|
|
|
|
News from St. Mark's Episcopal Church
|
May 2010
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Letter from John
de Beer
I was invited to
write a resource on discernment for vestries in the Episcopal Church.
I'd like to share with you what I said. I hope that this strengthens
your appreciation of the St. Mark's vestry members and helps you listen
for God's call in your own life.
Called to be a vestry member
I therefore, a prisoner
of the Lord, beseech you to live a life worthy of the calling to which
you have been called, in all humility and gentleness. (Ephesians 4:1)
How do you understand your purpose as
a vestry member? The parish elected you. Does this mean that God has
called you? How do you know what God wants of you during your term on
the vestry - or in the rest of your life? To think about these
questions I like to visualize God's call as a bridge connecting me with
the world outside me.
This
framework builds on James Fowler's work in Weaving the New Creation
(San Francisco: Harper, 1991).
1.
The Love of God: The Creator knows each one of you by name, formed you
in your mother's womb, and calls you as partners. (Psalm. 139)
Don is in his eighties and for much of his life he has been asking
"I don't know what God wants of me. What is my purpose in
life?" Finally I said to him, "Don, it seems to me that
before you can hear God's call you need to trust that God loves
you." Don didn't say anything that evening, but in the weeks
ahead he became less anxious and even agreed to be nominated as a vestry
member. By his own report he is less reactive and more open hearted. He
actively welcomes the young couples who are coming new to the parish.
His new found serenity was only deepened by a recent heart
attack.
|
|
|
|
|
2.
GIFTS: What you do well and love doing are gifts from God. (1 Corinthians
12:1-12)
Catherine was senior warden when I first came to St. Mark's as
priest-in-charge. Her gifts in project management, communication and
leadership development had been crucial in helping the parish weather a
stormy period. She was an invaluable partner for me as I began to
implement KLESIS, the formation program designed to strengthen the sense
of call of each person in the congregation. She mobilized the vestry to
be a recruiting team for the first six week course, and 43 parishioners
stayed for two hours each Sunday after the service (our average Sunday
worship attendance is 75.) Catherine continues to use her gifts to
strengthen the pastoral care within the congregation and our outreach
into the wider community.
3.
PASSIONS: Your passionate response to the needs of the world can guide
you to what God wants for you. (Exodus 2:11 - 3:10)
Shirley is the current senior warden. During the last months of her
husband's life, she visited him faithfully in a local nursing home. She
learned to advocate for him, making sure that the staff gave him the care
that he needed. She also developed a heart for the other residents of the
nursing home, many of whom had no advocate. Now she is a state ombudsman,
assigned to nursing homes to monitor the care provided. Shirley is a
great role model - she responds passionately to God's call inside the
parish and in the wider community.
4. COMMITED: Your freedom comes through choosing to be
prisoners of the Lord. Your hearts are made to be captivated by God; only
when you allow this to happen do you find your true vocation and live in
a manner worthy of your calling. (Ephesians 4:1-16)
Justin and Juliette were the only young couple who were at all regular in
worship at St. Mark's. They were "volunteered" to be leaders of
the youth group. They stuck with it, found that they had gifts in
relating to teenagers and that these teenagers claimed a piece of their
hearts. The birth of their first child caused them to take a sabbatical;
Justin to his great surprise finds himself on the vestry and committed to
advocating for the youth. He and Juliette are returning to active
leadership in the youth program in the Fall.
5. COMMUNITY: You become true individuals only in
community, in relation to God and neighbor. In community you discover
your gifts and your call. (1 Corinthians 12:14-31)
In recent years St. Mark's vestry has paid careful attention making
vestry meetings safe and supportive. We have a written agreement about
how we will treat each other and we take time to reflect on scripture, to
share what is happening in our lives and to pray together.
The community we are becoming gives a sense of confidence to
vestry members as they discover their gifts and respond to needs inside
and outside the congregation. The wider circle of parishioners are
being drawn in to the sense of safety and respect that the vestry models.
At a recent Lenten program, participants were riveted by a conversation about
loneliness between a fifteen year old and a ninety year old.
