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This Week at St. Mark's
A reminder that if you have announcements for the newsletter or the bulletin, they must be sent to Katie at community@stmarksevanston.org  no later than Tuesday at 12 noon.
Stewardship and the Annual Campaign
Each month in 2017 we will feature a ministry of St. Mark's where we can "count what counts" because we are Bound Together in Christ. If you have a ministry at St. Mark's where we can "cou nt what counts" (lunches packed or served, pounds of produce distributed, hours of candles burned, number of notes sung!) contact Katie Kuriyama at community@stmarksevanston.org so we can assign you a month!
 

Counting What Counts: During the month of January, 29 St. Mark's parishioners spent 126.5   hours engaged in social justice, outreach and advocacy ministry through St. Mark's including volunteering at the Evanston School Children's Clothing Association, the Producemobile, attending the Y.O.U. Defiance with a Purpose event on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, participating in the Women's Rally in Chicago  and the Empowering Diverse Communities March in Morton Grove,  attending a City Council Meeting, packing lunches on Tuesday evenings, or serving lunches on Wednesdays.
 
Annual Campaign: Bound Together in Christ  - Thank you to all who have already made your pledge commitments: 86 parishioners/family units have committed $258,129.  We are at 94% of our goal.  Can you help us close the gap by March 1?  If you have not yet completed your pledge card, please do so today!  Extra cards are available at the back of the church and in the parlor or can be downloaded from our website: www.stmarksevanston.org.  We can do this - but only if everyone participates as we are, indeed, bound together in Christ.  

Faith, Formation and Fellowship 

Why are the nations in an uproar?  Why do the peoples utter empty threats? - Psalm 2:1


This Sunday is the Last Sunday after the Epiphany and the appointed readings are  Exodus 24:12-18Psalm 2:1-8, 2 Peter 1:16-21,  and Matthew 17:1-9. We invite you to take some time this week to read them in advance so that they can speak to you throughout the week.  If you don't have a Bible nearby, you can find the passages at this website: www.lectionarypage.net 

This Sunday's Lay Ministers -- Thank you to the following parishioners for sharing their time and talent with the congregation this week. If you would like to become involved, please contact Pastor Debra at 847-732-9564 or rector@stmarksevanston.org.
  • Altar Guild: Julia Ferguson, Beth Johnson, Betsy Johnson 
  • Flower Guild: Dorothy Laudati
  • Ushers: John Fitts, Tacia Johnson, Alison Walsh
  • Acolytes:  Neena Gaede, Kate Johnson, Patrick Nee 
  • Lectors: Lisa Montgomery, Andy Howard
  • Eucharistic Ministers: Aina Gutierrez, Liz McElhatton, Joanna Greene 
  • Eucharistic Visitor: Andrea Nowack
  • Vestry Persons of the Day: Ted Richardson 
  • Coffee Hour Snacks:  Last Names beginning with T through Z
This Sunday, February 26th, Come and See what the St. Mark's Come and See Campaign is all about! 

Lent Begins - Ash Wednesday: On Wednesday, March 1 our Lenten journey begins. Worship will take place at 7 a.m. (Lady Chapel) and at 7:30 p.m. (Sanctuary).  Communion and imposition of ashes will be part of both services.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper! Mark your calendars and tell your friends! The ann ual pancake supper will take place on Tuesday, February 28 from 5 - 7 p.m. at St. Matthew's (2120 Lincoln Street, Evanston).  The hosts again this year are the Confirm not Conform students and their mentors.

Social Justice Forum Series-- On each of the five Sundays in Lent, a St. Mark's staff member, parishioner, or community leader will present an adult forum on a social justice theme.  The series will kickoff on Sunday, March 5 with a presentation by members of the Save our Schools Committee who will present facts and participate in discussion about the D65 referendum, which is up for a vote on April 4.  Keep your eyes and ears open-- as well as your calendars!-- as more information on this timely series is revealed.  All forums will be held in Bethlehem Chapel from 9:30 - 10:15 a.m.

One Book, One Diocese-  Bishop Lee will lead an online book discussion during Lent. This year's book is  Living Into God's Dream: Dismantling Racism in America , a collection of essays edited by Catherine Meeks, that combines personal stories and theological reflection with real-world examples of the ways in which new conversations on race can be forged. The book is available online from   Church Publishing, Amazon  (book and Kindle formats), and other retailers.  The book discussion will launch at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church here in Evanston on Thursday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. when the editor Catherine Meeks will lead a conversation and be available to sign her book, copies of which will be available for purchase.


Going Where the Youth Are: Being Church

The Church is wherever God's people are gathered and for our youth that is often not at St. Mark's - the building - because they are involved in so many extra-curricular activities.  Imagine the positive message we might share with our young people by Being Church where they are - at the ice rink, on the baseball diamond, at the debate club, at their concert.  Let's show up and cheer for our young people. Let's Be Church Where the Youth Are!  Take pictures, congratulate often, and remind our young people that they too are Being the Church wherever they are!  If you have events to add on behalf of your young person, please email Pastor Debra, rector@stmarksevanston.org
 
Patrick will be working stage crew for Haven Middle School's  annual production of Haven Help Us - this year, a musical! Performances will be Thursday, March 2 and Friday, March 3 at 7:00 pm.

Abigail will be performing with Evanston Dance Ensemble (EDE2) on the following dates: March 4 at 4 and 7 p.m.; and March 5 at 4 p.m.  All performances are at Studio 5 at Dance Center Evanston. 

