The Messenger of St. Mark's | Trinity Sunday | June 9, 2022
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SAINT MARK'S MISSION & OUTREACH
This Weekend: PRIDE Events
This weekend the LGBTQ+ Ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of the Rio Grande will host 2 Pride Events.
 
Holy Eucharist on Friday, June 10, at 6:00 pm at The Cathedral of St. John, 318 Silver Ave SW in Albuquerque. Please enter through the EAST DOORS off the parking lot. A reception with light snacks will follow the liturgy. (The liturgy can be viewed on Facebook Live and YouTube).
 
Albuquerque Pride Parade on Saturday, June 11, at 10:00 a.m. 
  • The Albuquerque Trolley will be our entry in the parade. You may ride in the Trolley or march in front.
  • You may board the Trolley between 8:15 and 8:30 in the west parking lot of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 431 Richmond Place NE. The Trolley will depart St. Mark’s at 8:30.
  • You can join us in the parade line up on Central Ave. east of Girard Blvd. between 9:00 and 10:00. Just look for the Albuquerque Trolley.
  • We will celebrate Holy Eucharist at the Trolley at 9:45.
  • Parade kickoff is at 10:00
  • The Parade route is 2 miles – along Central from Girard to the Fairgrounds on San Pedro. You are welcome to join us for as much or as little of the parade route as you like.
  • The Trolley will return to St. Mark’s at the conclusion of the parade if you care to ride it back. You are also welcome to join the Pride festivities at the Fairgrounds.
  • It will be HOT! Dress in cool, comfortable clothes and shoes. Remember sunscreen. Drink plenty of water.
 
Please prayerfully consider joining us for these events. LGBTQ+ rights/Human rights are under attack at all levels of our government and society. Let us unite with our Diocese which fully supports the LGBTQ+ Community and show the world no one will be pushed back into the closet.
 
If you have any questions, please contact us at LGBTQdrg@gmail.com
Summer of Conversation 2022 - Training & Logging Meetings
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 12  -- Parish Hall 11:15-12:15
Additional Evening Trainings TBA 


Have you had an intentional individual meeting with someone yet? If so, log your meetings here, or email our Parish Admin here.
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. 
Gun Violence – Pray, Question, ACT!
As I was reflecting on Deacon David’s recent sermon, I remembered reading Jolene Gutierrez Krueger’s UpFront column in the Albuquerque Journal. She described the Guns to Gardens National Buyback Day coming up on June 11. You can read her article here: Turn Your Guns into Plowshares.

Gun buybacks directly remove weapons from our local community. They are purely voluntary and don’t infringe on anyone’s 2nd amendment rights or require legislation. Of course, legislation is essential to solving this problem, and getting gun control legislation passed will require political will at the national, state and local level. Sometimes (particularly now), our chosen politicians don’t seem to be following the will of the people. The way to fix this is to make your voices heard and VOTE!

Meanwhile, these gun buybacks offer us a chance to do something now, to ACT now! In exchange for each gun turned in, the participants receive gift cards ranging in value from $100 to $250. The amount received depends on the type of gun, with the highest amount given for assault weapons. After being turned in, the metal from the guns is turned into gardening implements.

If you want to support gun buybacks in New Mexico, you can make a donation directly to the non-profit New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. Or you can make a tax-deductible donation to St. Mark’s and write “End Gun Violence” in the check memo or PayPal comment. We will turn around and pass the donations on to New Mexicans to Prevent Gun Violence. We are also looking into the possibility of St. Mark’s hosting or partnering in a future gun buyback. If you are interested in being involved, please talk with me or drop me an email.

--Ken Reese
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.
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!) 
Check Out the 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!
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".

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