Grounded in community and in the love of God we find our calling by
attending to our gifts and passions. The commitments which follow
transform our own lives as we share in God's drama of reconciliation. May
your term on the vestry be worthy of nothing less!
|
Notes From Our
Sunday School
First
I would like to acknowledge the Sunday school children who participated
in the Walk for Hunger from Miss Sally & Miss Lisa's class.
Outreach is an important part of St. Mark's and this class has done their
share. They proved that even our young people can make a
difference.
I cannot believe we are ending the school year already! The last
class will be May 23rd. Sunday school awards will be presented at
the June 13th service. Please have your child in church that day to
receive their award for completing Sunday school this year.
|
 From the Senior Warden
Welcome
to Phil, Carol Jacobson, Sally and Fred Dinsmore and Karen Speel and her
adorable son Duncan who have joined us over the past few months. We are
blessed by your presence among us. I hope you feel the warmth that St.
Mark's has for all of you.
A lot has happened since I last wrote the April ROAR article. We ended
the Lenten season with Holy week which I will never forget and we entered
into the Easter season. As many of you know, I got a diagnosis of breast
cancer during Holy week which was devastating. My immediate thought was
to end all my activities and just be sick. Then, I thought about it more
rationally and decided to fight it because I have more to do here on this
beautiful earth. Over the years, I have had friends with cancer and
thought what I would do if I ever heard that diagnosis. My thoughts went
from thinking like a child and saying "Not me, that will never
happen to me", "I am never going to get cancer because it
doesn't run in my family" to "I am no different from anyone
else" and instead of "why me" to "why not me". I
was shaken, not so much physically at this point but certainly
emotionally. At the Good Friday evening service, John started the service
with the laying on of hands, a practice we have not done much of at St.
Mark's. I wept through the whole service especially when everyone laid
their hands on me and prayed over me. This was a turning point for me and
when I woke up Saturday morning, I felt God's peace like I have never
felt it before and I also felt healed and yes I was healed
emotionally. The day of my surgery was also another incredible
peaceful day for me as I went from one room to another at the hospital
prior to the surgery and then finally waking up in the recovery
room. I felt the love and prayers of all of you and God's
comforting presence. The next step for me is daily radiation for 7 weeks
and then take the cancer pill tamoxifen for 3 to 5 years. The love and
support that pours out of the parishioners at St. Mark's is indescribable
and I thank you all for your many prayers, thoughts, cards and love.
Now for something very exciting....over the years many of us have talked
about putting a sign out on Bedford Street where we put the occasional
specialty signs. When Bishop Gayle visited us a few years ago, she mentioned
the lack of visible signage on the main street. The comment was always
that the Town of Burlington was too strict and we could not do
that. However, recently we had a building inspection and we now
have a permit for a new sign. We need more parishioners especially young
people to carry on the work that so many of us have done over the years
and by displaying our website on a sign will help attract that age
group. This is truly an exciting time to be at St. Mark's in many
ways. Our stewardship of the buildings and grounds is very noticeable
with all the spring cleaning that has been done. We hired a new parish
administrator, Donna Joyce who is working Monday and Thursday from 9 am
to 1 pm. Stop in to say hello, she will be happy to meet you. Recently
there was a pastoral care coffee hour with many people volunteering to
care for those in need. Also on June 12th, we will have another
American Girl Doll Tea Party to have fun and raise money for St. Mark's
and for the Burlington Pantry. The youth is joining the Walk for
Hunger to raise funds to help rid hunger in the world and we can support
them with our donations. Also, there is literature in the Narthex about
Family Camp at the Barbara Harris Camp in New Hampshire and at the
website www.bchcenter.org.
God's Peace and Blessings,
|
|
 From
the Associate for Multigenerational Ministries
Dear
Friends,
I'm delighted to share with
you all that on May 22 at 10:00 am at Christ Church, Waltham, five
of St. Mark's youth will become confirmed members of the Episcopal
Church. Since September we've been
preparing by working through John's Connect?
course. Together we've explored
what it means to be a person of faith, to trust that God does indeed love
us.
