The Newsletter of Saint Mark s Parish March 2015... G E T S E T... G O!! March 1 Daughters of the King Meeting 8:45 a.m. Community Hall Newcomers Welcome 4:00 p.m. Grindons home March 1, 8, 15 Youth Group Meeting 5:00 p.m. Community Hall Haiti Travel Team Meeting 6:30 p.m. March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Mondays Centering Prayer 10:00 a.m. Education for Ministry 7:00 p.m. March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Tuesdays Boy Scouts Meeting 6:00 p.m. Meeting House March 4, 11, 18, 25 Wednesdays Men s Fellowship Breakfast 7:00 a.m. Fox s Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Choristers Rehearsals 3:15, 4:00 p.m. Music Room Dinner, March 4, 5:00 p.m. Lectio Divina 5:30 p.m. Lenten Supper Series 6:30 p.m. Community Hall March 6, 13, 20, 27 Fridays Lenten Family Friday Series 6:30 p.m., various homes March 7 Movie Night 6:30 p.m. CHANGE CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR BEFORE GOING TO BED March 10 March 14 March 17 March 19 25 Haiti trip March 21 March 28 March 29 Women s Soup 6:30 p.m. Location TBA Cub Scout Pinewood Derby 12:00 p.m. Community Hall Vestry Meeting 7:00 p.m. Haiti Meeting 7:00 p.m. Rector s Office Passion Rehearsal 10:00 a.m. Church Altar Guild Decorates 9:00 a.m. Church Movie Night 6:00 p.m. Palm Sunday Union Station sack lunch prep After 9:00 a.m. service
From the Rector On a recent retreat, our Vestry spent much of our time listening carefully to gospel stories with an ear to their invitation to new and more generous life waiting to be heard and heeded. A few weeks later on a Saturday, the leaders of our ministries at Saint Mark s spent the better part of our morning in a similar way. In both cases, the time was well spent. It is a beautiful thing that something so uncomplicated as sitting still, reading scripture and then being quiet for a little while will yield such transformative results. Putting together God s Word and our focused and attentive ears for even a brief period is so often the beginning of a new ministry, the healing of an old wound, the way that leads to a new understanding. Our Vestry does a little of this kind of listening at the front end of every meeting, and there is always a fresh insight or a word of comfort that emerges out of the silence and the stillness. Every time. Which begs the question: what would happen if we, members of the Body of Christ, and we as the Saint Mark s body, spent regular periods sitting still, hearing the words of scripture, and then listening for God to speak through the silence, and to gently (or maybe in some cases not so gently) open us to new ways of living our life in God? Those among us who practice Centering Prayer, including Robin Ross group on Mondays at 10:00 in our Library, already know the grace of this kind of listening. Our Wednesday evening Lectio Divina fellowship is another subset of our community already experiencing the presence and action of God in stillness and silence. Our Wednesday evening Lenten series this year will allow for this kind of listening as we engage musical settings of Christ s Passion. I know that being together in stillness with the music of Jesus journey to the cross pouring over us will bring blessings we can t even begin to anticipate. Every week when we gather, we sit still and we hear the Word of God. Each time we come together in worship we create the possibility for hearing an invitation, a fresh perspective, a transforming message. For the season of Lent, we will add to our worship the mostly missing ingredient of silence to allow for deeper listening. We will give our ears and our hearts more time to take in and absorb the life-giving words, and to let them speak to our depths. When you notice our Lectors and our Gospel readers each week taking a significant pause after the words and before saying The Word of the Lord, you ll know that they have not forgotten their lines, but that they are giving us room and time to truly hear, to fully listen. And at the prayers, when our intercessors provide real silence between each bidding, listen for the cares of your hearts to come to the surface, or for the biddings of God to reach you. Blessings and Peace for a Holy Lent. Faithfully, Pastor Carri+
