For your thought:

"Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace."

- Luke 14:31-32



Study this Sunday's Readings.

Please Note: Our church offices will be closed on Monday, September 5, in observance of Labor Day.

Important dates:

• Friday, Sept. 2, New Exhibit - "Portraits" Art Show - Goes Up in Parish Hall Gallery
• Sunday, September 4 at 11:15 a.m., Condensed Safe Church All-Parish Training
• Wednesday, September at 7:00 p.m., Small Group Catechesis Sessions Commence
• Sunday, Sept. 11 at 11:15 a.m., Youth Pilgrimage to Ireland 2022 Presentation
• Sunday, Sept. 18 at 11:00 a.m., Youth Formation Classes Commence
• Saturday, Sept. 24 from 8-Noon, All-Parish Work Day

COVID-19 Update: The CDC has Bernalillo County in the GREEN (LOW) level, so masks are OPTIONAL indoors.

Useful links:

• Fill out a form to volunteer, donate altar flowers, fill out a new member/visitor form, and more!
• Access and/or edit your Member Directory information.
• Access previous sermons.
• To check CDC COVID-19 Risk for Bernalillo County, click here.

Condensed Safe Church All-Parish Training

Sunday, September 4, 2022

11:15AM-12:45PM (Mountain Time)

In person (St. Mark’s Library) and on Zoom 

St. Mark's is committed to being a place of true sanctuary and safety for ALL people, including children, youth and vulnerable adults. St. Mark's is also committed to growing as a vibrant, intergenerational community where everyone is building relationships and sharing in ministry with people of all ages. The realization of our vision demands commitment and effort on everyone's part.   

The Episcopal Church REQUIRES “Safe Church” Training for all ministry leaders and people in positions of parish leadership (clergy, staff and vestry) as well as people involved with ministry of any kind with children, youth, elders, or vulnerable adults, and requires individuals to review and renew their training every 3 years. At St. Mark’s we strive to go beyond the “letter of the law” to embrace the Spirit of the law, so we ask every member of St. Mark's (age 16+) to make a concrete commitment towards making St. Mark's a safe church by completing our basic “Safe Church” abuse prevention training, and reviewing/renewing that training at least every three years.

There are a variety of ways for you to fulfill this expectation. For most people, the most efficient, accessible and supportive option is to participate (in person or on Zoom) in a condensed Safe Church training Mark’s offers each fall.

We will offer our Condensed Safe Church training at St. Mark’s for the 2022-2023 program year on Sunday, September 4th from 11:15-12:45 in St. Mark’s Library.  In this training, a member of St. Mark’s Clergy Staff will highlight the most important and relevant content from the required online training modules   By completing this training together, we can engage the challenging content in a supportive context of prayer, community, conversation, and pastoral care. If you prefer to complete the training independently using the complete online training modules, or you wish to view a recording of St. Mark’s condensed Safe Church training asynchronously, please contact the church office for instructions.   

Thank you for making this sacrifice of time to do your part to make St. Mark’s a safe place for all!

Wednesday: St. Mark’s Catechesis Small Groups Start

St. Mark’s catechesis program is a flexible and individualized program 

open to all adults and teens interested in exploring baptism or confirmation, or simply learning more about the tradition, faith, and practice of the Episcopal Church. 

Small group and/or independent study (September & October)

Starting on Wednesday, September 7th:  Small Group Zoom Sessions (Mon/Wed, 7-8:30pm on Zoom): A series of topical small group sessions will be held on zoom, facilitated by St. Mark’s Clergy, using group course materials and videos from ChurchNext  drawing insights from three books: Walk in Love: Episcopal Beliefs & Practice, Taking the Plunge: Baptism and Parenting, and Godparenting: Nurturing the Next Generation. Participants are welcome to attend any sessions that interest them. In addition to (or instead of) these small group sessions, participants are welcome to design their own course of study including readings and/or online courses and materials of interest.  

For each class topic, please click here.

For more details, including links to Register and links to join Zoom sessions, click here

To Register, click here

Zoom Link for Small Group Sessions is here

Watch the "Video" Intro here

For a printable version, click here.

New Scared Arts Gallery Exhibit: Portraits

Come and check out all of the new amazing artwork!  The St. Mark's Gallery retains a 20% commission of all sales.  

All-Parish Work Day

Join us from 8-Noon on Saturday, September 24th for our All-Parish Work Day! Bring your mops, vacuums, dusters, weeding cloves, trowels, hand rakes, and other cleaning & gardening tools to help spruce up our communal house-of-worship campus and grounds.  More hands make less work for all. We look forward to seeing you there!

“Soul Songs for Every Season” Three-Day Retreat

Date: October 13-15, 2022

Location: Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey in Albuquerque

Join Music That Makes Community for a spacious, three-day/two-night retreat at the Santa Maria de la Vid Abbey in Albuquerque, New Mexico from October 13-15, 2022. As we enjoy the beauty of autumn in the desert, we’ll sing and reflect on the theme “Soul Songs for Every Season.” Recognizing the rapid change and constant pivoting in our lives the past few years, we'll lean into a spacious time for rest and rejuvenation, tune ourselves to the rhythms of the land, and listen for songs and spiritual practices that can sustain us through every season of life.

The retreat will be led by a dynamic team of musicians and clergy from the United States and Canada, including Sylvia Miller Mutia, David Poole, Patti Powell, Emilie Teresa Smith, and Paul Vasile. There will be regular opportunities for communal worship and reflection, as well as time for personal rest and renewal.

Individual and shared housing options are available for overnight guests, including Hermitages and new guest rooms with private bathrooms. All rooms are comfortable, accessible, and simply furnished. Capacity is limited, so RSVP early to guarantee a place.

A special commuter rate is also available for participants within driving distance.

Register here.

Forum on Immigration Courts 

Sunday, Sept. 11, 3:00 p.m. on Zoom 

Sponsored by First Congregational Church (UCC) 

Jasmine McGee (managing attorney, New Mexico Immigrant Law Center) and Sophia Genovese (asylum/detention senior attorney, New Mexico Immigrant Law Center) – see photos -- will speak on Sunday, Sept. 11 at 3:00pm at a Zoom forum on immigration courts and the case for reform of these courts. The event is sponsored by the Immigration Justice Team at First Congregational Church (UCC). The FCUCC Zoom link for this forum is here.

Please see the entire statement here.

Church Women United:  A Call to Act

Church Women United, an ecumenical Christian women’s group, will gather on Friday, September 9th at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 5301 Ponderosa Ave. NE, for their Human Rights Day celebration, acknowledging the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. The theme, “A Call to Act”, is based on 1 John 3:18. The speaker will be Kristen Bowre, Director of Justice for Our Neighbors (JFON), a United Methodist Immigration Ministry for West Texas and Southern New Mexico. A CWU Human Rights Award will also be presented recognizing an individual working in the field of human rights. Coffee fellowship will begin at 9:30, followed by the program at 10:00. Come join us! For more information, contact Shirley Nilsson at 884-2467.

LGBTQ+ Potluck Cookout & Worship