THE COLLECT
Set us free, O God, from the bondage of our sins, and give us the liberty of that abundant life which you have made known to us in your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
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Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper February 13, 5:30 pm to 7 pm
Come, join us for a supper of pancakes to celebrate the night before Ash Wednesday.A tradition in the Episcopal Church, this supper is always a great time of fun, fellowship and more. The supper is sponsored by Parish Life Ministry and men of the Parish. Come, see the guys at work! See you there!
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Celebrate Black History Month 2018
The theme for this year’s celebration of Black History Month,
African Americans in times of War,
“suggests that contemporary conditions, past and present, give us cause for critical pause in our studies and deliberations to consider the specific and unique issues faced by African Americans in times of war.” Please, see this link and consider ways in which you and your family might celebrate this month in dedication to the contribution of our African American sisters and brothers to society. At St. Mark’s, we continue our collaboration with St. Philip’s Episcopal Church and will share this year’s Wednesday Lenten Series in collaboration with them. This month, we will begin a campaign to purchase 225 hymnals,
Lift Every Voice and Sing,
a hymnal of our Tradition which incorporates many beloved hymns from the African American Tradition in worship. We have ordered a new Parish House banner for the balcony. The text remains the same, “God is love” and will be placed over the traditional colors of the African American flag, red, black and green. May God bless us as we remember and celebrate! ~
Christian+
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Ash Wednesday Services
February 14, Noon and 7:00 p.m.
Come, begin Lent on Ash Wednesday with worship and the imposition of ashes. Ashes remind us that we were created from the earth and to the earth we will return. On Ash Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., please plan to join fellow parishioners for a very simple soup and bread supper, a quiet time together with readings to help prepare us to worship at 7:00 p.m. A number of spiritual resources are available on the Resource Tables of the Sanctuary to help us in our Lenten Journey.
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Lenten Wednesdays 2018
This year's Wednesdays during Lent will be centered around the book,
"Holding Up Your Corner",
a book written by Pastor F. Willis Johnson who witnessed the tragedy which took place in Ferguson, Missouri. The book is about racism and community response to it. Our Wednesday series will be in collaboration with St. Philip's Episcopal Church which will share in the presentations and discussions with us. Our evenings together will be from 6:00 pm- 8:00 pm. Soup and bread suppers beginning at 6:00. Presentation and discussion from 6:30-7:30. Compline or Eucharist to conclude our evenings. Please, mark your calendars: Evenings at St. Philip's: Feb. 21, Mar. 7 and Mar. 21. Evenings at St. Mark's including Ash Wednesday (supper 6 pm and worship at 7 pm): Feb. 14, Feb. 28 and Mar. 14. Childcare will be provided by St. Mark's at both locations. Please, join us for this unique Lenten Series hosted by two Episcopal congregations in collaboration and in discussion of this important book. Copies of the book are available at the front desk of the Parish House with a requested donation of $15 to help cover costs. St. Philip's is located at 558 Henry Ave. SE, just a few miles from St. Mark's. Have a blessed and Holy Lent. If you have a question, please see Fr. Christian or Mother Sue.
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Lent Pilgrimage and Retreat
Saturday, March 3
Please, join us for a pilgrimage to St. Gregory's Abbey (An Episcopal monastery) in Three Rivers, MI on March 3. Cars (volunteers needed) will leave St. Mark's at 8:30 a.m. and drive to the monastery. There, we will spend time seeing the monastery, praying and having one of the monks with us to talk about their life in community. Our time will also be about Lent and why this special liturgical season is so important in our spirituality as Episcopalians. Everyone will need to BYOL (bring your own lunch). We will plan on being back at St. Mark's by 5:30 p.m. A sign-up sheet is at the Welcome Desk in the Parish House. Depending on the number of us, we will determine the number of cars needed. Please, join us for this day of discovery and prayer. If you have any questions, please, let me know.
~ Fr. Christian
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Renewal in Christ
Thanks to so many for a very successful 181st Annual Meeting of the Parish this past Sunday. With perhaps a greater number in attendance than in anyone's memory, delicious chili and other food, and a spirit of joy and trust, we celebrated our 'life together' for which I'm very grateful. 'Success' in ministry is not measured in numbers. Numbers are benchmarks, to be sure. As I said in my Report, success in ministry is really measured in spiritual growth. I do believe that we are growing spiritually, at least, I certainly pray for that. I will soon propose that we embark on a new project of spiritual growth and renewal for us at St. Mark's. If you are interested in being part of that discussion, please, sign-up at the Welcome Desk with your best contact information and availability.
