|
|
|
|
| News from St. Mark's Episcopal Church |
February 2010 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Letter from John de Beer
Dear Friends,
In January of 2009 I became your rector and I remain deeply grateful for the confidence that you place in me. I am energized by the opportunity to serve a parish that seeks to provide a place of safety and transformation for people of all ages as we worship God, enjoy one another and serve our neighbors. I am so grateful for the partnership of the staff at St. Mark's. Sarah Manly and Susan Dearborn are well known to you all; you experience for yourself their cheerful dedication. Senada Zaganjori is less visible, as she works in the office on Monday and Wednesday mornings, doing the record keeping and the bulletin (a steep learning curve!) She is equally cheerful and dedicated. The vestry had another good year of trusting one another and God as they made difficult decisions. The wardens, Shirley Estrella and Jack Heidbrink worked long, hard and effectively in service of the parish. Angela Anderson survived her first year as treasurer and is coming back for more, ably supported by Karen Donahue. My work as rector depends on the leadership of all these people and your willingness to be the church, to hear and respond to God's particular call.
Transformation, the adventure of becoming the people God calls us to be, has been a constant thread in my life and this past year has been no exception. Together with my wife, Tricia, I continue to learn each day how to live in a world without my oldest son, Mike. This is the fourth year since his death and I now remember him less with grief and more with gratitude. In August we moved into the Rectory at St. Mark's, a house which Mike did not know. This was both poignant and a further opportunity to experience life made new. Mike is with us is a way which is as hard to describe as prayer.
The parish experienced significant changes and challenges in 2009. Several parishioners were out of work for many months. The recession is affecting family budgets and it is affecting the parish budget. I am grateful to all those who maintained or increased their financial contributions, knowing that others were not in a position to do so. |
|
|
|
|
|
Towards the end of the year, Marge and Bill and Penny died. We are learning to live in a parish without them. By the grace of God, each in our own way, we will come to remember them less with grief and more with gratitude for the life they shared with us and their presence which accompanies us. Many other parishioners experienced significant health and other challenges. We are finding ways to support one another, practically, emotionally and prayerfully. Thank you for your generous contributions of money, energy and prayer.
Several families joined us in 2009 and are enriching our lives. They report being drawn in to the life of St. Mark's through the warmth and welcome of the parishioners. I love watching this happen, in the enjoyment of coming to know one another at coffee hour, in the risks taken in sharing our spiritual journeys in Bible study, in Confirmation class and in the young adult group. The women of the church laugh together and join with one another in service. Our younger parishioners raise money for Haiti and help directly in the B-Safe program in Dorchester. At its best our worship, our music, our life together and our outreach all lead us deeper into the love of God.
It is also true that our average Sunday attendance is declining. We live in a culture which puts more on more pressure on our calendars. I believe that this pressure is one symptom that the values driving our society are leading us astray. The more anxious we become about the future, our own and that of our children and grandchildren, the harder it seems to be to ground ourselves and our children in a faith community. Even if there is not a conflicting event on any particular Sunday, everyone in the family is so worn out that sleep can seem preferable to rolling out of bed for a 9:00am service. This easily becomes a cycle - the less we come the less we feel connected and the less value we experience when we do come. Making the time to participate regularly in worship, in Sunday School and in the wider life of the parish, requires focus and intentionality, so that we can together create a space of safety and transformation.
My own conviction is that Jesus points the way to real life and the values that make that life abundant, worth living. The challenges of our changing world require a community of faith to support and guide people of all ages in this amazing adventure of life. Jim Wallis is a modern day prophet whose latest book, "Rediscovering Values" provides a moral compass for our current challenges. He dedicates the book to his sons with words that remind me of our multigenerational community here at St. Mark's.
This book is dedicated to my sons, Luke (eleven) and Jack (six). They make me laugh, they make me proud, they give me good ideas, their social conscience challenges my own, their indignation at what is wrong makes me more willing to challenge the status quo, their prayers every night help shape my faith, and the choices we make about the issues raised in this book will determine their future.
This is what I long to see more of at St. Mark's. As we gather in worship, in study and in friendship, let us open our hearts to God and one another so that we laugh together, encourage one another and challenge one another to love our neighbors as ourselves. I hope that you will help the parish take a big step this Lent in our journey to becoming a place of safety and transformation. Please do make worship a priority from the first Sunday in Lent, February 4th, through Easter Day. Then participate as you can in the Lenten program, Rediscovering Values, which follows in the parish hall, from 10:15- 11.45. This will be an opportunity for all ages to talk together as we seek God's guidance about some of the issues which confront us, to laugh together and to encourage one another. The choices that we make do shape our future and the future of the next generations. I look forward to learning with you as we discern and respond to the future to which God invites us, as individuals and as a congregation.
