19Oct22

As we are seeing many of our parishioners return from up north, and newcomers arrive as they continue to try to find their church home, we need to be ready for them. In the next few weeks and months, you are going to hear about Invite-Welcome-Connect (IWC). It is a way for us to move toward being a place that values the stranger in our midst. I have been excited by the new people who have already come to Saint Mark’s over the past couple of months and am even more excited by how we have responded to them. What IWC does, is to put in place procedures for us to make sure we are attentive to new people and focused on the journey we all are taking together. It gives us tools to make sure we are open to the Holy Spirit guiding us to become the church we envision ourselves.

I invite you to join us as we consider new ways to encourage people to walk through our doors. I want for us to be a place where we remember what it is like to be new to a community and be welcoming and present to the people who are just beginning their journey with us. My hope is that we will have more and more people become a part of what is an incredible parish that worships and plays so well.

I am excited about the future of our church and look forward to what Jesus is calling us to become.

Yours in Christ,

Grant +

The Guild is composed of retired individuals who meet on the third Thursday of the month, at noon in the Ministry Center for Fellowship, Prayers, a Potluck lunch, and a program. On the 20th, after lunch, there will be a speaker from the League of Women Voters to teach everyone about gun safety in the home. All are welcome to hear the program at 1:00 pm. Looking forward to having you join us!

Jesus, the master storyteller, describes in next Sunday’s Gospel a magnificent tale of two sides of human nature: the narcissist self and the true self. The narcissist, the Pharisee, rates himself superior to others particularly to the tax collector. This applies to that selfish dimension of myself. The true self sees him/herself as unworthy of God. These two characters live in each of us, and we choose daily which attitude will dominate our thinking. Jesus urges each of us to choose our true selves and follow Him by living reverently as one in the presence of God. (Norm Carroll)

Please consider remembering the saints who have impacted your life, by placing their name(s) in our bulletin on All Saints Sunday. Please contact Kelly Harris; at kharris@saintmarks.com, by no later than TUESDAY, October 25th.  You may also complete the form inserted in the church bulletins and place the completed form in the offertory basket this coming Sunday, October 23rd. The form will be available on Sunday.

Thank you to all who came to our first meeting in September. We were pleased with the number of women in attendance. ECW is open to all women of the church. Please consider taking an officer position, as we are required to elect a board. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Saturday, October 29th, in the Parish Hall. Please contact Becky Fogleson if you have any questions. Becky may be reached at 954-646-5122, or by email at oldfogey2@att.net.

Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel to “pray always”, and Paul repeats that in 1 Thess. 5-17. This is possible only when one understands that prayer is not merely a conversation with God but a way of living, punctuated by certain exquisite moments. If I pray for hours and then curse out my co-worker, am I living in God’s presence, or proving my hypocrisy? Truly, to pray is to live as God’s child, and nourish that living with moments of intimate communion. Such Christian living requires faith, and so today, Jesus asks, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find {any} faith on earth?” (Norm Carroll)

Please join us at our Sea Lab for Family First Saturday on November 5th from 4 pm – 6:30 pm. We will be kayaking and paddle boarding behind our school’s waterway to clean up the river between the two bridges. This will be followed by a cookout of burgers and hotdogs, along with side dishes on the school’s dining deck. Our school has over a dozen kayaks and ten paddleboards.

We had quite a musical Sunday this past, October 16! As part of his sermon, Father Grant Wiseman sang These Things Are True of You: CLICK HERE TO WATCH.  Also at our 10:30 service tenor Edgar Miguel Abreu inspired us with his solo of You Raise Me Up: CLICK HERE TO WATCH. And our choir sang The Lord Bless You and Keep You by John Rutter: CLICK HERE TO WATCH.

November 1 is the deadline for submitting your photos for the upcoming Saint Mark’s Church and School calendar. Please CLICK HERE for more info and a link to upload your photos Please upload a high-resolution (300-350 dpi) copy of your photo (i.e. just load the original, without modifications). Be sure to label and date your photos prior to sending them. For examples would be 9-22 Choir or 10-22 Blessing of the Animals – yours’ and your pet’s name. You may CLICK HERE to directly upload your photos.

Father Grant has a daily prayer blog which he starts each morning. He shares this with all who would like to pray together at www.atwinfather.com. When you go to the prayer of the day, there is an option to receive the daily prayer in your email inbox so that you don’t have to type it in every day.

Now that the cases of COVID have thankfully abated, wearing a facial mask is encouraged, but not required. Please respect the space of those who choose to be more cautious.