ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH 85 East Main Street, Mount Kisco, New York 10549 Telephone: 914-666-8058 Fax: 914-666-8068 E-mail: [email protected]web: www.stmarksmtkisco.org MAY 2015 Dear Members and Friends of St. Mark’s, It does not seem possible that after what seemed like an endless winter, we have finally emerged into a glorious spring time. As I look out my office window, I see warm sunshine, colorful trees, flowers in bloom, numerous birds, our black squirrels, and a lot more pedestrian traffic than I have seen in a very long time. Every day, I thank God for the opportunity to be your Priest. I believe a spirit of hope, reconciliation, and commitment has been growing within the parish. We are blessed to have Karen Kelley and Fran Osborne as our Church Wardens; Vinnie Tuccillo as our Parish Clerk; Kendrick Carr, as our Parish Treasurer; and a truly splendid Vestry who are working very well together. In March, we shared in a “Vestry Best Practices Workshop,” which was offered by the Rev. Nora Smith, from the Diocese of New York. The energy, creativity, and commitment found in the Vestry at this time augers very well for the parish as we work both to enhance our mission and ministry and to strengthen our long-term sustainability as a significant parish in the heart of Northern Westchester County. I wish more of you had seen the twenty parish children who participated actively in the special Children’s Service we conducted on the Sunday after Easter. I am pleased to report that eight young women and five parents are involved this spring in our Confirmation Class. Our choir, under the leadership of Geoffrey Smith continues to bring beautiful music to our worship. On May 17 th , Geoff and the St. Mark’s Choir will offer the last of this season’s Evensong’s at 4 p.m., preceded by an Organ Recital at 3:15 p.m. Our annual picnic here in Mt. Kisco, with our partners from St. Ann’s Church in the Bronx, will occur on Satur day, June 6, 2015. Please save the date. The Vestry and I continue to wrestle with some short-fall in our needed income for this year. Last fall, our stewardship campaign for 2015 was marked by an impressive and gratifying 30% increase in the amount pledged for the 2015 budget. Alas, that does not close a deficit that has evolved over some years. We are working on ways to reduce our costs and to increase our income streams in the next two years to close this gap. If you have not yet pledged, your prayerful consideration of a pledge would be appreciated. Special gifts to St. Mark’s also help us to foster special projects or to bring our budget into better balance. In July and August, cash flow in church checkbooks can get sluggish, so we appreciate it when you are able to keep your pledges current over the summer – even from afar! Should you be working on estate planning, I would be pleased to talk to you about ways you might contribute to St. Mark’s vital ministry in the future. You may have noticed that the Eastertide ditch outside the church has been closed and the ground reseeded. We now await having Con Edison connect natural gas to our church pipeline out at the street. This holds the prospect of considerable cost saving in the years to come. We continue to work on fine tuning some issues related to the new boiler. I am grateful to Frank Tortorello, who oversaw this project, to Ted Raymond, our tireless Buildings and Ground’s Chair, and to Misael Enamorado, our Sexton, for all of their faithful efforts as we have lived into the joys and the challenges of our refurbished heating system. If you have not been at St. Mark’s for a while, please join us for worship in the near future. You will encounter many new faces as well as old friends. You will experience the beauty of our building and organ and the warmth of our community. You will be invited to grow in the love of God and our neighbors. I hope to see you soon! Bill Doubleday, Priest in Charge
Transcript
ST. MARK’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
85 East Main Street, Mount Kisco, New York 10549 Telephone: 914-666-8058 Fax: 914-666-8068 E-mail: [email protected] web: www.stmarksmtkisco.org
MAY 2015 Dear Members and Friends of St. Mark’s, It does not seem possible that after what seemed like an endless winter, we have finally emerged into a glorious spring time. As I look out my office window, I see warm sunshine, colorful trees, flowers in bloom, numerous birds, our black squirrels, and a lot more pedestrian traffic than I have seen in a very long time. Every day, I thank God for the opportunity to be your Priest. I believe a spirit of hope, reconciliation, and commitment has been growing within the parish. We are blessed to have Karen Kelley and Fran Osborne as our Church Wardens; Vinnie Tuccillo as our Parish Clerk; Kendrick Carr, as our Parish Treasurer; and a truly splendid Vestry who are working very well together. In March, we shared in a “Vestry Best Practices Workshop,” which was offered by the Rev. Nora Smith, from the Diocese of New York. The energy, creativity, and commitment found in the Vestry at this time augers very well for the parish as we work both to enhance our mission and ministry and to strengthen our long-term sustainability as a