20sep23

A Message from our Rector,

Father Grant Wiseman

Dear Parish Family,

There are an incredible amount of new things happening at Saint Mark’s, and I hope that you will be a part of any or all of them. Many of our regular ministries like the Book Club and the Guild have come back together. Our Tuesday Night Soup Dinners will continue for the next six weeks, and our Choir is returning to its full glory. Our Family First Friday is coming soon, and our Laundry Love ministry will kick off in October. So many great things are happening here!

II want to thank all of the people who have stepped up to prepare our Meals of Caring. We are slowly but surely filling our freezer. If you know anyone who could use a meal, feel free to grab one of the casseroles or soups that are in the freezer in the Parish Hall kitchen. 

Our next Family First Friday event will be a Karaoke and Appetizer night. You are invited to bring an appetizer to share and whatever you want to drink. We will have it in the Parish Hall from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on October 6th. Please invite your friends to join us!  

Yours in Christ,

Father Grant

Saint Mark’s Guild Meeting – Tomorrow

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)

Exodus 16:2-15; The Real Miracle – 9/24

Bread from Heaven! What a miracle! Today’s first proclamation addresses God feeding his people with miraculous manna. However, biblical scholars have long recognized that manna results naturally from certain beetles eating tamarisk bushes, and producing a sweet sticky substance called manna. The miracle is not the manna but the Hebrews seeing the hand of God in a natural event. Do we see God’s presence in our everyday activities? And does his presence form our bread of spiritual life? (Norm Carroll)

Tuesdays Soup Dinners – 9/26

The second gathering of the six-part series will be this Tuesday, September 26th, at 6:00 p.m., in the Parish Hall. The topic will be Understanding Medicare. Each Tuesday, a Ministry group takes turns providing the dinner. Father Grant kicked off the series with a delicious dinner. The Vestry will prepare the meal for Sept. 26th, the choir on Oct. 23rd, Saint Mark’s Episcopal School on Oct. 10th, and the Daughters of the King on Oct. 24th. If a group can provide the meal on October 17th, it would be most appreciated. Please contact Father Grant at gwiseman@saintmarks.com, if your group can prepare the dinner. Thank you!

Saint Mark’s Book Club – 9/28

Our Book Club will meet for lunch at 11:30 a.m. and have a book discussion from noon until 1:00 p.m. in the Ministry Center. The book for September 28 is Demon Copperhead, a novel by Barbara Kingsolver. Generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damage to children in society. His book inspired Barbara Kingsolver to write a contemporary parallel. Barbara Kingsolver grew up in Appalachia and after living in different parts of the world, has returned to Appalachia as her home. She knows it’s struggles well and Dickens and she share a faith in the transformation of a good story. Please RSVP to dorothyseibert@comcast.net if you plan to join us for lunch so we can prepare.

Family First Friday – 10/6

Mark your calendar for the next Family First Friday on October 6th with an appetizer dinner and karaoke, a big hit last year! Please bring appetizers to share and beverages for your family.

First Communion Classes – Beginning 10/15

Saint Mark’s Church will offer First Communion Classes on October 15th, 22nd, and 29th from 12:15 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Please sign up with Father Grant by emailing him 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 same time as their first communion, please let Father Grant know to schedule it. The planned First Communion date will be November 5th at the 10:30 a.m. service. Father Grant can schedule a time if that date does not work for your family. The class is ideal for first through third-grade students.   

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!

We now officially begin our season with the start of choir rehearsals this Wednesday. We welcome the weekly choir rehearsals starting today, Wednesday, September 20th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. As the choir has grown over the summer months, I am looking forward to a robust music program here at Saint Mark’s. Anyone interested in becoming a part of this program is very welcome. After the first rehearsal, I will know better the possibilities for the upcoming musical season. Palestrina. It was a wonderful musical banquet.

This Sunday we will hit the ground running with a piece by Zingarelli titled Go Not Far from Me. Within it are two very different feelings.

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.