All of us at St. Mark’s share a commitment to our faith and to our community, and we welcome visitors regardless of religious background, race, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Everyone is welcome!

The Good Shepherd, by Jesus Mafa, 1973, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN.

Rector's Message

Dear Church,

Following up from last week's Message in the e-Lion, we have a big change to the slate of nominees for the next Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church.

As canonically-required, the announcement of the slate of nominees on April 2 was followed by a two week period for petition candidates to be added. On April 16th, it was announced that DeDe Duncan-Probe, Bishop of the Diocese of Central New York, had been added to the the nominee slate that included Scott Barker, Daniel Gutierrez, Sean Rowe and Rob Wright.

So we conclude this nomination process for this executive leadership role with an even-more diverse slate, and the weeks of expressed anger and frustration about that (read HERE for my take from last week) ends with a woman on the slate after all. This sacred process works itself out, it appears!

Easter blessings,

Greg+

P.S. In addition to the links embedded above, you can view the biographies and video presentations of each nominee, and all the details about this process HERE.

This Week at St. Mark's

Save the Date

Sunday, April 28 :: St. Mark's Day

• 8:00 am - Holy Eucharist, Rite II
• 10:00 am - Festal Choral Eucharist with Holy Baptism
• 4:00 pm - May Day Celebration, a continuation of the Feast of St. Mark's hosted by St. Mark's and St. Matthew's at St. Mark's Church

Sunday, May 5

• 7:00 pm - Choral Evensong in the Sanctuary. A 15-minute pre-Evensong recital by violinist Vannia Phillips starts at 6:45 pm.

Saturday, May 11

• 7:30 pm - Spring Concert Series: Coriolis in the Sanctuary. This concert will be followed by a champagne, sparking cider, and dessert reception.

Sunday, June 2

• 2-5:00 pm - Interfaith Family LGBTQ+ Pride Fest at Raymond Park, Evanston (See flyer below)

Sunday, June 16

• Race Against Hate 2024

Announcements

On Sunday, April 21st, in anticipation of Earth Day 2024, there will be an interfaith gathering called “Prayer for the Planet” at Raymond Park, 1501 Hinman Ave. in downtown Evanston. (Rain location is St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 939 Hinman Ave.) Join houses of worship from across Evanston in an interfaith service of prayer for “this fragile Earth, our island home” (BCP p.370). 

Bring lawn chairs or blankets or be prepared to stand for about 30 minutes.

Red Cart Sunday - This Sunday, April 21st

Help the Wednesday Lunch Program! Bring jugs of juice/non- carbonated drinks (apple juice, cranberry juice, lemonade, or iced tea) or powdered mix for iced tea or lemonade. Package cookies (Oreos, windmill, and fudge stripe, etc. are preferred). We also need grocery style plastic bags that we use to pack lunch items for people who request a lunch to go. Place items in the cart at the back of the sanctuary.

Adult Forum 9am Series: Easter Themes and the Movies!

Greg+ leads an Adult Forum series each week at 9am in the Parlor over coffee and breakfast treats, and the topic is Easter Themes and the Movies. This Sunday, April 21st, we examine Jesus as the “Good Shepherd” and light of the world, through the lens of the 1978 film adaptation of Superman, starring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.

Join us as we discuss this film and its religious allegory. All are welcome to attend, even if you’ve never attended one before. Beginning today, we will be video-recording the class and uploading to St. Mark’s YouTube page for those who cannot attend in person.

The film is streaming on multiple platforms including Max, and for rent on Apple TV+, or is available to rent at a library - and Greg has DVD and bluray copies to borrow. Click here to learn more.

All are welcome to attend, even if you’ve never attended one before.

Mulching Party - Sunday, May 19th after the 10am Service

It’s time for mulching our beautiful grounds and property for the summer season. As we have done in previous years, we are calling on all parishioners to join together to make the work go by super-fast. Sunday, May 19th is the Feast of Pentecost, and the last Sunday before Memorial Day Weekend and the unofficial start of the summer season. Wear jeans and outdoor clothes to the 10am service and plan to stay to pitch in, if you are able. Coffee Hour will be both inside and outside as a treat (weather-permitting). For more info or to volunteer in advance, please let Lola know at Lhimrod@comcast.net.

Personal Finances Presentation by Northern Trust

During coffee hour after church on Sunday, May 5th, our Investment Committee has arranged for Northern Trust to present a session covering the basic financial topics of Spending, Saving, and Credit for our parishioners. This one-to-one-and-a-half-hour session is intended for adults and soon-to-be-adults alike, and will focus on developing a plan for spending and saving that aligns with your values and goals, as well as building and using credit responsibly.

