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S T M A R K S E P I S C O P A L C H U R C H
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The CallMay the words of our mouths and the mediations of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight oh Lord our
strength and our redeemer. A Monthly Newsletter Issue - February 2016
WorshipInvitation to LentCommunity Lenten ServicesConfirmationEpiphany PicturesThe Book of Common PrayerCalled to Serve
Page 3-7
FormationBrunchYouth PageMindfulness Classes
Pages 7-9
StewardshipStewardship UpdateB&GNew Sexton
Pages 10-11
OutreachSummer Camp UpdateSchool Supplies
Pages 11-12
ParishBaseball OutingTransitionsHigh TeaWineLAF Save the DateBook Club
Pages 13-15
Lent, Spiritual Boot Camp or Holy Retreat?It’s an intriguing question. How do we conceptualize the church season between Ash Wednesday and Holy Saturday? Do we think of it as an intense 40 forty day sentence with six Sundays off for good behavior? Do think of it as a time to demonstrate our faithfulness through deprivation? Do we create Lent as a go hard or go home construct? What counts as optimum Lenten success? Can you fail Lent? Does Lent evoke harsh or gentle images or both?
Some of us may remember the feel good experience of filling our Sunday school issued Mite boxes with pennies and dimes for a worthy cause through the 40 days. Some may recall the satisfaction of giving up six weeks of wine or sweets or meat to stand in solidary with Jesus’ trial and sacrifice. Some may be reminded Tuesday evenings eating soup and studying a book with their church community. One year at St. Mark’s we drew Diocesan attention with our Holy Peeps/ Holy Week dioramas.
Whether our inclination is to enter this season from a place of austerity or a place of reflection it is good to remember Lent begins with an invitation, an invitation to think of the broken places in our lives and psyches and why because of those bruised, banged, willful places we need Emmanuel, “God with us,” to save us, to help set us right again.
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In answer to the Invitation to a Holy Lent, St. Mark’s offers three opportunities. You may join us at 7:00pm any Wednesday from February 10 through March 23 for a variety of candlelight Worship Services. You may participate in an individual, family or group Christ Walk which pairs physical training and spiritual practices together in an easy-‐to-‐use format perfect for a 40-‐day Lenten devotion or start to a new fitness program. Christ Walk outlines a 40-‐day program for individuals and groups to focus on improving physical health while engaging in spiritual and mental reflection and growth. Individuals and groups select different biblical routes found in Appendix A to complete through walking, running, or biking while reading a reflec-‐tive passage on health and spirituality each day of the journey. Each chapter contains daily meditations of different aspects of mind, body, and spiritual health tied to biblical teachings and Christian traditions. You may use Under the Fig Tree for personal and family Lenten reflections. The book’s description reads “In John 1:48, Nathanael says to Jesus, “How do you know me?” Jesus replies, with a twinkle in his eye, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree.’ Lent is a time to slow down and journey with Jesus through his life, death, and resurrection. Under the Fig Tree is a book of 46 drawings, photographs, and paintings in-‐spired by Lenten themes, readings, and stories for each day of Lent and Holy Week. The images, like snap-‐shots, are colorful, inspired, and rife with emotion. The reader receives an opportunity to reflect, slow down, and walk with Jesus as a friend and disciple, to sit with Jesus under the fig tree and talk, listen, and glimpse the face and heart of authentic love.”
Find the Invitation to a Holy Lent and an outline of the Wednesday Worship Services on pages 3 & 4. Find copies of both in the church pews.
Copies are available for purchase in Founders Hall. Christ Walk is $13 and Under the Fig Tree is $12.
May peace and good intention surround you as enter this holy season,
:
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From the Ash Wednesday Liturgy:
After the Sermon, all stand, and the Celebrant or Minister appointedinvites the people to the observance of a holy Lent, saying
Dear People of God: The first Christians observed with greatdevotion the days of our Lord's passion and resurrection, andseason of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of
notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. Thereby, the whole congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need which all
Christians continually have to renew their repentance and faith.
I invite you, therefore, in the name of the Church, to theobservance of a holy Lent, by self-‐examination and repentance;
by prayer, fasting, and self-‐denial; and by reading andmeditating on God's holy Word. And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now
kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.
Invitation to a Holy Lent
Lent begins Ash Wednesday, February 10th
Service Times
7:00-8:45 AM Ashes to Go Huntersville Park & Ride
12:00 Imposition of Ashes & HE I Church
7:00 PM Imposition of Ashes & HE I Church
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All are Welcome! Members, Visitors, Passersby, Commuters, Guests coming to other meetings. Each Wednesday in Lent at 7:00, St. Mark’s Worship Committee welcomes you to a service of prayer and reflection. Stop in. Enjoy the quiet and beauty of our Holy Space on this peace filled hill. Let your soul find rest in the mediations. Let your spirit be comforted by the prayers. Let your presence at this hour be your Lenten Discipline.
