Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields: Weekly Field Notes

The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Field Notes

For Pastoral Care

Call 215-247-7466 and leave a message. If you are experiencing a pastoral emergency text or call the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber at 845-527-9545 or the Rev. Laura Palmer at 267-418-0123.

Have you had an address, email, or phone number update?

Send us your update here.

Field Notes submission requests must be emailed by Tuesday at noon to ndiskan@stmartinec.org.

This email is best viewed as a webpage. Click here to make sure you don't miss anything!

Sunday Worship

August 31st, 2025

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Spoken)

In Person

9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist for Children, Youth, and Families

In Person Under the Tent

10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music

In Person & via livestream here

Please note: the Parish Office will be closed Monday,

September 1st, in observance of the federal holiday.

Features

Save the Date: Food & Fellowship, Choristers, and Adult Forum Resume September 10th!

Join us Wednesday, September 10th as we kick off the new program year with the return of our Wednesday night programming!

Choristers Rehearsal: 4:30 p.m.
Food & Fellowship: 6:00 p.m.
Adult Forum: 7:00 p.m.

If you know a child who would like to join our Choristers children's choir, please email Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts, at twhiting@stmartinec.org

If you are interested in volunteering with Food and Fellowship, please email Lorie Hershey, Director of Administration, at lhershey@stmartinec.org.

Fall Retreat: Old Testament Stories

Trinity Retreat Center, West Cornwall, CT

Tuesday, Oct. 28th-Friday, Oct. 31st

Led by the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

Registration is now open for this year's fall retreat at Trinity Retreat Center in West Cornwall, Connecticut! Join us for time away for learning and prayer as we look at some of the big characters and big stories of the Bible, see how their stories are similar and different, and see how they interact with each other. We will use these observations to reflect on how we tell and retell our own stories. There will also be plenty of time to rest, read, and walk the retreat center grounds. Scholarship assistance is available. Click here for more information and here to register. Registration closes Sept. 21st.

Great News About the Afghan Family Sponsorship

Within the past several days, we received word that Nationalities Service Center has been assigned to work with the Afghan family of seven currently under the sponsorship of a multi-congregation team spearheaded by volunteers at St. Martin’s.

NSC serves more than 5,000 immigrants, refugees and survivors annually in the Philadelphia region and beyond.

That was, of course, wonderful news. But there was even better news. NSC’s involvement comes with a grant of $8,750 to assist the family – dollars that NSC will apply toward the family’s rent for October, November and December. Continue reading here.

Children, Youth, and Families

In case you missed it...check out our Fall CYF newsletter here to learn about upcoming events, fill out our 9:00 a.m. worship service survey, and more!

Do you want to join our handbell ensemble?

Along with our Choir and Chorister programs, the Handbell Ensemble of St. Martin's begins rehearsals on September 18th at 6 p.m.! Led by Wendy Leaver, the group rehearses for 45 minutes each Thursday and will perform through the year at some Feast Days and other services/events. Potential ringers should be familiar with music notation. Please contact me at twhiting@stmartinec.org and/or Wendy at braidedset@gmail.com.

Campanas Domino pulsate!

— Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts

Upcoming Events

Nigel Law Piano Recital

September 14th at 5:00 p.m.

Choral Evensong at

Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral

October 5th at 4:00 p.m.

With music by Parker Kitterman, Erik Meyer, C. V. Stanford, and Ireland.

The Beauty of Holiness

October 19th

3:15 p.m. Exploring St. Martin's Stained Glass - hosted by Wellspring

5:00 p.m. Choral Evensong

Take Action

Germantown Pet Pantry: Please Donate by Sept. 9th!

The next Pet Pantry will be on September 13th and donations will be picked up from St. Martin's on

Sept. 9th.

Thanks in part of your generous participation, Familiar Hearts in Mt. Airy, the rescue organization that sponsors the Pet Pantries, has served 142 families with over 500 pets! Each donation of pet food, supplies and gently used toys helps keep a pet with their owners and out of the over-flowing shelter system.

Attached here is a poster to share with your vet or pet store!

Let's keep making a difference and collect even more than we did last time.

Thank you, St. Martin's!! -Rev. Laura

Teacher Supply Drive

Support Philly Public School Teachers & Their Classrooms

Each year, public school teachers across Philadelphia dig into their own pockets to provide essential supplies for their students. This year St. Martin's is partnering with Need in Deed to support 25 dedicated teachers in supplying their classrooms.

Here are the most-request items:

Post-it Notes (all colors)
Sticky Chart Paper (large easel pads)
Printer Paper (white and colored)
Markers (regular and dry erase)

Please deliver any donations to the Welcome Desk or to the Polly Randall Room in the Parish House by Sunday, September 28th."

St Martin’s Successful Guatemala Scholarship Drive

Muchas Gracias, Saint Martin’s parishioners for your support through the pledge drive for the 2026 San

Juan Apostol Scholarship Fund and the Totonicapán Scholarship Fund. Sixty-four pledges totaling

$19,110 were received for the Guatemala Student Scholarship Drive in the month of June. This year we

exceeded our goal of $15,000! Without your help, these students would not be able to go to school.

Your support opens the door to a better future for them and provides hope to their families and communities.

So far $10,260 in pledged funds has been received. Pledges may be paid via the St Martin’s website or via the plate. If pledges are paid via the online payment option, please use the “Guatemala Scholarship” choice in the drop-down box, when paying the pledge. If a check is provided via the collection plate, please write “Guatemala Scholarship” in the memo section of your check.

Pledges are kindly due by September 30th . Donations are accepted even if you have not had the opportunity to pledge, during the scholarship drive. Thanks to everyone, who supports this wonderful mission!

Telling Our Stories: Healing Wounds of Racism, Building Beloved Community

The Diocesan Anti-Racism Commission is pleased to offer its drama series, Telling Our Stories: Healing Wounds of Racism, Building Beloved Community, starting Sep. 20. Telling Our Stories features four interactive gatherings of theater and discussion, in which participants see themselves in one another’s stories of race and racism as they are brought to life on stage. The experience is facilitated and performed by members of Playback For Change, a multi-racial, improvisational Philadelphia-based theatre company dedicated to using Playback Theatre as a vehicle for social change. The series includes two sessions open to all, and two sessions for race-specific groups. Click here for more information on the first session and here for tickets to all four sessions.

Sermon

The Rev. Laura Palmer

August 24th, 2025

At the core of my theology are words which once I heard them never let me go; they’re the words that capture the essence of Luke’s gospel this morning: “When you draw lines about who’s in and who’s out, remember where you’re putting Jesus.” I don’t remember where I heard them, but I surely wish more churches took them to heart. Continue reading here.