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From the Rector
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Dear Friends,
I had a wonderful seven day retreat in the Smoky Mountains, near Knoxville, Tennessee. The theme of the retreat was A Sacred Path in a Secular World. We gathered every morning before breakfast for an hour of meditative movement. After breakfast we met as a group of twenty for structured reflection on our lives. Lunch was followed by an afternoon break to meet with a support partner, walk and nap. Then a full hour of silent meditation before dinner and an evening session. 
Here are three moments from my week:
Together our community gathers around Mary, who has a terminal illness. My heart opens to her and I wish for her to love herself as she loves her daughter who died a few weeks previously. We hold Mary close. I say to her," I love, honor and respect the light and the life within you." We sit to share in pairs what this time is stirring in us. I partner with Mary. I say to her, "Mary, I want to love myself as much as I love Michael (my son who died 5 years ago.) I weep while she holds me on her shoulder.
I sit in silence, breathing in and breathing out, attending to my heart expanding and my spirit rising. Is it You, O Christ, stirring my heart, calling my name?
In the morning exercises I move in rhythm with my twenty companions, aware of the mountains wreathed in clouds, my body stretching and strengthening, my heart opening. The clatter of dishes intrudes on this awareness. Our cook for the week is setting up for breakfast, which I and my teammates have neglected to do. How could we have forgotten! Judgment of myself and my team threatens to camp out in my mind. Am I still lovable if I forget to set up for breakfast? Yes, I decide, and return full awareness to the morning movements, willing to give myself again to the love all around me.
I return to St. Mark's feeling called to give myself more deeply to love in everything that I do. I have a deeper appreciation for Jesus as the one who embodied love in each moment of his life. This is a challenge. Old patterns in myself and the lure of living in a world that organizes itself around possessions, prestige and power will make it easy to "get by" more than "give myself to love." The old patterns I became particularly aware of on retreat are:
Judgment of myself and others (the breakfast dishes!)
My attachment to be seen as teacher
My lack of trust in God to source and direct my life moment by moment
So to be faithful to my call to give myself to love, I am committing to the following practices
Tidy my office at the end of each working day, to create an inviting and prayerful space
Aerobic exercise and Yoga twice a week
Walking 4 times a week
One hour of meditation twice a week
Journal 5 days a week - asking myself, "when have I given myself to love and when have I got stuck?"
Meet with my spiritual director once a month
These practices are not an end in themselves, nor will they make God love me more! I trust that they will open me to the love that is coming toward me, the love that I neither create nor deserve, the love which creates me and justifies me. I am aware that much of this love comes to me from the parishioners and leaders at St. Mark's. Thank you! Together let us rejoice in the God who loves us.
Blessings,
John
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All Parish Supper 6:00 PM Saturday, November 12, 2011 Our speaker last year, Amanda Preston, amazed us with her passion for life and her willingness to give of herself. This year our speaker is our very own staff person, Tamra Tucker, our Associate for Multigenerational Ministry. In the month that she has been with us, Tamra has already begun to connect with young and old. She has a compelling story and looks forward to sharing some of it with you at the dinner. Please plan to come. This is especially important if you are a new member, or a long standing member, and if you are young, or "more experienced", if you are married or single. We draw our strength from our multigenerational character. This supper in the fall is an occasion to celebrate our community at St. Mark's as we kick off our stewardship campaign. We will enjoy one another's cooking (please look for the Pot Luck sign-up sheet in the narthex this Sunday). There will be music (dancing, anyone?), conversation for adults and teens, and games for kids. Guests are welcome. R.S.V.P. by signing up in on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary or be emailing Rick Eaton at rickeaton41@gmail.com |
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Calendar
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Saturday, October 1st Congregational Resource Day
Sunday, October 2nd Blessing of the Animals
Youth Group
Sunday, October 9th The Wedding of Julia Assetta and Jim McGonigle
Sunday, October 16th Youth Group
Saturday, October 22nd Our Fall Fair
Sunday, October 30th Laying on of Hands
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| From the Senior Warden |
What is a Deanery?
We belong to the Alewife Deanery which consists of representatives from Bedford, Lexington, Waltham, Arlington, Belmont, Watertown, Cambridge and Somerville. We partner with Christ Church in Waltham each year to audit our books which saves us the fee of a CPA. Likewise, we audit their books. There are some interesting events coming up that I will inform you of when I get all the details. A Deanery youth event is being planned and a Christmas Alternative Fair. The September meeting was held in Watertown with an opening contemplative prayer service followed by the regular meeting and ending with a conversation with Bishop Bud Cedarholm.
