Interfaith Hour of Prayer for Peace

The Social Concerns Commitee of Church of the Resurrection Parish, in cooperation with Bharatiya Hindu Temple of Columbus, Columbus Metropolitan Area Church Council, Faith Communities Uniting for Peace, Ohio State University Chabad House, Ohio Council of Churches, Sikh Educational & Religious Foundation, the Interfaith Association of Central Ohio and North Columbus Friends Meeting are sponsoring a city-wide Interfaith Hour of Prayer for Peace.

There are no political agendas; the only agenda for this evening is to bring people of all faiths together to pray for peace throughout the world.

When people of different beliefs come together to pray for peace, we are building a peace among ourselves that will ripple throughout the world.

It's time to come together to pray for peace! Bring your friends, your families, your neighbors, and join us! August 18, 2007 at 8:00 p.m. on the West Lawn of the Statehouse, Downtown Columbus. For more information, please call Suanne Gettings at 614-855-1400, or contact St. Mark's member Sylvia Moore at 614-486-4811.

Attention Bridge Players!

A new season is about to begin, so please come play bridge with us and have an enjoyable, relaxed afternoon. We play the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. until about 3:00 p.m. Bring a sandwich and we will provide the beverages.

We'd love to have you join us! We currently have 2-3 tables each month. Please contact Marlene Marchak at 451-6433 for more information and to be a part of a fun group!!

Volunteers Needed-Thursday, July 26

Volunteers are needed to help with processing the Epistle newsletters for bulk mailing. The process is simple. If you can fold paper or stick on labels, you'll be a pro! Please join us in the Oratory on Thursday, July 26 at 8:30 AM for an hour or so.

Our numbers have dwindled in recent months and we are actively seeking more volunteers for "Epistle Folding Day." This is also a fun way to socialize with fellow parishioners. Come early and attend the Thursday morning Eucharist (7:00 AM) and breakfast.

August Vestry Meeting Changed to Aug. 27

The date of the August Vestry meeting has been changed from August 20 to Monday, August 27 at 7:30 PM in the Oratory.

Amos & Hosea: Boundaries, Tough Love, Amazing Grace

Eight Tuesday Evenings: September 11 through November 6 (No Class on October 30)

7:30 to 9:00 p.m. in the Oratory (the last class--Nov. 6--will be in the Parish Hall)

Please join us for this series as we hear God speak through these two great prophets. Led by the Rev. Bruce Smith. The sign-up sheet is on the Announcements Table in the Parish Hall. The deadline for registrations is Sunday, August 26.

The cost for the text will be $20; checks made payable to St. Mark’s Church.

St. Mark's Book Club & Annual Potluck - July 23

Monday, July 23, 2007, 6:30 p.m.
Location/Host: Betty Gorman
Address: 2475 Dorset Road, UA 43221
Book of the month: CHOOSE YOUR OWN BOOK
Discussion: Each person should give a short description and evaluation of his/her book.

Please RSVP to Betty Gorman (contact church office for number). Also, please call Betty to sign up to bring a salad or dessert if you have not already done so.

New members are always welcome!!

Host Families Needed August 17-18

10 Chinese teachers from Wuhan University will be attending a three day TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) Training Conference August 20-22 at OSU. They would also like to experience American culture and the living and working environment. 10 (ideally) or 5 hosting families are needed to accommodate them for two nights, August 17 and 18 (Friday evening through early Sunday morning). If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact the church office for more details.

St. Mark's Children Featured in Interchange Newspaper

St. Mark's Director of Youth Ministries, Erin Richards submitted an article that was printed in this month's Interchange (our Diocesan newspaper). The article features St. Mark's Godly Play class members and their involvement in supporting the Heifer Project. The story is found on page 7 of the July Interchange, or you can view the article online by clicking on the following link: Children give back, support Heifer Project.

Sermon on Ministry of Deacons

The Rev. Dr. Lee Anne Reat,Vicar at St. John’s, Columbus (Town Street) preached at the Ordination of Deacons on Saturday, June 23, 2007 at Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati. Her sermon clearly and creatively spells out the role of the deacon in the church and the world.

Epistle Deadline: July 20

The deadline for the submission of items to be included in the August issue of the Epistle is Friday, July 20. Please email your submissions--if possible--to the Office Manager at saintmarks@ameritech.net. Alternatively, you may bring in or mail your submissions to the Church Office.

