Some of the nicest days of the summer lie yet ahead as we race toward the end of summer. The crisp fall days ahead are our reward for enduring a HOT summer.  I hope you will capture those moments in lasting memories  for your family and friends.

The Cathedral staff and council are busy preparing for an active September and Fall season. We hope to welcome back some additional Choir members as we gradually return our worship to pre pandemic levels. We want to see everyone and rejoice together in our faith.

As the Council prepares for the new season and the work of a new budget and program year, it personally brings to my mind a favorite bible verse. Luke 12:48… “everyone to whom much is given, much is required.”

Council will be meeting with Diocesan staff this month to begin our discernment of the needs of Saint Mark’s over the next 5-10 years. We will seek your active participation through survey and some personal discussion in September. We hope to be able to bring the collective wisdom everyone together in October before the Dean’s return in November.

During this time, I would ask all of you to consider what Saint Mark’s is to you. What has it meant in your life and life of your family and friends?  What do you see as its future? What does Saint Mark’s mean to the communities we serve and how can we serve them better? Also, how can you share in that mission either with your talents or your treasure?

These are not easy questions and in some cases require us to think outside our comfort zones. We are all in each other’s life for a reason. Let’s thank God for placing  us there and ask him/her what we can do to make our the world and that of Saint Mark’s a better place to serve him.

God’s Peace and Strength to you as you ponder your own discernment on how you can best serve our wonderful Cathedral.

Paul Lakeman - Saint Mark's Senior Warden