VOLUME 16, ISSUE 3 MARCH 2017 ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 513 NASSAU STREET SOUTH ♦ VENICE FL 34285-2816 THE MESSENGER Connued top next page “I am reminded of your sincere faith… rekindle the gift of God that is within you … for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Tim 1:6-7 What a gift faith is! Having grown up in a household that actively practiced our religion and cultivated faith in God, for much of my life I took that faith for granted. It just was. The seasons of the church year regulated my life as much as the school year schedule, or the seasons of leaf raking, snow shoveling, cultivating and weeding. As I grew up, there were times I resented the practices associated with my faith—church every Sunday with no breakfast before Communion; fish on Fridays and no chocolate in Lent, dopey uniforms that broadcast to everyone that I went to parochial school. Those were practices that I doubted made much difference to God, though as I grew older, I doubted that my particular brand of Christianity had all the answers, but I didn’t doubt there was a God. When I first encountered someone who openly struggled with belief in God, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t just decide to believe and be done with it. I had not realized that faith is a gift. Until one is open to receiving the gift, faith can seem elusive. Opening oneself to receive is risky business. It takes humil- ity to acknowledge the need to receive, and humility is not a popular quality in this ultra-achieving world in which we live. But what a gift faith is, when one can stop the constant struggle for proof and for self- sufficiency. Opening oneself to faith is a risk worth taking. I am grateful for faith that reminds us there is mystery in the world--things for which there exists no proof, but are true, nonetheless. Paul writes in Hebrews, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” I am grateful faith allows us to let go of self-sufficiency. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge God, and God will make straight your paths.” Mind you, even the most devout among us probably doesn’t claim to live in faith free of doubt and trusting entirely in God’s sufficiency at all times, but we strive for that conviction of heart. “…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice…” When faith wanes, or fear creeps back in, or even when doubt engulfs us, we have resources available to re-kindle that faith. Lent is a time when we, as a Church community, rekindle our faith as we prepare for Easter. There are many ways we can create a holy Lent. We might rededicate ourselves to familiar spiritual practices, or we may engage in new ones. The practices and habits we engage in during Lent are meant to strengthen our faith, not to simply serve as a program of self-improvement, nor to cause us suffering. Many people focus on giving up something for Lent. Whether it is chocolate, alcohol, curs- ing, or criticizing that one gives up, the idea is one of fasting. Fasting is a spiritual discipline in which we actively choose not to do something in order to draw closer to God and God’s purpose for our life. Some Muslims who fast during Ramadan report that going without food reminds them, each time their stomach rumbles, of God’s gracious providence that keeps them fed and aware of their duty toward those who go hungry. A Facebook friend who fasts chooses to read Scripture
Transcript
VOLUME 16, ISSUE 3 MARCH 2017
ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
513 NASSAU STREET SOUTH ♦ VENICE FL 34285-2816
THE MESSENGER
Con�nued top next page
“I am reminded of your sincere faith… rekindle the gift of God that is within you … for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” 2 Tim 1:6-7
What a gift faith is! Having grown up in a household that actively practiced our religion and cultivated faith in God, for much of my life I took that faith for granted. It just was. The seasons of the church year regulated my life as much as the school year schedule, or the seasons of leaf raking, snow shoveling, cultivating and weeding.
As I grew up, there were times I resented the practices associated with my faith—church every Sunday with no breakfast before Communion; fish on Fridays and no chocolate in Lent, dopey uniforms that broadcast to everyone that I went to parochial school. Those were practices that I doubted made much difference to God, though as I grew older, I doubted that my particular brand of Christianity had all the answers, but I didn’t doubt there was a God.
When I first encountered someone who openly struggled with belief in God, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t just decide to believe and be done with it. I had not realized that faith is a gift. Until one is open to receiving the gift, faith can seem elusive. Opening oneself to receive is risky business. It takes humil-ity to acknowledge the need to receive, and humility is not a popular quality in this ultra-achieving world in which we live. But what a gift faith is, when one can stop the constant struggle for proof and for self-sufficiency. Opening oneself to faith is a risk worth taking.
