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St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
Connecting Spirits
Engaging Minds
Welcoming All
ON LION
October 2014
You Are Cordially Invited To
St. Mark’s Annual Gala
Sunday, October 19, 2014
at The Kent Country Club
1600 College Ave., NE
Reception 5pm
Dinner 6pm
Cost: $15 adults
$5 children
Please make a reservation by October 9
A silent auction will be offered
Childcare will be provided
A service of Thanksgiving for the life of The
Reverend Joseph A. Howell, Pastor of St. Mark’s
Church from 1971-1993, will be held on Saturday,
October 4th at 11:30 in the morning at St. Mark’s
Church with The Rt. Rev. Whayne M. Hougland,
9th Bishop of Western Michigan, presiding.
A reception will follow the Service.
The Right Rev. Whayne M. Hougland
9th Bishop of Western Michigan
Clergy
The Rev. Canon Robert Alan Schiesler, Ph.D., Pastor
The Rev. Sue York, Associate for Pastoral Care
The Rev. Dr. Hugh Dickinson, Priest Associate
Ministry Support Team
Dr. Gregory Crowell, Music Director
Kit-Ying Law, Organ Scholar
Erik Childers, Children’s Choir Director
Mary Heintzelman, Office Manager
Jane Stidolph, Dir. of Christian Formation
Jeff Brown, Dir. of Youth Ministries
Pam Stevenson, Finance Manager
David Hawley, Facilities Manager
Julian Medrano, Facilities Assistant
Wafa Amash and Sommer Jabber, Nursery Caregivers
St. Mark’s ArtPrize Are you a Newcomer sculptures and to St. Mark’s? Fellowship Ministry invites you to paintings to draw dinner at Canon Bob & Mary’s thousands! home on Paris Ave SE on Sunday, Officers and Vestry Members
Jennifer Julius, Sr. Warden
Leigh Eicke, Jr. Warden
Mark Stoppels, Treasurer
Sherri Nelson, Secretary
Well, a good many anyway. This year, 15 artists have their offerings displayed outside, in the Parish Hall and in the Canterbury Room. Our church proper will also be open to invite people in to see our historic and imposing church. WE NEED HOSTS TO Through 2014: Aleta Anderson, Sherri Nelson,
Baldwin Ogden, and Pat Roy
Through 2015: Leigh Eicke, Jennifer Julius, and
Mark Stoppels
Through 2016: Chuck Bocskey, David Kidd, and
Catherine Frerichs
St. Mark’s Ministries
Fellowship Ministry - Judy Fetterhoff
Formation Ministry
Children - Jane Stidolph
Youth - Jeff Brown
Adult - Pastor
Library - Charles Brown
Healing Racism - Becky Bocskey
Health Ministry - Pastor Sue
Worship - Pastor
Altar Guild - Margaret Stretton
Ushers - Tom Burr
Stewardship Ministry
Finance & Facilities - Sharon Buursma
Endowment Board - Wendy Stock
Outreach Ministry
Outreach - John Bosserman
Breakfast Café - Jennifer Julius
WELCOME OUR GUESTS EACH WEEKDAY EVENING AND BOTH DURING THE DAY AND EVENING ON WEEKENDS. A sign‐up sheet is on the Welcome Desk. Many dates/times remain open. Please check your calendars, make your plans, and sign up to offer faith‐
based hospitality to the Grand Rapids community and beyond. Invite a friend or family member to host with you! And don’t forget to spread the word to friends and neighbors to come in and enjoy the art. Oct 26th at 5pm. If you have not yet received your invitation, please email/call the office, to receive it and to get parking directions. This is a great opportunity to mingle with new friends and long time members, all of us dedicated to furthering the health and vitality of this wonderful church named St. Mark’s. All Saints Day will be celebrated on Sunday, Nov. 2nd. This is a major feast day of our church and one of the four traditional days for Holy Baptism. This day originated in Ireland and spread to England by the 8th century. In 835CE, the Bishop of Rome proclaimed it a universal holy day in which we remember the martyrs of the Children’s choir faith, the recognized saints of past generations and all who have died in the Lord Christ. All will be to sing for the first invited to name those dear to time this season on them for public remembrance that morning during Services; you Sunday, Oct. 19th are also invited to bring in a during the 10:30am service. Erik picture of a dear one to be placed Childers, new as director, has on tables in the church proper as been rehearsing with them since visual reminders of saints residing Sept. 14th. We look forward to in the Divine Heart.