Guest Organist for July and August

While Gary Garber (Organist-Choirmaster) and Michael Murray (Organist) are off during July and August, St. Mark's is happy to welcome Robert Wisniewski as our guest organist.

Mr. Wisniewski is Principal Organist and Assistant Director of Music at St. Joseph Cathedral, and Dean of the Columbus Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

St. Mark's and Habitat for Humanity

The Northwest Partnership of Churches began construction of its 16th house on June 2 in Grove City. 2 or 3 volunteers are needeed from St. Mark's each Saturday to help with construction. NO PRIOR HOMEBUILDING EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY. Please contact Chip Botti for more details if you are interested in helping out on this project.

Volunteers are also needed to assist Marilyn Karl with lunch coordination on occasional Saturdays.

Reception for Newcomers to St. Mark's

If you are recently new to St. Mark's you are cordially invited to attend a Newcomer's Brunch on Sunday, July 15 in the oratory, immediately following the 10:00 a.m. service.

Martha Belury is coordinating this event--please call or email the parish office for her contact information. We hope you can join us!

Stewardship of Time & Talent

As of June 26, we received 95 completed Time & Talent Covenant Forms. We are greatly encouraged by the number of folks who took the time to prayerfully consider how God is calling them in the coming year. The information you gave us will be forwarded this month to the coordinators of the various ministries at St. Mark's. They, in turn, will contact you (if you turned in a form) by Labor Day (or shortly thereafter) to talk with you further about continuing a current ministry or embarking on a new one.

Office Manager on Vacation July 11-18

Please note that the Parish Office may have limited hours while Kristy is away on vacation, Wednesday, July 11 through Wednesday, July 18. She will be back in the office on Thursday, July 19.

Do You Need a Nametag?

As a way of practicing the ministry of hospitality, members and friends of St. Mark's are encouraged to wear nametags on Sunday mornings during worship. If you need a new or replacement nametag, please contact the Office Manager at saintmarks@ameritech.net.

Parish Photo Directories are Still Available

Do you still need the 2007 edition of the Parish Directory? Full directories and updates are still available in the church office. Donations are suggested: the costs for producing the directories were $5 for the updates and $7 for the complete directories (including 3-ring binder).

Aug. 12 - Farewell Reception for Fr. Philip

Before we can welcome our new Rector, we must say farewell to our Interim Rector, Philip College. Fr. Philip's many talents have been a real blessing to us during this interim period and we will miss him immensely. His last Sunday at St. Mark's be August 12, and his last day in the office will be the morning of August 16.

We will be having a special reception for Fr. Philip following the 10:00 AM service on Sunday, August 12. If you would like to help with the reception, please contact Andi Waller or Pat Kirkley.

St. Mark's Has Called A New Rector!

The Rev. K. Paul St. Germain, Jr., age 42, has been called to serve St. Mark's as Rector. His first day in the office will be Tuesday, September 4, 2007 and his first Sunday service at St. Mark's will be September 9. A reception will follow the 10:00 AM service on September 9. All members and friends of the parish are invited and encouraged to attend!

Fr. Paul comes to us from St. George's Episcopal Church in Centerville, Ohio--a large suburban parish just south of Dayton. At St. George, Paul has been the Associate Rector for 14 years. Prior to serving at St. George, he served as curate, then priest-in-charge, at St. John's in Huntington, West Virginia for three years.

He has a Masters of Divinity from Yale University and a degree in Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He is a native of Vermont and a cradle Episcopalian. Fr. Paul is single. He enjoys cooking, roller coasters, collecting toy soldiers, foreign travel and digital photography.

Welcome to the St. Mark's News Blog!

In an effort to improve communications with and among the St. Mark's community, we have added a News Blog to the parish website. For those who are unfamiliar with the term "blog" it is short for "weblog" and designates an online journal or news column that is updated frequently. Now, in addition to regular bulletin announcements and the monthly Epistle newsletter, we will be able to post news and announcements of interest to the St. Mark's community in a more timely fashion by also including them on our website.

To stay informed, be sure to check this space frequently for new posts! Email the Office Manager to let us know what you think of this new feature, or if you have any questions: saintmarks@ameritech.net.