If this discussion is as successful as we hope it will be, our plan is to hold additional sessions next fall that will cover more advanced topics, such as planning for retirement and investing basics. The committee is very grateful to Northern Trust for providing these timely and informative classes, and we look forward to hosting a full house at each of them. Because having a solid understanding of personal finance concepts is so important, St. Mark's also will be inviting the other parishes in our Deanery to participate remotely via Zoom, which will be available to our own parishioners as well.

See you there!

Spring in the Garden

Rain and warm weather are bringing flowers and new growth to the gardens. If you are interested in providing annuals or cold-hardy perennials for up to 5 planters in the front of the church please contact Lola Himrod at Lhimrod@comcast.net or 847-864-7815. Or, if you are interested in ordering and/or organizing a planting party this fall of spring bulbs, she would be happy to hear from you.

St. Mark's Day (Apr. 28) - Consider Giving to our Trust

This year St. Mark's will be celebrating St. Mark's Day on April 28th. Our tradition since the creation of St. Mark's 1970 Trust Fund, our "rainy day" fund, has been to deposit our open collections on that day, along with any specially designated contributions, into the 1970 Trust. Over the years, this Fund has provided much-needed money for various extraordinary purposes, including both unanticipated operating and capital expenditures. So, please keep this important goal in mind as St. Mark's Day approaches, and give generously to ensure our future financial stability.

Westley Hodges Leads Music at the Big Provincial Gathering

The Big Provincial Gathering (BPG for short), for Province V of the Episcopal Church (a cluster of dioceses around the Great Lakes), is a convention for which our own Director of Music, Westley Hodges, is leading the worship and music. The BPG is an opportunity to meet new people from across the dioceses and connect with others who share your ministry passions. It is structured like a "ministry fair" so that people may host workshops and conversations to share program and resource ideas with others. Pre-event trainings will run from Thursday afternoon through Friday morning, the Synod meets on Friday afternoon, we celebrate a community Eucharist Friday night, and workshops run on Saturday. EVERYONE is invited to this event! For more info, click HERE.

Parishioner Motoko Maegawa speaks to Chicago Sun-Times about controversial Pride Decision

From April 15th's Chicago Sun-Times: Teachers are speaking out after their schools were denied participation in Chicago’s historic Pride Parade set for June 30 during Pride Month. All the schools that participated in the 2023 parade that celebrates LGBTQ+ culture, pride and diversity have been dropped. News broke last week that the popular parade would limit the number of groups allowed to participate to 125, about a 40% decrease, because of new city regulations.

When making decisions on which organizations to accept, the parade’s committee is prioritizing “LGBTQ+ groups and organizations, LGBTQ+-owned businesses and those businesses with LGBTQ+ ERGs (Employee Resource Groups),” PRIDEChicago, which produces the event, said last week in a statement.

But Motoko L. Maegawa, a teacher at Catherine Cook School — which was denied entry this year — said the parade would largely involve the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance, an LGBTQ+ organization.

“If they would have asked, they would have known we are an LGBTQ organization,” said Maegawa, who also serves as the school’s director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “What they told us doesn’t mirror what they are saying to the media. ... We want them to be held accountable for their decision.”

Read the full article HERE.

Race Against Hate Set for June 16, 2024

Join with our Episcopal kin in saying NO! to Racism in Evanston as we support our friends at the YWCA in their battle to End Racism. St. Matthew's, St. Augustine's (Wilmette), St. Andrew Pentecost, St. Luke's and St. Mark's are participating again in this annual event, a walk/race for a cause: to support the equity work of the YWCA. Last year, the Episcopal team was the top fundraising team. What will we do this year? To register, go to tinyurl.com/racehate2024 and look for the team: Episcopalians Unite Against Hate. And Save the Date, June 16th.

Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) - 75th Anniversary

The Episcopal Church Foundation designates April 16th as ECF Day to celebrate 75 years of service.

2024 marks the Episcopal Church Foundation’s (ECF) 75th year of dedicated ministry and service to The Episcopal Church. ECF is designating April 16th as ECF Day and invites Episcopalians everywhere to participate in thanksgiving celebrations for the ministry of the organization.

On its 75th anniversary, ECF stands as a testament to what can be achieved when faith meets action. ECF continues to be a wellspring of support for Episcopal faith communities, providing resources for financial management, leadership development, and community transformation. ECF’s mission today is to be a catalyst, agent, and advocate for transformation and growth in The Episcopal Church in innovative and spiritually-grounded ways.

Click Here to Read More about this important organizations work for the Church.

Presiding Bishop - Nominee Slate

The Episcopal Church’s next presiding bishop will now be selected this summer at General Convention from the five nominees, including new petition nominee DeDe Duncan-Probe of Central New York.

To read the biographies of each candidate, please go to this link: tinyurl.com/pbtec2

Diocesan Book Study: One Book, One Diocese

On April 22 and May 1, people from across the diocese will gather on Zoom to discuss Poverty, by America, by Matthew Desmond. The book is the second title in the four-year “One Book, One Diocese” initiative led by the Peace and Justice Committee.