their presentation! Connecting Spirits Engaging Minds Welcoming All
On Lion is published eight times a year by
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church
134 North Division Avenue
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3103
(616) 456-1684 fax (616) 456-7506
www.stmarksgr.org
https://www.facebook.com/stmarksgr
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The theme for our 2015 Pledge Campaign is A LIFE OF STEWARDSHIP. It sums up both our responsibility and opportunity to use our financial gifts for the common good. Stewardship is not a once a year thing; it is the intentional and right use of God’s gifts to each of us in a variety of ways. Thus, it is a choice we make as we decide what is right, what is proper, what is just, in using our gifts. Some might follow the famous Gordon Gecko phrase, “Greed is good”; others choose to live a life grounded in Christ’s invitation, “Love one another as I love you.” At St. Mark’s, we realize the high calling we hold as stewards of God’s life within us and the vitalization of our faith community. Our campaign is adult centered and Christ grounded‐‐ shame, guilt and humiliation are not and never will be characteristics of our common stewardship. This is an adult choice to financially share on behalf of others with each pledge dollar given treated with equal respect. Thus, this month, you will receive a 2015 draft mission‐
giving plan and narrative from the Vestry. It will detail our hopes of maintaining a growing food program, children’s and youth programs, along with the maintenance of our historic campus, which for most months of the year is used seven days a week. On October 26, we will have the Pledge Ingathering during the Services, with each family making their pledge, placing it in the offering bowls to be put upon the Holy Table as a pledge of supporting our common mission of Connecting spirits, Engaging minds, Welcoming all in this historic edifice and far beyond our doors. Facilities Update… Well, Barbecue behind us...and what a day it was! Fall is just around the corner. Check out the new chairs in the Parish Hall‐‐ far more comfortable than the folding chairs they replace! These were made possible, in part, by a grant from the Bishop Whittemore Foundation. We have continued our efforts to freshen up our facilities‐‐ the Parish Hall, lower level conference room and hallways have new paint. We had an unusual problem with our air conditioning during the summer‐‐ a squirrel got in to the power wiring for the outdoor condenser, fried himself and the wiring, and took out the A/C in the Sanctuary one hot Sunday morning. A heating coil for the Parish Hall sprung a leak, and is being repaired. Note: the steam line, that was put in last summer, an easement for the college, has been running continuously for a year without any concerns. And of course, the usual expected, small lighting and plumbing repairs have been made. Blessings and happy fall to Y’all, David Hawley-Lowry Facilities Manager Progress Report on Radical Welcome Class Thursday evenings in September, twenty of us met to discuss what an increased emphasis on Radical Welcome might mean for St. Mark’s. We represent various leadership positions at St. Mark’s: the Vestry, Music and Worship, Christian Formation, Youth, Outreach, Fellowship, Ushers, Healing Racism, Finance, Communications, and both newer and long‐
term members of the parish. Two representatives from Heartside and Kyle Bos, the new Young Adult Missioner of the Diocese, also join us. In these first meetings, we focused on the scriptural basis for our discussions and on our understanding of key terms. Radical Welcome is a response to the presence of Others in our community. People who are Other don’t have power, don’t have a say. They are outside, and we don’t know them. They could be college students, street people, gays and lesbians, people of color—anyone who doesn’t fit in easily with us on Sunday morning. If we take a Radical Welcome perspective, we begin with basic Christian theology: Christ loved anyone he encountered, without reservation. Over and over, he challenges us as a Christian community to live with open spirits as a reflection of that love. Who are we excluding, regardless of our intentions? Look for a summary of our conclusions and recommendations in the November newsletter! Judith Claytor and Catherine Frerichs, Co‐Facilitators 3
Parish Library News Certain high‐quality books in the library have long needed repair. Now parishioner Jean McCormick, who is skilled in hand book‐binding and repair, has re‐bound five of them in blue, red, and black hardcovers, with title and author stamped in gold on the spines. These books‐‐ now more than durable, attractive, and easy to find on the shelves‐‐