I am grateful for faith that reminds us there is mystery in the world--things for which there exists no proof, but are true, nonetheless. Paul writes in Hebrews, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” I am grateful faith allows us to let go of self-sufficiency. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge God, and God will make straight your paths.” Mind you, even the most devout among us probably doesn’t claim to live in faith free of doubt and trusting entirely in God’s sufficiency at all times, but we strive for that conviction of heart. “…for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice…” When faith wanes, or fear creeps back in, or even when doubt engulfs us, we have resources available to re-kindle that faith.
Lent is a time when we, as a Church community, rekindle our faith as we prepare for Easter. There are many ways we can create a holy Lent. We might rededicate ourselves to familiar spiritual practices, or we may engage in new ones. The practices and habits we engage in during Lent are meant to strengthen our faith, not to simply serve as a program of self-improvement, nor to cause us suffering.
Many people focus on giving up something for Lent. Whether it is chocolate, alcohol, curs-ing, or criticizing that one gives up, the idea is one of fasting. Fasting is a spiritual discipline in which we actively choose not to do something in order to draw closer to God and God’s purpose for our life. Some Muslims who fast during Ramadan report that going without food reminds them, each time their stomach rumbles, of God’s gracious providence that keeps them fed and aware of their duty toward those who go hungry. A Facebook friend who fasts chooses to read Scripture
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during the newly freed time and is always surprised at how much connecting with the Bible connects him with God.
The spiritual practice of reading Scripture can be part of a daily devotion. There are many daily devo-tional guides available, online or in paper form. Copies of Forward Day by Day are available in the narthex. Up-perRoom.org, Moravian.org, and MissionStClare.com all list prayers and Scripture for each day. Your Book of Common Prayer has services of prayer. The Daily Office Lectionary in the back lists the Scriptures chosen for each day: Morning, Noonday and Evening Prayers as well as Compline.
Some find reading the Gospel accounts of the journey of Christ to Calvary helpful in re-kindling faith. Instead of building on one part of the story each week, try sitting down and reading each Gospel account from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem through His crucifixion as one would read a novel or an autobiography. Anytime we pick up the Bible and read it, we open ourselves to God’s word to us. There is no wrong way to read Scripture.
Another spiritual practice helpful in strengthening faith is attending worship more often. Communal worship strengthens our connection to God and others. We reassert our identity as Christians as we recall Christ’s life, death and resurrection at each Eucharist. The Sacrament imparts a gift of grace as well. In addition to Saturday evening and Sunday celebrations of Eucharist, Wednesday Eucharist and Healing Service, services of Evening Prayer and the Stations of the Cross occur throughout Lent. In addition, attending Holy Week services can have a powerful impact as one builds upon the other leading to Easter Vigil and Easter morning.
Practices of prayer and meditation strengthen our relationship to God as we focus on communication and presence, the keys to any good relationship. Lent is a good time to rededicate oneself to a favorite prayer practice, or learn a new one. Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) is an activity that helps us hear how Scripture speaks to us in our lives today. Body prayers like walking the labyrinth or breath prayers can take one away from over-intellectualizing prayer, and centering prayer can allow for space to just be with God. Taking time each day for intentional silence can quiet our mind and let us focus on listening for God in the stillness.
This season of Lent, I hope you will find spiritual practices that feed your soul and strengthen the “spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline” that rekindles your faith. May your faith shine forth, warm you and prepare you for the glory of Easter.
Rev. Maggie+
See page 5 for two Lenten devotional opportunities at St. Mark’s.
ASH WEDNESDAYASH WEDNESDAY
Holy Communion and
Imposi�on of ashes at
7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 7:30 p.m.
Choir at 7:30 p.m.
Family service at 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday Evening, February 28
5:30 p.m.
Jambalaya & Jazz
Sign up on green Sheets
as usual.
