The Newsletter of Saint Mark’s Parish October 2013 October 2 Door of Hope 6:00 p.m. October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Wednesdays Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Brown Library Choristers 3:15 & 4:00 p.m. Music Room Book Group/DOK Prayers 3:30 p.m. Brown Library Lectio Divina 5:30 p.m. Brown Library October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Thursdays Choir Rehearsal 7:30p.m. Music Room October 5 Movie Night 6:30 p.m. Brown Library October 6 Daughters of the King Meeting 8:45 a.m. Community Hall Theology of Pets 9:00 a.m. Brown Library Blessing of the Animals 9:00 a.m. Community Hall Patio 10:30 a.m. Community Hall Patio October 6, 13, 20, 27 Sundays Youth Group Meeting 5:00 p.m. Community Hall October 7, 21, 28 Mondays Centering Prayer 10:00 a.m. Brown Library October 7, 14, 21, 28 Mondays Education for Ministry 7:00 p.m. Brown Library October 8 Women’s Soup 6:30 p.m., La Grande Orange Cafe Haiti Partnership Meeting 7:00 p.m. Brown Library October 12 Fall Leadership Meeting 8:30 a.m.—11:30 a.m. Community Hall Crafting at Villa Gardens 10:00 a.m. 5th Floor Dinner with Pere Wisnel 6:00 p.m. Liversidge Home October 13 Pere Wisnel visits All 3 services Altar Guild Meeting 8:45 a.m. Rector’s Office October 20, 27 Sundays Season of Gratitude Bible Study 9:00 a.m. Brown Library October 13 Boy Scout/City of Hope Annual Blood Drive 7:30 a.m.—2:00 p.m. Community Hall Saint Mark’s Choristers sing for first time 10:30 a.m. service October 14 Indigenous Peoples Day Church Office Closed October 15 Leadership & Formation Meeting 7:30 p.m. Brown Library October 20 Newcomer’s Welcome 4:00 p.m. Grindon home Cub Pack Meeting 3:00 p.m. Community Hall October 22 Outreach Committee Meeting 7:00 p.m. Brown Library October 26 Centering Saturday 8:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m. Hall, church, office Cub Pack Campout 6:00 p.m. on field ... GET SET ... GO!!
Transcript
The Newsletter of Saint Mark’s Parish
October 2013
October 2 Door of Hope
6:00 p.m.
October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Wednesdays
Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Brown Library
Choristers
3:15 & 4:00 p.m. Music Room
Book Group/DOK Prayers
3:30 p.m. Brown Library
Lectio Divina
5:30 p.m. Brown Library
October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Thursdays
Choir Rehearsal
7:30p.m. Music Room
October 5 Movie Night
6:30 p.m. Brown Library
October 6 Daughters of the King Meeting
8:45 a.m. Community Hall
Theology of Pets
9:00 a.m. Brown Library
Blessing of the Animals 9:00 a.m. Community Hall Patio
10:30 a.m. Community Hall Patio
October 6, 13, 20, 27 Sundays
Youth Group Meeting
5:00 p.m. Community Hall
October 7, 21, 28 Mondays
Centering Prayer
10:00 a.m. Brown Library
October 7, 14, 21, 28 Mondays
Education for Ministry
7:00 p.m. Brown Library
October 8 Women’s Soup
6:30 p.m., La Grande Orange Cafe
Haiti Partnership Meeting
7:00 p.m. Brown Library
October 12 Fall Leadership Meeting
8:30 a.m.—11:30 a.m.
Community Hall
Crafting at Villa Gardens
10:00 a.m. 5th Floor
Dinner with Pere Wisnel
6:00 p.m. Liversidge Home
October 13 Pere Wisnel visits
All 3 services
Altar Guild Meeting
8:45 a.m. Rector’s Office
October 20, 27 Sundays
Season of Gratitude Bible Study
9:00 a.m. Brown Library
October 13 Boy Scout/City of Hope
Annual Blood Drive
7:30 a.m.—2:00 p.m.