include New Testament Illustrations, by Clifford M. Jones and published by Cambridge University Press, a substantial resource with excellent historical and geographical photographs, maps, works, of art, and other features (‘F’ section) and also related to New Testament studies, A Pictorial Gospel, compiled by Eliot Hodgkin, with 121 works of art by Renaissance masters on the life of Jesus (‘F’ section). Another rebound book is Faith of Our Fathers: Men and Movements of the Seventeenth Century, by Florence Higham (London, 1939), with brief introductory chapters on the life and times of such Anglicans as Richard Hooker and Lancelot Andrewes and such others as John Bunyan and George Fox (‘J’ Section). Still another is Church Embroidery and Church Vestments, an illustrated guide by Lucy Mackrille, given to St. Mark’s by the Altar Guild in 1939, now leather‐bound and on the shelves (‘W’). New books of Christian art history have been added to the library, each with superb colored reproductions of a renowned Renaissance artist and a narrative account of his life and work. One is Discovering Michelangelo: The Art Lover’s Guide to Understanding Michelangelo’s Masterpieces, by William Wallace. Three others, in a highly regarded series produced in Germany are Raphael, 1483‐1520: The Invention of the High Renaissance by Christof Thoenes; Albrecht Durer, 1471‐1528: The Genius of the German Renaissance, by Norbert Wolf; and Rembrandt, 1606‐1669: The Mystery of the Revealed Form by Michael Bockemuhl. Among paintings and prints highlighted are Michelangelo’s art on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Raphael’s frescoes in the Vatican Palace, Durer’s “St. Jerome in his Study,” and Rembrandt’s “St. Paul in Prison.” These books, a gift of Larry Manglitz, are in the ‘W’ section. An older book, now a minor classic, added to the library is Religion and the Rise of Western Culture, by historian Christopher Dawson, whose compact pages trace the role of Christianity in the formation of Europe‐‐ a parishioner’s gift in the ‘H’ section. A more contemporary book now on the shelves is What Church People Should Know about Poverty, by Ruby Payne and Bill Ehlig, a guide for understanding social and economic causes of poverty in modern America, and for ways that churches and communities can assist individuals and families struggling for adequate incomes. Relevant Scripture passages and stories are included. This book and a companion volume, Payne’s A Framework for Understanding Poverty, given by St. Mark’s Healing Racism Ministry, are in the library’s ‘N’ section. Charles Brown
The Access County Wide Food Drive “Because hunger hasn’t gone away.” Join hundreds of volunteers collecting food for the 55,000 Kent County residents who are currently using the Access Pantry Network. This year their goal is to collect 100 tons of food. Fundraiser for She’s My Sister Mark your calendars now for a fundraiser, October 23, 7 pm, at Celebration Cinema North. "The Good Lie," a new film starring Reese Witherspoon, looks at what happens when a family of four Sudanese refugees arrives in the US for resettlement. Funds are being raised for She's My Sister, a non‐profit or‐
ganization sponsored by the American Bible Society that equips local churches in the Great Lakes region of Africa ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28TH, in a collaborative with practical resources and training in trauma healing. The effort with Westminster Church, St. Mark’s will have organization currently works in the Central African Republic, Access grocery bags available for you to pick up and South Sudan, Uganda, and northern Nigeria. Tickets are $15, fill up with non‐perishable food items, personal care which includes popcorn and pop and a $3 donation to She's items, and household items (e.g. paper towels, My Sister and Calvary Church. detergent, etc.) Please return the filled bags to St. Mark's has welcomed Sudanese refugees for 14 years. St. Mark’s by the following SUNDAY, OCT. 5. These Michael and Elizabeth Kuol and their four beautiful children will be picked up by Westminster and turned in to are current members. People at St. Mark's were an essential be counted with all of the groceries picked up for part of my being able to foster a sibling group of three the annual Access County Wide Food Drive. teenagers when they arrived in 2000. 4
Catherine Frerichs