significant parish in the heart of Northern Westchester County. I wish more of you had seen the twenty parish children who participated actively in the special Children’s Service we conducted on the Sunday after Easter. I am pleased to report that eight young women and five parents are involved this spring in our Confirmation Class. Our choir, under the leadership of Geoffrey Smith continues to bring beautiful music to our worship. On May 17th, Geoff and the St. Mark’s Choir will offer the last of this season’s Evensong’s at 4 p.m., preceded by an Organ Recital at 3:15 p.m. Our annual picnic here in Mt. Kisco, with our partners from St. Ann’s Church in the Bronx, will occur on Saturday, June 6, 2015. Please save the date. The Vestry and I continue to wrestle with some short-fall in our needed income for this year. Last fall, our stewardship campaign for 2015 was marked by an impressive and gratifying 30% increase in the amount pledged for the 2015 budget. Alas, that does not close a deficit that has evolved over some years. We are working on ways to reduce our costs and to increase our income streams in the next two years to close this gap. If you have not yet pledged, your prayerful consideration of a pledge would be appreciated. Special gifts to St. Mark’s also help us to foster special projects or to bring our budget into better balance. In July and August, cash flow in church checkbooks can get sluggish, so we appreciate it when you are able to keep your pledges current over the summer – even from afar! Should you be working on estate planning, I would be pleased to talk to you about ways you might contribute to St. Mark’s vital ministry in the future. You may have noticed that the Eastertide ditch outside the church has been closed and the ground reseeded. We now await having Con Edison connect natural gas to our church pipeline out at the street. This holds the prospect of considerable cost saving in the years to come. We continue to work on fine tuning some issues related to the new boiler. I am grateful to Frank Tortorello, who oversaw this project, to Ted Raymond, our tireless Buildings and Ground’s Chair, and to Misael Enamorado, our Sexton, for all of their faithful efforts as we have lived into the joys and the challenges of our refurbished heating system. If you have not been at St. Mark’s for a while, please join us for worship in the near future. You will encounter many new faces as well as old friends. You will experience the beauty of our building and organ and the warmth of our community. You will be invited to grow in the love of God and our neighbors. I hope to see you soon! Bill Doubleday, Priest in Charge
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN THE FUN. There is a $25 deposit to reserve a space and support some advertising. The hope is that all participants will contribute some percentage of their proceeds to the parish! One person pledged 100%; another 50%; a third 10%. It is entirely up to you.
If you are not selling at the sale, please remember to support the church, by contributing to the
“parish table” or shop at the event. Call Parish office to sign up.
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June Markings deadline is Wednesday, May 20
ADULT FORUMS The last two Adult Forums of this season are:
May 3, 2015: What is Happening in the Episcopal Church? 2015 is a General Convention Year!
June 7, 2015: Theological Reflections on Summer and Sabbath Time
We begin at 9:10 am and adjourn by 9:50 am
The Adult Education Forum will resume on Sunday, September 13, 2015, the second Sunday of September,
due to the Labor Day holiday. You are encouraged to suggest topics to Bill Doubleday.
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CONFIRMATION CLASS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TWELVE
YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER
A Spring Confirmation Class for Young People who are 12 or older, began on Sunday, April 19, 2015 at 11:30
a.m. There will be five more sessions and each class session will be one hour and fifteen minutes.
The Schedule for the Confirmation Class is as follows:
May 3, 2015: “How Do We Read the Bible?”
May 17, 2015: “Making Sense Out of Prayer, Worship, and Spirituality.”
May 31, 2015: “What Do We Believe About God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit?”
June 14, 2015: “Values, Ethics, Decision Making, and Morality.”
June 28, 2015: “Connecting Our Tradition to the 21st Century Mission and Ministry of the Church.”
It is helpful for one or both parents to sit in on most of the classes so that questions and discussion can
continue between sessions. Any questions or concerns contact: [email protected] or call the
church office at: 914-666-8058.
SPECIAL WORSHIP SERVICE Participants with developmental challenges and their care-givers from throughout Northern Westchester communities attend this service. Parishioners are needed to assist. The May service is planned for Tuesday, May 26 at 7 pm. Please arrive at 6:45 pm to assist our friends to get into the church, or to help set up the refreshments in the parish hall. The event is over
and all volunteers are finished before 8 pm. You receive a lot of blessing for an hour’s time! Hope to see you there!
