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

Field Notes

This email is best viewed as a webpage

Sunday Worship

September 22nd, 2024

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

In Person

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

In Person

10:30 a.m. Choral Holy Eucharist

In Person and via Livestream

Guest Preacher at 8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White

A Note From

The Rev. Dr. Pamela Cooper-White

I’m so happy to be returning to St. Martin’s this Sunday to preach and preside at both the 8:00 and 10:30 a.m. services!  It will also be my pleasure to lead a Stephen Ministers’ mini-retreat on Tuesday evening on the topic of forgiveness.

For those of you who don’t know me, I was assisting priest at St. Martin’s during the years I was on the faculty at the Lutheran Seminary in Mt. Airy (1999-2008). Our daughter Macrina grew up in the parish, participating in a youth pilgrimage to Iona, Scotland, and a work mission trip to our sister church in Guatemala.  These were life-changing experiences for her that deepened her sense of morality and a lifelong quest for truth. (She is now happily married, the mother of a one-year old baby girl, and is a lead researcher on the ethics/integrity team at Meta!)

Last year I spoke at St. Martin’s on the subject of the psychology (and the dangers) of Christian nationalism, and I am passionate about restoring civility and dignity in our national discourse. Some of you may remember that I retired about a year ago from teaching at Union Theological Seminary as the professor of psychology and religion, and I’ve spent this past year speaking and preaching almost weekly on what draws people in to right-wing political and religious extremism, and how to have meaningful conversations across the widening divide. You’ll never hear me directly from the pulpit tell anyone how to vote in an election! But this week’s scripture readings will suggest some important ways to reflect on how the Hebrew prophets and the Gospel of Jesus might guide us, not only in our politics but in our Christian living. I look forward to sharing my thoughts and prayers with you! Blessings, as always,

Pam+

Features

An Important Update from the Buildings and Grounds Committee

From Debra Roberts, Buildings & Grounds Co-Chair

As many of you know, St. Martin’s Buildings & Grounds Committee is responsible for handling routine maintenance issues and prioritizing critical operating and capital improvement projects. Our #1 goal is to ensure that our buildings and grounds provide a safe and healthy environment for all our worship and programming needs.  

We’re updating you on a mold situation predominantly in the Undercroft that was recently identified. The good news is that remediation planning is already underway and spaces available to parishioners are safe and contamination-free. Continue reading here.

Wednesday Programming at St. Martin's

The official kickoff of the Adult Forums and our Wednesday Programming at St. Martin's was a rousing success! We welcomed 9 children and families to the Chorister rehearsal, nearly 40 people at the Food & Fellowship dinner, and over 30 people for Chris Satullo's excellent forum on "How to Survive this Election - Like a Christian". Please read on to learn about next week's Adult Forum (7:00 p.m.). Plan also to join us before Forum for Choristers (4:30 p.m.) and Food & Fellowship (6:00 p.m.)

Next Week's Adult Forum:

Meet & Greet with the Rev. Luke Selles,

Priest Associate for Children, Youth, & Families

Wednesday, September 25th at 7:00 p.m.

Parish House or via Zoom here.

Passcode: 074688

Childcare will be provided! Please email Lorie Hershey, Director of Administration, at lhershey@stmartinec.org to let her know how many children you will be bringing.

With hope and joy we are enthusiastically awaiting the arrival of The Rev. Luke Selles as our new Priest Associate for Children, Youth, and Families.

Although Rev. Luke's official start date with us is October 1st, there will be an opportunity to meet Luke this upcoming Wednesday, September 25th at Food and Fellowship and Adult Forum. Please come meet Luke over dinner at 6:00 p.m., and then stay for the conversation from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. when Luke, parents, and parishioners will all talk about our shared hopes for Youth Ministry at St. Martin’s. All are welcome!

Register Now for Holy Cross Fall Retreat

Tuesday, October 29th - Friday, November 1st

Click here to register.

"In earth sea and sky and in the landscape of my soul I listen for utterances of your love, O God"

-Celtic Benediction by J Philip Newell

Registration is now open for our 2024 fall retreat at Holy Cross Monastery. On the retreat, Celtic Spirituality will guide us on the journey to discover God’s presence in “the landscape of our souls”. Our facilitator will be the Rev. Gwyneth MacKenzie Murphy, an Episcopal priest, retreat leader and spiritual director with a background in Celtic Spirituality and Feminist and Creation Theory. To learn more about our retreat theme and Rev. Gwyneth, please click here.

If you have any other questions about the retreat, please email Noor Diskan, Director of Communications & Events, at ndiskan@stmartinec.org

Pictured: Rev. Gwyneth at Iona

Sermon Transcript

The Rev. Laura Palmer

September 15, 2024

Who Do We Say We Are?

Good morning. Welcome back and welcome home to this brand new program year at The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. It’s an exciting time in the life of this parish. 

In the coming weeks and months, we will be asking, and answering the question in ways large and small that Jesus posed to Peter? “Who do you say that I am?” “Who do we say that we are?” This week the Rev. Luke Selles accepted our call to be our new Priest Associate for Children, Youth, and Families. In the coming months we are likely to call a new rector to St. Martin’s. And every day at this parish we are saying who we are and working towards who we will become as we sail into our 135th Anniversary Year. Continue reading here.