PARISH GALA DINNER AND SILENT AUCTION St. Mark’s annual fall Gala dinner is on Sunday, Oct. 19 with activities beginning at 5pm at the Kent Country Cub, 1600 College Ave NE, Grand Rapids. We had so much fun with the Silent Auction last year, we’re holding it again, and like last year, we’ll conduct the silent auction during the fellowship hour before the dinner. Once again, we’re asking you to donate an item for the auction. Last year we had over 50 items at a wide variety of prices to fit everyone’s pocketbook. What are we looking for? Maybe you make a mean key lime pie, or sew doll clothes. Maybe you have a condo or a cottage that you’d be able to donate a weekend or a week. Maybe you’re a gourmet chef, and could donate a dinner at someone’s home. The possibilities are endless! We’ve officially begun asking for items, and we’ve already received some exciting ones. Look for our table in the Parish Hall after the 10:30am service. We’ll help you fill in your donation form. Put on your thinking caps and get creative! We have several items from last year committed once again, and new ideas, too. When you deliver the items, please be sure to include an approximate value for the items you’ve brought. Deadline for delivering all items is Sunday, October 5. Also, if you haven’t redeemed an item from last year, contact the donor and make arrangements. ALL PROCEEDS FROM THE SILENT AUCTION WILL GO TO SUPPORT THE WORTHWHILE MINISTRIES AND PROGRAMS HERE AT ST. MARK’S. LET’S TOP THE $6,000 WE RAISED LAST YEAR!! Questions? New ideas? Please contact any of the Silent Auction Committee members: Sallie Bowie ‐‐ 940‐9973 [email protected] Sharon Buursma ‐‐ 520‐1125 [email protected] Julie Connors ‐‐ 957‐8144 [email protected] Judy Freeman ‐‐ 456‐0535 [email protected] David Kidd ‐‐ 427‐3456 [email protected] Louise Kidd ‐‐ 490‐3812 [email protected] Phyllis Rood ‐‐ 456‐5279 [email protected] Tom Walker ‐‐ 456‐0535 [email protected] A Note from a Visitor to St. Mark’s... Dear Rev. Schiesler: I had the pleasure of visiting St. Mark's when I attended a conference in Grand Rapids in the summer of 2012. Your staff kindly allowed me to take some photos of the stained glass and other features in the sanctuary. It's a beautiful church. A few months ago, I started to write a blog about my interest in the symbolic connections between some of the cathedrals I've visited in Europe and churches in the U.S. Because St. Mark's windows are full of symbols, I've used photos of them often as examples of how the same symbols that one finds in Chartres Cathedral, for example, also show up in modern form in the Midwest. I invite you to take a look at the blog, http://mikejklug.wordpress.com/ The articles about the eagle, the four Gospel writers, and "Iconography 101: Bottoms Up," all feature images from St. Mark's. I hope you enjoy the visual evidence that your parish church is in very good company when it comes to sacred symbols! I wish you well in and your congregation well in your ministry to the Grand Rapids community. Sincerely, Mike
Klug 5
Children’s Formation
On Sunday, October 19, we welcome the Children's Choir during the 10:30am service. Also on October 19, Formation will host games and activities during the Annual Gala Dinner for children and youth. Childcare will also be available for infants and toddlers under 3. Make sure you return your RSVP. Jane Stidolph Director of Christian Formation GRAND RAPIDS EPISCOPAL
YOUTH (G.R.E.Y.)
Cedar Point Trip
Our recent annual trip to Cedar Point Halloweekends event was an amazing time,
with near perfect weather. We had 44 Episcopalians make the trip: 15 from
St. Mark’s; 13 from St. Andrew’s; 12 from Grace, Holland;2 from St. John’s,
Fremont; and 2 from St. Mark’s, Newaygo. That’s a total of 9 adults and 35 kids. It was great to see so
many of our youth connect, make new friends, and some experience their first roller coaster.
Art Prize Parking Lot Fundraiser
Our Festival and Art Prize parking lot fundraisers help to offset the cost of things such as the Cedar Point
trip. We are grateful for our congregations supporting us during these events. During Art Prize, we will be
selling sport in St. Mark’s lot the following dates and times: Friday, 9/26 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday 9/27, 9 am-8
pm, Sunday 9/28, Noon-4, Friday, 10/03, 5 pm-8 pm, Saturday, 10/04, 2 pm-8 pm, and 10/05, Noon-4.
Oasis @ St. Andrew’s
The first Oasis of the program year will be on September 24 at St. Andrew’s. A delicious dinner is served
at 5:45, followed by programming for the entire family from 6:30-7:30. The high school (Grades 9-12)
group will continue their study of the Youth Emmaus curriculum from the Church of England and the middle
school (Grades 6-8) group will study re:form: Old Testament Ancestors. Come early and take advantage
of the YMCA Veggie Van which will be at St. Andrew’s from 4 to 5:30 p.m and each Wednesday. The Veggie
Van has fresh fruits, veggies, eggs and cheese at wholesale prices. The following dates, are when we will not
have Oasis in the last quarter of 2014: 11/5, 11/26, 12/24, and 12/31.
Connect
Email Jeff at [email protected] to receive regular Grand Rapids Episcopal Youth updates.