On Monday, April 22, at 7 pm on Zoom, The Rev. Melanie Mullen, The Episcopal Church’s director of reconciliation, justice, and creation care, will lead a conversation about the book, the church’s work on domestic poverty, Jubilee Ministries, and racial reconciliation and justice. Register to attend.

On Wednesday, May 1, at 7 pm on Zoom, Mullen will join the Rev. Gary Cox, chair of the diocesan Hunger Committee, and members of the committee to discuss their work against hunger and poverty across the diocese. Register to attend.

Presiding Officers Announce "Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity & Justice"

[Episcopal News Service] Presiding Bishop Michael Curry and House of Deputies President Julia Ayala Harris, The Episcopal Church’s two presiding officers, signed documentation on April 17 to create the new Episcopal Coalition for Racial Equity and Justice as an independent nonprofit incorporated in New York.

The signing, which took place in Raleigh, North Carolina, ahead of Executive Council’s April 18-20 meeting there, is the culmination of a three-year effort by churchwide leaders to establish long-term and lasting commitments to the church’s ongoing racial healing framework. The goal, first identified by Curry and Ayala Harris’ predecessor, the Rev. Gay Clark Jennings, is to address the harms of the church’s complicity with white supremacy, colonialism and the racism that still is found embedded in the church and other American institutions.

An advisory group formed by Curry and Jennings had called for the creation of the coalition as one of its recommendations, encouraging the church and its members to embrace racial justice and truth-telling as a lifelong vocation. In July 2022, the 80th General Convention endorsed the creation of such a coalition to be “a voluntary association of Episcopal dioceses, parishes, organizations, and individuals dedicated to the work of becoming the Beloved Community.” Continue HERE.

Michael Brazile Concert

The next concert in our Spring Concert Series is on Monday, April 22. Michael Brazile will offer a Noon concert on harpsichord featuring music by Louis Couperin. Michael will be moving his harpsichord in for the concert, and we are sure it will be fabulous.

2024 Spring Concert Series:

4-22, Noon—Michael Brazile, harpsichord

Sun. 5-5, 7pm— Choral Evensong

Sat. 5-11, 7:30pm—Coriolis, a cappella choir

Stay on the lookout for May's issue of Ridge Notes. The 2024 Fall Concert Series will be announced!

You don't want to miss it!

Not subscribed to Ridge Notes?

You can subscribe by following the link below!

Pictured Above: Our next concert performer: Michael Brazile

Creation Care Corner

In Our Prayers

Celebrating Birthdays

Sandra Howard (4/5)

Elizabeth McElhatton (4/6)

Ellen Bergman (4/7)

Dan Whitmore (4/9)

Bob Barr (4/10)

Jeremy Greene (4/16)

Rudy Burke (4/23)

Timothy Himrod (4/23)

Dick Brooks (4/28)

Holly Benz (4/28)

Michelle Mbuki (4/30)

Celebrating Anniversaries

Andrew & Sandra Howard (3/26)

Gary and Elizabeth McElhatton (4/19)

Nathan Waller and Michael Schoen (4/26)

Have we missed your birthday or anniversary? 

If so, please send an email to elion@stmarksevanston.org

so we can correct our records and include you in the next issue of the eLion.

Clergy, Staff & Ministry Chairs

The Rev. Gregory L. Millikin, Rector

(847) 864-4806, ext. 114

(310) 721-6356 (mobile)

rector@stmarksevanston.org

Westley Art Hodges, Director of Music Ministries

(847) 864-4806, ext. 118

(312) 241-5308 (mobile)

music@stmarksevanston.org

Andrew Schaeffer, Interim Parish Administrator

(847) 864-4806, ext. 102

office@stmarksevanston.org

Rudy Burke, Sexton

(847) 687-9172 (mobile)

(847) 864-4806, ext. 103

sexton@stmarksevanston.org

Tim Heuer, Senior Warden

srwarden@stmarksevanston.org

Nancye Kirk, Junior Warden

jrwarden@stmarksevanston.org

Chris Schultze, Treasurer

(847) 864-4806, ext. 112

treasurer@stmarksevanston.org

Allison Ashley, Creation Care Team

creation@stmarksevanston.org

Donna Richardson, Outreach & Social Justice Committee

outreach@stmarksevanston.org

Patrick Furlong, Investments Committee

investment@stmarksevanston.org

Vestry

Gretchen Constantine, Adrianna Dangremond,

Julia Ferguson, Aina Gutierrez,

Kathy Hart, Deane Johnson,

Hardy Murphy, Chris Schultze

and Dan Whitmore  

vestry@stmarksevanston.org

Have news to contribute to the eLion? Send it to elion@stmarksevanston.org