Choristers Rehearsals

Every Wednesday from 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Do you know a child who loves to sing? Sign up for our Children's Choir Chorister program! Rehearsals run Wednesdays from 4:30 - 6:00 p.m. If you know a child interested in joining Choristers, please email Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts, at twhiting@stmartinec.org.

Handbell Choir Rings Again!

Echoing the wonderful bells we have in our tower, handbells offer another way to join our music & arts ministries at St. Martin's. 

Starting tonight at 6:00 p.m., Wendy Leaver (choir member, handbell leader, and gardener extraordinaire) will lead enjoyable rehearsals open to all who have even a tiny bit of music reading skills in the Parish Hall! 

As the bell choir gets established, there will be two major services in which they will participate: St. Martin's Day and Christmas Eve! There may be more opportunities depending on the growth and development of the group! 

Rehearsals will take place weekly until St. Martin's Day, and then resume in preparation for Christmas Eve. Come along and discover a new way to make music together! If you are interested in learning more or participating, please write to our Director of Music & Arts, Tyrone Whiting: twhiting@stmartinec.org.

Upcoming:

StringFlo Yoga

Tomorrow, Friday, September 20th

7:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall

Click here for tickets.

The Fairmount String Quartet with guest bassist Timothy Raub will be performing a StringFlo yoga class in St. Martin's Fellowship Hall on Friday, September 20th at 7:00 PM. Yoga with live music, written by former SCH music department head Ellen Fishman, is a unique and powerful experience. You can read about StringFlo in the March edition of Strings Magazine. The class will be led by Jake Ellis of Cocoon yoga studio in Mt. Airy. Bring your own mat or a chair will be provided. We will celebrate the release of the StringFlo CD with cake following the class. 

Take Action

St. Martin’s Successful Guatemala Scholarship Drive

68 pledges totaling $15,545 were received for the Guatemala Student Scholarship Drive from Pentecost Sunday through August 14th. Thank you all for your pledged support and donations for the scholarships that support the children of San Juan Apostol and their families. 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 $6,040 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 did not have the opportunity to pledge, during the scholarship drive. Thank you to everyone who supports this wonderful mission!

Coming Up

Voter Registration Drives

Wed. Oct. 2nd from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sat. Oct. 5th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Parish House

St. Martin's will be hosting Voter Registration Drives on both Wednesday, October 2nd and Saturday, October 5th. If you or a friend, neighbor, or family member would like help registering to vote, please stop by! These events are strictly non-partisan.

Wednesday Nights at St. Martin's

Choristers Rehearsals 4:30 p.m.

Food & Fellowship 6:00 p.m.

Adult Forum 7:00 p.m.

Please mark your calendars for our Wednesday Night programming! Each Wednesday kicks off with our Choristers Rehearsals at 4:30 p.m., followed by our Food & Fellowship community dinner at 6:00 p.m., and culminating with Adult Forum at 7:00 p.m.

If you are interested in volunteering to help set up and/or clean up Food and Fellowship, please contact Lorie Hershey, Director of Administration, at lhershey@stmartinec.org. Volunteers are not expected to bring food for the meal. You can sign up to volunteer for a specific date(s), or come every week!

Upcoming Adult Forums

Wednesdays, Oct. 2 and Oct. 16 at 7:00 p.m.

PLEASE NOTE CHANGE OF DATE:

NOW OCT 2ND NOT 9TH AS PREVIOUSLY STATED

"How to Survive This Election - Like a Christian"

Parish House or via Zoom here.

Passcode: 074688

A series of Adult Forums with Chris Satullo, an award-winning former journalist who was also an editorial page editor and a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Are you dreading the next weeks until the election? Are you perhaps dreading even more Thanksgiving dinner with Uncle George or Cousin Jennifer after the election? If so, these sessions with Chris, a vestry member who is co-founder of the PA Project for Civic Engagement and the Can We Talk? dialogue forums, might be just the thing for you.

Each session stands alone, so don't worry if you can't make one. We'll have handouts to help you catch up on what you missed. Also, you can Zoom into any session that you can't make in person. Click here to learn more.

The Poetry Path

Saturday, Oct. 5th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in Hilary House (Smith Room)

Facilitated by Sharon Thomson

Sponsored by Wellspring

What is the spiritual dimension of the poetic process? Come explore at a workshop for beginning and experienced writers who will practice using image-making, sensual description and the music of language to express the soul. The workshop will be led by St. Martin's parishioner Sharon Thomson, M.F.A., a published poet who has taught poetry writing for 50 years in a wide variety of settings.

To reserve a seat, sign up before Sept. 28th by contacting Sharon at 845-282-5500 or email: sharonthomson2001@yahoo.com. If you have questions before signing up, feel free to contact her. The workshop is limited to 12 participants.

Sharon has led many poetry-writing workshops in her longtime work with The Grail, an international women's organization founded in 1921 as a Catholic lay movement committed to spiritual search and social transformation. You can find out more about Sharon here.

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Mary Chapel

Wellspring Worship Reflections

After the 10:30 a.m. service

Houston Room