Peace
John de Beer |
Rediscovering Values
St. Mark's Lenten Program, 2010
Most of us, whatever our age, could use some help in living so that we bring joy to our lives and the lives of those we love. There are ancient values in our Christian heritage that can guide our contemporary lives to the fullness of life which Jesus promises. This Lent we will draw on our growing ability to share our questions and our wisdom with one another in an atmosphere of mutual respect. Our goal is to root the adults and the children of this parish more firmly in the values that lead to fullness of life. We hope that you will join us by signing up on the list posted in the Narthex or emailing stmarksburl@rcn.com.
February 21 From "Greed is good" to "Enough is enough"
February 28 A toxin free environment for our children
March 7 From "It's all about me" to "Better together"
March 14 Growing our souls - from birth to death
March 21 Choices make changes
Timetable
10:15 Opening discussion at the tables
(Junior choir meets upstairs, children do art projects downstairs. A fellowship table is available for those who prefer unstructured conversation)
10:45 Presentation
11:00 Brunch and table discussion
(Junior choir members come downstairs. Children may eat at their own tables or with their parents.)
11:35 Wrap up in whole group
11:45 Closing prayer |
 From the Senior Warden
Recently I found myself thinking of changes that happen in our lives realizing that nothing seems to stay the same. Our loved ones leave us. New people come into our lives. Some friendships grow and some dwindle. Even our relationship with God changes. When we are hurt, we are like children looking to God as a father or mother to help heal us. When we are angry, we lash out usually at someone we love and that includes God. Life gets very confusing especially when earthquakes hit areas where thousands of people die and others are left starving and without clean water and clothing such as in Haiti. As human beings we all share in this tragedy. There were so many people who told me that they wept as they watched the newscasts. We all needed a way in which we could lend a hand and help. You can be sure that through Episcopal Relief and Development, your donation will go directly to Haiti. Some of us have been to Haiti and have seen the poverty first hand. Many years ago a group from St. Mark's went on a cruise to the Caribbean and we docked at Cap Haitian which is north of Port-au-Prince. We road donkeys that took us past thatched roof huts where families all lived in one room with dirt floors. Little children were swimming in the dirty water where our ship docked and they were begging for coins. We all ask the question "Why?" Some would say where is God in all this destruction and poverty? Please pray for the people of Haiti and if you can, please make a donation. You can find out more info about ERD at www.er-d.org. Peace, Shirley Estrella |
 From the Associate for Multigenerational Ministries
Dear Friends,
A professor once told me, "Everything changes, and the only thing that doesn't change is change itself." Over the past few weeks these words have been running through my mind. Everything changes: friends, jobs, dreams, hairstyles etc... Life is never static; it marches on alongside the march of time.
Some of us thrive on change-we love the spontaneity of life as we continue on our journey. We who love change are always excited to peak around the corner to see what comes next. Change is growth. Others are afraid of change-we expend enormous amounts of energy trying to force our life to remain the same. We despise the powerless feelings change produces in us. Change is death.
Like many of you I find myself somewhere in the middle. Some changes are good, some are bad. The difference lies in the amount of control I experience having on these changes. If I can't control the change, like losing a job or losing a loved one, I feel helpless and powerless. As much as I might scream and fight, the change occurs.
The one constant in our lives is the changing world God created for us. God made sure the world would continue to change and evolve with every day, hour, and minute. Whether it is a raindrop making ripples in a pond, an earthquake in Haiti, or a baby being born the change never stops. So perhaps we should respond not with fear or excitement, but with the trusting knowledge that God is in the change. Instead of seeing change as out of God's control we should see change as a symbol of God's activity in our lives.
Understanding God as change and transformation is scary. We depend on an image of a God who is immune to and exists outside of change. And yet if God is present in everything and everyone then he must be present in alterations and transformations as well. While the changes we see may be beyond our explanations, we should remember that God's presence offers all the explanation we need.
Peace,
Sarah |
| Save These Dates
February 16th, Shrove Tuesday Supper, 6:30 pm
February 17th, Ash Wednesday services at noon and 7:30 pm |
 Weather Closing Information
This seems to be a snowy winter so far. We have had two stormy Sundays. To find out if there is a church service on a stormy Sunday you can do any of the following: Phone the church at 781-272-1586 to hear a recorded phone message. E-mails will be sent if time permits. Listen/watch WBZ News Radio 1030 AM and WBZ-TV channel 5 Website will be updated at www.stmarksburlington.org. If you question whether or not to attend church on a stormy Sunday, please consider your safety first above all else.
