The Messenger of St. Mark's | After Pentecost | September 3, 2021
datebook-header-orange.jpg
The offices of St. Mark's will be closed Monday, September 6 in honor of Labor Day. We will reopen at 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday.
For a complete listing and schedule of our online / in-person offerings available, please click on the button below:
Useful links:
Save the dates:
  • St. Mark's Supper & Storytelling Event, Sunday, 9/12 at 5:00 p.m. (register here by 9/8/2021)
  • St. Mark's Safe Church Parish Training Event, Sunday, 9/26 at 11:30 a.m.
  • Cosmos Mural Dedication & Art Sale Event, Sunday, October 17 at 11:00 a.m.
SAINT MARK'S MISSION & OUTREACH
Face Masks are Still Required
Please remember that face masks are required at the church even if you are vaccinated. We have seen an uptick in people arriving to church without a mask, but we still have members who are unable to receive vaccinations for health reasons and young children (including at our Montessori school) who are not yet eligible. Providing your own mask greatly reduces our church expenses. In addition, we would gratefully accept any donations of packages of facemasks so that we always have some on hand when people forget their masks. Please drop those donations to the church office.

We deeply appreciate your help and continued dedication to keeping our most vulnerable members safe.
We Need Volunteers
With COVID-19 being a lingering reality, St. Mark’s needs volunteers more than ever. Services, ministry and events cannot happen without lay volunteers. Perhaps you can help with a Sunday or Thursday liturgy service once a month, help with our children or young people, start or support a ministry, volunteer in the office as a receptionist...? Please prayerfully consider your time and fill out this form to signal to the office your willingness to help. Thank you for your consideration.
Join Our Stewardship Conversation
Tuesday September 7, 5:30-7:00 p.m. in the St. Mark’s Cecil Fish Memorial Courtyard

Join the Stewardship Team to discuss The Liturgy of Abundance, The Myth of Scarcity by Old Testament Scholar and renowned author Walter Brueggemann (please read the article prior to attending). 

This one-session, group discussion is open to anyone the community of St. Mark’s interested in deepening their own engagement with stewardship on both a personal and theological level.  We will gather to discuss, learn and be inspired for our upcoming stewardship effort to fund the life and ministry of St. Mark’s in 2022.

RSVP to Fr. Christopher (via email) if you plan to come, as we plan to have snacks and beverages available at this meeting. 
Storytelling Event in the Parish Hall
Sunday, September 12 from 5-7 p.m.

You are invited to join us at St. Mark's for an evening of sacred storytelling and fellowship. This event is for all ages, and children are most welcome!
The shape of our gathering is as follows:
•            5:00 p.m. Opening Gathering (Scripture Storytelling)
•            5:30 p.m. Supper & Personal Storytelling with Table Groups
•            6:45 p.m. Closing Gathering (Compline)

A simple supper (sandwiches and chips) will be provided. There is no cost for this event, but we welcome your donations to help cover the cost of supper. Please sign up no later than Wednesday, September 8th here, so that we can order enough sandwiches and make table assignments.
New Art Exhibit in the Parish Hall!
Come see color works painted by our own parish. The gallery will run from September 3 through December 3 and is adorning the walls of our Parish Hall. Come check out the beauty! 20% of all purchases go to the St. Mark's Gallery Fund. You may view the gallery artwork between 9-2, Monday-Thursday (closed on holidays), and 9-12 on Sundays.
Altar Flowers
Live altar flowers for Sunday services are provided by donations to the Altar Guild Flower Fund. In lieu of a donation, we utilize silk flowers to reduce expenses. The weekly cost for the live-flower arrangement is $50. If you would like to donate live flowers and dedicate them in honor or memory of a loved one on the Sunday bulletin, we ask that you fill out this form for making a donation so that your information is accurately reported to the office. Need help with the form? Please call the office so that a volunteer or staff member can enter the information online for you. Waiting for a special date? The form can be found any time on the St. Mark’s website at www.stmarksabq.org/forms - or from the website menu: About Us > Forms.
This Week in Pictures
The clergy and staff received an entirely surprising and "sweet" gesture of amazingly decorated sugar cookies from Sweet Pea Bakery. These cookies were gift from members who said there were grateful for those who have "kept the community of faith thriving during Covid."
Manuel Hernandez and Grace (Lisa Domenici's yellow lab) put together the stunning Cosmos Mosaic to be readied for installation.
GIVE TO ST. MARK'S
give_jar2_hdr.jpg
All are welcome to give and/or pledge to St. Mark's by:

  1. Mail (St. Mark's has a secure mailbox and is checked regularly): 431 Richmond Place NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106.
  2. You may give 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.).
  3. You may give electronically (including pledge payments) to St. Mark's - securely via PayPal® - anytime. Please consider checking the box that reads, "I’d like to add to my donation to help offset the cost of processing."
DIOCESE & BEYOND
ABQ FaithWorks Collaborative Works Wonders!
Read the story of how FaithWorks, its member churches and volunteers, along with other service organizations is bridging a gap for those released from detention, helping people get to their sponsors across the country. https://www.abqfaithworks.org/blog.

If you personally would like to be part of this good work, contact Jessica Corley at 505 333 8059 or 5sitecouncil@gmail.com. Learn more about FaithWorks at https://www.abqfaithworks.org/
The ERD Hurricane Relief Fund
Help us be where we’re needed
Your gift will provide our partners on the ground with critical supplies, such as food and water, pastoral care and other urgent needs. You’ll also help us assist with the long-term efforts needed to rebuild and heal.

Church Women United: Human Rights Day Celebration
Church Women United, an ecumenical women’s gathering, will be meeting on Zoom for their Human Rights Day celebration on September 10th, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The program is centered on the United Nations Human Rights Declaration signed on December 10, 1948, guaranteeing basic human rights for all people. The speaker will be Rev. Shelley Repp, the Executive Director of the NM Dream Center. As a children’s minister, Rev. Repp saw the need to protect adults and children from human trafficking and homelessness and founded the center which is the only one of its kind in NM The program on Zoom will include visuals and breakout groups for additional discussion. Our annual Human Rights Award will also be presented. If you wish to participate and are NOT on either CWU’s mailing list or e-mail list, please contact Marilyn Stoops at 265-8358 or mstoops@swcp.com.  
Email submissions should be sent (via email) to the Communications Specialist by 12:00 p.m. each Thursday for inclusion on Friday e-news. Please see submission guidelines here.
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
431 Richmond Place NE | Albuquerque, NM 87106 |505-262-2484 | www.stmarksabq.org
© 2021