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St. Mark’s Keeping our promise to Family Promise… The choir sang an anthem on Sunday, January 15 called “Here I Am, Lord.” We have sung this anthem many times over the years, but this particular Sunday, the words jumped off of the page…
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord? I have heard you calling in the night. I will go, Lord, if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart”
This brought to mind all the outreach ministries supported by St. Mark’s parish. One that is near and dear to our hearts is Family Promise. If you are not familiar, Family Promise is an organization that helps families with children who are down on their luck and find themselves in need of a place to live. There are over 10 Host churches which provide temporary living space while the families get back on their feet. Some churches like St. Mark’s, which don’t have enough room to serve as a Host on a regular basis, act as Support churches. Since 2015, St. Mark’s has served as a Support church for Grace United Methodist, which has served as a Host. There is one week this summer during which Grace United Methodist will not be able to Host. Fr. Jim has of-fered the facilities at St. Mark’s for this week saying that, if we all work together, we can turn St. Mark’s into a welcoming place for these families. Families will be housed in Gray Hall where the children can be safe during the day while their parents are job and house hunting. Our week to Host is June 4-11.
Here are two stories about families that have graduated from the Family Promise Program since August 2015:
FAMILY A: Mother with two children ages 2 and 4 months Unfortunately, this mother found herself and her children on the side of the road one afternoon af-ter her husband stopped the car and told them to get out. He had a drug problem and abandoned them. They entered the program, did not have transportation, and the mother did not have a job. During the program, she was able to get two jobs and Family Promise got her into the FAITH pro-gram in Sarasota with The Salvation Army. She is doing well today and finishing schooling to be-come an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). The kids are doing well and thriving after original-ly coming to Family Promise malnourished and developmentally delayed due to their circumstance. The family was able to save enough money to buy a car.
FAMILY B: Mother with two children ages 4 and 2 This mom came to us for help after her husband was sent to jail. He was ill and lost his job due to medical complications which led to a drug problem. The mother had been a stay-at-home mom and had not worked in a while because of the ages of her children. She lost her housing and had no-where to go. While in Family Promise, she managed to get two jobs, and Family Promise got her into the New Paradigm Foundation Program in Englewood. She will be able to stay there for a year or two while she works on her education and stabilization. Through the program, her rent will be only $450 a month, which she can afford.
Services Family Promise Provides: Safe Shelter, meals, long-term program referral, child-care assistance, gas cards, vehicle repairs, bus passes, le-gal aid, YMCA passes for activities for children, prescription medication for children, special child development screenings, employment assistance, clothes and shoes, help in finding furnishings for homes when families move out of the program, and Christmas presents if they are with Family Promise during the Season. Follow-up with families is done by providing graduates with some basic monthly supplies to help defray expenses such as soap and paper products and frozen and canned food items. These things are made available through church and indi-vidual donations.
Go to the bottom of page 5 to see how you can help our June effort.
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PSORIASIS One of an occasional series on specific diseases.
Psoriasis is an inflammatory disorder causing rapid proliferation of skin cells so that oval plaques form on the skin. The skin cells may form 20 times faster than normal, causing silvery scales to form. It is estimated that about 1 in 50 persons worldwide have a form of psoriasis, and light-skinned people are at greater risk. (Rarely, psoriasis may be more severe and can cause a form of arthritis and joint pain.) Cause? Uncertain, but the immune system is involved (T cells) and an environmental stimulus may trigger an attack. Stimulus might be a sunburn, emotional stress, alcohol or a strep infection. Susceptible persons can often identify their own trigger. Is it infectious? Absolutely not. Touching a person with psoriasis, or even touching a plaque will not spread the skin lesion to you. How is it treated? Milder cases of psoriasis are treated with one of a wide variety of prescription creams, in-cluding Vitamin D, steroids, coal tar shampoos and retinoids. Ultraviolet (UV) light therapy is very effective and has been used for at least a century with excellent results. Each patient is different and often requires more than one cream in combination therapy. Being consistent with the treatment will speed the resolution of the attack. For milder psoriasis, prescription steroid creams are inexpensive and effective. How about those drugs advertised on TV? Curiously, the US is the only country that permits direct-to-consumer drug advertisements! Television ads are expensive, so as a general rule, drugs advertised on TV are very expensive. Recently, Humira® and Stelara® have been adver-tised; these are powerful drugs to suppress the immune system, have a huge list of potential side effects, and are also used to treat serious immune disorders such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis. They cost about $2,000 a month and should only for be used for severe psoriasis or that causing joint destruction.