At the confirmation service
our youth will agree to put their whole trust in God. They will acknowledge that God, unlike
people, will never betray that trust.
In a world where trust is scarce this is a difficult decision to
make. If it's challenging to trust
people who we see and talk to, then it is even more so with God who often
feels distant. Choosing to trust
God is an act of bravery.
I encourage you all to
attend and serve as a witness to this powerful moment. If you can't be with us I invited you
to pray this prayer for our youth:
Grant, Almighty
God, that we, who have been redeemed
from
the old life of sin by our baptism into the death and
resurrection
of your Son Jesus Christ, may be renewed in
your
Holy Spirit, and live in righteousness and true holiness;
through
Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen.
|
Mother's
Day and the Story of Story Sunday
Because
so many of our youth are walking in the Walk for Hunger, we have moved
Story Sunday to Mother's Day. This is also the day that we will have
visitors from the Dioceses of Wyoming, Vermont, and Northern Michigan, as
well as from EDS. Because the theme of the EDS event is "Making our
Story in Times of Change" Sally Cassidy and I thought that telling
the story of Story Sunday, how it relates to the way we are living into
the multigenerational part of our mission statement, and how it grew out
of our own times of change, would be a great fit.
During
the service Tracey will tell a story based on the children's book What
is My Song? Based on a traditional African fable, it is a story about
how every child comes into this world knowing his or her own song or
special purpose in life, and how our families and community remind us of
our song if we forget. The youth choir will sing a special song. Bill
Kondrath of EDS will officiate in John's absence. And of course we will
have our altar of roses to raise money for REACH. What a wonderful
experience for our guests!
Tracey
Healey, Sally Cassidy, and Sarah Manly (until she has to leave for
confirmation class) will take the lead in telling the story of Story
Sunday during brunch after the service, and as many of you as would like
to stay can add your stories as well. Because this is a catered
event, we do need to have a rough idea of how many people will be
staying, so please, if you have not signed up at church, email Catherine Owens by
Thursday May 6th or give me a call at 978-729-3076.
Also, please wear your nametags on Mother's Day!!
You have no idea how happy and proud I am that we will have
this opportunity to talk about how far we have come as a congregation in
the last few years, and where we hope to go!
|
|
Save
the Dates!
May
2nd - Walk for Hunger. Support our team!
May
9th - Mother's Day and EDS Site Visit
May
16th - Morning Prayer, Jane Tierny from B-SAFE preaches and presents at
coffee hour
May
22nd, 10 am, Christ Church Waltham - Confirmation
May
23rd, after service - Brunch for Sarah Manly. Sign up sheets for the
brunch will be posted in the Narthex starting in May. Also last day of
Sunday School.
June
12th - American Girl Doll Tea party
June
13th - Sunday School Awards
|
|
Caring For Each
Other
On
Sunday April 18 many of us had a creative and energetic meeting
discussing how to care for each other. We are going to try a system where
a Pastoral Care coordinator acts as point person for a two month
rotation. This person will help coordinate resources to respond to needs
in our congregation.
Pat Doleman, Sue Thompson, Deb Smyth, and Catherine Owens have already
agreed to serve as bimonthly pastoral care coordinators. We are looking
for at least two more people. If you are interested, please contact Deb Smyth or
Catherine
Owens.
We noted that caring for each other means both being able to respond to a
crisis, and also being able to help out with everyday challenges that can
loom large in some situations - things as simple as changing a light
bulb, finding someone to walk the dog for a couple of days unexpected
absence, or having someone watch the kids while you deal with an emergency.
We named a variety of areas where we might help and many people have
already signed up to be resources in those areas. Please think about
what you might be willing to do and contact Deb or Catherine, or sign up
on the sheets in the Narthex. Signing up means you are on the list
to be asked, not that you have any regular ongoing commitment. The
areas we are considering are:
§ Preparing food
§ Sending notes, cards,
emails, or pictures of parish events
§ Visiting along with a
Eucharistic visitor, or with another visitor.