Community Hall
Saint Mark’s Choristers
sing for first time
10:30 a.m. service
October 14 Indigenous Peoples Day
Church Office Closed
October 15 Leadership & Formation Meeting
7:30 p.m. Brown Library
October 20 Newcomer’s Welcome
4:00 p.m. Grindon home
Cub Pack Meeting
3:00 p.m. Community Hall
October 22 Outreach Committee Meeting
7:00 p.m. Brown Library
October 26 Centering Saturday
8:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.
Hall, church, office
Cub Pack Campout
6:00 p.m. on field
. . . G E T S E T . . . G O ! !
FROM THE RECTOR
God is good all the time! All the time God is good! I had a clergy colleague in Atlanta who
began every sermon with this affirmation. I was reminded of it as I looked at October on the
church calendar and felt overwhelmed with gratitude for all of the blessings coming our way.
This month we will begin what we now call our Season of Gratitude. Formerly known as
Stewardship Season, this is the time in our church year when we make a special effort to
celebrate all of the ways God is working through us and for us. This year’s Season of Gratitude
will begin on October 13th with the extra-ordinary blessing of a visit from Pere Wisnel de
Jardin, our partner priest from LaTournelle, Haiti. Pere Wisnel will preach and preside all
morning, and will fellowship with us at an extended coffee hour after the 10:30 service. Our
youth can look forward to his participation at Youth Group that evening as well! His
generous heart and profound faith will be a beautiful invitation to each of us and to our
community to recognize God’s goodness in our lives. Make sure to be in church that morning,
and to attend the reception and dinner in his honor on Saturday night, October 12 (see the
newsletter for details).
Last year we initiated a tradition of inviting lay people from our own Saint Mark’s community
to give witness to the gospel and to God’s generosity in their lives by preaching on Sunday
mornings. The lay preaching series will begin on Sunday, October 20 and extend through
November 10. You can look forward to hearing the powerful words and witness of
Betty Butler, Nathan Schroeder, Bruce Linsenmayer and Gini Berry. I am deeply grateful to
each of them for their willingness to open their hearts and share their faith with us. What a
blessing they will be.
And now a sneak preview: We will gather as one congregation on Sunday, November 17 at
10:00 a.m. for Consecration Sunday. Here we will gather up all of our gratitude and commit
our gifts of treasure and time and talent for God’s work through Saint Mark’s in the year ahead.
Our worship will be even more celebratory than usual that morning, and will be followed by a
delicious and festive brunch for all. I so look forward every year to this celebration, and
especially to the experience of being one worshipping body giving thanks to God together!
Faithfully,
Pr. Carri
Day By Day…
That’s how I think about the process of treatment for and healing from the thyroid cancer with
which I was diagnosed this summer. I long to leap ahead to feeling fully myself again and not
having to make so many mental calculations in order to plan each day’s activities. Wishing
won’t make it so, however, and I’m learning to accept doing this day by day, knowing that I’ll
be in better shape before much longer. “This is temporary” reads a post-it note on our bathroom
mirror!
Right now, I’m off thyroid medication in preparation for a dose of radioactive iodine on Octo-
ber 15 to clear out any remaining cancer cells. The treatment itself is quite simple, but I’ll need
to stay away from people for about a week until I stop setting off the Geiger counter! After that,
my doctor will start my medication again and begin working to optimize the dose; aside from
regular screening checks, I’ll then be done with this and ready to move on.
Thank you again, from me and my family, for the ongoing prayers, words of encouragement,
wonderful meals, and support in so many ways. Day by day is not so bad when a whole com-
munity makes the journey with you. ~Mo. Betsy
Gratitude and Stewardship Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount
of gratitude. A.A. Milne
As we enter our Season of Gratitude later this month, I invite you to reflect on all the blessings
we have received from God. We have been blessed with resources to support our ministries,
blessed to have rich fellowship, blessed to have an active and thriving youth group – the list
goes on and on.
This is the season to embrace stewardship grounded in gratitude, revealed in prayer, and lived
in faith. It is the season to open ourselves ever wider to the Spirit of God through a deepening
life of prayer and worship. This is the season to ask “How can I live more faithfully?” Might
God be inviting you to make a pledge to come to church every Sunday throughout the season?
Or to attend Lectio Divina on Wednesday evenings or Bible Study on Wednesday mornings?
Or to increase your financial pledge as a reflection of your gratitude for the way God continues
to increase the blessings in your life? Or to volunteer for one of the many Outreach ministries
at Saint Mark’s? Or….?
