbreaking and hopeful stories of real people in their own words. The events are free and open to the public: Two Community Book Readings will take place on Saturday, July 12 from 11AM to 1PM, Heartwood Center, 1818 Dempster Street, and on Friday, July 25 from 6:30PM to 8:30PM, Sherman United Methodist Church, 2214 Ridge Ave. Members of the Dajae Coleman Foundation will read excerpts from "How Long Will I Cry?" and discuss youth violence.
On Saturday, August 9 at 3PM, the Library's Loft teen theater troupe presents a staged reading of "How Long Will I Cry?" In this dramatic adaptation of the book, the cast of ten teenagers bear witness to the lives of Chicagoans changed by street violence. The performance will be in the Main Library's Community Meeting Room. On Saturday, August 9 at 4:30PM, all are invited to a conversation with Cobe Williams, Violence Interrupter with Cure Violence. Williams is featured in the acclaimed 2011 documentary, The Interrupters. Williams will discuss the Cure Violence approach to stopping the spread of violence. The program will be in the Main Library's Community Meeting Room directly following the staged reading. Copies of the book "How Long Will I Cry?" are available at any of the following locations:~ Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave; ~ Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center, 1655 Foster St; ~ Church St. Barber Shop, 1905 Church St; ~ Ebony Barber Shop, 1702 Dodge Ave.To reserve seats for the August events, go to epl.org/teens or call the Loft at 847-448-8625.
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Fleetwood-Jourdain Theatre 35th Anniversary Gala Celebration
Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center Theatre will be hosting its 35th Anniversary Gala on Saturday, July 12 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center, 927 Noyes St., Evanston. The evening will begin with a wine and hors d'oeuvre reception at 6 p.m. and will include an opening night performance of Gee's Band at 7 p.m. followed by "Dessert Afterglow" with a DJ and dancing. Tickets for the event are $50 and can be purchased by calling 847-448-8260.
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Parish Prayer List
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If you would like your loved ones added to (or deleted from) the prayer list at any time, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Thank you. |
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We bid your prayers for: Helen Baker,Bob and Louise Behrends, Ellen and Tom Bergman, Veronica Braithwaite, John Burnham, Karen Cornelius, Kendric Das, Bob Easton, Lynn Erickson, Caroline Frowe, Mary Hair, Charlie and Judy Kopp, Ann Lettner, Ayden Lettner, Grace Lettner, Kathy Lettner, Sally Lufkin, Judi Mueller, Andrea Nowack, Mary O'Dowd, Jan and Jeri Offutt, Joan Barr Smith, Carol Albertson, Anne and Andrew, Bill and Patti Armstrong, Carol Beatty, Dorothy Clarke, Jim and Cathy Dillman, Darrell Huddleston, Katie Iles, Yvonne Johns, the children, grandchildren, and great-granddaughter of Rosie Jones, Judy, Fredericka Kaider, OJ Mabwa, Janet Mack, Anne McDaniel, Ean and Neale Smith, Marcia Summers, Tim and his family, Carlo Trovato, Jill Vannattam, Miriam Witmer, Christopher Witmer, Jonathan Witmer.
We pray for those who have died: Holly Dinkel, friend of Dorothy Laudati.
We pray for the people in: the Diocese of Southeast Mexico and in the Diocese of Renk.
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