This Week at St. Mark s Sunday, February 8, The Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany. 8:00 AM, Holy Eucharist, Rite I John s Sermon Title. The Greatest Road Team in History 9:00 AM, Bagels, Coffee, Tea, and Juice available for all; 9:00 Many Paths to the Divine: A Survey of World Religions This is the final class of this series and we will summarize the different religions studied and discuss the value of religion in the world today. 9:30 AM Sunday School Grades 1 and up will all have the opportunity to make a valentine for a "shut-in" from our St. Marks congregation. It may not be someone you know, but it hopefully will put a smile on his/her face. Prior to this art activity, children will hear the story Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. It's a wonderful story about a lonely man who leads a very solitary life until an anonymous person sends him a valentine. When he begins to believe "somebody" loves him, he approaches his whole life differently. It makes ME want to make valentines! :-). Students in the Godly Play room will hear the story of Jesus calling the 12 Disciples. (Part 2 of the rotation. The older students heard this story last week.) At 9:45 Sherrie Holbrook will lead an expedition to Railroad Square Cinema to see the film On the Way to School. All who are interested should be in the lobby by 9:45. 10:15 AM, Holy Eucharist, Rite II, Nursery. We welcome Nathan Trivers as our supply pianist this Sunday. Nathan is a sophomore music student at Colby College and hails from Alpharetta, Georgia. The choir is in an interim period after Doug Beck s leaving and is taking a four-week break. The choir will return on February 22 and sing through Lent and Easter Sunday under the direction of Mary Rector. We will have music and congregational singing at every 10:15 service during this interim period by using a number of local supply organists and pianists. Coffee Hour after 10:15 service Coffee Hour this week is hosted by Dawn Cates and Deb Doreau. We are currently looking for coffee hour hosts from February 15 on. Please let Judy Mackenzie know if you can do this at mackenzie57@roadrunner.com. Next week, February 15, a new adult education series for Lent begins at 9 AM. What s Our Story: Reading Anew the Gospel of Mark. For noted Jesus scholar Marcus Borg, reading Mark is like meeting Jesus again for the first time. Individual readers and the parish study groups will learn about this earliest gospel from the perspective of an important Anglican theologian. For those
who wish to order the study text in advance, it s Conversations with Scripture, The Gospel of Mark by Marcus Borg, 2009. St. Mark s Afternoon at the Movies Sunday Feb. 15 at 2 PM. We will be showing God s Not Dead, when college student Josh Wheaton encounters an atheistic philosophy teacher who insists that his students will only pass by admitting that God is dead, Josh dedicates himself to proving the professor wrong about God. Save the Date: Ash Wednesday, February 18, Services here at church with disposition of ashes at 10 AM and 6 PM. Ashes to Go will also be distributed in the community through the Waterville/ Winslow Interfaith Council. Stay tuned for details on locations and times. Save the Dates: What s Your Story: Lenten Faith Sharing Groups begin on Thursday, February 26, 6:30 to 8 PM and will continue through Lent. More details about the groups in the next St. Mark s Newsletter which will be coming out later. Take the Mardi Gras Quiz! 1. In English, the French words Mardi Gras mean: a. Muddy Grass b. Skinny Monday c. Fat Tuesday 2. A traditional food to eat on Mardi Gras is: a. Candy canes b. Jelly beans c. Pancakes 3. Mardi Gras is the day before: a. Halloween b. Christmas c. Ash Wednesday 4. At Mardi Gras celebrations people usually wear: a. New socks b. Shin pads c. Masks 5. People usually celebrate Mardi Gras by: a. Not eating anything all day b. Shoveling snow c. Eating good food, having a good time, and enjoying God s creation.