§ Doing chores, like
cleaning, laundry, yard work, or simple maintenance work.
§ Running errands, like
grocery shopping or picking up a prescription
§ Driving
§ Home care during absences
(pet care, plant care, and so on)
§ Child care
- Deb Smyth, Catherine Owens, and Pat Doleman
|
|
Outreach Notes
St.
Mark's Church has been serving El Hogar Ministries for many
years.
The
mission of El Hogar Projects is to provide a loving home and education in
a Christian environment for abandoned, orphaned and hopelessly poor
children, enabling them to fulfill their ultimate potential as productive
human beings in Honduras.
We
have been sending supplies to Honduras as well as sponsoring Julio
Vasquez, who was born in the farming community of Comayagua on August 7,
1992. He lives with his parents and is the 6th of 9 children.
His mother is at home to care for the family who live in a adobe house
with no inside plumbing. Julio is currently in his third year
studying in the electrical shop at St. Mary's Technical Institute.
Many
children literally live "on the streets." In the face of
desperate poverty ... where over half the population lives on two dollars
a day, children who should be in school are on the streets. El Hogar
provides an alternative to that destructive course. They provide a true
sense of belonging, a chance to be more prosperous, experience joy,
purpose, and community. But above that, they invite children into a
community of God's love.
Once
again in 2010,St. Mark's will be sending Julio scholarship money.
We will also be collecting some items that all of the children need.
There is a suitcase in the Narthex; did you wonder what that was
for? We will be sending the suitcase to Honduras in May.
Please
help us fill the suitcase:
Masking
Tape, Scotch Tape
Shoes
- black and running - sizes 3 - 10
jeans
- young boys - sizes 6 - 12, for older boys, sizes 26-34
|
On
May 16th, Jane Tierney, one of the B-SAFE organizers, will be visiting us
to offer the homily at Morning Prayer, and to answer questions and
perhaps show a video after the service. This is a great opportunity to
learn more about B-SAFE and how we can contribute.
St.
Mark's will be serving lunch on Monday July 27th and Tuesday July 28th,
at St. Mary's, Upham's Corner, Dorchester. Please save these
dates.
For those of you who work, we hope you will consider giving up a vacation
day to help. We will be having a preliminary organization
meeting later this month.
As
part of the program, volunteers are building a playground at St. Mary's.
This project is well underway and on target for successful completion in
mid-June before the arrival of 65 B-SAFE kids in early
July. They are
seeking additional volunteers to help move this exciting project along.
Specific tasks, mostly requiring unskilled labor, have been identified
and a detailed timeline established. The work schedule is 9:30 -5:00 on weekends
(see dates below) with a break for lunch and a break for 11:00 church on
Sundays. Half day commitments are greatly appreciated.
Wouldn't it be fun if a group of us could work on the site for half
a day together? If you are interested, contact Catherine
Owens. If we can't put together a group, we can always volunteer
directly with Sara Borgeson.
Work dates:
Sat. May
1
Sat. May
15
Sun. June
6
Sat. June 19
Sat. May
8
Sun. May
16
Sat. June 12
Sun. May
9
Sun. May
30
Sun. June 13
Finally, the organizers have estalished a Facebook page. If you are
interested, here is the information. "In terms of reaching everyone
with an account who is interested, it would be more simple and practical
to have you request my friendship on Facebook. My name is Felicia M.
Waldron, and I have a St. Stephen's Youth Programs pin and logo as my
profile picture. Once we are friends on Facebook, I will send you a
request to become a fan of "St. Stephen's 2010 B-SAFE", and you
can have access to the forum, along with your fellow partner church members."
|
|
AMERICAN GIRL TEA
PARTY
Your American Girl
Doll is welcome !
June 12, 2010 3
pm
St. Mark's Episcopal Church
A portion of the proceeds
will benefit the
Burlington Food Pantry
Fun...Food...Entertainment...Raffles...Prizes
Adults $8, child & seniors $6
Receive a free raffle ticket with a donation of a can of soup.
|
|
God and Us -- News
from the Vestry
We
have a new administrator and from all reports, she is a super lady.
