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| News
from St. Mark's Episcopal Church |
February
2009 | |
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This issue reflects changes in responsibilities as of the
elections in our 50th annual meeting, on Sunday January 25th.
Shirley Estrella is our new Senior Warden. Angela Anderson is
our new Treasurer. Jack Heidbrink remains our Junior Warden
and Property Coordinator. Tracey Healey has moved from vestry
member to Clerk. New vestry members are Justin Turner and
Sally Cassidy (three year terms); Bob Pattison (completing two
years of a vacated term); and Sue Thompson (completing one
year of a vacated term). Elizabeth Centauro and Emily Doiron
are our youth members. We are fortunate in our excellent new
leadership
team! | |
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 Letter from John de
Beer
Dear Friends,
This month I am particularly looking forward to
beginning the Covenant! class. A group of parishioners
(and one outside participant) will be meeting every
other Tuesday evening beginning February 3rd to better
hear and respond to God's particular call. Archbishop
Desmond Tutu said that
Just as we are all meant to be contemplatives
and to hear the voice of God in our lives, we are all
meant to answer God's call to be His partners in
transfiguring the world. (God Has a Dream, p.
109)
How do I hear God's voice? What part is God
calling me to play? These are the central questions
participants will be addressing in the class, which
continues into May. We will be using a visual
model of what calling involves - a suspension
bridge, as you can see below. Whether or not
you are taking the class, I would love to talk to you
about how this model might help you think about God 's
call to you. Let me know if you are interested.
Peace,
John de
Beer | |
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 From the Senior
Warden
NEW BEGINNINGS
I really like the word NEW.
It is a small word but has so much meaning for me. We
are starting a new year at St. Mark's, a new calendar year of
2009. We have a new vestry, a new executive committee and a
new rector. I have always embraced the new year because
I can clean out my files and get rid of all the bills,
hopefully they are all paid. I love the anticipation of what
the new year will bring. I remember over the past year
feeling happy that some things are finished and that some
things are just beginning. It is a time of change which also
excites me. I love the anticipation of starting a fresh new
year, a new project, a new beginning and I can envision a lot
of new beginnings in 2009 in my personal life and in the life
of St. Mark's.
This year is going to be an
exciting year at St. Mark's as we celebrate our 50 years as a
viable Episcopal presence in Burlington. We will be looking
back, reminiscing, and also looking forward, planning. Some of
us have visions for the next 50 years. The timeline will be
left on the wall behind the altar beneath the cross through
the month of February. We invite you all to add your memories
to the wall. There is also space to add your dreams for the
future.
We have experienced a lot of changes over
the years and no doubt there are more changes in store for us
"as we explore our faith and our call to service" as stated in
our Mission Statement. What is God calling us to do locally in
Burlington and surrounding towns, in Massachusetts and in the
world? We will start this exploration with the Covenant
program February 3rd.
Thank you for allowing me
to be your new Senior Warden and for the experience of the
love you have all given so freely to me.
Peace be
with you,
Shirley
Estrella |
| Brian
McLaren to Speak at Spring Diocesan Learning
Event
As most of you know, our Epiphany learning series is
based on Brian McLaren's book, Everything Must Change.
McLaren, author of A Generous Orthodoxy and The
Secret Message of Jesus, will be the featured speaker at
the spring diocesan learning event on Saturday, March 7 at
Boston University. McLaren is a noted international
speaker and a leading voice in the emergent church movement.
He is listed by Time as one of America's 25 most
influential evangelicals. By special invitation of the
archbishop of Canterbury, he addressed the assembled bishops
at the most recent Lambeth Conference on the gifts of
Anglicanism to meet the challenge of evangelism in the world
today. Registration for the event will be required,
but is not yet open. Please check on the Diocesan
Website for updates.
The St. Mark's learning series will begin on February 1st
and continue for the next three
Sundays. |
Coupons for People Helping
People
People Helping People needs many more coupons for food.