The Diocese gives grant money to the Deaneries who in turn give them to churches who are doing outreach projects (Sending/Serving Grants) and projects specifically for women and children.(House of Mercy Grants). Last year we were the recipient of a Sending/Serving matching grant that allowed us to participate in the Leadership Development Initiative which in turn led to the Final Affairs Fair. We applied again this year for a grant to send another team to LDI and we were granted those funds at this meeting. This is just a sample of how the Diocese spends our assessment. We will be attending an initial Taste and See meeting on October 15th for an overview of the next LDI program. Attending this meeting does not commit you to the entire program. If you would like to know more about LDI and the upcoming training, speak with John or with me.
Here is a letter from Bishop Tom Shaw with his recommendations to attend LDI.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I'm writing to ask your parish to prayerfully consider joining the Diomass Leadership Development Initiative (LDI) this year.
Over the past two years, I've been involved with LDI and witnessed its impact in developing motivated church leaders. Grounded in a story and team-based theory of leadership, LDI offers tools for any parish hoping to deeply tap into the passions and motivations of its lay leaders; enable laity to make measurable and meaningful change in their communities; and support a fun, educational, impactful experience of team and community.
In 2009-2010, this initiative was launched with pilot cohort of 6 parishes from throughout the diocese and continued last year with a new set of teams. I have been excited by the stories I've heard from parishes that have participated. For example, Grace Church, Medford used this training to launch a campaign to clean up city parks engaged over 300 volunteers and led to a dramatic turnaround in leadership practices of laity, young adults and clergy not to mention a nearly 40% increase in church attendance. St. Paul's Newburyport used this training to launch a communications outreach program that is now the basis for developing lay leadership in their parish life. St. Andrew's Hanover developed the leadership of their high school youth group.
This past year, LDI was instrumental in helping St. Andrew's Framingham develop a team and strategy for outreach to the local Brazilian community. LDI also trained a team from the Episcopal City Mission to launch a successful campaign against the Secure Communities legislation, statewide.
On October 15th from 10 am- 2 pm, LDI is hosting a "Taste and See" event at Church of the Redeemer in Chestnut Hill where leadership teams from around the city will come together to:
- Learn from the parishes that participated in LDI's programming last year
- Hear about the parish mission projects, what they learned and their results
- Engage in a conversation with your team and others about the urgent need in your local community and how this training can help you address that need
- Hear a presentation from the LDI team on the program, its values and what is required to participate
- Receive information on next steps for application and registration
The event is free. There is more information on the event and the calendar of the year at the LDI website: http://diomassleads.org.
Again, it is my hope that you will prayerfully consider sending a team to this event. If you are interested in learning more about the workshop, or would like to attend, please visit the LDI website or email LDI Program Director, Duncan Hilton, at duncanhilton@gmail.com.
Please know of my prayers for you.
Faithfully yours,
Tom Shaw, SSJE
Faithfully,
Shirley Estrella
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Notes from EDS
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As part of the Master of Divinity program we are required to have two field education placements. Some of you may remember that my first was with the Diocese of Vermont. My second is with Lesley University. It's a pilot project, exploring both the Lesley student population's needs for someone on staff dealing with spiritual and religious issues and the possibility of ongoing relationship in that area between Lesley and EDS. My title is Spiritual Life Resource Assistant, and mostly what I've been doing is going around meeting with students, asking what they'd like to see out of this new position.
The response has been extraordinary. At the student activities fair, 45 students signed up for more conversation about faith and spirituality. I've been enlisted as faculty advisor to the Meditation club. Leaders of the Meditation club and the Jewish club Hillel want to collaborate on events that will lead to more open conversation between students with different spiritual and religious practices, and between those who self-identify as spiritual or faithful and those who shun religion. One student said, "We are being taught openness and tolerance for people with differing abilities, different cultural backgrounds, and different sexual identifications, but no one is teaching us tolerance about religious expression."
I have a powerful sense of God at work around me and through me, and a strong sense of a deep-seated need within this community to have a safe space for open, non-judgmental, conversation about faith and spirituality. And I wonder, where else might there be such a need? Do you have conversations about faith outside of St. Mark's? Most of us don't. But maybe, just maybe, such conversations would be more welcome than we think?