If you chose the letter c for all five questions, Congratulations! You are a Mardi Gras expert. If you did not choose c for all five questions, then we have a solution: Come learn the answers at: St. Mark s Episcopal Church Mardi Gras Celebration When: Tuesday, February 17 What Time: 5:15 games and activities for kids and adults and Social Hour for adults 6:00 Dinner: the traditional Shrove Tuesday pancakes and traditional Mardi Gras dishes. Also, live music, masks and a parade! If you would like to help with cooking, set-up and clean up, see the sign up sheets in the Narthex or talk to Marti McFadden Dear Families, After all this snow, this Sunday we're planning some plain old Fun! I hope you'll join us. At 9:30 Grades 1 and up will all have the opportunity to make a valentine for a "shut-in" from our St. Marks congregation. It may not be someone you know, but it hopefully will put a smile on his/her face. Prior to this art activity, children will hear the story Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch. It's a wonderful story about a lonely man who leads a very solitary life until an anonymous person sends him a valentine. When he begins to believe "somebody" loves him, he approaches his whole life differently. It makes ME want to make valentines! :-) If you know you cannot come to church this Sunday, but you'd still like to make a valentine for someone who can't come to church right now due to health or weather, etc, - please let me know. I can assign you the name of a person and give you his/her address. Students in the Godly Play room will hear the story of Jesus calling the 12 Disciples. (Part 2 of the rotation. The older students heard this story last week.) Afterwards, I'm planning to go see a documentary at Railroad Square which begins at 10am Here's a link to check it out: http://www.railroadsquarecinema.com/cinema-explorations-on-the-way-to-school/ If you'd like to join me, please do! This is open to anyone. Let's meet in the lobby at 9:45. The movie is under 90min, so we'll be back for coffee hour where we can visit and discuss the movie. While we're at the movie, children will finish up their valentines, and are invited to go sledding Unless it's Too Cold. I've heard we can just go across the street, so there won't be any need for driving. Kirk is planning to head over with my kids at about 10:15, and he and the kids hope you'll join them! I know this is during "church time", but this might be what we all need amidst the storms and cabin fever. I hope to see you this Sunday! Sherrie dates to remember: Sun. the 15th - no Sunday School, school vacation Tues. the 17th - Mardi Gras - join us anytime after 5:15pm for mask-making and fun, dinner at 6pm Sun. the 22nd - Family Service at 9:30
Make A Joyful Noise Join the Choir The St. Mark's Choir will regroup for Lent and Easter Sunday. Singers new to singing with the choir are encouraged and will be welcomed warmly. If you are interested in making music to support the congregation and enrich worship to the glory of God, consider singing with the choir - perhaps as your Lenten discipline. Practices are Wednesday evenings 7 to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday mornings before the 10:15 a.m. services, and they begin February 18th following the Ash Wednesday service. If you would like to sing and/or need more information, please contact Mary Rector, interim music director, at mary.e.rector@gmail.com or 877-9568 soon! Announcements and Help Wanted Saturday, Feb. 14, there is a Have a Heart Supper to benefit the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter at Pleasant Street United Methodist Church in Waterville from 5 to 6 PM. Soups, breads and desserts. Men s Clothing Drive for the Mid-Maine Homeless Shelter: Please bring men s clothing to the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection, 36 Cool St. Waterville until Feb. 14 or call 872-5208 for pick -up. Searching for a Way to Make a Difference? You can make a difference by investing a few hours a week to an isolated senior through a friendly visit, a ride to the grocery store or a phone call. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer please contact the SEARCH program Lynn Kidd, 551-6997 or lkidd@ccmaine.org St. Mark's Episcopal Church 60 Eustis Parkway, Waterville ME 04901 207-872-7869 Rector: Rev. John Balicki jbalicki17@gmail.com Deacon: Rev. Monty Henderson dhenderson41846@roadrunner.com Director of Music: Doug Beck douglasbeck@mac.com Coordinator for Children and Families: Sherrie Holbrook sholbrook@gwi.net Senior Warden: Ricia Hyde rhyde@aos92.org 873-6263 e-mail: stmarksw@roadrunner.com online: http://www.stmarkswaterville.org twitter: https://twitter.com/stmarkswtvl