Please, see this article from Forward Movement which is really chocked full of provocative information about spiritual growth in the Episcopal Church.
Blessings and many thanks to all who attended and participated in our Annual Meeting. For me and I hope for all those in attendance, it was a time of joy and delight. Blessings! ~ Christian+
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NIGHTS
Beginning this February will be a series of "Dinner Nights", previously known as Foyer Dinners, giving parishioners an opportunity to meet for fellowship in small groups. Interested adults can sign up individually or as a couple and will be placed into groups of no more than 8 people with the plan to schedule a minimum of 3 meals before Summer. A kickoff potluck will happen on Sunday, February 25th at 5pm in the Parish Hall. For this introductory meeting, there will be childcare with activities and a meal available downstairs but future scheduled dinners are intended to be adults only. A signup sheet is on the welcome desk and we ask that you also include what you can bring to our potluck (salad, entree, beverages, etc.) as well as how many children will be joining us downstairs.
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The Flu Season
is upon us and to be mindful of one another we have a large bottle of hand sanitizer at each entrance in to the Sanctuary.
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The Sacred Sounds Concert: originally scheduled for Sunday, February 18 has been postponed. Please watch for an announcement of a new date in the near future.
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Kaufman Institute: Interfaith Understanding Affinity Groups: As part of my work with the Interfaith Institute, please consider attending one or more of the groups which are or will be meeting. A handout is available at the Resource Tables with the amazing listing of Affinity Groups. We are all invited and encouraged to participate in these opportunities for interfaith dialogue and formation. For more information, please, see the handout and/or contact me. Thanks.
~ Fr. Christian+
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Parish Life Opportunity
The Parish Life ministry at St. Mark's is looking for new volunteers! We are a very active committee and are involved in many fun social activities at St. Mark's. We would love to have new members join our happy group! If you are interested please contact Judy Fetterhoff at 446-9319 or 534-5361.
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Keeping a Holy Lent
The Lenten devotional, a collaboration between St. Marks, Bethlehem Lutheran, St. Andrews and the First United Methodist church has arrived and is available for you on the resource tables. Thank you to Anne Armour who worked so hard to edit and publish as well as those who wrote these wonderful and meaningful meditations.
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Sustaining St. Mark’s Ministry in 2018
Thanks to all sustain our ministry together at St. Mark’s with pledges and offerings. We have pledged
$418,380
toward our common life in 2018. Last week, we received
$10,627
contributions in pledges and offerings.
R
eceived YTD
Needed
Difference
YTD Contributions:
$ 101,578 $ 61,117 $ 40,461
A reminder that we gratefully received pledges at any time throughout the year. (Pledge cards and envelopes are available on the resource table in the church, which can be given as cash, check, or direct deposit.) Want more details about the Parish’s giving or finances? Please email questions to Finance Manager, Pam Stevenson
pams@stmarksgr.org
or our Treasurer, Sharon Buursma
sbuursma@msn.com
.
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Join us on Sundays for
Faith Formation
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9:15am—
Childcare
(Nursery, lower level) available for infants - kindergarten
Children's Choir Rehearsal
(upstairs children's chapel) for 1st-6th graders. No audition, all are welcome.
We Make the Road by Walking
(upstairs Youth Room) for High School - Adult. Overview of the whole Bible, organized around the traditional church year.
Devotional Book Group
(Canterbury Room, main floor) for adults. Exploring faith and spiritual practices.
10:30am—
Childcare
(Nursery, lower level) available for infants - 2 years
Preschool/kindergarten
(Activity Center, lower level) chapel and formation for ages 2 through kindergarten.
Elementary
(Main classroom, upstairs) chapel and formation for 1st through 4th grades.
Middle
(Youth Room, upstairs) formation for 5th through 8th grades.
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Assisting Worship This Sunday
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A copy of the Assisting Minister Schedule, through January, is now available at the Parish Office Coordinators desk. If you are unable to serve in the
role listed, or if the above information is incorrect, please contact the coordinator of your ministry (listed below), or the office. Also, if you feel called to any of these ministries, you are encouraged to speak to the coordinator or Father Christian.
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The names of those in need of prayer will remain on this list for two months, and then will be removed. If after that time, you wish to continue having them held in prayer, please contact the
Church Office
.
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church
134 N. Division Avenue
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Office#: 616-456-1684
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