Feb. 10th 7:00 Imposition of Ashes
Feb. 17th 7:00 Prayers for Healing
Feb. 24th 7:00 Choral Evensong
Mar.2nd 7:00 Bread & Wine Broken and Poured
Mar.9th 7:00 Taize Prayers
Mar. 16th 7:00 Tenebrae
Mar. 23rd 7:00 Stations of the Cross Huntersville Town Square
Community Lenten Services
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Confirmation
Reception and ReaffirmationThis year’s Confirmation Class will begin with an Introductory Meeting on February 14th, 2016 after the 11:00am service. During this meeting all invited youth and their parents, as well as their Confirmation Mentors, will meet to discuss the course of their Preparation Cur-riculum. Preparation will use a curriculum designed by Matt Addington and Andrew Ancona. The curriculum is designed to create open dialogue and exploration between teens and how they feel God is present and working in their lives, as well as how He is asking you to serve a greater purpose in this world. You and your Mentor will decide when to meet for preparation and discussion of the material. If you choose to be confirmed, more information will be avail-able at the Introductory Meeting, and Confirmation will take place at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church by the Bishop Peter Lee on April 10th, 2016 at 11:00 am.
Remember, There are no right or wrong “answers”, just a journey of asking questions and lis-tening to each other and to God together. This is a deeply spiritually time to commit yourself to Christ and His love for you. For you are the Lord’s beloveds and with you He is well pleased, and you are His children. In your baptism you are welcomed into God’s promise and into the Church. My Prayers are with you now, as you take a new step to walk with Christ in your jour-ney. I pray that the Power of the Holy Spirit fills you with the strength and courage to declare and confirm the Hope and Faith that we share, uniting you to Christ and his unending love for you.
Adult Confirmation, Reception and Reaffirmation classes are currently being held on Sunday mornings at 9:30 through the Newcomers series. If you wish to be confirmed, reaffirmed or received this class serves as your preparation.
If you would like to join the youth class as a member please respond to Andrew Ancona’s invi-tation by February 5th by calling him at 1-860-748-3229 or by e-mail at [email protected]. If you wish to participate in the adult class, please call or e-mail the church office at 704-399-5193 or email [email protected]
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EpiphanyJanuary 6th
Lighting the Way
The Book of Common Prayer A wonderful gift to give.
During our renovation project we discovered that several of our Prayer Books were in need
of replacement.
For $20 you can help us replenish our Prayer Books
in honor of, memory of or dedicated to the person of your choosing
We hope to replace 25 books
Please make checks payable to St. Marks and write The Book of Common Prayer in the memo line. Be sure to let the church office know if you would like to dedicate your Prayer Book to someone special.
[email protected] or 704-399-5193
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Christian Formation’s 3rd Rotation will conclude at the end of February.
Please join us on February 28th for brunch
at 9:30 in the Founder’s Hall
The congregation will celebrate , welcome & honor our NEWCOMERS to ST MARK'S as well as our children who have attended and completed their Communion instruction.
Parish Life and the Welcome committee have planned a delicious brunch for you to enjoy.
Join us for a time of friendship and an opportunity to meet some of our new church community.
Called to Serve
Our Children’s Chapel needs of a few more Chaplains as some of our exis5ng Chaplains have transi5oned to other roles in our Church Community.
Children gather with the Children's Chaplain in the courtyard before the 11:00 am service. They process through the church over to the Chil-‐dren's Chapel in the Parish House and return to the church to be with their parents at the Offertory. This is a wonderful opportunity for kids to experience worship with instruc5on that is child friendly.
We provided Chaplains a service order and lessons that follow the lec5onary. Materials, Instruc5on and Training are also provided. The 5me commitment is an hour once a month or less.
Please contact Andrew Ancona [email protected] or Sarah Milholland [email protected] for more informa-‐5on or to help with this worthwhile ministry
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Formation Info.
In the Episcopal Church, these statements are expressed in some way almost every Sunday. We may not always completely understand these phrases, and sometimes we may even want to challenge these ideas or question them.
For the past few weeks, our little ones have been exploring Eucharist in their own way. For the next few weeks they will continue to explore what Eucharist is, what Eucharist means, and why we celebrate it almost every Sunday.