Her name is Donna Joyce and her hours are Monday and Thursday
9am-1pm. Please feel free to stop by and introduce yourselves.
We did a verbal survey on the usage of the center handrail at the front
entrance. Having found no usage, we have decided to remove
it. This will make it much safer during funerals with the carrying
of caskets in and out of the church.
We are going to have the property manager look into the cost of installing
a baby changing station in the appropriate area.
We are getting a new sign for the church. By the time you read
this, you will have had a chance to have viewed a picture layout of the
contemplated sign. The cost is going to be $5,000 for the sign and
$3,000 for the installation. We plan to use our memorial fund of
$29,000 to pay for the project. If you have any questions and/or
suggestions, please speak to a member of the sign committee. The
members are Bruce and Meghan Jordan, Sally Cassidy, Bob Pattison, and
Shirley Estrella. If anyone wants to make a donation to help defray
the cost of the project, please see a committee member as we are working
on a system to handle such donations. We have plans to mount a plaque in
the narthex to honor all donors for any items. For example, Mr. and
Mrs. John Doe contributed to the new sign.
Elizabeth Centauro volunteered to serve on the scholarship committee as
the youth leader representative along with Bob Pattison who agreed to be
the vestry representative.
On Mother's Day, May 9th, a group from Vermont, Wyoming, Northern
Michigan, and EDS will be visiting us. We plan to have a catered
brunch after the service. Please set aside time to contribute and
join us for this occasion.
Well that's all for now.
|
|
Property
MULCHING and MORE in
MAY
Thanks
to those who joined us for our Annual Spring Cleanup on April. It was a
success and we achieved our goals for April.
We
have many projects that need attention in MAY.
May
we count on your talent (labor)?
If
you cannot not "work" you may make a special donation to the
building fund.
Rectory: Prepare
some gardens--edging and mulching. Check with John and Trish.
Rectory: Remove
rust and paint the front railing .
Rectory: Stain
the rear deck.
Church: Paint
or REPLACE the trim
Church: Finish
the sound system.
Church: Get
rid of old long pews.
Church: PAINT
OFFICE, HALLWAY AND SACRISTY.
GARDENS: Get
rid of debris rear.
GARDENS:
Plant FLOWERS and start "memorials."
LAWNS: The
grass needs mowing and it is time for weed control.
If
you want to help, contact one of the Three Property Coordinators;
Cell: 781-696-3952
- Jack Heidbrink
|
|
Choir
Notes
Since
many of our Youth Choir members will be participating in the Walk for
Hunger with the St. Mark's contingent, we will delay having Story Sunday
and an anthem from the Youth Choir until the second Sunday of May. On that Sunday we will sing a special song
from our Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing
Hymnal featuring a solo by Allison Cassidy. Other surprises from the
Youth Choir are in store for later in May, so stay tuned.
TEA
PARTY
The
Adult Choir will be providing entertainment for the American Girl Tea Party
happening at St. Mark's on Saturday, June 12th. We will be singing songs from our
favorite Broadway musicals like "My Fair Lady", "Hello,
Dolly!" "The Music Man" and many others. We enjoyed being
part of the festivities last year, and are happy to be making a return
engagement!
ST.
MARK's AROUND TOWN
We
are all so pleased to have Bruce Burrell back with us and feeling better.
Despite his recent illness, Bruce was able to make an appearance playing
before the game on the Red Sox' opening day. That performance was in
addition to playing flute and clarinet during our Easter service that
morning! Now that the nice weather has arrived, watch for him in parades
and other special events throughout the area. Give him a wave if you spot
him!
Susan Dearborn
Organist and Choir Director
|
|
 Notes from EDS
The
Wyoming trip I mentioned last month was wonderful. It was a great
learning experience. Janet King, another EDS student, and I were there
from EDS, and Iris Erikson and Rise Thew Forrester were there from
Northern Michigan. I connected with Iris while in the Denver airport
waiting for our flight to Riverton, WY. It got delayed for about seven
hours because of cross winds, so we were able to keep each other company.
