06jul23

I have been moving my office from one area of the ministry center to another and a part of that move has given me the chance to see some historical documents of Saint Mark’s. One file had the documentation of the fundraiser that the church undertook in 1979 to restore and expand the campus to grow the Cub campus to add a library, offices and additional classrooms. This follows growth that began when the school began in 1961 with the main classroom building, then additions made in 1972 and 1975. Those years of the 1970’s marked major growth of the school and the church. In some ways, I think we are at a similar place as both a church and school. 

We find our community in a place where the unique gifts that Saint Mark’s has to offer give us the opportunity to become even more important to meet the needs of people in our area. Having similar faith as those who have led the church from it’s founding 70 years ago and in successive generations, we are now in a place where our gifts, blessings, and ministry will form what will be the foundation for ministries and growth for decades to come. We are planting new seeds that will yield a bounty that we can only imagine. I am excited to see all that is currently in the works to happen on our campus and even more in awe of what more we might do as we follow what God is calling us to become. I invite you to look around the entire campus and see the things that have changed over the last 70 years and the things that have continued from day one. We have faith in a God that has brought us to this day and will guide us into a wonderful future. 

Yours in Christ,

Father Grant

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).

Due to construction taking place in the Ministry Center, coffee hour after each service, is held in the South Chapel of the Church and can spill out to the Memorial Garden weather permitting. Please note that there are tables and chairs set up in the South Chapel for all to sit and visit comfortably. We are seeking coffee hour sponsors. You may sign up by filling in the form (8 am or 10:30 am) that is located on the table at the church entrance. Thank you for your support.

The Guild will be traveling to the Boca Raton campus of Florida Atlantic University for the 2:00 pm matinee performance of A Chorus Line. The cast is composed of professionals and FAU theater students. You may take the Saint Mark’s School van from the church parking lot to Panera Bread, 5975 N Federal Highway, Ft. Lauderdale, 33308, for lunch. After lunch the Guild will travel to Florida Atlantic University. If you choose to not have lunch, you can meet the van at Panera after lunch for the ride to FAU. You may also drive yourself directly to Panera or Florida Atlantic University. The ticket price will be $27.00 if we have less than 15 attendees, and $15.00 if we have over 15. Please contact Lynne Coughlin at 954-741-6566 or lynnescoughlin@gmail.com to arrange for ticket(s) and/or van transportation.

The Opening, a very special arrangement of America the Beautiful by Mark Hayes that can usually be heard on the Capitol Fourth television concert on the lawn of the Capitol Building in Washington D.C. is particularly notable with Fr. Grant’s touching readings in that very special arrangement. Another special moment was Give me your tired, your poor, the Emma Lazurus poem set to music reminding us that we are all immigrants. And Aaron Venable’s beautiful rendition of Frank Sinatra’s, The House I Live In. It was a very inspiring service and the choir was at its best.

Next Sunday, July 9th, we will have a special guest soloist, mezzo soprano Adriana Portales. She completed her musical studies at Conservatorio de Musica in Caracas, Venezuela. Her solo work in oratorio and opera is well known and diverse. This year she made her debut in the opera Carmen. Adriana has sung with orchestras internationally. At present she is based in south Florida and is soloist at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca, and St. Gregory’s Episcopal Church in Boca.

Looking forward, we are very excited to be hosting the international string quartet, Quartett Orfeo, based in Rome, Italy. They are in south Florida for a little more than a week on a musical culture exchange, and we are fortunate to have them as part of our morning worship service on Sunday, July 23rd. You don’t want to miss this! (Gordon Roberts, Choir Director)

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

While there are certainly times where a priest is the appropriate caregiver, or perhaps is someone specifically requested, the responsibility for ‘the love and care of one another’ is bestowed on each of us by baptism and commandment, and not by ordination. Congregational care is provided when faithful people are present and listening compassionately while the faith of others is being tested; and also, when we can utilize our ‘spiritual’ gifts and acquired skills to address someone’s ‘temporal’ needs. In so doing, we are preaching, practicing, and personifying Christ’s unconditional love. If God has placed upon your heart a desire to grow this ministry, please seek out a member of your Vestry and share your thoughts on how best to proceed, and how you can contribute.

Father Grant can be reached by email at gwiseman@saintmarks.com, or at 954-334-0131. Our congregation can be reached by contacting the church office . . . seeking your input.

We invite you to post on our church website blog, https://saintmarksftl.com/submit-post/, which helps us keep up with the sharing of information. All information will be reviewed and considered for posting on the church website, Facebook page, and Instagram, as well as in this Parish News.