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.
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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. Last year, 91 parishioners / family units made pledge commitments so we know we can still reach our goal if everyone participates in the campaign. If you have not yet had an opportunity to complete your pledge card, please do so this week. Extra cards are available at the back of the church and in the parlor or can be downloaded from our website. We can do this if everyone participates - and when we reach our goal of $276,000, there will be cake!
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Faith, Formation and Fellowship
Happy are they whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!
- Psalm 119:1
This Sunday is the Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany and the appointed readings are
Sirach 15:15-20,
Psalm 119:1-8,
1 Corinthians 3:1-9,
and Matthew 5:21-37. 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: Sharon Friend, Evelyn Russell
- Flower Guild: Michael Schoen
- Ushers: Nancye Kirk, John Lucadamo, Doug Sondgeroth, Elsa Sondgeroth
- Acolytes: Abigail Seifert, Eva Sondgeroth, Asher Sondgeroth
- Lectors: Aina Gutierrez, Mike Johnson
- Eucharistic Ministers: Eva Sondgeroth, Lynette Murphy, Byron Scott
- Eucharistic Visitor: Eva Sondgeroth, Lynette Murphy, Byron Scott
- Vestry Persons of the Day: Nancye Kirk, Motoko Maegawa
- Coffee Hour Snacks: Last Names beginning with G through L
Lector Coordinator:
If you are already on the lector list, watch for an
email from Ric Ashley to schedule readers for the coming weeks. If you would like to become a St. Mark's lector, please send an email to
Sunday School -
If you would like to join the crew of volunteers who sh
are the story for the day and/or coordinate the craft for the day, let Pastor Debra know,
rector@stmarksevanston.org
. The easy-to-follow curriculum is provid
ed and support is available.
The
St. Mark's Second Friday dinner
will take place on Friday, February 10th, at 6:15 p.m. We are meeting at El Sol Mexican Restaurant, located at 6000 W. Dempster, in Morton Grove. This restaurant has a full menu of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. If you want to join us, please rsvp to Dick and Carolyn Brooks at 847-424-8422 or brooksuww@comcast.net.
Confirm not Conform - A Reminder that the next class session for students will be on Sunday, February 12 at 6:15 p.m. at St. Matthew's. Be sure to mark your calendars so you don't miss out! If you have questions, please contact Scott at intern@stmarksevanston.org.
Adult Forum on Housing, Homelessness, and Hunger: This Sunday, February 12 at 9:30 a.m. members of Interfaith Action of Evanston's Advocacy Team will lead an
adult forum. Birch Burghardt (leader of Interfaith Action of Evanston), Jim Picchetti (with Chicago Coalition for the Homeless), and Elizabeth Meadows (a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church) will discuss homelessness and housing policies in Evanston, outreach justice vs. social justice, and share updates on recent victories impacting housing and homelessness for struggling families and children in Evanston. They would also like to listen and learn from you about what you are hearing or how someone you know may be experiencing homelessness or hunger from poverty.
Come and learn what you and St. Mark's can do to help impact homelessness, lack of
affordable housing, and hunger issues in Evanston. This forum will take place in Bethlehem Chapel.
Adult Forum on The Immigration Crisis:
On Sunday, February 19 at 9:30 a.m. parishioners Clark and Nasim Alexander (and Soren) will present an adult forum on the current immigration crisis. They will begin with a brief (extremely brief) recent history of the middle east and lead into how we "got into this mess." They will discuss some impacts this ban has on the current community of middle easterners in the United States whose legal statuses are now tenuous. They will suggest some ways to help (not all of which include donating money) followed by a Q&A. This forum will take place in Bethlehem Chapel.
Jubi-latte & Tea Deum with the Rector
- On Friday, February 17 from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. at Curt's Café South, 1813 Dempster St., Evanston (note new location), Pastor Debra will be available to treat you to your favorite coffee or tea drink and to enjoy a time of relaxation and fellowship. No hidden agenda. Just a time to spend time together. Jubilate is Latin for "Rejoice" and the Te Deum is a Hymn of Praise.
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
,
is 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
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.