Tyler is the Assistant Technical Director for USC's School of Dramatic Arts production of Evita which runs the weekends of March 30th and April 6th.  If you can't get to southern California to see the show, you can send a note of encouragement to Tyler Maegawa-Goeser, Arts & Humanities Residential College, 920 W. 37th Place, Los Angeles, CA 90007 or email to tcmg98@gmail.com.

Outreach and Social Justice

With St. Mark's 

Midweek Lunch: Come and join us!
There are two weekly opportunities to serve our neighbors who struggle with hunger and homelessness. Every Tuesday from 6:00-6:30 pm, lunches are packed in the kitchen here at St. Mark's, and every Wednesday lunch is served at 11 a.m. On Wednesday, volunteers are asked to arrive by 10:00 a.m. and stay until 12:30 p.m. For more information and to volunteer, contact John Lucadamo at  lucadamj@gmail.com.

Coffee & Council- The next Coffee & Council is Monday, February 27th!  The plan is to meet at Coffee Lab (910 Noyes) at 6:30 p.m. for warm beverages, and then walk together to the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center (2100 Ridge) for the City Council meeting, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. this Monday.  Free parking is available behind the Civic Center.  For more information, contact Katie at community@stmarksevanston.org or 847-864-4806.  From here on out, Coffee & Council will be scheduled for the 4th Monday of every month.

In the Community

What You Need to Know About Standing Rock Water Protectors from the Voices of the Indigenous People- Saturday, February 25, 3 - 4:30 p.m. at the Levy Senior Center (300 Dodge).  For more information about this event and to register, click  here.

Black History Month Events--The following events are taking place in our community this month and all are invited: 

Panel Discussion: "The Underground Railroad's Legacy: Uniting Together as a Form of Resistance" Tuesday, February 28, 2017 | 11:10 a.m. | Room 205 (Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary) | Garrett-Evangelical Black Seminarians (G-EBS) Student Group

Understanding and Analyzing Systemic Racism workshop will be held on April 20 - 22 at Oakton Community College in Skokie, Illinois.  This is a unique opportunity for St. Mark's as most of the trainings have taken place in Hyde Park.  If you have questions about what to expect, contact Pastor Debra, Liz McElhatton, Andrea Nowack, or Katie Kuriyama who have all attended the workshop within the past year.  The most recent workshop filled up quickly (over 60 attendees!); so, please register early. Registration is now open, and you can learn more and register online at http://bit.ly/ChicagoROAR

Other Announcements

Prayer List
If you have loved ones you would like added to the prayer list at any time, send an email to Pastor Debra at rector@stmarksevanston.org.

We bid your prayers for: Bob Barr, Louise Beem, Astley Bent, Veronica Braithwaite, John Burnham, Tony Campise, Genevieve Costello, Karen Cornelius, Caroline Frowe, Ann Lettner, Ayden Lettner, Charlie Lettner, Grace Lettner, Kathy Lettner, Donald McCrea, Bob Molumby, Jake Morris, Mary O'Dowd, Jan and Jeri Offutt, Casmir Szczepaniak, Danny White, Betty Augustinos, Lucy Augustinos, Jen and Patsy Becerra, Susan Murrell Castaneda, Marilyn Goede, Katie Iles, Joan and Sherwin, Jay Johnson, OJ Mabwa, Ahmed Mahmoud, Carl and Lindy Messier, Reg Ryan, Herman Schrock, Kelly Wheeler Szczepaniak, Tim and his family, Dorothy Waller.

We pray for those who have died: Eloise Fritz, dear friend of Chris Schultze

We pray for the people in   the Diocese of Southeast Mexico and the Diocese of Renk
 
February Birthdays -  Astley Bent (8), John Lucadamo (8), Helen Kelly (10), Neena Gaede (11), Emily Furlong (14), Manel Valdes-Cruz (16), Luke Urbanowski (16), Carly Ho (18), Alexander Rocca (20), Tyler Maegawa-Goeser (20), Abigail Seifert (21), Carolyn Brooks (22), Calvin Yanaga (23), Nonie Morris (23), Eleanor Lucadamo (23), Robert Lockwood (25), Charlie Lettner (25), Seth Himrod (26), Anne Sagan (26), Tom Bergman (27)

February Weddings -  Scott Lybrand and Charles Zaucha (25)

February Anniversaries -  John Lucadamo and Nancye Kirk (26)

If we have missed your birthday or anniversary, please do let us know so we can correct the error. Send your name and date of birth to  rector@stmarksevanston.org

Name Change: On Saturday, February 25, Scott Lybrand, St. Mark's Pastoral Intern, will marry Charles Zaucha.  From that day forward Scott will be using his new last name: Scott Zaucha.  His contact information will remain the same. We just thought you should know who we mean when you see the new name.  And, congratulations Scott and Charles!
 
Pastor Debra's Schedule: Pastor Debra has returned to having Fridays as her day off (instead of Mondays).  If you have a pastoral emergency, you can, of course, still reach her on Fridays by leaving a message at 847-732-9564.  All emergency calls will be returned as quickly as possible. 

Calendar of Events
For information about upcoming dates and events at St. Mark's, click here ( http://www.stmarksevanston.org/calendar-of-events/)

St. Mark's Episcopal Church | community@stmarksevanston.org | www.stmarksevanston.org
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