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.

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.

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Sunday, August 23, 2026

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (Spoken)

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

Under the Tent

10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music

Also via livestream here

Followed by Worship Reflections (in person only)

This Sunday's Readings

Exodus 1:8-2:10 | Psalm 124 | Romans 12:1-8 | Matthew 16:13-20

Rector's Note

It feels hard to believe, but we are creeping toward the end of summer. Soon we will be joyously into all kinds of weekly programming here at St Martin’s. But in the meantime, there is some quiet, some time to explore, and time to keep chipping away at projects needing to be completed.

This week was emblematic of summer for me. Alleyne and I got to be tourists, visiting the Mutter Museum and seeing the original surgical theater at the Pennsylvania Hospital Museum before getting some delicious oysters and fries. I made some visits to St Martin’s members. Buildings and Grounds Committee and staff and I continued to try to tackle the perennial issue of water and dampness in the basement of the parish house. 

The second photo shows one of the window wells around the building, and you can see how the cover is cracked and the frame needs repair. We need to do some repair and plexiglass replacing on several of the window wells, which should help protect the building. Gutters and drains also need attention. 

These issues are a little tedious, sometimes hard to get a handle on, and certainly not as exciting as a capital project. But they are important and worth attending to. Our downstairs space in the parish house is where the Children’s Chorus and Handbell Choir practice, where James has his office, and where sheet music is stored. It needs to be safe, comfortable, and hospitable.

Happy last weeks of summer, St Martin’s.

Mary+

Features

Realm Is Now Live!

St. Martin's has officially moved to our new church record-keeping software, Realm. It’s primarily an administrative tool for staff and clergy, but it also offers helpful tools for parishioners. With Realm, we’ll have more ways to communicate and connect as a church.

Realm will make it easier for:

• Members of ministries to communicate with each other
• Parishioners to track their giving
• Parishioners to securely access an online directory

All parishioners should have received an email from Realm today with a link to access their online profile. If you did not receive this email (it may have gone to spam), please alert our Director of Administration, Lorie Hershey: lhershey@stmartinec.org.

Realm Launch Parties - Come Explore All Realm Has to Offer

Come discover how Realm can help you connect with fellow parishioners! Be sure to bring your laptop/tablet/phone and make sure you know your email password. Staff can help you access your profile, download the Realm Connect app, explore the online directory, and more. Join staff in the Parish House on any of these three dates:

1) Today, Aug. 20: 3-5 p.m.

2) Next Wed., Aug. 26: 12-2 p.m.

3) Next Thurs., Aug 27: 3-5 p.m.

You're Invited: The Wedding of Mac Prell & Nigel Law!

Saturday, Sept. 5th

11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary

Parishioners Mac Prell and Nigel Law are getting married at

St. Martin's on Saturday, September 5th! All are welcome to witness and to celebrate! A reception in the Parish Hall will follow the service.

Save the Date: First Meeting of Wellspring's Spiritual Classics Book Group

Saturday, October 3rd, at 2:30 p.m.

Our new Spiritual Classics book group will hold its inaugural meeting on Oct. 3rd at the home of parishioner Lorie Simmons in Mt. Airy. We will discuss Henri J. M. Nouwen's book, The Return of the Prodigal Son, A Story of Homecoming. After the discussion we will decide what titles to read next and when and where to meet in the future! Please contact Lorie Simmons with any questions and for the exact address: loriesimmons@comcast.net.

Adult Forum Returns Next Month - Topic Suggestions Wanted!

Adult forum will resume Sept. 16 at its usual time and place: 7 p.m. Wednesdays in the Houston Room. The hunt for program ideas is on. Is there a parish ministry or initiative you'd like to learn more about? Are you doing something neat in your life that you're eager to share with the parish? Is there a writer, artist, thinker, activist, doer or leader in our Philadelphia community you think we should invite? Any trends in spirituality or theology that await exploration? If any such great ideas for a forum are rattling around in your brain, please send them to Chris Satullo at csatullo@gmail.com or 610-828-6935.  Note: Forums should be as interactive as possible, with no more than 40 minutes for presentation, leaving at least 20 for Q and A.

Do you want to help with Adult Forum? Can you help run a Zoom call or set up a powerpoint? Please reach out to Tyrone Whiting, as we are looking for additional volunteer tech. helpers for the many events that happen on campus.

Iced Tea & Chess Under the Tent

Weekly on Thursdays through August 27th

4:00-6:00 p.m.

Rain Space: Houston Room

This summer’s Iced Tea & Chess Under the Tent series continues each Thursday through the end of August! Our Iced Tea & Chess series is a great way to get to know each other, enjoy some snacks, and beat the summer heat with cool drinks and/or chess. No RSVP needed, but if you are able, please consider bringing a snack to share. We look forward to seeing you there!

Snapshots

The Flower Guild shows what a team effort can accomplish​! This past week's arrangement of white and lime hydrangeas, with hosta blooms and greenery, used flowers cut from Denis Lucey's garden.



If you have flowers you can spare in full bloom on August 22nd and would be willing to contribute, please contact Dani Reed, Flower Guild co-chair, at 267-280-3248. 

