THE CLOAK
St. Martin's Weekly E-Newsletter
November 14, 2019
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To seek God, and be Christ’s body in the world
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Have courage. Witness love. Endure forever.
Reflections on Luke 21:5-19:
…Luke’s account reminds us that the final week of Jesus’ life was marked by continuous encounters with hostile people and distressed disciples…Our lesson’s reference to the glory of the Temple is a reminder that many of us live in the midst of beautiful structures…It is not the buildings but the people who gather in them that are precious for us. When we gather for worship…we touch something much more significant than any building or structure. We celebrate our belief that God is building us into a glorious construct we call the Body of Christ…And the fun part of being the church is not sitting around admiring the glory of an edifice, but rather our true joy is found in building up the body of Christ and gently drawing people into a life-changing relationship with the Lord…The spiritual stones we build here will endure forever… We must give witness that there is so much more to life than those things that rust and can be stolen.
We can live in a constant state of dread, but that is not the same as preparation. The best way to prepare for calamity that could happen at any time is to always be looking for Christ in every person and circumstance. And when we are doing that, we find that we accept and live by the apocalyptic advice Luke's Jesus offers in this passage.
To Pray: O God, in Christ you give us hope for a new heaven and a new earth. Grant us wisdom to interpret the signs of our times, courage to stand in the time of trial, and faith to witness to your truth and love. Amen.
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The Season of Sacred Portion
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Blessed Time for Giving
Our Season of Sacred Portion concludes this Sunday, November 17th, with The Rev. Bob Tate preaching on stewardship. Hopefully this has been a time of prayer, peace and hope for our community, as we consider how best to share our gifts to continue God's good work through us at St. Martin's. Pledge cards will be collected and presented during the services. In addition, St. Martin's Day will be observed with the Children's Choir singing at the 10:00 AM service.
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This Week's Schedule
Thursday, November 14
7:00pm Joint Vestry Meeting @ CCI
Friday, November 15
9:30am Makin' Music
Saturday, November 16
7:30am DioPA Men's Day of Service
9:00am Global Mission Meeting
Sunday, November 17
Season of Sacred Portion/Pledge Sunday
St. Martin's Day with Rev. Bob Tate, preaching
8:00am Holy Eucharist
9:00am Choir Rehearsal
9:30am Sunday School for all ages
10:00am Holy Eucharist/Children's Choir
Monday, November 18
6:30pm Yoga Class
Tuesday, November 19
9:30am Makin' Music
Wednesday, November 20
9:30am Makin' Music
12:15pm Holy Eucharist
7:00pm AA St. Martin's Church
7:15pm Bible Study @ SMC
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Conversation on WATER
The Diocesan Global Mission Commission (GMC) will be hosting a Diocesan wide conversation focused on parish involvement in clean water access around the world. The event will be in the Gurley Room at St. Martin's this Saturday, November 16th, from 9:30 - 11:30. Several parishes have years of expertise in Tanzania, Guatemala and El Salvador working with local communities on clean water. These parishes would like to share with each other and with others who might be interested in joining their mission work. If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to
Pam Faber.
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Service Call
On Saturday, November 16th, the Men’s Fellowship of the Diocese of Pennsylvania (DioPA) will assist our brothers at Good Shepherd Church (1116 Lancaster Ave, Bryn Mawr) to remove stored items and perform a demolition task with all the debris going into a dumpster. This project will repurpose a large room to be used for the Good Shepherd Church offices. There will be a role for everyone, so please lend a hand. Breakfast served at 7:30, work will be from 8:00 AM-2:30 PM! For questions and to join, please contact Austin,
ahepburn@verizon.net or visit the
event page.
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The Children's Program
On November 17th we celebrate St. Martin's Day and families will be in worship with children participating in a variety of ways. We invite all children to participate because the Children's Choir will be singing. The more the better on November 17th starting with a rehearsal at 9:30 AM as we
"Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise." (Psalm 98)
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Faith in God. Faith in Family.
There is no regular Sunday School this week because we have
Families in Worship for Stewardship Sunday.
Children will rehearse music at 9:30 AM, then proceed to the chapel where they will hear a Bible story and talk more about the Old Testament. During the worship service, the Children's Choir will share the gift of music with the congregation.
We continue to prepare for the pageant and roles are being assigned now. After the Gospel reading children will continue their projects back in the chapel while the adults hear from Fr. Bob Tate. Nursery care will also be available beginning at 9:30 AM.
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Take a Stretch Break!
The next Yoga Class will be on Monday, November 18th, at 6:30 PM in the Gurley Room. Plan on a relaxing time with The Rev. Amanda Eiman leading the session for all levels - beginners to experienced. Come on the 18th to stretch and destress!
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Upcoming Sessions
The Wednesday night Bible Study continues at St. Martin's. We meet from 7:15 to 8:15 PM. Dates for the remainder of 2019 when the Bible Study group will meet at St. Martin's are November 20 as well as December 4 and 11.
All are welcome and no previous participation is required. Each week stands alone. Books are provided and guests are also invited to participate. Please plan to join us as we continue our journey with Jesus to Jerusalem as told in the three synoptic Gospels. Contact
Deb Parker if you have any questions.
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Highland Hamper & St. Barnabas Mission
In lieu of special Thanksgiving Bags this year, we will focus our holiday efforts on providing non-perishable items that are needed every day. From now until Sunday, November 24th, please bring at least 2 items per person to church - one for Highland & one for St. Barnabas. Let's keep their shelves stocked!
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Seasonal Shopping
The Gift Shop at St. David's is having its annual Holiday Open House on Friday evening, Nov. 22nd from 5 to 8 p.m. All are invited to this fun and festive local community event offering fellowship, refreshments and 10% store-wide discount. The best part is that all shop proceeds go to outreach partners in Cuba, Guatemala and Uganda. The shop has a unique collection of popular brands and fair-trade items including nativities, Christmas decorations, advent calendars, home decor, jewelry, personal accessories, books, Christian gifts, baby gifts, specialty food items, and much more.
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Special Fun for Everyone!
Advent Wreath-Making
Sunday, December 1st
11:00 a.m. in the Gurley Room
Join us for this special, hands-on event for families and individual parishioners of all ages. Refreshments and supplies will be provided. Donations will be gladly accepted.
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Holy Eucharist with a Twist
St. Martin's Church will have a St. Nicholas themed Holy Eucharist Celebration on Sunday, December 8th, at the 10:00 AM service. In addition to special music, a new toy (unwrapped) collection, there will be a guest appearance by The Rev. Dennis Bingham. Let us all be reminded of the spirit of giving during this seasonal worship event!
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Wishing the Best!
You are cordially invited to a Farewell Brunch for Rev. Chris Bishop and his family on Sunday, December 15th, immediately following the 10:00 AM service in Bolingbroke.
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Update for 2020
Until a new shared Rector is in place, Reverends David Laquintano and Karl Krueger will service both churches starting on Sunday, January 5, 2020. They will alternate weekly between the churches. Fr. David will join us on the 5th. Both priest are willing to be available for funerals. St. Martin’s Search Committee members are Brian Penny (Co-Chair), Steve Parker, Abby Thomas, and Sinéad Bortner. Committee meetings are already underway.
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CCI's Centennial - A Successful Celebration
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Isaiah 65:17-25
Isaiah 12:2-6
2 Thessalonians 3:6-13
Luke 21:5-19
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