Please bring your UNCUT coupons to church and place them
into the container in the Narthex. Your coupons will
enable The Food Pantry to continue to give in these times of
need. Thank you! |
Vestry
Notes
The final meeting for the vestry of 2008 was a
celebration at the home of Jack and Sue Heidbrink.
We shared a delicious dinner (thank you so much, Sue!),
reflected on the past year and on our service on the vestry,
and discussed the upcoming annual meeting. The vestry of
2009 will meet on Monday February 9th.
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Change
in the way we do announcements
As part of the transition of responsibilities, and to
make our Sunday service flow more smoothly, we are making some
changes in the way we handle announcements. From now on,
please send announcements that you want to include in the
bulletin to Senada Zaganjori, our parish administrator, at stmarksburl@rcn.com by the end of the day
Tuesday OR leave a note in her folder (not on the desk - a lot
of people use the desk and notes left there tend to get lost).
Senada produces the bulletin on Wednesday morning, so
announcements received after that will not be included until
the following week. If you want to include a note in the ROAR or
advertise the event in the community, please copy emails to
Catherine Owens at cjowens325@earthlink.net. Senada will make
sure she gets any information left as a note.
If you also want to make a verbal announcement on
Sunday, please see Shirley Estrella or, in her absence, Jack
Heidbrink, before the service. Unless it's a last minute event
or change, we will only announce items that are also in the
bulletin. The announcement should draw attention to the item
in the bulletin, not repeat that information. You will have
the opportunity to make your announcement after the peace, but
only if you have seen Shirley or Jack beforehand. We will no
longer make a general request for announcements.
If you have any questions about this change in
procedure, please see John de Beer or Shirley Estrella.
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Donating Altar Flowers
We have recently had a few miscommunications about the
altar flower reference in the Sunday bulletin, and would like
to clarify the process for donating flowers. If you
would like to donate flowers in memory or celebration of
someone special, or to the Glory of God, please put your name
and the number of arrangements (one or two) on the flower
chart on the bulletin board outside the Sacristy. Most
importantly, please fill out a flower slip and put it, with
your payment, in Senada's folder in the office. Senada will
contact you if she has any questions. Please do not leave
it (or any other note for Senada) on the desk. A number of
people use the desk and it could get lost.
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Treasurer's Report
Dec
YTD
Total Yr
GENERAL
FUND
Actuals
Budget
Contributions
$ 88,048
$ 85,635
Rental
Income
$ 42,761
$ 38,150
Other $ 8,130
$ 7,275
Total Income
$
138,940
$131,060
Expenses
$(133,041)
$(144,810)
Net Benefit
YTD
$ 5,898
$(
13,750)
2008
was a year of growth for St. Marks in many ways. Many
parishioners contributed their time and talent towards
improvements within the parish which resulted in increased
revenue and expense savings. We saw more families returning to
St Marks and some new families joining. Open plate
contributions were much higher than anticipated as families
who originally were reluctant to pledge continued to support
the parish financially. Parishioners who did pledge,
fulfilled their pledges and in many cases, gave more.
The year ended with total cash in all funds of
$154,785 which is $6,000 less than the prior year. This
is a remarkable achievement considering the economic turmoil
in 2008 and everything St Marks accomplished throughout the
year
General Fund
Although
an annual deficit budget for the General Fund of ($13,750) was
approved a year ago, 2008 financials closed the year with a
net benefit of $5,898 and a cash balance of $52,614 in the
General Fund. This is the result of all the effort
and contributions of each and every parishioner.
Everyone should be proud of what they have accomplished and
challenge themselves to do more in 2009.
I have
enjoyed being treasurer for the last 2 years and am pleased
with all the improvements that have been implemented.
However, there is still much to do and I am happy to pass this
responsibility on, knowing how capable and dedicated Angela
Anderson is.
Respectfully submitted
Joan
Frederick |
A Tea
Party
For a variety of reasons we have been unable to hold the
tea party planning session originally scheduled for January
18th. It has been rescheduled for February 15th after the
service. If you have ever been to a Tea Party, hosted one, or
would like to, please join us at the planning meeting in the
choir room.