Jeff Brown
Director of Youth Ministries
St. Mark’s and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Churches-Grand Rapids, MI
(616)304-7604 www.stmarksgr.org standrewsgr.org
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Congratulations: to those celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary‐‐ Pastor Sue & Roger York, Chuck & Becky Bocskey, and Victor & Barb Balser; to Dr. Jackie Taylor, who has been honored by Aquinas College as the 2014 Outstanding Alumna; to Lisann Gurney on her new position with Heartside Ministries; to Leigh Eicke, upon the publication of the book she co‐edited, Unruly Catholic Women Writers published by Excelsior Editions. ■
We congratulate Debora and her husband, Abraham in Kampala, Uganda upon the recent birth of their second child, a boy, Awolich. We congratulate proud grandmother, Catherine Frerichs, as well! ■
We welcome Mike and son, Pascal Mol, into Christ’s Community through Holy Baptism on Nov. 2nd, The Feast of All Saints’ Celebration. ■
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We pray for all, who are ill, remembering Shirley VanDerBos, David Brown, Kate Dykema, and Judy Freeman Walker. We pray for Russ & Joan Weigle, who recently moved to Porter Hills, and Bev Snoap at Walden Woods. We remember those who have died: Anne McDonald, who died suddenly in August. Anne was an usher at the 8am service and a member of the Altar Guild. Our prayers are with Dan and their two sons. We remember also The Rev. Joseph Howell, who died after a short illness in August. He served as Pastor of St Mark’s from 1971‐
1993, before his retirement. He has the longest tenure as Pastor of St. Mark’s, and is well‐remembered for his gentle pastoral ability and highly competent teaching style. Our prayers are with Jeanne at this time. We also pray for the Dodge family. Nancy’s brother, Mark Noble died of cancer in September. We pray for Matt Monahan, whose mother, Kay, died unexpectedly and for Jean McCormick, whose brother, Don recently died. Happy Birthday to: Lillian Schultz, Benjamin DuPilka, Brandon Savara, James Winkler, Christie Gilchrist, Dave Cassard, Judy Visser, Richard Grover, Robin Savara, Shannon Gould, Neil Gould, Waverly Sevensma, Dr. Robert Rood, Tom Burr, Mike Krushinsky, Vivian Ter Maat, Calloway Schultz, Louise Kidd, Sheryl DuPilka, Brett Todd, Ella Todd, William VanDerBos, Dorothy VerMeulen, Ragan Savara, Larry Snellink, Margaret Taylor, Julie Connors, and Brooke Ter Maat. Income as of August 31, 2014
Category
Sunday Breakfast
Prior Yr Pledges
Pre-Paid Pledges
Current Yr Pledges
Loose Plate Offerings
Offerings Not Pledged
Easter/Christmas Offerings
Parking Lot Rents
Misc Income
Endowment Allocation For Operations
Fundraiser
Expenses as of August 31, 2014
Category
Pastoral
Happy Anniversary to: Facilities
Richard & Carolyn Grover, Administration
Doug & Nancy Slade, Diocesan Giving
David & Louise Kidd, Christian Education
Mike & Jodi Kivinen, Music
Jeff & Angie Brown, Outreach
Baldwin & Judy Ogden, Earle & Mary Slenker. Actual
2,130.00
1,541.00
0.00
186,107.35
3,018.11
14,449.17
3,398.53
30,702.40
9,501.27
52,800.00
0.00
303,647.83
Budget
3,333.32
3,000.00
666.63
196,166.68
3,333.32
40,700.00
2,291.67
33,333.32
7,866.64
41,983.32
0.00
332,674.90
Actual
98,205.08
67,346.01
76,405.56
40,816.64
22,644.05
38,281.52
6,552.69
350,251.55
Budget
97,460.46
64,619.07
74,080.50
40,816.68
23,805.68
39,332.06
10,166.65
350,281.10
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St. Mark’s Episcopal Church 134 N Division Ave Grand Rapids MI 49503‐3173 Ph (616) 456‐1684 Fax (616) 456‐7506 www.stmarksgr.org https://www.facebook.com/stmarksgr ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Mark your Calendars with these November Events…
Nov. 1 - Diocesan Special Convention at St. Mark’s
Nov. 2 - All Saints’ Sunday with Holy Baptism
Nov. 9 - Ushers’ Party
Nov. 23 - 5pm Sacred Sounds Concert--
Choral Scholars: A Song of Thanksgiving
Nov. 30 - First Sunday in Advent
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