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.

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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Weekend Worship Services

Saturday, November 8th, 2025

The Installation & Induction of

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

10th Rector of the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

10:00 a.m.

In Person & via livestream here

Followed by Reception & Guatemala Craft Fair

Sunday, November 9th, 2025

Consecration Sunday & St. Martin's Day

ONE SERVICE at 10:30 a.m.

In Person & via livestream here

Followed by Consecration Sunday Celebration Luncheon

& Guatemala Craft Fair

Click here to read a special Collect for Consecration Sunday, composed by Martha Crowell, Acting Rector's Warden

Rector's Note

We had a beautiful All Saints’ service this past Sunday morning, and a beautiful All Souls’ requiem mass in the evening. The gathering in the Columbarium was special and meaningful.

Ministry leaders, staff and the Consecration Sunday team had another wonderful time of fellowship Monday evening, having dinner together in the sanctuary and preparing for Sunday’s special service.

Today as I write this, voters are streaming into our parish hall, which has been a polling site for many years. Many of the workers have commented to me about how welcoming we are, and how they enjoy being here.

This community is a special place of energy, commitment, and hospitality. In other words, the Holy Spirit is here! And we get to celebrate ourselves all weekend! I’ll see you there.

Celebration of New Ministry, Sat. Nov. 8th, 10:00 a.m.

Bishop Daniel Gutiérrez presiding, The Rev. Joseph Wallace-Williams preaching.

Guatemala crafts on sale Saturday and Sunday.

Consecration Sunday & St. Martin’s Day, Sun. Nov . 9th, 10:30 a.m. (one service only)

The Rev. Frank Allen preaching, Vestry in procession, catered lunch after (please RSVP if you haven’t already! Email Dani Reed at reed@monell.org to do so.)

Mary+

Features

The Institution & Induction of the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

10th Rector of the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

THIS Saturday, November 8th, 2025 at 10:00 a.m.

The Wardens and Vestry of the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields invite you to join us in celebrating the official installation of the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber as our 10th Rector this Saturday at 10:00 a.m.! This momentous service will be presided over by our Bishop, The Rt. Rev Daniel G.P. Gutiérrez, with guest preacher The Rev. Joseph Wallace-Williams. Also plan to attend a reception following the service!

This Sunday is Consecration Sunday!

A Message from David Dieck-Consecration Sunday Committee Member

Eugenie and I have been lifted up by this parish continually in our thirty-six years as parishioners at St. Martin’s. These past weeks working with the rest of the Consecration Sunday team have been among the most enriching days in my time here.

This weekend will mark the culmination of an amazing season – the installation on Saturday of the Reverend Dr. Mary Barber as the tenth Rector of St. Martin’s and then on Sunday, our annual celebration of St. Martin of Tours. That morning, we will also celebrate Consecration Sunday with the Rev. Frank Allen as our guest preacher who will facilitate our Consecration Sunday activities – which will culminate in a wonderful catered luncheon. To date, 178 people from 114 households have accepted the invitation to the luncheon. Last evening, the Consecration Sunday team met with the Vestry, clergy, staff, and ministry leaders to arrange to extend personal invitations to parishioners who have not yet RSVPed to attend. The energy in the room was palpable, and emblematic of the grace and love in this community that I have come to know over the decades, and for which I am so grateful.

For those who have not yet RSVPed – please join us as we celebrate, reflect, and give thanks together on St. Martin’s Day and Consecration Sunday (Note: one service only, 10:30 a.m., November 9th). Please respond to the parishioner who contacts you or RSVP by email to our Consecration Sunday Committee Chair, Dani Reed, at reed@monell.com by Thursday evening so we can give the caterer an accurate count for the luncheon!

Learn more about Consecration Sunday here.

Guatemala Tapestries Raffle and Craft Sale

This Saturday: Houston Room until 2:00 p.m. AND

This Sunday: Polly Randall Room and outside of the Parish Hall until 2 p.m.

The Guatemala Companion Parish Committee will be holding the annual Guatemala Craft Sale on two days this year! We will be open after the Installment Service for the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber on Saturday, November 8th, as well as on Sunday, November 9th as part of our St. Martin’s Day celebrations. Come and join us to do some shopping for Christmas. Proceeds support projects in Guatemala and committee activities.

We are continuing the raffle of two beautiful handmade pieces of traditional art on both days. There is still time to get in on the raffle action. The raffle winners will be picked on Sunday at 1 p.m. Tickets are 1 ticket for $1 and 6 tickets for $5.

Please support these fundraising efforts that help us support our companion parishes in the western highlands of Guatemala. This year proceeds from prior Craft Sales supported the RSV Epidemic Relief project.

When you stop in at the Craft Sale, please welcome Rev. Dr. Roberto Armas and his wife Deaconess Cynthia Armas, who are visiting to be with us for the Installation Service of Rev. Dr. Mary Barber.