In the mid 1970's, the late Rev. Bill Seaward asked
each household to donate a tea cup and saucer to the church.
These were to be used at a "Silver Tea" which was held each
time the Bishop visited us to preside over confirmation. We
also used silver tea sets of trays, creamers and sugar bowls
which made a very elegant presentation. These lovely cups and
saucers are stored in the kitchen cabinets and they are the
inspiration for the tea party.
If you cannot make the meeting but have some ideas,
please speak to me.
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Choir
Notes
THANK
YOU!!
A big thank you to our
choirs for their part in the service to install John as our
new Rector. With our rehearsal time cut short by the
weather-related cancelations, we had to scramble to
prepare. I am grateful to all of the members of our
Adult and Youth Choirs for their extra time and effort to
bring added joy to the occasion!
The
Youth and Adult Choirs During the Epiphany
Season
Because so many of our Youth
Choir members are studying Spanish in school, we will be
singing an anthem in both English and Spanish. As we
sing "Many Are the Lightbeams" we will sing the Spanish lyrics
first and then sing the verse again in English. This
will be the second of two anthems we will sing this month as
we come to the end of Epiphany.
The Adult Choir
will revive a South African anthem called "We Are Marching in
the Light of God", with both South African words and English
translation. It is a lively and rhythmic song guaranteed
to get you moving in the pew!
Schedule
Change
Please note that we will be
having our Adult Choir rehearsal immediately following the
evening service on Ash Wednesday, Feburary 25th (service
time TBD). That means we will not be rehearsing on
Thursday the 26th. This will save everyone a trip and
allow time for attending the service. We return to our
regularly scheduled rehearsal on Thursday, March
5th. |
Lion in
the Limelight
Due to the many events in January the Limelight has
gone dark this month. A new Lion will be featured in
March. |
Wednesday Parish
Lunches
The February Fellowship Lunch will be held on February
11th at St. Mark's Parish Hall at 12:00 noon (Hopefully the
sun will shine). If you are planning to join us or think you
might be coming for lunch will you please sign the sheet that
will be on the elevator wall. If you will not be at
church you may call me at 781 272-558l. If I am not there
leave a message and I will return you call. This would
be appreciated very much as it makes it easier for us to plan
lunch. I hope I will be hearing from you. Come and
join us.
Marge
Douglass |
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner
February 24, 2009 at 6:30
PM
On Tuesday, February 24th the
Women's Group will be hosting the Shrove Tuesday Pancake
Dinner. Please join us at 6:30 for a wonderful dinner of
pancakes and all the fixings, prepared by the lovely ladies of
the St. Mark's Women's Group.
In order to ensure we have enough food prepared for
all of your families and friends, there will be a sign up
sheet in the Narthex. Please indicate how many guests you will
be bringing. There will also be a sign up sheet for supplies
and for volunteers to help with set up, serving and clean up.
All the proceeds from the dinner will be donated to People
Helping People.
If anyone has any questions or is in need of
transportation, please feel free to contact: Linda Kelley
at 781-883-8972 or email at ljkelley@rcn.com or Rosemarie Tieri at
781-272-1558 or email rozeetea@yahoo.com Judy Gustafson at
781-229-2688 or email at judester52@comcast.net A Special Thank You
On January 15th we had a
wonderful celebration with the installation of John as our
rector. After the installation, we all gathered in the parish
hall for a fabulous reception. Everything looked beautiful,
from the tables lined with appetizers and desserts to the
beautiful tea cups and coffee service. I would like to thank
everyone that donated all of the delicious appetizers and
desserts. A special thank you also to those that came and
helped set up, clean up and especially prepare all of the
teacups for display and service. It is a joy to belong to such
a wonderful parish, filled with people that are always willing
to lend a helping hand. April Women's Group
Fieldtrip On Palm Sunday, April
5th we will be attending the Burlington High School Musical -
The Wizard of Oz. The play begins at 2:00 PM. All the women of
St. Mark's are invited to attend. The cost of the tickets is
$15.00 for adults and $10.00 for seniors. A sign up sheet will
be posted in the Narthex. Tickets have to be paid in advance
as they must be ordered. Anyone interested in attending must
sign up. Please give your payment to Linda, Kelley, Judy
Gustafson or Rosemarie
Tieri |
 Notes from EDS
Last year, while I was still taking individual classes on
a continuing education basis, I took a course in the New
Testament. The first Gospel we read was Mark. I was reading it
through one night and came on the story of Jesus and the
Syro-Phoenician woman in Mark ( Mark 7:24-30). It
was both shocking and revelatory - that Jesus could speak so
harshly and then change his mind made Jesus seem very human to
me. That he changed in response to a woman (albeit a
nameless one) helped me to find room for myself as a
woman in the Gospels. All of this was a
cornerstone to developing my own faith as a Christian.