Questions?
Lorna Stuart, M.D.
XX OO A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who helped with the Valentine Dinner Dance. It was a fun evening and a huge success. Special thank-you to Clover Webster for her guidance and patience.
Remember: March 9 to 12 St. Mark's is hosting the Happening National Leader-ship Board biannual meeting. If you would like to provide some snacks or drinks for the group, please contact Jackie.
Happening: A Christian Retreat for Young People will be held at Dayspring from April 28 to 30. If you know of a high school youth who might benefit from this experience, please contact Jackie.
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You are invited to:
A Gala in the Garden at St. Mark’s Preschool Annual Silent
Auc�on & Dinner blooming for our 15th
annual
event Saturday, May 6, 2017 at
St. Mark’s Gray Hall, 508 Riviera St. Venice
from 5:00 – 9:00 PM.
Your invita�on will be arriving in the mail in
April. Sea�ng limited to 160 people.
Meanwhile we are seeking sponsors and dona�ons
of all kinds! We especially those of fine jewelry, vaca�on geta-
ways in condos or vaca�on homes, spor�ng items, gi4 cer�fi-
cates from businesses, handcra4ed items, fine art, garden foun-
tains, large plants, bonsai. Please call the preschool office at
Set aside the week of June 4-11, 2017. On Sunday, June 4 we need volunteers to set up the three rooms in Gray
Hall that will be used as homes for the three families in the program. We also need volunteers ⇒
⇒ to furnish portions of the dinners we will be providing families during the week.
⇒ to provide some breakfasts foods.
⇒ to help with activities for the children after they have finished with their dinner.
⇒ to sleep in the church hall to be available if there is an emergency.
⇒ to clean up on Sunday morning, June 11 so we will be ready for church.
There will be sign-up sheets in the narthex and Gray Hall beginning in April. At that time we will have several informational meetings – after church services – for all volunteers to become familiar with the program and ask questions. However, if you wish to have more information before that time, call or email Lunetta Knowlton, 941.484.9952, [email protected]; Elsa Dempsey, 941.485.7035, [email protected]; or Suzanne Skalski, 941.375.2975, [email protected]
We feel God is giving us a great opportunity to help those who are in need. Please join us.
Captain Scott Hoover of the Venice Salvation Army reports that the 2016 Red Kettle
Campaign generated over $185K—a new record for South County! Of that St. Mark’s kettle contributed $15,852.36. WOW! All in all, a very good season. Thanks to all who rang the bell and to all who donated. Twice as many children this year had gifts to open on Christmas morning. Additionally, grocery gift cards were given to families, seniors and others for a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner. Hun-dreds of gifts were distributed to nursing home shut-ins as well as to those who are incarcer-ated.
We join Captain Hoover in con-gratulating Russ Larsen for or-ganizing a great cadre of volun-teers resulting in a banner year for all! Way to go Russ!
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Remember
our
shut-ins
with prayer
and visitation.
Aston Gardens Eleanor Jean Gardens of Venice Rocky Bryan Harbor Chase Barbara Gerrish Manor Care Jean Albanese Sunset Lake Village Natalie McLaren Village on the Isle Ed Brenholtz Warren Clements Marge Nicolas Betty White Windsor David Foster
These dates are not available in the
online version.