Beginning on October 20 and continuing through November 10, you will hear the gospel
preached and powerful witness made from some of our members who give of their talent, time
and treasure, and who want to share their gratitude to God with all of us. During our Adult
Education hour (9:00 – 10:15 a.m., Brown Library) on these Sundays, all will be welcome to
engage the morning’s gospel reading and to view it through the lens of Stewardship.
Use the coming season to reflect on all the gifts that God has bestowed upon us and to respond
by embracing the sharing of those gifts in all kinds of ways. Encourage one another in the
voicing of gratitude and the practice of generosity. Take courage from the words of Paul in his
letter to the Hebrews: “Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what
you have, for God has said, ‘I will never leave you or forsake you.’” (13:5)
~Marti Farley, Stewardship Ministry Team Chair
Door of Hope Dinner—Wednesday, October 2;
6:00 p.m. Please contact George Rothwell (626-798-
7415) at least 2 days in advance if you would like to
participate.
Movie Night: October 5, 6:30, Brown Library
Enjoy “Life of Pi” about a young man who survives a
disaster at sea who is hurtled into an epic journey of
adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms
an unexpected connection with another survivor: a
fearsome Bengal tiger. Bring something to share and
stay for the discussion afterwards with Nathan
Schroeder.
Blessing of the Animals:
October 6, 2013
Join us on the Community
Hall patio for the 9:00 a.m.
and 10:30 a.m. services, held
under our newly acquired canopy! All families are
invited to bring their leashed, caged, boxed or stuffed
animals to this special service.
Women’s Soup will meet Tuesday, October 8, at 6:30
p.m. at La Grande Orange Café, 260 So. Raymond,
Pasadena. It is located on Raymond Ave. near Del
Mar. RSVP to Jannette Allen (626) 797-9372 or
jaymichelle515@ yahoo.com.no later than Friday,
October 4.
Project this month: Haiti Teachers’ Project
The Andrew Blackwood Annual Boy Scout/City of
Hope Blood Drive is scheduled for Sunday, October
13 in the Community Hall from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The blood drive is an annual event begun as an Eagle
project by a Scout battling cancer. This drive
continues to be the most productive annual event for
City of Hope. Please sign up with Tom Sobota
(626-794-9975) or just drop in during the day.
Adult Education
Theology of Pets: Sunday, October 6, 9:00 a.m.
This is a discussion of the welcome of pets in our
lives led by Terri Jones and Hobbes. Pets are wel-
come.
Season of Gratitude Lectionary Gospel Study
Sundays: October 13, 20, 27, November 3, 10,
Brown Library
Pr. Carri and the Stewardship team will guide a study
of the lectionary during this time leading up to
Centering Saturday On Saturday , October 26, from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30
p.m., there will be a Centering Saturday. This is a
mini-retreat of Centering Prayer, Lectio Divina and
private reflection. It is a chance for us to catch our
breath and take a break from our busy lives to let God
fill us with His Peace. If you are unfamiliar with the
Centering Prayer method, we are happy to give you
your own private lesson!
Saint Mark’s Altar Guild offers
Holiday Greens
Beginning October 15, the Altar Guild
of Saint Mark’s is offering Holiday
greens for sale. The sale helps the guild
to keep the church supplied with wine
and wafers, candles and linens for the
Sunday services and weekday school chapels.
The inventory includes fresh wreaths, garlands,
Centerpieces, red and gold Christmas tree bow and a
decorator kit. There are also beautiful gift items to be
mailed directly to family and friends.
Please look for the brochure and order forms handed
out after the services on Sundays or brought home by
your child from the school.
Thank you for your support,
Joanne Morse
2013 Saint Mark’s Christmas Tree Sales
Order your tree between November 3
and November 17. Support Saint
Mark’s Outreach Programs. Watch for
more details in the next few weeks!
Choristers’ Corner
The Saint Mark's Choristers are off and
running on this year's musical adventure!
We still have room for new choristers, so
all children (Kindergarten and 1st: 3:15—
3:45 p.m.; 2nd through 6th: 4:00—5:00
p.m.) are invited to join us on Wednesdays as we learn