It's a very special story for me.
The first week in January I took an intensive class at
EDS and because of bad weather I ended up staying in the
studio apartment of one of my classmates who was on vacation.
I stayed in Cambridge for three days, in a lovely bubble of
class and study and fellowship, with far more time than I
usually have to read and meditate. One night I was reading
Everything Must Change and came on Brian McLaren's
use of the Matthew version of the story, and his interesting
reflection on the change from Syro-Phoenician to a Canaanite.
The next morning I was sitting at breakfast, leisurely
drinking coffee and re-reading one of the texts for the
class, and found the story there. The reflection here was on
Jesus embodying a particular way of teaching. "The
teacher is the learner. The teacher teaches by having the soul
of a disciple, the heart of a student.....the Spirit of Jesus
is the Spirit of humililty."
I was so struck by the coincidence of encountering this
very personally meaningful text twice in the space of
about 8 hours that I wrote about it in my journal. In
our sharing at the beginning of class that
day I spoke about the importance of allowing myself some
time to reflect and to pray, and used as an example the lively
connection I had found through that text to my
personal faith journey, my life at St. Mark's, and my life at
EDS. I caught a look on one of the teacher's faces, and so was
not completely surprised when it turned out that the Mark
gospel reading was the centerpiece of our starting worship.
But even though I was prepared I was so struck on hearing it
that tears came to my eyes - I was helpless to do anything but
be in the circle for a time. Some EDS students call these 'God
moments,' moments God is very present among us, and this was
just one of several in this class.
I believe that when we have these moments one of the
things we should do is to be particularly alert, particularly
willing to respond to God's call to us. Two days
later I was invited to work for a program called EDS
Connect, the program under which EDS is developing their
Internet-mediated educational tools. I had promised myself
that I would turn down everything for awhile, given how
exhausted I had become in the fall, and indeed I started to
turn it down. But then I thought how passionate I am about
giving everyone the opportunity to grow and develop in their
faith, their understanding of their gifts and of their own
vocations and calling, and how sweetly the opportunity
fit with my own gifts and skills. And I thought, "Well, if
Jesus can change his mind so can I." I am so excited by
this opportunity to explore in yet another way how my own
gifts meet the world's needs, and so very grateful to God for
opening this new path!
Catherine Owens |
Regular
Schedule
Holy Eucharist
and Church School begin at 9:00 am on Sunday. After service we
have coffee hour in the parish hall, and the youth choir
rehearses.
Bible study group meets in the Parish Hall
after coffee hour.
Adult Choir rehearses on
Thursday at 7:30 pm.
On the first Sunday of
the month Sunday School combines with our regular service for
a special Story service. We also have our monthly food
drive to support People Helping People.
The
Youth Group meets on the first and third Sundays after the
service. High School classes meet on the Sundays when
Youth Group does not meet.
Vestry meets at 7:00 pm in the Choir Room on the second
Monday. |
| February Special Events |
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Vestry Meeting
Monday February 9, 2009, 7:00 in the choir room
Wednesday Parish Lunch
Noon February
11, 2009
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner
6:30 Tuesday February 24, 2009 in the Parish
Hall
Ash Wednesday Services
Wednesday Feburary 25 at noon and evening (exact time
TBD) | |
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