Peace,
Catherine Owens
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Just Set My Little Soul on Fire
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Dear Parishners,
I have been blessed with this opportunity to join your family for the next year and I am filled with joy and excitement. I am full with anticipation to grow and share Christ's love with you in our church and in our mission as we leave the church every Sunday afternoon. The first time I visited St. Mark's I was welcomed with open arms. Every Sunday since then I have seen more and more of Christ working and being present in this church. From Phillip's goodbye sermon and brunch to hard conversations about the tragedy at Burlington High School, I have been met with an openness to understand and an eagerness to love.
In my short time at St. Mark's I have noticed a few things that are life giving and inspiring. The wedding of Vincent and Carol, and John's sermon on forgiving your past hurts was a beautiful example of what it means to be striving in love. The laughter and fellowship that comes from members of this community during coffee hour makes my soul smile. And the quiet confidence of the leaders in our parish are sturdy and strong. It places hope and vision in my heart. Some might say that there is a spark, a movement, in St. Mark's that can lead and grow and make a change in this world. I would say it's no spark; it's already a blazing fire. That fire now burns in me. For this, in all my excitement to be with you, I thank you.
In peace and service,
Tamra Tucker
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Stewardship Survey Report
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St. Mark's asked and you responded
Rick Eaton
This Spring and Summer, a team of St. Mark's contacted every member of our parish. Three questions were asked. Here are the top categories of your responses
A. What led you to St. Mark's? (62 responses)
1. Location: You visited a church near you. (30)
2. There is a Sunday School at St. Mark's. (10)
3. Referrals: Someone invited or referred you to St. Mark's. (8)
4. Family was already at St. Mark's. (6)
B. What do you like about St. Mark's? (102 responses)
1. Sense of community (31)
2. "The people" (Strongly related to #1 above) (22)
3. The Rector's (Rev. John de Beer) preaching (15)
4. Liturgy (Traditional worship) (6)
5. Empowerment of laity (5)
C. What Outreach in the world calls to your heart? (92 responses)
1. Local Food Pantry (28)
2. People in need (7)
3. Youth in church (7)
4. Women in need (6)
5. Teenagers and children not in our church (5)
6. Homeless and Orphans (5)
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| CHOIR NOTES |
OCTOBER STORY SUNDAY
Our Youth Choir members will be active participants in our October Story Sunday when we have our "Blessing of the Animals." They will sing "The Butterfly Song" that appreciates and celebrates the uniqueness of each creature in the animal kingdom. Then they will join the Adult Choir in singing our Offertory Anthem. "God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale". During Communion, Alyssa Healey and Jenna Lamourine will sing a hymn from our 1940 hymnal that gives thanks for the variety of animals on the earth. Thank you to Priscilla Seaward for remembering this hymn that is so appropriate for the day. And thank you to Alyssa and Jenna for being willing to learn it for this occasion.
YOUTH CHOIR
As a reminder for parents of Sunday School students, we welcome any new singers who are in grade 2 or higher to join the Youth Choir. We have older and more experienced members who are always very helpful to our younger singers as they get accustomed to our practices and learn new songs. We invite new singers to try us our for a week or two to see how they like it. We begin our rehearsals about 15 minutes after the service, giving everyone a chance to have something to eat and drink in the Parish Hall. We finish up by 11:30 am so that our session does not interfere with Youth Group. Please see me after the service if you have any questions.
I am also on the lookout for any children who are playing a musical instrument and who think they would like to play during a service at St. Mark's. It would be great to have them be part of a future "Story Sunday" service. Student musicians could play as part of an ensemble or as a soloist. There are plenty of possibilities, so if you are interested, please let me know and we'll get started on planning and rehearsing.
VOLUNTEER NEEDED!
I am looking for an adult volunteer who would be interested in helping with the Youth Choir. This person would a) work with the Youth Choir members to get them into their robes when it is time for them to come into the sanctuary, b) help during our after-church rehearsals by doing sound checks and other rehearsal tasks, and c) make telephpone calls when there are special events, schedule changes, or important reminders to be relay to the members. You don't need to read music or be a singer yourself, and you don't even have to be the parent of a Youth Choir member. If you are interested in helping the Youth Choir in this way, please come see me after church!
Susan Dearborn
Organist and Choir Director
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