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

Field Notes

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Sunday Worship

March 16, 2025

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

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

10:30 a.m. Choral Holy Eucharist

5:00 p.m. Stations of the Cross

Rector's Note

First, a public service announcement. I will never, never ever ask you to buy gift cards, or anything else for that matter. If you get an email from someone pretending to be me, asking for something like that, do not click on any links or act on what it is asking. If in doubt, you can always call me (my cell number is below) and check to see if it was me.

These kinds of scams are sadly commonly sent to parishioners with clergy names on them. Because the emails sent to a few St Martin’s folk have not come from my email address, it is not a hacking, and so the fact that I have changed all my passwords won’t do very much to stop them. We just have to be alert and vigilant about it together.

This week we are marking 5 years since the COVID lockdown. We will have a special Compline service in the church tonight, Thursday, March 13, at 6:00 pm, with Tyrone and myself leading. Please come, or join by livestream, and remember together.

We went through so much in those early pandemic days. And we continue to live in divided and chaotic times. But we are here. We survived, individually and as a community. It’s not to be taken for granted that we can mark this week together as a community of faith.

Mary+

mbarber@stmartinec.org or 845-527-9545

Features

Stations of the Cross

Every Sunday in Lent

5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Join us for a short service of prayer, music, and art in meditation on the Stations of the Cross. A 20 minute musical reflection follows each service.

This Sunday's musical reflection: Marisa Miller, alto section leader

Upcoming Memorial Services

All services will take place at St. Martin's.

The Rev. Sharline Fulton

Saturday, April 5th, at 11:00 a.m.

View obituary here.

Craig Johnson

Monday, April 14th, at 10:00 a.m.

View obituary here.

Raymond "Skip" Lynch

Sunday, May 18th, at 3:00 p.m.

View obituary here.

Charles "Charlie" Harmar

Saturday, June 21st, at 3:00 p.m.

Sign Up to Contribute to Lenten Food & Fellowship Meals

During Lent our Wednesday Food & Fellowship meals are centered around a simple meal of soup and bread. For the next 4 weeks, you are invited to help create these community meals by bringing either: 

1) a soup that could feed 8-10 people 

or

2) a loaf of bread 

We are looking to include both gluten-free and vegetarian options for each meal. Please contact Lorie Hershey at lhershey@stmartinec.org if you would like to contribute on one of the following dates: March 19th, March 26th, April 2nd, April 9th. Thank you!

Lenten Breakfasts & Spiritual Journeys

Every Friday in Lent

8:30 - 9:30 a.m. in the Houston Room

Please join us Friday mornings in Lent for light breakfast and a chance to hear the powerful spiritual journeys of your fellow parishioners. Each week will also have plenty of time for informal reflections as well. If you'd like to bring a treat to share, please do! RSVPs aren't required.

Lent Sunday School for All Ages

Every Sunday in Lent, plus Palm Sunday (April 13th)

9:30 a.m. - 10:25 a.m.

Lent is a time out of our normal time—time for pondering, welcoming new insights, and going deeper in our faith life. This year we are invited to enlarge our understanding of who we are as a parish—to get to know each other and grow in solidarity across the different worship services: the 8, 9, and 10:30 - and across all our ages. On the five Sundays of Lent, as well as on Palm Sunday, everyone who attends the 8 and 10:30 services is warmly encouraged to visit a part of the youth and family service from 9:30 to 10:25 a.m. Please note: There will be no 9:00 a.m. service on Palm Sunday, but Godly Play will still take place at 9:30 a.m. Learn more here.

Artmaking as Prayer in World Religions

Co-sponsored by Interfaith Philadelphia and Wellspring

This Sunday, March 16th, 2-3:30 p.m. (Virtual)

Register here.

Facilitator: Rev. John B. Hougen, PhD, Co-chair of Wellspring at St. Martin’s and Coordinator of Interfaith Philadelphia’s series, the Art of Interfaith Understanding.

In the sand-mandalas of Tibetan Buddhists and the calligraphy created for sacred texts in Judaism and Islam; in the sculptures of Hinduism that house the divine and the icons of Orthodox Christianity, in the mysticism of abstract expressionism and the art journaling of contemporary seekers, prayer is an integral part of artmaking. This program includes a presentation of examples from the world’s religions, discussion, and a brief art journaling exercise.

Next Week's Adult Forum:

The Importance of Religious Rituals

Led by Wendy Horwitz, author

Wednesday, March 119th

7:00 p.m. in the Houston Room and via Zoom (Passcode 074688)

Our speaker will be author Wendy Horwitz, author of a new book, Milkweed and Honey Cake: A Memoir in Ritual Moments. In the book, Horwitz explores how ritual can exalt ordinary moments and help us grasp the extraordinary. With observations from nature, religion, and literature, she tells stories about celebration, loss, change, and the best way to open a pomegranate. Her talk will focus particularly on how parents can deploy rituals to enhance family life. Horwitz, a Mount Airy resident, is trained as a pediatric psychologist.

Children, Youth, & Families

An interest form for youth opportunities here at St. Martin’s.

VBS 2025: Come & Grow with Us!

Monday, June 24th-Friday, June 27th

This year's Vacation Bible School, a collaboration between two churches: St. Tim's, Roxborough and St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Chestnut Hill, invites children aged 4-12 to come grow with us. Focusing on Jesus' Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13), we'll plant seeds (both literally and figuratively) for a life of faith while learning to be stewards of God's Creation in each other and the world around us. Join us for a week of growth and discovery through storytelling, service-learning, gardening, and song! Learn more or register here.