Shirley |
|
Ei-Ei-O
Does that nursery verse sound familiar? Well, remember that Old MacDonald had a farm and so does St. Mark's with the help your Outreach Committee. Last year, 2009, St. Mark's Outreach sent $480 to the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund (better known as ERD). With our contribution they purchased two pigs, two goats and ten mosquito nets. In 2008 the Outreach Committee purchased a flock of chickens. An estimated 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes every day. St Mark's gifts can help change that.
Flock of Chickens
A flock of chickens is far more than some hens, a rooster and a daily supply of fresh eggs. Families now have a chance to improve their food supply start a sustainable business. With ERD can train families to raise poultry and sell surplus stock and eggs in the marketplace.
Pigs
Families can pull themselves poverty with a pig. Your gift, which includes training on raising and selling pigs, gives families a better future fast.
Goats
Provides a family with an opportunity to create a regular income. Goats are hardy, reproduce quickly and can be raised in a variety of climates. They produce staple items such as milk, cheese and manure for farming.
Mosquito Nets and Training
Help reduce the threat of malaria. A simple insecticide-treated net can protect children and families from a needless and preventable death. Your gift provides both nets and training to
effectively use the nets, as well as critical care to people suffering from malaria.
With the generous help of everyone at St. Mark's, we can do great things! Ei-Ei-O!
Betsy Figenbaum for the Outreach Committee |
|
Help with Communications
Do you like to write? Are you interested in communications technology? If yes, the communications team (right now just Justin and me) needs you. Here are some ideas of ways to participate:
Here at the ROAR we do a pretty good job of announcing upcoming events, but we don't do much to report on events that have happened. You could contribute to the ROAR and to the website, by writing about anything you are up to at St. Mark's or by interviewing others about their activities and then writing articles.
Do you like to take pictures? The Narthex is one of the first ways visitors get to know us - current pictures on our picture board there, and on our website (with some restrictions) would be wonderful.
We are also looking for ways to get information about ourselves out to the wider community. Would you like to write short articles for the local papers, or perhaps explore the possibilities of broadcasting over BCAT (Burlington Cable Access Television).
Would you be interested in adding to or updating our website content?
Better yet, would you be interested in strategizing about how we might enhance our offerings using other Internet-based technologies. Are there better ways for some of us with challenging schedules to build community than staying for a meeting after coffee hour? These and other questions are of real interest to the Church in general and a particular focus of mine at EDS. I'd love to explore them with any like minded techies if any are out there!
None of these need to be regular commitments or particularly time consuming ones, but all would be of much help and could be a lot of fun.
Please email me or see me after church one Sunday if you would be interested in participating.
- Catherine Owens |
Women's Group Activities
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
February 16, 2010 at 6:30 PM
On Tuesday, February 16th 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
March Women's Group Fieldtrip
On Sunday, March 28th we will be attending the Burlington High School Musical - Titanic the Musical. 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.
|
| Property
Here are a few highlights about property during 2009
· We are fortunate to have many parishioners who give of their talent (labor) when we clean up in the spring, rake leaves in the fall, shovel snow when it arrives, plant gardens all year round. Thanks to all of you who have donated over $20,000 in labor.
· We have found the best people to hire when the work gets challenging.
· The snow gets plowed and the stairs and walks get shoveled when we get storms.
· The inside of the building is clean every week.
· The many electrical "problems" have been solved.
· The many plumbing "problems" have been solved.
· Several structural "problems" have been solved.
· A long neglected roofing "problem" at the Education Building has been solved.
· All of the above has caused another challenge. We need to replenish the building fund so that future needs can be met.
· If you have already made your pledge, thank you.
· If you have already made as special gift to the building fund, thank you.
· Please consider adding your time, talent and treasure for the coming year, 2010.
Finally, thank you for being a member of the family that we call St. Mark's Church. Jack Heidbrink |
Choir Notes
The Youth Choir During Epiphany
As the season of Epiphany draws to a close, the Youth Choir will be singing at every service. We will be teaching the congregation a new anthem as our part of Story Sunday on February 7th, so come and sing "Longing for Light" with us. We will sing our final Epiphany anthem on February 14th, the last Sunday before Lent begins.
Schedule Change
Please note that we will be having our Adult Choir rehearsal immediately following the 7:30 pm service on Ash Wednesday, February 17th. That means we will not be rehearsing on Thursday the 18th. This will save everyone a trip and allow time for attending the service. We return to our regularly scheduled rehearsal on Thursday, February 25th.