Episcopal Charities Sunday – May 10, 2014
On Mother’s Day, as we celebrate the love shown by mothers in caring for their families, it is fitting to remember those mothers who are struggling to simply feed theirs. All contributions will help support the 44 community kitchens, food pantries, brown-bag lunch and home delivery programs funded by Episcopal Charities. Each of these programs depends upon those with a place in their hearts for the less fortunate. We hope that you will join in this year’s effort. Gift envelopes will be distributed on Sunday, May 10, 2014.
********************* SAVE THE DATE *********************
The REAL start of summer at St. Mark’s is the Annual St. Ann’s Picnic. What better way to kick off the season than with fun, food and fellowship together with our sister parish St. Ann’s Church from the Bronx. Participation from the families of St. Mark’s makes this an especially meaningful outreach event. We are always looking for creative ideas for activities. Please look for sign- up sheet in lobby. Monetary donations or donations of bottled water, juice or teas are welcome. Contact Charlie Williams if you would like to help: 914-275-5656, [email protected]
PRAYER CORNER….from Verann England
From Prayers for Healing, Refuah Sheleymah
O merciful God, we pray for the recovery of all on our prayer lists and those we have in our hearts. Grant them renewed strength and vigor, and the blessings of a confident spirit. Give wisdom, skill and patience to those who are helping to bring healing. Help all of us who share the anxiety of this illness to be brave and hopeful. Inspire us with courage and with faith; and grant Your blessings and grace to all who call upon You in sincerity and in truth.
CHILDREN’S SUNDAY AT ST. MARK’S Our huge thanks to the youngest members of St. Mark’s who actively participated in a service on April 12th. Father Bill and Jenny Lewis organized and recruited the children of St. Mark’s to take on the important duties typically carried out by adults on Sundays during church. The children took their roles seriously and were well received by everyone in the pews. In addition to a special cake to say thank you at coffee hour, the children (and a few adults who joined them!) seemed to really enjoy the ringing of the bells—several returned the next week to ring them again! We hope to coordinate another children’s service soon and hope you will encourage your children/grandchildren to join us! Special thanks go to: Olivia Barlow, Reader Mason Barlow, Usher Lexi Catalanello, Usher Madeline & Holden Wills, Ushers Victoria Isabella & Ashley Victoria Piacentino, Read Prayers of the People Tynan Harvey, Offered the Peace Teagan Harvey, Gave the Dismissal Angelina & Jessica Nisco, Communion Assistants
Annual St. Ann’s Picnic
Saturday, June 6,
11 am - 4 pm
VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE – MAY 2015
2015 HEATING UPGRADE PLEDGES NOW GRATEFULLY RECEIVED Dear Friends, Many of you very generously made monetary pledges towards the renovation and upgrading of our boiler and
heating system in mid-2014. Virtually every pledge promised for 2014 has been received. We now would
welcome the receipt of your 2015 pledges toward this capital project. Because we borrowed the monies to complete this project from our own St. Mark’s Church Reserve Fund, the sooner pledge payments are received, the faster those funds can again begin to generate income for the parish and its ongoing needs. We also still need about $50,000 in additional pledges to completely cover the cost of this project, or the Vestry will have to begin to budget the necessary repayments over the next five years. I would be pleased to meet with any of you who would like to help or receive more information about this important project. Bill Doubleday, Priest in Charge
MAY 3 MAY 10 MAY 17 MAY 24 MAY 31
Altar Guild 8 am
10 am
Ruann England
Karen Kelley
Debra Davis Deb Lunn
Sue Hewitt
Jill Finch Ruann England
Celeste Lynn Elizabeth Schreiner
TBD
Celeste Lynn Elizabeth Schreiner
TBD
Sue Hewitt
Chalice Bearers
10 am Zoher Saour
Mary Lynn Windsor Susan West Ted Raymond
Mary Lynn Windsor
Lectors 8 am Ruann England
Mary Ann Niedzwiedz
Robert Niedzwiedz James Cottingham Ted Raymond
10 am Raimo Bakis Susan West Doug Catalanello Alex Antes Raimo Bakis
Ushers 8 am
Ruann England James Cottingham
Gary & Brendan Ford
Mary Ann & Robert Niedzwiedz
Gary & Brendan Ford
Ruann England Ted Raymond
10 am Raimo Bakis Karen Kelley
Jim Hewitt Zoher Saour
Shirley Russell Alex Antes
Raimo Bakis Zoher Saour
Vinnie Tuccillo Dale Schweizer
Acolytes 10 am TBD Sofia Cuccia Neil Steiner Turner Williams Andrea Steiner