6
UUUPDATESPDATESPDATES FROMFROMFROM THETHETHE
EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMENEPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMENEPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN
Reminder: Tuesday, March 7 is our Annual ECW Scholarship Fundraiser Luncheon and Fashion Show with Tea Cup Auction. Tickets are available for a suggested dona-tion of $22. See Barbara Willis or Clover Webster, or visit the Gift Shop.
Monday, March 27 ECW Board Meeting in Church Office Building at 9:30.
Tuesday, April 4, Quiet Day with Rev. Maggie Sulli-van at DaySpring. Register using little pink sheets found in Gray Hall, church and church office. Must include $20 fee with registration. Arrive by 9 a.m.
Barbara Willis ECW President
CHURCH WOMEN UNITED
All women of St. Mark’s are members of Church Women United! St. Mark’s is one of 22 local church-es in this international ecumenical organization. Join us at noon on Friday, March 3, for a Potluck and World Day of Prayer Celebration. Meet at Christ United Methodist Church, 1475 Center Road. Bring a canned food item for the South Country Food Pan-try. Please contact Carol Schweitzer at 941.428.5362 or Beverly Polk at 859.421.4424 to make a reservation and/or get your questions an-swered. Transportation can be provided. Invite friends and neighbors!
MARK’S MENMARK’S MENMARK’S MEN Mark’s Men will meet on Tuesday, March 21, 6:00 p.m. with dinner prepared by one of our Chefs. We will have a panel of distinguished local golf profession-als, chaired by our very own Jim Duval. They will be talking about PGA and LPGA qualification procedures. How does a golfer become a member of the PGA or LPGA tours? What does it take to get a Class A card, to become a club professional? How can you fix your left hook? These questions and more will be answered! Look for the blue sign-up sheets in the narthex and Gray Hall. Food is ordered based on sign-up—please, if you sign up, show up. A $10 donation is generally asked to cover the cost of the food. If you have any questions about this particular gathering or the Mark’s Men in general, speak with Bobby Wood (480.0077), Jim Park (716.2998) or Steve Plichta (480.1611).
UTO REMINDER!
The upcoming collection will be Sunday, March 5. Boxes and envelopes are located in the narthex. This is the time to turn in the boxes you have been filling since last fall. The United Thank Offering has been a vital ministry of the church supporting missions both foreign and domestic. The money generated represents individual gifts offered through daily Thanksgiving.
COMFORT QUILTS
Here is an update on the "Comfort Quilts Ministry." We gave 26 bed scarves to Loveland for their new homes. Our next project is for DaySpring—Carla asked us to make quilts to keep at the camp for those gathering to watch TV. Here’s an easy way to help: Use fleece. Please buy 1½ yards and cut “fringe” all around in one-half inch lengths...perfect for sitting on the floor and much easier to make than a quilt. St Mark's has been giving quilts to Shriner's Hospital for five years. Lou Ortt told us that our little group has a national reputation with the Shriner’s. They wish that others would step up to help as much as we have. For more information call Irene Piggott at 474.4399 or Barbara Willis at 497.3949.
NON PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE
PAIDMANASOTA FL
PERMIT #900
♣ We know all things work together for good for those who love
God, who are called according to his purpose. —Romans 8:28
Clergy: James H. Puryear (Rector), Maggie Sullivan
(Assoc. Rector) John Lawrence (Assisting Priest), Judith
Roberts (Assisting Priest), Len Brusso (Assisting Priest),
Keith Backhaus (Deacon), Joyce Treppa (Deacon)
Vestry: Susan Stewart (Sr. Warden), Bob Adams (Jr.
Warden), Adam Kendall (treasurer) Joanne Beinner,
Karen Dehne, Tom Gaines, John Haseltine, Adam
Kendall, Johnna Lillich, Linda Moore, Steve Plichta,
Beverly Polk, Kevin White, Debbie Pfender (clerk)
Church staff: Peter A. Madpak (Choirmaster & Organist),
Jackie Overton (Youth), Lorna Stuart, MD (Parish Health