Children, Youth, & Families

A Faithful Journey: Preparing for Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation

This fall, St. Martin's will offer confirmation classes for youth and adults. All seekers, age 12 and over, are welcome to join us between the 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. service for five Sundays: Sept. 20th and 27th; Oct. 11th and 18th; and Nov. 8th. If you are interested in making a public confirmation or reaffirmation of your baptismal vows or being received into the Episcopal Church at the end of this course, please fill out this form. All are welcome to join for one or all of the five parish-wide sessions and the additional opportunities even if you are unsure about being confirmed/received. Click here for more details.

Diocesan Youth Wild Adventure at Valley Forge

Sunday, August 30th

4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Washington Memorial Chapel 

2000 Valley Forge Park Road, King of Prussia, PA 19406

Get ready for a fun evening of adventure, music, food, and fellowship to kick off your fall! Youth and their family members from across the diocese are invited to join us for our Diocesan Youth Wild Adventure at Valley Forge National Historical Park on 8/30 from 4 pm - 6:30 p.m. Enjoy live music, wilderness walks, hands-on craft projects like nature mandalas, dinner, and outdoor worship under the open sky that will inspire you for the coming school year. The Rev. Dr. Charles Lattimore Howard will be our homilist. To register, go to this link.

A Beverage with the Director of Music & Arts 

As we look ahead to the start of the new program year, I warmly invite all members of St. Martin's for a one-on-one catch-up over a beverage of your choice to connect and discuss your hopes and wishes for our music and arts ministries this program year and beyond.

Meetings are available Monday through Thursday, ideally between noon and 7:00 p.m. (though I am happy to be flexible around work commitments, etc.) and will take place at the church or a mutually convenient local spot.

Please email me directly (twhiting@stmartinec.org) to schedule a time/location, and let them know your beverage preference!

Cantate Domino! — Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts 

Summer Sunday Musicians

Thank you to everyone who has volunteered to offer music this Summer. Upcoming Sundays will feature the following musicians:

Aug 23: Beth Dzwil, Viola

Aug 30: Aaron Scarberry, Basson & Carolyn Green, Recorders

Sep 6: B'roke Ensemble, St. Martin's Amateur Baroque Ensemble

Title: A Coming Storm, Date: 1863, Artist: Sanford Gifford (American, 1823-1880), Medium: Oil on canvas, Credit Line: 125th Anniversary Acquisition. Gift of the McNeil Americana Collection, 2004

Nature and Spirit: Prayerful Looking at American Landscapes

Sunday, August 30th

1:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Co-sponsored by Wellspring, Interfaith Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Office for Community Engagement

This Mini-Retreat will take place in the PMA’s America250 exhibit, A Nation of Artists. We will focus on landscape paintings that express a variety of religious and spiritual commitments, helped create our national identity, and fueled our nation’s westward expansion. Guided meditation on two paintings will be followed by an opportunity for participants to explore the exhibit and select a work of art to contemplate on their own or with a partner. The retreat will conclude with a tour of the works selected, each person sharing their unique experience of prayerful looking. Register here.

Facilitator: Rev. John B. Hougen, PhD, Co-chair of Wellspring, Art of Interfaith Understanding Coordinator for Interfaith Philadelphia, and Volunteer Docent at the PMA.

Cost: The sliding scale fee for this program is $30-$150, with a suggested price of $50.

Parking and admission to the museum are free thanks to the generosity of the PMA’s Office of Community Engagement. 

Sermon

The Rev. Debora Brown

August 16, 2026

Click here to view a recording of last Sunday's sermon by our guest preacher, the Rev. Debora Brown. The sermon begins at the 28 minute mark.

Coming Up

Seasonal Writing Retreat

Saturdays (bi-weekly) from 9:30-11 a.m. in Hilary House

Upcoming Session: August 29th

A quiet time to listen, reflect, create and share

Come and share time with others as we listen to poems/reflections/prayers that reflect the liturgical season we are in. After some time in silence, we write as the spirit guides us and the share our writing without judgement or critique. Find community, respite and inspiration as we move through challenging times. All are welcome. Come for one session or come often. For information contact Joanne Conway, joanneconway86@gmail.com

Exploring Spirituality with Wellspring: An Afternoon Retreat

Saturday, September 26th

Lunch (12-1 p.m.) followed by three hour-long sessions (1-4 p.m.)

 There are many ways to encounter the Spirit. Come experience with us three approaches to spirituality:

•  through the signs and symbols of the liturgy;
•  through the teachings of the spiritual scientist, Rudolf Steiner, founder of Waldorf education;
•  through praying the Psalms.

No cost. Stay tuned for more details!

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Mary Chapel

Wellspring Worship Reflections

After the 10:30 a.m. service

Houston Room

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)

Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. (Library)

Al Anon

Sundays 6-7 p.m. (Houston Room)

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

1 - Tuesdays 8-9 p.m. (Houston Room)

2 - Thursdays 7-8 p.m. (Houston Room)

3 - Fridays 7-8 p.m. (Houston Room)

4 - Sundays 8-9 p.m. (Houston Room)