The Lion's Pause 🦁

The Lion's Pause

WE SEEK TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE WITH GOD AND EACH OTHER IN CHRIST THROUGH WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, EDUCATION, AND SERVICE

Rector's Ramblings

Jesus taught us twice to pray, “Thy will be done.” The first time was in the Lord’s prayer given to the disciples when they asked him for instruction on how to pray. The second time was in the Garden of Gethsemane when he was facing his crucifixion.

In Section 30 of The Way of Perfection, St. Teresa of Avila wrote that this is all that we truly need to ask in prayer. If we believe that God’s will is good, then there is nothing more to ask. She went on to say, “In fact our human nature is such that if we are not given what we ask, we use our God-given free will to reject what the Lord may want to give us, even if it is the best gift of all.”

I would not say that the only thing we should say in prayer is, “Thy will be done.” It is good to ask God to heal people, to bring justice and peace to our world, to comfort those who are anxious or mourning, and to address other concerns that we have in prayer. In part it is good to address those things in prayer because it draws our attention to the reality that we are dependent on God. In part it is good to pray for specific things because it draws our attention to the needs of the world around us. If we pray that God will bring relief to the poor, we are more likely to act in ways that will bring such relief.

With all prayer, we must remember that what we think is good might not be what is best for us or for others. When we make our requests in prayer, it is always helpful to pray with an eye toward the phrase, “Thy will be done.” These words can open our hearts and minds to the recognition that God knows what the best gift of all is for us. As we look back, we might be able to recognize that what God has given us is better than what we asked for.

Fr. RJ+

Sunday, March 10:

Holy Eucharist at 8 and 10 a.m.

Lessons

Bulletin

Live Stream

Monday, March 11:

Knitting, 1 p.m.

Book Club, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, March 13:

Lenten Supper, 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTREACH PROJECT UPDATE

The Sunday School kids, teachers, and I want to give a huge thank you for all the continued donations of money and supplies that we’ve received! Due to your generosity, we were able to assemble 316 hygiene kits on Sunday, March 4. Special appreciation also goes to Fr RJ for blessing them, Bill Rand for his photography, and Gary Mull for delivering them to Hope Outreach Ministries.

Total for 2023: 2,322

Total for 2024: 516 (and growing!)

Beth Bletzacker

Sunday School Outreach Coordinator

SOMEBUNNY will be collecting items for the baskets for the women and children housed at the Y.W.C.A. homeless shelter over Easter. Our marked container is in the narthex. Please bring your toiletries, emery boards, razors, small paper items, playing cards, snack food, children’s toys (ages 7-mostly 10) to the church. We will be packing on Thursday , March 28. At 1pm. Cash donations accepted. Thank you for your donations. E.C.W.

The Diocese has continued to offer easy online giving. To use this, please select "St. Mark's Canton" from the dropdown, and choose either a one-time or recurring gift. We thank you for your continued support.

Designate a Gift to St. Mark's

For daily voting please visit: www.lentmadness.org

Newsletter Additions

If you are adding something to the Lion's Pause, please submit it here by the Monday prior to Friday publication.

March Anniversaries

2 Tony and Beverly Kovacevich

4 Richard and Marcia Tirpak

13 Geoff and Bobbi Gordon

21 Christopher and Tasha Smith

22 Carol and John Hayn

27 Sara Strattan and Tom Burns

March Birthdays

1 Ken Jaeb

4 Sandy Paradis

6 Charlie Kiesling, Chuck Violand

7 Leslie Redmon

8 Beth Bletzacker

10 Kathy Sloan

11 Brooks Deuble, Colin Jenkins

12 Geoff Gordon

13 Carol Hayn

14 John Wise

18 Emmett Arnold

21 Brad Kaustinen

26 John Werren

28 Joe Hoot, Sue Little

*Please note: Your birthday/anniversary will only show up if you've completed your profile on Instant Church Directory.

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Bob's Music Notes

In these, my mature years, (98), I keep looking back at my past and marveling at the hand of Providence. My mother, for example, was one of twelve in a well-to-do Baltimore family where the father was a commission merchant. I have a formal portrait of the whole clan (minus four who died in infancy) and there is my mother in the front row with an impish look on her face. It's my guess that she was the "free spirit" in that outfit from which I inherited some nuttiness.

When visiting her oldest sister Helene, a very proper lady in Lock Haven, PA married to a judge, she greeted His Honor with "Well, Judge, have you fed and watered the prisoners?" James Fearon Bridgens scoffed "I have nothing whatever to do with the prisoners!"

Her cheery world came tumbling down at the dinner table one night in 1922 - just two weeks before her marriage - when her father whom she worshipped, dropped dead. I often heard my mother say "At that moment, a little man jumped on my back." She was spared some of the trauma of losing the breadwinner in the fact that she was marrying my dad. All of this drama that occurred before my birth has become more real to me with the passing of the years, and I can see a divine hand guiding my footsteps despite some wayward moments which involved my brother Dick, three years my junior.

Prayer Concerns

Ten Gall, Vonda Temelkoff, Henry Aegerter, Jim Weaver, Jane Schutrum, & Ron Brookes

Family and Friends: Tom (brother-in-law of AnJane McConville); Kit Caspar (Carol Hayn’s brother); Jody Shumway (Co-worker friend of the Rand’s daughter); Father Amjad & Molly Samuel (acquaintance of friends of Father RJ); Dr. Mallamaci (acquaintance of Bobbi Zollinger); Jolanda Mull, Kirk Schuring, Pam Lagodich, & Bill Allen (sister-in-law & friends of the Mulls); Earl Hoot (father of Joe Hoot); Ashley Stockman (friend of Katie & Ryan Kuceyeski); Mitz Cushing, Harold Freedman, & Tim Swihart (aunt of Bobbi & friends of the Gordons); Larry Aclaska & Judy Heisser-Turner (acquaintence & sister of Bert Heisser); Lee, Theresa, and Chuck Boone (friends & cousin of the Hixons); Nori Shawk (friend of Brynn Pelger); Johnny Willoughby (grandson of the Willoughbys); Heather Armington & Mark Osterhage (friends of the Watters); Jane King; Elaine Campbell (friend of the Turners); Sammy Coates (friend of Leslie Redmon); Bob Rownd (friend of John Werren & Anne Coen); Melanie & Trish (friends of Paulette Frech); Pat Walter & family (friend of Barb Whitehouse); Alycia Geis (Karen Violand’s friend’s daughter); Don & Janet Sheatzley-Morgan (husband & sister of Barb Siegfried); DaNay Jackson (friend of Ron Brookes); Allison Cornell-Hood & Anne Higgins (daughter & friend of Diane Cornell); Finnigan Savage (friend of Pam McCarthy); Jimmy Little (son of Sue Little); Yanette Pysher (Vonda Temelkoff’s cousin); Tony Donahue (friend of the Boyds); Marc Hostetler (brother of Susan Hostetler); David (acquaintance of the Nadels).

For those who have died.

For those in the armed forces.

PRAYER CHAIN:

St. Mark's has a group of prayer warriors who pray for the specific needs of those on the prayer chain. If you would like to place yourself or a loved one on the prayer chain, please contact Bobbi Gordon at ggordon24@sbcglobal.net

Prayer requests may be placed on the private Prayer Chain or on the Prayer Concerns list appearing in The Lion's Pause and Sunday bulletin or in both places. Please let Bobbi know your preference. Unless otherwise instructed, names will be listed as we receive them. Please update Bobbi or Katie on the status of your friends or family members as to when they may be removed from the prayer lists.