February 3, 2023

Our February First Sunday Project will focus on Move to Prosper. Come and hear from the

Move to Prosper staff about this very successful program that Saint Marks supports. Join the Outreach Ministry in the parish hall at 9:30 AM on Sunday February 5th.

The Move to Prosper program works with households with children to help the get and maintain stable housing in good school districts. We will also be putting together cleaning kits for the participants in the program. As you know, cleaning supplies have gotten more and more expensive recently.

You can find out more about Move to Prosper here.

Youth Group will meet on Sunday February 5 following the 10:30 am service. All youth in grades 6 – 12 are welcome.

Lunch will be provided. We will eat, talk about fundraising for our Hawaii trip, do an activity based on spirituality and probably play some games as well.

The Canterbury Choir is now taking orders for its annual Super Bowl Subs!

The Italian-style subs will be made fresh and ready for pick-up on Super Bowl Sunday - February 12th from 11:30 - 12:30 at the church . They are wonderful heated up or cold, and a perfect meal for your family and friends on Super Bowl Sunday. 

We are taking orders starting now until Feb. 5th. They are still just $7 per sub. Please contact George Reed at: gwrpowell@outlook.com and let him know how many you would like. Payment can be made by Venmo, PayPal, cash or check at time of order, or at pickup. 

Saint Mark's Annual Meeting will be Sunday February 12 following the 10:30 am service.

We will be reporting on 2022, looking forward to 2023, electing new leaders and saying thank you to people who have served.

There will be food provided and we will be done in plenty of time for you to get ready for your Super Bowl parties.

We will be electing the following lay leadership positions the candidates are listed below the office. 

Senior Warden for a one-year term

Cheryl Boop

Junior Warden for a one-year term

Kevin Fix

Youth Warden for a one-year term

Anna Markwardt

4 vestry members for three-year terms

Steve Brindza

Brenda Hammersley

Ted Meyers

Andi Waller

1 vestry member for a one-year term

Michael Bowman

2 Delegates to Diocesan Convention (the Senior & Junior Warden also serve as delegates)

Michael Bowman

Anice Ellis

Judith Grant

Dot Yeager

The Flower Guild is funded 100% by donations and depends on those who contribute throughout the year. Many donations are memorials for those who have passed on but anniversaries, birthdays, graduations, weddings and other events are also worthy of floral dedications.

Giving is easy and any amount is deeply appreciated. You can donate to the Flower Guild on the Saint Mark’s website by clicking on the Lay Ministries link, using a flower donation envelope at the rear of the sanctuary, or calling Diane Hartney at 614-486-0710.

If you are interested in joining the flower guild, contact Barb Keyes at bkeyes25@gmail.com. Training is provided.

Godly Play is the Christian Formation method that Saint Mark’s uses for younger children. It is based on a foundation of Montessori philosophy and focuses on exploration and storytelling.

Godly Play is based on telling a story, asking wondering questions, and creating space for children to question and explore.

Saint Mark’s is looking for a few new leaders for Godly Play. We will host a regional Godly Play training at Saint Mark’s in February.

The training begins Thursday evening February 23 and runs all day Friday and Saturday February 24 & 25. The training costs $250 and is limited to 12 participants. You can register here.

If you are interested in the training, but need help with the cost, let Pastor Vicki know, we have funds that can help. If you want to know more about Godly Play, speak to Laura Skoracki (lauragastos@hotmail.com) or Joanne Drew (jdrew627@gmail.com) 

CSA stands for community supported agriculture. CSA is a way for consumers and farmers to join together in support of local agriculture. Members purchase a share of the farm's harvest, in advance of the growing season. In return, members receive a weekly supply of high-quality, locally grown, fresh produce and products.

Members of our Vegetable CSA are given a weekly share (a box) of vegetables, herbs, pasture-raised eggs, and seasonal specialties. Some members will also select to include our Meat CSA, which provides them with cuts from our pasture-raised, high quality pork and chicken.

Procter Center Farm offers two different types, and two different sizes of CSAs: a full-share or half-share Vegetable CSA, and a full-share or half-share Meat CSA.

June 10th to September 30th, the Procter Center Farm CSA will run for 16 weeks. Each week, members also receive a CSA Newsletter, which includes fun facts, updates about the farm, helpful recipes and more!

Weekly pick up is at Procter or the Grove City Famers Market.

You can find out more and sign up here.

Mark your calendars! The Mark’s Men will be serving up an All-Parish Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner on Tuesday, February 21 at 6:00!

Shrovetide is a pre-Lenten period that culminates on Shrove Tuesday, which is the day before Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of the season of Lent. It gets its name from the old English word ‘shrive,” which means “to confess” or “to impose penance.” Traditionally viewed as a day of repentance, Shrove Tuesday has become regarded as the last day for celebration and feasting before entering the Lenten season of spiritual discipline, reflection, fasting, penance, and prayer. It was also a time to use up foods of indulgence, such as meat and sugar and foods with fat like milk, butter, and eggs, which would otherwise spoil. (This is why some refer to Shrove Tuesday as Fat Tuesday, or it’s French translation, Mardi Gras.) Pancakes were seen as an easy way to use up milk, butter, eggs and sugar in one meal.

So, however you like your pancakes: with lemon juice and powdered sugar or maple syrup and loads of butter, Nutella, whipped cream, or all of the above -- come and celebrate this pre-Lenten tradition! There is no charge to attend, however, donations to cover costs will be accepted. Note: The nursery will NOT be staffed as we have great high chairs and we love kids and kids love pancakes!

The Upper Arlington Historical Society has announced their third annual scavenger hunt, UA Quest. This is a series of puzzles to be solved about UA history, and includes going to some of the places to get pictures of the team.

Last year Saint Mark's UA Quest team won a prize.

This year's UA Quest will take place from February 25 - March 5. If you would like to be on Saint Mark's team let Pastor Vicki know (rector@saintmarkscolumbus.org).

You can find out more about UA Quest here.

JANET YIEH, Director of Music at Church of the Heavenly Rest on the Upper East Side in New York City, will present a program of organ music on both the Kimball and von Beckerath organs at First Church.

The concert is February 12 at 4 pm at First Congregational Church, 444 East Broad St.

The program on will include music by Theodore Dubois and J. S. Bach, as well as arrangements of well-known hymn tunes by Gerre Hancock and Carl Haywood. and will also include works by Christa Rakich (b. 1952), Florence Price (1887-1924), Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983), and Jessica French The final selection will be Concert Piece: Variations and Theme, commissioned by First Congregational Church to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the installation of the von Beckerath organ in the Gallery.  

A reception follows the concert and you are all invited.

The nursery is staffed from 10:15 a.m. - Noon on Sunday mornings for children age 3 and under. Parents are invited to either drop off their children or to stay with them if they prefer.

If you have questions about the nursery, please contact either Julie Moll julied5.jm@gmail.com or Pastor Vicki - rector@saintmarkscolumbus.org