Centering Prayer Mondays, 10:00 a.m., Led by Robin Ross, our Centering Prayer group is always open to newcomers. The practice of centering prayer is done in community and is enriched by a look at the teachings of Thomas Keating and engagement in Lectio Divina. The Acts of the Apostles Wednesdays, 9:30 10:30, Join us as we make our way through the inspiring story of the early church. Bring your Bible, and a heart ready to engage and explore this breathtaking narrative. The group is guided by the rector. Lectio Divina Wednesdays, 5:30 6:30 p.m., Using a portion of one of the readings for the coming Sunday, we gather for this form of praying the scriptures to listen deeply for God s kindness and direction in our lives. All are welcome. The group is guided by the rector, with additional leadership from Roberta Goodman and Connie Majeau. Saint Mark's visit to Ste. Marguerite's, Latournelle, Haiti For the fourth time, a group from Saint Mark's Church and School will visit our partners in Haiti...but for the first time there will be five teen travelers! The team-- Nick Bass, Jacob Bechthold, Shannon Espino (Spanish teacher), Parker Garrett (CYF Minister), Betsy Hooper- Rosebrook (Associate Rector & School Chaplain), Nick Horner, Miranda Johnson, Paul Johnson (5th grade teacher), Kevin Killgore (youth group volunteer leader), and Jacob McKinney--leaves on March 19 to visit with Pere Wisnel and our friends in the remote mountain community of Latournelle. Please pray for a fruitful time of listening and relationship building! If you'd like to support our youth in this experience of discovery and growing faith, you're invited to make a bold donation of $100 as a trip sponsor, which will include specifically praying for the youth before and during the trip and joining in a dinner afterward to hear stories and see pictures; call the church office or go to www.saintmarksaltadena.org (right hand column) to learn more. Endowment Message "Is your Will or Trust keeping up with you?" Please consider a bequest to the Endowment Fund of Saint Mark's Parish when creating or updating your Will or Trust. Writer s Workshop: March 22, 3:00 4:30 p.m. All Welcome Saint Mark s Annual Church-School Auction Theme: Studio 54 Gala (70 s high glamour attire) When: Saturday, April 25 at 6pm Where: Oakmont Country Club, Glendale Why: Largest fundraiser benefiting both church and school programs Tickets, Sponsorship and More: http://auction.saint-marks.org How Church Members Can Help: DONATE or PROCURE ITEM FOR AUCTION Items must be received by Friday, March 27 Here are some ideas (All donations are tax deductible): Tickets to local sports or concert/theatre events or amusement parks Unique VIP experiences (set visits, cooking classes, art tours, etc.) Use of vacation properties Highly-rated wine (90 pts or higher) Golf or tennis rounds at private clubs Behind the scenes tours and TV/Movie tapings Original art or photography Gift certificates to local restaurants, spas, salons Hosted special events (dinner parties, wine tastings, movie nights) Food/beverage gift baskets Kid-related gifts (music lessons, camps, sports clinics, etc.) Door of Hope The next dinner at Door of Hope is Wednesday, March 4, at 6:00 p.m. Contact George Rothwell (798-7415) if you would like to participate by contributing a main dish, salad or dessert and sharing dinner with the residents. Women s Soup will meet Tuesday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m. at a place to be determined. RSVP to Jannette Allen at 626-216-5169. Project this month: TBA. Let It Go Women s Retreat 2015 The 2015 Women s Retreat is scheduled for April 10-12 located at the Cathedral Center of Saint Paul in Echo Park. Whether it s a lifetime of unmet expectations or a grief, a wound, a loss, or an injury we can t forget or forgive, we all experience needing to let go of something in order to move forward in God s love and freedom. We need God s help to set the burden down. This Easter season may be the perfect time for us to let it go. There are registration forms available on the website, in the church office or the church Narthex on Sundays. The registration deadline is March 30. Any questions, please ask the clergy or Terri Jones.