Call for Art: Stations of the Cross

St. Martin's is looking for Artists and Creators to help create a series of artworks to form a Stations of the Cross Exhibition for Lent. Artists should create works which respond to the title and/or text of the fourteen Stations of the Cross Titles & Texts which can be accessed here. Any form of art is accepted, from photography, to small sculpture, folk art to fine art, and all in between! Artwork is welcome from amateurs and professionals, children and adults!

An honorarium of the most engaging work will be made in three categories: professional ($300), amateur ($200), children/youth ($100). Contact Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts, at twhiting@stmartinec.org for questions and submissions. Please submit artwork by April 13th.

Bruce Butler Memorial Bell Ringing Weekend Reception

Saturday, March 22 from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Houston Room 

All are invited to join St. Martin's change ringers for a light reception to celebrate the Bruce Butler Memorial Bell Ringing Weekend. The reception will take place on Saturday, March 22nd, beginning at 5:30 p.m. RSVPs are not needed.

Stainer's The Crucifixion

Sunday, April 13th at 5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Pay-What-You-Wish Admission – all are welcome

Join us April 13th at 5:00 p.m. for a profound musical meditation on the Passion of Christ. The choirs of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Christ Church, Philadelphia come together to present Stainer’s deeply moving and reflective oratorio, The Crucifixion. Conducted by Tyrone Whiting, this performance will feature tenor Aaron Scarberry and bass-baritone Michael Miller as soloists, bringing to life the poignant storytelling and expressive beauty of this beloved work. Written in 1887, The Crucifixion blends lyrical solos, rich choral textures, and congregational hymns into a powerful retelling of Christ’s Passion. We invite you to join us for this stirring and contemplative musical offering as we journey together through Holy Week to Easter.

Pergolesi's Stabat Mater

Monday, April 15th, at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Reserve your tickets here!

Join us for an unforgettable evening of music as we present Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater on Monday, April 15, at 7:00 p.m. This exquisite and deeply moving work, a masterpiece of Baroque sacred music, will be performed by the renowned Fairmount String Quartet, featuring acclaimed soloists Marisa Miller and Lauren Cook under the direction of Tyrone Whiting. Experience the beauty and emotional depth of Pergolesi’s final composition in the stunning acoustics of St. Martin’s. Don’t miss this special performance!

Take Action

Germantown Pet Pantry Supply Drive

Now Through March 22nd

Please bring donations to the Parish House or the white dresser in the Church.

Familiar Hearts Animal Society is putting together a pet pantry event in Germantown for the community and surrounding areas. You can help support our furry friends by bringing a donation to the bin in the Parish House foyer or the white dresser in the back of the church. Donations of food and treats, litter, carriers, collars, leashes, and flea/tick preventatives are particularly in need!

POWER Town Hall on Education Justice

Sunday, April 6th, 2:30-4:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall

Hosted by St. Martin's Local Organizing Committee

Attention: all who care about public schools and our children’s education. St. Martin’s is excited to be hosting POWER’s Northwest Philly Education Town Hall on April 6th. Please join with our members and our neighbors from other Faith Communities, Neighborhood organizations, Public Schools, Home/School Associations and The Philadelphia Teacher's Union. Representatives Andre Carroll, Tarik Khan and Chris Rabb will be there to hear our concerns and answer questions. They want to hear from their constituents on why this is so very important. Your presence and voice matter! Please RSVP here. Click here to view the event poster.

Sermon Transcripts

The Rev. Laura Palmer

Wednesday, March 5, 2025-Ash Wednesday 7 a.m. service

A Courage Born of Love

Sooner or later, we all will confront our own mortality. The familiar words on this day, Ash Wednesday, “From dust ye come and from dust ye shall return,” are a foretaste of that reality. It comes to us in so many ways— a terrible diagnosis, a near miss collision, an emergency landing, or for me, in the periodontist’s office two weeks ago. Continue reading here.

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

Wednesday, March 5, 2025-Ash Wednesday 12 and 7 p.m. services

Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return. The words we hear when receiving ashes are not just about death. Remember you are dust is also a reminder of our creation story. In the Book of Genesis we learn that God made the first person by forming them from the dust, forming the adam, the human, from the adamah, the humus. Continue reading here.

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

Sunday, March 9, 2025

The First Sunday of Lent

Our Gospel story tells us about Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness, being tempted, or tested, by the devil. Jesus passes all the tests, and goes on to start his active ministry. Continue reading here.

Coming Up

Lent Quiet Day

This Saturday, March 15th

12:00 - 4:00 pm in the Houston Room, with lunch included

Led by the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

The Psalms and Job: Bringing our whole selves to God

We will read from and experience these Wisdom texts as we ponder questions about the meaning of suffering, how we pray to God, and how God responds to us. There will be some silent break time included. No prior reading or preparation is needed, just bring a pen and diary/journal. Registration for this event has closed.

Lenten Grief Group: “The Pain, Paradox, and Possibilities of

Grief”

Every Sunday in Lent

4:00 - 5:00 p.m. in the Houston Room

Grief is as individual as our fingerprints. But even if the circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one are different, there are similarities in the grief’s dimensions and demands on the healing path. The grief group will be led by Rev. Laura Palmer. The group is limited to six participants and is now at capacity.

Fiber Craft Nights: Now Continuing Through Lent

4:00 - 5:30 p.m. in the Houston Room

All are invited to join us Wednesdays for Fiber Craft Nights! Bring a project you're working on, or your own equipment (needles, yarn, etc.) to start a new project: we'll have three options, all to support our neighbors in need. Never knit before? We can teach you! We'll have extra yarn and needles for that purpose. Bring yourself and a friend for crafting and warm beverages by the fireplace.

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Mary Chapel

Wellspring Worship Reflections

After the 10:30 a.m. service

Houston Room