Children, Youth, and Families

St. Martin's Children & Youth Survey

Calling all children and youth, ages 3–17! The St. Martin's community needs your voice to help shape programming for Children, Youth, and Families next year: we want to know what matters most to you — what you love, what inspires you, how best to reach you, and what you’d like to see more of at church.

The survey will be available in person in the Narthex (the entryway to the Church across from the Parish House, as in the picture to the left) beginning this Saturday. Caregivers, please help your younger children fill out the short survey.

Let’s build a year full of faith, fun, and fellowship — together!

With joy,

Rev. Luke

Music Notes

Each week, Tyrone Whiting, our Director of Music and Arts, will dive into specific aspects of our service music, highlighting liturgical, historical, and musical elements of our music-making. Click here to read the weekly Music Notes.

Light and Liturgy: How the light, color, and inspiring images of St. Martin’s stained-glass windows complement congregational worship from the invocation to the final blessing

Presented by Wellspring

Sunday, November 16th, from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.

We will discover windows related to the words, music, and drama of the liturgy, as well as illustrations of readings and church teachings. Free and no registration required for St. Martin’s members and friends. A small group from Interfaith Philadelphia will join us.

Facilitator: Rev. John Hougen, PhD, co-chair of Wellspring at St. Martin’s

Dr. James Palmer Piano Lecture Recital

Sunday, November 16th

5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

We are excited to welcome pianist, Dr. James Palmer for a special recital on Nov 16th at 5 p.m. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear a wonderful program by a great pianist! Works include Mozart, Scriabin, Verdi, Liszt, and more.

Fairmount String Quartet: Hungarian Connections

Saturday, November 15th at 7:30 p.m.

Join our resident ensemble, the Fairmount String Quartet, with guest artist Anna Kislitsyna, on Saturday, November 15th at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary for a program of music with a "Hungarian Connection". The program includes Haydn's String Quartet, Op. 33, #1; Ligeti's "Old Hungarian Ballroom Dances"; and Dohnanyi's mystical and powerful Piano Quintet, Op. 26. It is a program that feels all the feels! Admission is pay-what-you-can and a meet-the-artists reception follows the concert in the Parish Hall. Reserve your spot at fairmountstringquartet.org.

Watch Our New Children's Choir Video!

Take Action

Face to Face Volunteer Day Date Change: Now November 29th

St. Martin's November volunteer day has been moved from Nov. 8th to Nov. 29th! If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Mark Birdsall mdbirdsall@gmail.com or Jason Martin jason.martin.temple@gmail.com.

Team Green Bean Canned Food Drive

St. James School is once again putting together Thanksgiving meal bags for those who might not otherwise be able to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner. The bags will be given out shortly before Thanksgiving. Like previous years, St. Martin's has been asked to be on Team Green Bean! Please consider purchasing a few cans of green beans to contribute to this effort - we are aiming for at least 300 cans of beans. In addition, St. James asks you to consider donating a $25 gift card to either ShopRite or Aldi so that all families can purchase a holiday turkey or ham. A gift card is placed in each meal bag. Please deliver your green beans by Nov. 17th to the bench in the Parish House foyer. For safekeeping, gift cards should be delivered to Noor Diskan, Director of Communications & Events.

Sneakers4Good Shoe Donation Drive

We’ve partnered with Sneakers4Good to provide a socially responsible way to donate your used sneakers and running shoes to a good cause. The sneakers will help benefit Face to Face in Germantown as well as support micro-enterprises in 25 developing countries. The athletic shoes will be given a second life as well as kept out of landfills where they can take decades to fully decompose. There is no limit, so clean out your closets! We accept only gently worn, used or new athletic sneakers and running shoes. Please place any lightly used or new sneakers/running shoes in the sneakers4good boxes at the entrance to the church. Lightly worn sneakers/running shoes only, please! The Sneaker Drive is a lead up to the 33rd Face to Face Turkey Trot on November 27, (Thanksgiving Day) at 9 a.m. along Forbidden Drive in Fairmount Park. Register here!

Sermons

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

11.2.25

The Feast of All Saints (morning services)

Blessed are you who are poor. Woe to you who are rich. We have heard a series of challenging messages from Jesus about wealth in recent Sundays. Continue reading here.

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

11.2.25

The Feast of All Souls (evening service)

We are here this evening to honor all souls, all the faithful departed. To pray for the people who have gone before and to pray with them. We will read the names of people in our community who we have lost in this past year, and we will honor the whole communion of saints, those who have died this year and in all years past. Continue reading here.

Coming Up

Spirituality of Aging

Next Wednesday, November 12th

10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (Houston Room and via Zoom)

Spirituality of Aging is a conversation group bringing older adults together to share our stories, questions and insights about aging, in a supportive, congenial spirit. The group meets monthly, and is open to all who want to explore with others the experience of growing older (and, we hope, wiser). To RSVP, or for more information, please contact Elizabeth Morrison at elizabeth.donnell.morrison@gmail.com.