Let's Take it "From the Top"
I recently attended a taping of the public radio program, "From the Top". This is a show broadcast on WGBH Radio that showcases talented young musicians. During the taping I attended I heard an incredible group of soloists; a pianist, singer, percussionist, cellist and violinist. It was an inspiring and joyful experience, and fun to get a backstage look at how the show is put together.
I was checking the show's web site (www.fromthetop.org) to get the date of their next taping, and saw a mention of a study by Chorus America. The study says that if you enjoy singing with your neighbors, congregation, or classmates, you're taking an increasingly popular path to a successful life. According to this study, an estimated 42.6 million adults and children regularly sing in choruses today, and 32.5 million of those are adults! More than 1 in 5 US households have at least one singing family member, making choral singing the most popular form of participation in the performing arts for both adults and children. Greater civic involvement, discipline, and teamwork are just a few of the attributes fostered by singing with a choral ensemble.
Since that's the case, why not think about joining either the St. Mark's Adult or Youth Choir, and sing with us as we "Take it From the Top"?
Susan Dearborn
Organist and Choir Director |
 Notes from EDS
School has started again. We are in the middle of a search for new faculty, as one professor left and one retired, and one is going to be Bishop of Connecticut. Finalists in the first search are coming to visit and to lecture. We are doing our best to include our distributed learning students in the process. Distributed Learning students live literally all over the world, take courses over the Internet, and come on campus for two weeks in January and June. It's a challenge to build a community that serves this population and the residential student population and hybrid commuter students like me. Technology can help with this so I'm scheduled to provide technical support for two of the lectures and help out in some other ways, greeting and interviewing.
I've started my class on Modern Theologians. A number of people are attending just because of the professor, Fredrica Thompsett, who is an internationally known scholar and an amazing teacher. It's the first class at EDS I've ever taken where we are crammed for space, and you either get there early or risk sitting at small tables in the upper reaches of the classroom. It's wonderful!
On February 6th I leave for the Living Stones annual meeting. Living Stones is a collaborative of dioceses that are committed to the ministry of all the baptized and to exploring new ways of being church, including developing lay leadership and training traditionally ordained clergy to be ministry developers in their parishes. Every member diocese sends representatives and they present papers on things they've been doing and share ideas and figure out ways to work together and support each other. I've wanted to go to this ever since I heard about it three years ago, and I'm incredibly excited to be going as part of the Diocese of Vermont team. It would be even more wonderful if it were someplace warm and sunny instead of where it actually is - Des Moines, Iowa. I have no idea why Des Moines, other than perhaps it was equally inconvenient for everyone and no doubt is an extremely inexpensive place in the winter to hold a conference.
Last but far from least, I've been greeter and chalicer for the Monday Eucharist. Worshipping with my community there has been deeply moving to me, seeing all of us, so different, but with such a deep grounding in God's love and commitment to bringing about the household of God. For all that sometimes it aggravates me, EDS is an amazing place, and I love being part of it. I remain certain that I am meant to be there, that I am getting this training, making these connections, so that I can serve God in some way yet unknown to me.
Catherine Owens |
Usher Schedule
Feb 7 MARK LAMOURINE
NELSON HOLT
Feb 14 GREG DOOLEY
BOB JANKOWSKI
Feb 21 BRIAN CULLINAN
RICK BLANEY
Feb 28 DON HOWSER
BOB PATTISON
Mar 7 CAROL HODGKINS
DENNIS HODGKINS
Mar 14 MARK LAMOURINE
NELSON HOLT
Mar 21 BRIAN CULLINAN
RICK BLANEY
Mar 21 DON HOWSER
BOB PATTISON
April 4 CAROL HODGKINS
Easter DENNIS HODGKINS
April 11 GREG DOOLEY
BOB JANKOWSKI
April 18 MARK LAMOURINE
NELSON HOLT
April 25 BRIAN CULLINAN RICK BLANEY |
St. Mark's Schedule
Holy Eucharist and Church School both begin at 9:00 am on Sunday. Church School children join the congregation at the peace. After service we have coffee hour in the parish hall.
On the first Sunday of the month Sunday School combines with our regular service for a special Story service.
The Bible study group meets on Sunday in the parish hall after coffee hour to study the lessons for the next Sunday. No special background or education is required, and you do not have to attend every week. Please join us when you can!
The Youth Choir rehearses after service on Sunday. The Adult Choir rehearses on Thursday at
7:30 pm.
The Youth Group meets on the first and third Sundays after the service.
Confirmation class meets on the second and fourth Sundays after service. Any youth from 8th grade and up is invited, even if you've already been confirmed!
Vestry meets at 7:00 pm in the Choir Room on the second Monday. Vestry meetings are open to all, unless otherwise announced.
|
|
|
|
|
