The Messenger of St. Mark's | Pentecost | June 2, 2022
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SAINT MARK'S MISSION & OUTREACH
Starting this Sunday: Summer of Conversation 2022
One of the core values of St. Mark’s is to be a deeply relational church. One of the ways we make this possible in the life of the community of St. Mark’s is to become more intentional about building relationships and listening more deeply to one another. To this end, we are initiating A Summer of Conversation at St. Mark’s. The concept is simple: Encourage conversations among our members that help people get to know one another, talk about why St. Mark’s is important to them and to get a sense for where they sense God at work in them and the congregation.

This is an All-Parish initiative and will include our new Summer of Conversation 2022 Bingo Game. More details to come in upcoming Messenger newsletters.

Join us for Summer of Conversation Training Sessions with Fr. Christopher

Summer of Conversation Training:
Sundays June 5, 12  Parish Hall 11:15-12:15
Additional Evening Trainings TBA 
Summer of Conversation: Challenge #1
Access & Update your Info in the Church Directory
Is your contact information entered and up to date in St. Mark's Church Directory? Would you like to be able to access contact information for other folks in the St. Mark's Community? Do you need help accessing and/or updating your information in St. Mark's Church Directory? St. Mark's Administrator, Jennifer Lind, will be available following the service this coming Sunday, June 5th, to help you access the church directory and enter or update your contact information! Please bring your mobile device (cell phone and/or tablet) to download the church directory app directly to your device, which will update automatically whenever members update their contact info or pictures. (You may also bring your laptop if you would like to learn how to download and/or print the directory as a PDF or view it on a website.) If you need help accessing or updating the Church Directory, but you cannot meet with Jennifer this Sunday, please call, email, or visit her in the church office (Mon-Thurs, 9AM-2PM) for assistance. Jennifer Lind (via email), 505-262-2484. 
Beatitudes Bible Study
Thursdays, 12PM-1PM (In person and on zoom)
Begins Thursday, June 16th
 
For the first half of 2022, St. Mark's Thursday Bible Study met weekly at 12PM, both in person and online, to study the Gospel of Luke in the First Nation Version.  Beginning Thursday, June 16, we will turn our attention to an experiential exploration of the Beatitudes that will continue throughout the summer on Thursdays, from 12PM-1PM (Mountain Time.) You are welcome to join us in person, or via zoom. (Link to Join Zoom Meeting: Meeting ID: 882 9090 9040; Passcode: 690793)
In our first session, St. Mark's members Marcel & Stephanie Varoz will invite us to enter into their personal process of praying with scripture, a creative process based on deep trust and listening that invites us to pray with our heart, imagination, and senses, not only with our words or our rational minds.  
Throughout the summer we will return to this creative process, making space for the Spirit to speak to and through us, as we take time to linger in contemplation of the holy and mysterious words of Jesus that we have come to know as "The Beatitudes."  
If you hope to join us (in person or online) please sign up here, so that we can keep in touch and share resources. (We know that summer schedules vary! We totally understand if you have to miss a session. We also understand that kids are out of school...they are most welcome to participate with you!) 
Pause & Pray for Justice & Peace - Summer 2022
On the evening of Wednesday, May 25th, members of St. Mark’s gathered in the wake of two recent mass shootings in our country to remember, to lament, and to pray together. One of St. Mark’s members who gathered for prayer that evening suggested that we ring the church bells 32x each day for 32 days in remembrance of the 32 lives that were lost in the recent massacres in Buffalo and Uvalde.

The evil, the violence, the pain and the suffering in our world can be overwhelming. The ringing bells call us to remember the lives lost and the lives destroyed. The ringing bells call us to prayer and to action. The ringing bells call us to resist the temptation to numbness and slumber; to “stake awake” to the pain and suffering in our world, and in our hearts. The ringing bells call us to resist the temptation to despair and complacency; to “stay awake” to the Spirit’s presence with us and the Spirit’s ever-present call to join in bringing God’s healing, justice, and peace into the world.  

If you would like to help St. Mark’s Ring the Bells for Justice and Peace, just sign up on the clipboard in the entryway to the church. You are welcome to ring the bells:

  • Alone, or with others
  • At noon (or at any time of day that works for you)
  • With or without sharing to social media (if you are a social media user, you are welcome to livestream to the social media platform of your choice, but it’s not required) 

If you’d like a suggested “outline” to follow, one is posted behind the sign-up sheet on the clipboard, along with a variety of possible resources if you'd like to offer a short prayer, reading, song, or meditation before ringing the bells.

If you have any questions, contact Mother Sylvia via email.

If you plan to ring the bells outside of regular office hours (Sun, 8AM-12PM; Mon-Thurs, 9AM-2PM) please contact Jennifer Lind via email to arrange to borrow a set of keys.
St. Mark’s Supports New Mexico Wildfire Relief
At their meeting on 5/26, the Vestry approved providing $1000 to support victims of New Mexico wildfires. This amount had been included in this year’s church budget to support Outreach. The funds were provided to the All Together NM Fund, which is a coalition of New Mexico Community Foundations. For more information, please see www.AllTogetherNM.org.  

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
Coming June 3rd: New All-Media Art Exhibit
Coming Friday, June 3rd: New All-Media Art Exhibit in the Sacred Arts Gallery (our Parish Hall). St. Mark's retains 20% of every artwork sold. You won't want to miss it!
Keep Those Clothing Donations Coming
Sweats
A reminder that St. Mark’s is still collecting men’s small and medium travel clothes for asylum seekers arriving here by bus from El Paso’s Annunciation House shelter. 

The clothes you donate go to a clothes bank at Second Presbyterian Church where they are organized and then taken to the motel where the travelers are staying. They get a change of clothes and hot meals as long as they stay, usually only a few days.

The box for donations is in the narthex. We are focusing on men’s clothes because there is a shortage of those donated items, especially in smaller sizes.

If you would like to volunteer with this group, contact Mary Ellen Elliott or Kate Spielmann, both St. Mark’s parishioners who are actively involved.
GIVE TO ST. MARK'S
...By Mail (St. Mark's has a secure mailbox and is checked regularly): 431 Richmond Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
...Electronically through the Diocese of the Rio Grande Parish Donation site and check the box next to "Albuquerque-St. Mark's".

Just fill out the rest of the information and click the Next button at the bottom of the page. Please make sure fill out "special instructions or comment" to let us know how to apply your gift (i.e.: pledge, congregational relief fund, etc.).

Please consider checking the box that reads, "I’d like to add to my donation to help offset the cost of processing."
DIOCESE & BEYOND
LGBTQ+ Ministry - PRIDE Events
Two Hours That Can Change Your Understanding 
Because of our affiliation with ABQ FaithWorks you are exclusively invited to glimpse the complexities of accessing services when living on the margins. Sign up today to see and experience the value of FaithWorks in our community! Thursday, June 30, 1:00-3:00 PM at Congregation Albert. Email events@abqfaithworks.org. There are only 100 spaces. 
Email submissions should be sent (via email) to the Communications Specialist by 11:00 a.m. each Tuesday for inclusion on Thursday's e-news. Please see submission guidelines here.
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