From making paper to write liturgies on, dressing paper priests in the colors of the church, learning about the altar, and even making bread for Eucharist, our children are exploring these three phrases in unique ways. They are thinking about them and growing to learn what they mean. The next time we proclaim these three things together, may we be reminded of our faith, our growth and our own struggles. May we join with our youngest parishioners in walking the path of faithful Christians in a world that longs for the love of Christ’s death, the miracle of his resurrection, and the hope that he will come again to redeem the world.
Christ has died Christ has risen
Christ will come again
Sabbath Weekend Feb. 19-21 A Weekednd Retreat @ Kanuga for All Youth
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Mindfulness skills have been found to be helpful in managing stress, tolerating thedifficulties of life, working with difficult emotions, and finding a greater sense ofmeaning, peace, and purpose in life.
Participants will define mindfulness and meditation, explore the background of theseskills, and recognize the benefits of living life mindfully. Participants will practicemindfulness and meditation and design their own practice based on individual needs.The goal of the class is for participants to begin a mindfulness and meditationpractice and continue to cultivate this practice on their own.
The class will practice mindful eating, concentration and breathing techniques, andworking with rambling thoughts just to name a few skills.
The next class offering
The cost of class is $ .00 per member.
or more information
Meditation Class
Karen Oldham, Psy.D.Clinical Psychologist
. . | [email protected] | 1905 JN Pease Place, Ste 104 | Charlotte, NC 28262
www.karenoldhampsyd.com
beginner’s
practice
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2016 Stewardship Update
Current pledge total $304,050
All other an5cipated income Matching Contribu5on from Member Family $25,586 Non-‐Pledge Offerings $23,000 Other Income (use of space by outside groups) $5,000 Sales Tax Refunds $3,000 Daisy Shipp McCoy Founda5on Trust Income $34,000
Total Budgeted Opera5ng Income $404,636
Expenses we approved in the annual mee5ng for 60 days.
Staff $240,878 Diocesan Support $40,927 Campus Maintenance & U5li5es $45,380 Office Administra5on & Other $28,050 Youth & Chris5an Forma5on $7,500 Outreach & Escuelita Support $13,300 Parish Life, Pastoral Care, Stewardship & Parish Retreat $8,500 Worship & Music $3,700 %7 pledges unfulfilled based on historical average $21,284
Total 2016 Budgeted Expenses $409,519 Current Budget Deficit $4983Addi5onal Cost to fund full 5me Director of Chris5an Forma5on $20,627Deficit to fund St. Mark’s at appropriate level for 2016 mission & ministry $25,610 2016 pledge notes 111 pledge cards of 150 have been received Average Pledge $2,739
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Many thanks to Elena Mi-chel who has served as
the Buildings and Grounds Chair for more than two years. She will take a break from this
ministry and transition her time to assisting with our communications and graphics.
Tom Watson our Junior Warden will assume the role of Buildings and Grounds Chair for
the 2016 year.
If you feel a call to join this ministry or serve as the leader for 2017 please don’t hesitate to inquire about what is involved. You can
contact Tom Watson [email protected] or
Sarah Milholland [email protected] for more information.
NEW SEXTONJIM WILSON
Please Help Us Wel-come Jim Wilson to our Staff. Jim has accepted the position of Sexton for St. Mark’s. Jim and Beth have been mem-
bers of St Mark’s for 25 years. Jim recently served as the project manager for our rejuvenation project and has also served on Buildings and Grounds.We know Jim will make a great addition to
our staff helping us to keep things tidy, orderly and maintained.
If you see Jim around our campus please ex-tend a warm welcome as he embarks on
this new role.
Thank you to everyone who supported the camp scholarships. Stay tuned for more information about the children and families we will be serving. Molly Thompson is very excited to talk to the school counselor at Ranson about the number of students to whom we can offer scholarships.
We collected $4,030.00
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THE SCHOOL YEAR IS 1/2 WAY OVER
SUPPLIES ARE RUNNING SHORT
HELP US TO REPLENISHSOME ITEMS FOR OUR
RANSON MIDDLE SCHOOL PARTNERSItems most needed:
PencilsThree ring binders (1 inch looseleaf)
One subject notebooks (or composition notebooks)Earbuds for language labs
Our collection will run from January 31st through February 14thPlease place items on top of the Ranson bins in Founders Hall
Outreach will store them from there.
Please contact Liz Gail with any questions [email protected]
SAVE THE DATE
FRIDAY, APRIL 22,2016CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS VS GWINNETT BRAVES at the BB&T
BALLPARK
Parish Life has ordered us great seats again. A fun time is guaranteed!
Registration will begin in late February.Tickets are $17 each
Outreach will also be sponsoring a small group of students from Ranson to join us.