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Outreach and Social Justice
3rd Sunday Food Collection
- Next Sunday, February 19th our food collection will support the mid-week lunch ministry run by St. Mark's and St. Matthew's. Requested in-kind donations include gallon sizes of cranberry and apple juice, as well as packages of 50 single bags of chips. Donations can be placed in the red shopping cart located in the back of the sanctuary. Thank you, and for more information on the mid-week lunch ministry, see below!
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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.
Producemobile
- Tuesday, February 14 and on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, Interfaith Action of Evanston teams up with the Greater Chicago Food Depositor
y to bring free, fresh produce to our neighbors in need. The distribution takes place from 9:30 - 11:30 at the Robert Crown Center. Volunteers are needed from 8:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. If you are able to help out this month, you can sign up at
Coffee & Council- The next Coffee & Council is Monday, February 27th! We meet at Coffee Lab (910 Noyes) at 6:30 PM for warm beverages, and then walk together to the Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center (2100 Ridge) for the Council meeting. Free parking is available behind the Civic Center. All are invited to this time of fellowship and civic engagement. 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.
Black History Month Events--The following events are taking place in our community this month and all are invited:
Lecture: "Pan-Africanism: Cuba and the Fight Against Colonialism" Saturday, February 11, 2017 | 1 - 4 p.m. | Levy Center, Sponsored by Evanston Branch N.A.A.C.P., African American History & Genealogy Study Group of Evanston, Shorefront Legacy Center, Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti.
Lecture: "The Underground Railroad: Our Journey Continues" Thursday, February 16, 2017 | 11:10 a.m. | Chapel of the Unnamed Faithful (Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary) |Glennette Tilly Turner (author, lecturer, historian, educator).
Lecture: "The Black Vote: What Just Happened - and What Do We Do Now" Saturday, February 18, 2017 | 1 - 4 p.m. | Levy Center, Sponsored by Evanston Branch N.A.A.C.P., African American History & Genealogy Study Group of Evanston, Shorefront Legacy Center, Haitian Congress to Fortify Haiti.
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
State of Our Communities: On February 12 at 3 p.m. (St. Nicholas Church, Evanston), join Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, Rev. Michael Nabors, Pastor of Second Baptist Church and President of the Evanston N.A.A.C.P., Jes Scheinpflug, Open Communities, Ahmed Rehab, Executive Director of the Chicago Council on American-Islamic Relations, and David Borris of Chicago Area Peace Action. Between the immigration ban from seven Muslim majority countries, plans for a border wall with Mexico, "tougher" police tactics being encouraged and questionable cabinet member choices, we need to gather and work together. The event is sponsored by Open Communities, YWCA Evanston/North Shore, Latino Resources, and St. Nicholas Church. All are invited.
Islam Today: On February 19 at 1:30 p.m. (Beth Emet Synagogue, Evanston) join Azam Nizamuddin and Tahera Ahmad for a discussion of the state of the Muslim community in the U.S. and abroad to help us better understand the Muslim community. All are invited.
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.
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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, Adrianna Dangremond, Caroline Frowe, Ann Lettner, Ayden Lettner, Charlie Lettner, Grace Lettner, Kathy Lettner, Michelle Mbuki, Donald McCrea, Bob Molumby, Jake Morris, Mary O'Dowd, Jan and Jeri Offutt, Casmir Szczepaniak, Betty Augustinos, Lucy Augustinos, Jen and Patsy Becerra, Susan Murrell Castaneda, David Cresap, Marilyn Goede, Joan and Sherwin, Jay Johnson, OJ Mabwa, Ahmed Mahmoud, Carl and Lindy Messier, Reg Ryan, Herman Schrock, Stephanie Short, Lillie Grace, Kelly Wheeler Szczepaniak, Tim and his family, the family of Char Wiss.
We pray for those who have died:
Char Wiss, longtime parishioner of St. Mark's
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), 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 office@stmarksevanston.org.
Vacation -
Pastor Debra will be out of town on vacation from Monday, February 5 through Monday, February 13. During her absence, Scott Lybrand will be responding to any pastoral emergencies. He can be reached at
(312) 459-1400
. As needed, he will contact a priest who is on call.
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