LENT Journey to the Heart of the Passion Feb. 25, March 4, 11, 18 & 25 6:30 8:30 p.m., Community Hall & Church Please join us on Wednesday evenings in Lent as we travel to the four corners of the world to discover, explore and listen deeply to musical settings of Christ's Passion. Erik Forrester will guide us as we encounter familiar and new settings of the Passion of Christ. Estonia, Germany, China, Argentina and America make up our itinerary as we journey to the heart of the Passion. Each evening will include brief introductory material to the music and composer, and then we ll listen to the music in the meditative atmosphere of the church. Listeners will be given a journal and the opportunity to process and respond to the experience by writing or drawing. All are invited to come and be filled and inspired by this universal story through the deep language of music. Our evenings will begin always with a simple supper. We will conclude with Eucharist as a faithful response to each evening s Passion journey. The Return of the Prodigal Son Sundays in Lent, 9:00 10:15 a.m., During Lent this year we are inviting the Saint Mark s community to journey together into a deeper understanding of the parable of the prodigal son by reading Henri Nouwen s book, The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming. This book is Fr. Nouwen s account of his encounter with Rembrandt s painting of the prodigal son, and how it brought him new and life changing insight into the story. We hope many will read it, and those who wish to reflect on it may join Debbie DeCaro on Sunday mornings (February 22, and March 1, 8, 15 and 22) from 9:00-10:15 in the. A limited number of books are available for sale at the church. The book is also available on Kindle. Family Fridays: Feb. 27, March 6, 13, 20, 27 6:30 8:45 p.m., Hosts TBA Each year during Lent, adults and their children are invited to meet each Friday in the home of a host family near the church. We enjoy a potluck supper as families arrive from work to join us. Child care is provided on site, so children are with their friends as the adults hear from a featured speaker and discuss issues of interest to families with children. The evenings end with prayer. This is wonderful way to enrich your Lent while enjoying fellowship with your Saint Mark s community. Youth Group for Parents of Teens March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 5:00 6:30 p.m., Community Hall It has become our tradition to invite parents of teens into the wonderful world of Youth Group for the Sundays in Lent. We begin with the Youth for an opening prayer and game, and then go off to the rector s office for fellowship and to engage in our own way the youth group theme of the evening. We end our evenings together with our teens for a closing prayer. A Special Movie Night with Saint Barnabas, Pasadena, Saturday, March 28, 6:00 9:30 p.m. Community Hall & Music Room Nathan Schroeder will lead this special edition of our Movie Night series. Inspired by our recent field trip to see Selma with our new friends from Saint Barnabas, we ve invited them to come and spend an evening here. We ll begin with supper and fellowship, after which we ll watch the movie, Lincoln. All are invited to stay afterwards for a discussion of the film, and of the thoughts and feelings it stirs in us. We strongly encourage participants who have not already seen Selma to make an effort to do so, trusting that our dialogue will be even more rich for having seen both movies. Teens are welcome to join the adults for Lincoln. Younger children are welcome for the meal, and will then have child care, complete with their own movie and program. To help us plan for the evening, registration is required for this event. To register, call the church office (626-798-6747), and let us know how many you ll be bringing, and if you ll need child care.
Sunday, March 1, 2015: Second Sunday in Lent 8:45 a.m. Daughters of the King Mtg, Community Hall Saint Mark s Choir sings. Sunday School for ages 3 to 6th grade. Nursery care available. 4:00 p.m. Newcomers Welcome, Grindon s home 5:00 p.m. Youth Group and parents, Community Hall and Rector s Office 6:30 p.m. Haiti Travel Team, Paul Johnson classroom Sunday, March 8, 2015: Third Sunday in Lent DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME 8:45 a.m. Altar Guild Meeting, Rector s Office Saint Mark s Choristers sing. Sunday School for ages 3 to 6th grade. Nursery care available. Coffee Hour immediately following the service 5:00 p.m. Youth Group Meeting and parents, Community Hall and Rector s Office 6:30 p.m. Haiti Travel Team Meeting Sunday, March 15, 2015: Fourth Sunday in Lent The Very Rev. Sylvia Sweeney preaching The Very Rev. Sylvia Sweeney, preaching Saint Mark s Choir sings. Sunday School for ages 3 to 6th grade. Nursery care available. 5:00 p.m. Youth Group and parents, Community Hall and Rector s Office 6:30 p.m. Haiti Travel Team Meeting Sunday, March 22, 2015: Fifth Sunday in Lent Saint Mark s Choir sings. Sunday School for ages 3 to 6th grade. Nursery care available. 2:00 p.m. 4th Grade Girl Scout Meeting, Community Hall 3:00 p.m. Writer s Workshop, 5:00 p.m. Youth Group and parents, Community Hall and Rector s Office Sunday, March 29, 2015: Palm Sunday Passion Reading Parker Garrett, preaching Union Station sack lunch preperation Passion Reading, preaching Saint Mark s Choir sings. Sunday School begins for ages 3 to 6th grade. Nursery care available.