Unfortunately Iris is not coming out to the EDS intensive - you all would
have loved her! She leads the welcoming and hospitality initiatives for
her church in Marquette and my goodness, she is simply brimming with
ideas!
We
met with ministry developers and locally ordained priests and deacons,
and learned about some of the tools that the Diocese of Wyoming uses for
formation and discernment. Of course I had to talk about John's Klesis
program and our experience with it. On Saturday night we went to stay
with a host family (mine was in Lander, about an hour south of Riverton).
It so happened that the daughter of a member family was back from getting
her Master's in voice and was giving a concert at church, so we went
to that after dinner Saturday. Then Sunday I went to the 8:00 service and
the 9:00 service, because the wife of my host family was on altar guild
and needed to be at both. At the 9:00 their locally ordained priests and
deacons officiated. They use a worship leader, either a deacon or a lay
person, who leads the liturgy of the Word, which gives the service much
more of a team-led feel. They also do announcements at the beginning of
service, before the first hymn (which they do not do as a processional,
just as a hymn with the choir already in place). Then they had what they
called a "carry in" (which I heard as "carrion" for
quite some time, and associated with Vermont's state program to raffle
off road-killed moose and deer). Nothing so exciting - simply what
we would call a pot luck - but it gave me lots of opportunity
to talk with the members about the way they do church. Then we got a tour
of the area, including Sinks Canyon, where a river disappears underground
and then emerges about a quarter of a mile later, but they know the water
has travelled over two miles. Where does it go? No one knows.
On
Tuesday morning I picked up a rental car and drove north through the most
amazing canyon - I mean amazing
- mountains way taller than anything we have here - up to
Thermopolis, home of the world's largest single hot spring. I would never
have thought to go there, but one of the ministry developers lives there
and was telling us about it. I walked all around that state
park, and then drove many many miles (it's amazing what Wyoming considers
to be "in" a town) to see petroglyphs, carvings in the side of
a cliff made by some of the very early native americans. I was the only
one there, pretty much out in the middle of nowhere; and it did briefly
occur to me this might not have been the smartest thing for me to do. It
was, however, a wonderful experience, awe-inspiring really, and included
the sight of a big herd of mule deer leaping across the gravel road in
front of me as I drove back in the sunset.
I
spent the night in a motel right in the hot springs park, and then
Wednesday drove down and east to Casper. Casper was where the Oregon trail,
Mormon trail, Gold Rush, and the Pony Express crossed the Platte River. I
was the only visitor at the National Trails Interpretive Center (where
they turned on all the exhibits just for me) and also at the state-run
recreation of Ft. Casper. This was not exactly the height of tourist
season! Then I drove on down to Cheyenne and stayed at a Bed &
Breakfast in a Victorian mansion. The next day I drove to Denver and so
home.
I am
so looking forward to being able to return some of the hospitality I
experienced when some of the Wyoming folk come to St. Mark's on
Sunday the 9th. I hope you will be able to stay for brunch as we in
our turn tell our story of being church together!
|
|
Usher Schedule
May 2 MARK LAMOURINE
NELSON
HOLT
May 9 GREG DOOLEY
BOB
JANKOWSKI
May 16 DON HOWSER
RICK
BLANEY
May 23 JUDY
GUSTAFSON
BOB
PATTISON
May 30 MARK LAMOURINE
NELSON
HOLT
June 6 GREG DOOLEY
BOB
JANKOWSKI
June 13 DON HOWSER
RICK
BLANEY
June 20 JUDY
GUSTAFSON
BOB PATTISON
June 27 GREG DOOLEY
BOB JANKOWSKI
July 4 MARK LAMOURINE
July 11 NELSON HOLT
July 18 RICK BLANEY
July 25 DON
HOWSER
Aug 1 BOB
JANKOWSKI
Aug. 8 GREG DOOLEY
Aug. 15 BOB JANKOWSKI
Aug 22 JUDY GUSTAFSON
Aug.
29 BOB PATTISON
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
