13sep23

A Message from our Rector,

Father Grant Wiseman

Dear Parish Family,

Our Tuesday Night Soup Dinners are starting this Tuesday, the 19th of September, at 6 p.m. in the Parish Hall. The program will be an Introduction to the Episcopal Church. We will ask people to make a goodwill donation toward the Laundry Love Ministry, which is beginning at Saint Mark’s. Each week, we will have a program, and a ministry group will provide the food. I hope that you will all attend. It is a great way for people from different services to meet one another.

The Family First Friday event will be on October 6th. We are still deciding what the event will be. However, there will be hamburgers and hotdogs. We invite people to bring a dish to share and whatever they would like to drink.

We will be offering First Communion Classes on three Sundays during October. The classes will start at 12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. on October 15th, 22nd, and 29th. Please sign up by emailing me at gwiseman@saintmarks.com. If your child has been baptized and is already taking communion, and you want them to learn more about communion and the church, this is a great class for their formation. If your child has not been baptized and you wish to have them baptized, at the time of their first communion, please let me know, and we can schedule it. The planned First Communion date will be November 5, 2023, at the 10:30 a.m. service. We can also schedule a time, if that date does not work for your family. This class is ideal for first through third-grade students.

Yours in Christ,

Father Grant

Sunday’s Gospel; Matthew 18:21-35; Seven Come Eleven – 9/17

Several years ago, I visited Las Vegas and learned the importance of the number seven in gambling. Depending on the game, seven makes you a winner or a loser. However, biblically, seven means fullness or perfection. In today’s gospel Peter asks Jesus whether one must forgive a person seven times. Jesus responds: “Not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Jesus is telling us to forgive everything forever. How you forgive is your decision, but He will not accept vengeance, anger or insult to blemish the beauty of your forgiveness. (Norm Carroll)

Tuesdays Soup Dinners – Beginning 9/19

Starting next week, we will have six Tuesday Night Dinners beginning September 19, 2023, in the Parish Hall. Ministry groups will take turns providing the dinners. The first six-week session will occur on Tuesdays, September 19th, September 26th, October 3rd, October 10th, October 17th and October 24th. Possible topics for each session include; Biblical Studies (multi-week), History of the Episcopal (Anglican Church), Understanding Medicare, History of the Book of Common Prayer, Laundry Love, Growing an Engaged Church, and Introduction to the Episcopal Church.

Saint Mark’s Guild Meeting – 9/21

The Guild will meet next Thursday, September 21st at 12:30 pm. Our speaker will be Dr. Norman Carroll. Please bring a dish to share and join us. The new meeting room in the Ministry Center is up and running. It is located in the front room of the Ministry Center, and is accessible directly from the church parking lot. It will be good to get together again. (Lynne Coughlin)

Family First Friday – 10/6

Mark your calendar for the next Family First Friday on October 6th. Plans are currently underway. It will most likely include a cookout with hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixings. Stay tuned for more information!

Junior Altar Guild!

Paula Green; paulamikenicole@yahoo.com), and Ryan Burkardt; ryan.brukardt@gmail.com are planning to initiate a Junior Altar Guild for the Sunday, 10:30 a.m. service. The members of the Junior Altar Guild will assist with the altar preparations before and after the service, plus ironing. Volunteering students will receive community service hours. We are looking forward to their participation in this service to the church!

Fr. Grant and Heather have been fostering two puppies, and they are in need of a forever home. They are purebred mutts, but their mother was a purebred Goldendoodle. The bigger one is named Coach (pictured left) and he is full of energy and has a very soft coat. The smaller one is Sam (pictured right), and he is a big cuddler. If you could share with your friends and neighbors about them, it would be greatly appreciative. They are four months old. If you are interested, please contact Fr. Grant at gwiseman@saintmarks.com.

From The Music Department!

Last Sunday we had an interesting musical lineup, going from the popular spiritual Let My People Go (Go Down Moses) to the ever beautiful Lord’s Prayer with our special guest soloist, Linda Zweig. It’s wonderful when we can have music from all aspects of a spectrum.

This coming Sunday we have a similar combination. Our own Aaron Venable, bass, will sing a wonderful arrangement of Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho arranged by Mark Hayes, (a spiritual), and the Chancel Choir will sing Call to Remembrance, O Lord by Richard Farrant, a very different style. It goes to my thinking of a musical bouquet. 

And I will be playing for the Prelude and Postlude, music from a couple of centuries ago, interesting and different. The Postlude is a Jig Fugue by Dietrich Buxtehude. Well worth a listen and lots of fun

We welcome the weekly choir rehearsals starting next Wednesday, September 20th at 6:30 pm, in the Sanctuary, when we can really polish the music. It is very heartening to hear the positive reactions from members of the Congregation after the 10:30 am service. Many thanks from all of us.  

Gordon Roberts, Music Director

Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church

Numbered Giving Envelopes – Now Available

If you have requested giving envelopes, please note that your numbered envelopes are located on the counter at the entrance of the church. Please remember to sign for your envelopes, as they are registered in our Realm giving system. If you did not order envelopes, but would like to receive a set of envelopes, please contact Kelly Harris (kharris@saintmarks.com).

Let’s Stay in Touch

We are continuing to make an effort to keep our contact records up to date. If you are new to Saint Mark’s, or if any of your contact information has changed, please let us know! Simply fill out the blue card that can be found in the pew rack with your current contact information, and either place it in the collection plate, or hand it to an usher. Also, you can send your information to Ken Arruda, Junior Warden at kenarruda@comcast.net at your earliest convenience.

Name Tags

We are encouraging everyone to wear their name tags! If you would like a Saint Mark’s name badge or need a replacement (or a second card to keep in your car!), please see an usher and your card will be ready for next Sunday. If you would like your ministry affiliation to be displayed on the tag (e.g., Choir, Guild, ECW, etc.), please let us know. Also, you may reach out to Ken Arruda, Junior Warden at kenarruda@comcast.net, and he will receive your request.

Daughters of the King (DOK) – Prayer Requests

Saint Mark’s Chapter of The Order of the Daughters of the King is a spiritual sisterhood of women who are called to pray for concerns in our parish. If you have a special request for prayers please fill out a card in the pew rack and place it in the black lock box located in the South Chapel, or you may reach out to Mindy Hardial, DOK Chapter President at mindyedsall@gmail.com, or Billie Hairston at bchair@bellsouth.net. All requests for prayers are handled confidentially, and must be placed in the black lock box instead of the Sunday’s offering collection plates.

Important Links to our Activities Calendar and Sign-Up to Receive Our Weekly Email Newsletter

Our church web address is www.saintmarksftl.com. To view up-to-date, easy-to-read church and school schedules of meetings and activities CLICK HERE, this is a very useful tool. If you want to receive the weekly Parish Newsletter via email please sign up at https://saintmarksftl.com/#subscribenow and complete the Constant Contact form located on the right side of the web page. If you are interested submitting an article to our weekly Parish Newsletter email dorothyseibert@comcast.net.