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Birthdays Marsha Phillips - 2/1
Philip Blythe - 2/2
Cheryl Jones - 2/2
Karen Mach – 2/2
James Anding – 2/4
Christina Namour – 2/5
Marion Johannsson – 2/6
John Middleton - 2/6
Rachel Sparks - 2/6
Thomas Blythe - 2/8
Sarah Fahey - 2/10
Graham Brown – 2/11
Jeremy Michael - 2/11
Heath McMullan - 2/12
Rich Zinno - 2/12
Doreen Anding – 2/13
Will Blythe - 2/13
Matthew Kathman - 2/17
Karen Oldham - 2/18
Martin Osborne - 2/18
Carrick Gambill - 2/19
John Pouliot - 2/19
Allison Rhinehardt - 2/19
Ty McDowell - 2/20
Alice Bayne - 2/21
Ian Kendrick - 2/21
Jan Daubener - 2/22
Mary Hendry – 2/23
Ed Reade – 2/25
Amy Sparks - 2/27
Joe Layman – 2/28
Ella Barwick - 2/29
Panera Bread Pick–Up
Mark & Lacy Hamilton – 2/5 Willard & Barbara Osburn – 2/12 Don & Debbie Siegel – 2/19 Tonia Shelton – 2/26
Prayers for continued healing:
Robin Mason Judith Hundertmark Alex Mondlak Mary Beth Masline Martha Ann Springer Peggy Kerns James Self Pat Pagola Larry Reilly Patricia Woolley Joe Brown Victoria Mason Sue Layman Jackie Blythe Anna Gambill Tricia Stephens Rick Hunt Alice Bayne Ishy Nave Natali Stefanelli Ruth Bersak Barbara Tesh Harold Stutts Cindy Moore Lynn Rhinehardt Bryan Capelli Michael Capelli Eddy Fortner Kryn Marriott
Anniversaries
Rick & Betsy Hunt - 2/1 Thomas & Doris Blythe - 2/2 David & Tricia Stephens - 2/8
Doug & Mary Lou Haraburd - 2/25 Brett & Allison Rhinehardt - 2/25 Ryan & Andrea Seymour - 2/26
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A Special Afternoon Tea is being planned to Celebrate St. Mark’s
“Women of a Certain Age”
(Sunday February 21st 3pm)
We need helping hands in these areas:
Tea sets! We love the idea of mixing and matching our various tea cups, saucers and teapots---do you have one that you would be willing to loan us for the event? We promise to treat with
loving care and return immediately.
Lace tablecloths! Would anchor the special “feminine” theme of our event---do you have one we could borrow for the day?
A special recipe “small bite” or sweet you’d like to contribute? This is not a“pot luck” but we would welcome including different and delectable snacks for our ladies to enjoy.
Setup/breakdown, and tea servers: we want to pamper our ladies who usually are such worker bees!
Please contact Debbie Heggen @ 704-619-1640 [email protected] or Dottie Sheehan @ 484-888-4933 [email protected] to volunteer!
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W.I.N.E.
Women in Need of EntertainmentWINE scheduled for
February 15th @ 6:30
at the home of
Alice Bayne117 Creekside Drive
Mt. Holly, NC
Bring a bottle of wine or dish to share
Please contact Debbie [email protected]
with any questions
L.A.F.(Life After Fifty)SAVE THE DATE
March 19thRoom In the INN
LAF will be hosting a night at Room in the Inn at Cook's Memorial Presbyterian Church. All new and old LAF members are invited to join us.
If you are unable to join us that evening, please consider making a dish for dinner or breakfast to feed 12 - 14 men or donating pre-packaged items for bag lunches.
Donations of underwear, socks, gloves, hats and toiletries are always needed. Please start saving your hotel samples.
Contact Nancy Whitehead, [email protected] with any questions. Please RSVP to the same by Feb. 19 so we can confirm that we will have sufficient staffing for the event.
St Mark’s Muses Book Club
We will meet on Friday February 12thNoon to 1:30pm
At the home of Tricia Stephens
Please note we are changing the time of our meeting from the evening to the
afternoons.
We will be discussing The Color of Water. Please join us even if you have not read the
book.Contact Genny Hinkle for more information
In order to host this event we will need:
• 1 volunteer to drive the bus for pick up and return
• 5-6 volunteers for late afternoon set up
• 5-6 volunteers for early evening dinner
• 2 men to spend the night
• 5-6 early morning volunteers for breakfast, bag lunches and clean up
• 1 volunteer to launder linens (may be taken home and returned)
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St. Mark’s Episcopal Church8600 Mt. Holly-Huntersville, Rd.Huntersville, NC 28078www.stmarksnc.com704-399-5193
