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

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

Field Notes

Happy Pride Month!

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

June 8th, 2025:

Pentecost Sunday

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

In Person

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

In Person

10:30 a.m. Choral Holy Eucharist with Baptism

In Person & via livestream here

Rector's Note

This past Sunday’s Annual Meeting was a great time of sharing news, appreciating each other, and feeling gratitude for this St Martin’s community. The spirit in the room was joyous and electric. We got a wonderful visual representation of all that we do, through the procession of signs representing our ministries at the end of the 10:30 service. We even got to be a bit raucous with our clappers! And as always, there was wonderful fellowship through food and being together.

Thank you, thank you, thank you, to the staff team, vestry, hospitality team, worship leaders, ministry leaders, and all who contributed to making the day special and meaningful. I am so grateful for all you do!

I need to make you aware of a serious issue that the vestry has recently been working through, something that was beyond what we could discuss this past Sunday. Continue reading here.

Features

LGBTQIA+ Pride Evensong with Bishop Gene Robinson

This Sunday, June 8th at 5:00 p.m.

celebrate Pride Month with joy, music, and sacred community at our LGBTQ+ Pride Evensong—a beautiful, affirming service of sung Evening Prayer honoring the diversity and faith of our LGBTQ+ communities.

The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields was the first in the Diocese of Pennsylvania to offer a Choral Evensong specifically in celebration and recognition of LGBTQ+ Pride in June 2022. This year we are delighted to welcome the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church, as our guest preacher. Bishop Robinson is a trailblazer, justice-seeker, and inspiring voice for love and inclusion in the Church and beyond. The Choir of St. Martin's, with the Fairmount String Quartet, will sing music exclusively by LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented composers. Singers who may be interested in joining us for this event are encouraged to email Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts, at twhiting@stmartinec.org.

Germantown Pet Pantry - Thank You to All Who Donated!

Click here to view photos from the Pet Pantry.

Huge and heartfelt thanks to all who helped make the Germantown Pet Pantry, sponsored by Familiar Hearts, a Mt. Airy rescue, such a whopping success!

We collected nearly twice as much as we did two months ago. Thanks go to our neighbor, Dana, and Mia, her Corgi who walks past the church almost daily. Dana collected pounds of dog/cat food from a generous pet store owner as well as from her classroom of second graders.

The best news: the Pet Pantry did NOT run out of food. Last time, supplies were gone after the first 90 minutes of a 4-hour event. Last Saturday, the first person in line showed up at 4am, six hours before the Pantry opened.

The next Pet Pantry will be in the early fall. Stay tuned!

As our Sexton, James, says, “We work together,” and the Pet Pantry is yet another example of the huge difference we make in the lives of our neighbors and their pets.

Photos courtesy of Familiar Hearts, the Rev. Laura Palmer, Mindy Weaver, and Noor Diskan.

Annual Meeting Recap

At our Annual Meeting last weekend, we elected Anthony Campisi, Dani Reed, Al Good, Rich Welch (4 year terms) and Victoria Sicks (1 year term) to Vestry, and Carolyn Green, Debby Schaaf, and Grace McGinley (alternate) as our Convention delegates. We also heard reports from our Rector, Vestry, staff, and various committee chairs including Stewardship, Finance, Buildings & Grounds, and Community Engagement. Click here to view photos from the Annual Meeting. Thank you to all who attended! Photos courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber, Debra Roberts, and Jerry de Guzman.

Exciting News from Refugee Resettlement Ministry!

Even as we are still reviewing the ideas stimulated by our lively Forum discussion on how to serve immigrants a few weeks ago—and on that you can expect an update soon—a new opportunity has been offered to us.

As of June 2, St. Martin’s has been matched with an Afghan family of seven. They arrived in Philadelphia May 19 and have been living in the basement of a sister’s house. One family member, we are told, provided logistical services to the U.S. prior to the Taliban takeover. Because of that relationship, they were entitled to Special Immigration Visas, which makes them legal residents, entitled to Social Security numbers and Green Cards.

The family includes a mother and father; three adult sons (20, 19 and 18); a daughter, 14; and a son, 8. Continue reading here.

Photos from Last Night's All Ages LGBTQ+ Dance Party!

Click here to view photo's of St. Martin's first ever All Ages LGBTQ+ Dance Party!

Photos courtesy of Tyrone Whiting, Sean Nesselrode Moncada, Jerry de Guzman, and Noor Diskan.

The Philadelphia Eleven Film Screening

Sunday, June 22nd, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. in the Parish Hall

The Philadelphia Eleven tells the story of the first group of women to be ordained as priests in the Episcopal Church. Join us June 22nd at 4:00 p.m. for a screening of the film to learn more about this historic group of women and the lasting impact they made in the Episcopal Church and beyond.

Children, Youth, & Families

Youth Interest Survey (ages 8-18)

Honoring Our Graduates

If you have a high school or college graduate in your life that you would like to honor at St. Martin's services next Sunday, June 15th (Father's Day), please submit their name and information using this form.

Safe Church Training

Tuesday, June 10th OR Saturday, June 14th

9-11 a.m.

At St. Martin's we are catching up with The Episcopal Church’s “Safe Church, Safe Communities” certification. This essential training provides participants with the tools and knowledge to prevent abuse and ensure that everyone, especially vulnerable and marginalized members, is welcome and protected within our church community.

This training is part of our commitment to uphold the dignity and safety of all who gather at St. Martin’s, fostering a culture of respect, care, and accountability. Whether you're a lay leader, volunteer, staff or clergy member, your participation is vital in helping us uphold these values. Virtual/asynchronous completion of this training is possible. To learn more or to register please contact Rev. Luke Selles, lselles@stmartinec.org.

VBS 2025:

Come Grow with Us!

Monday, June 23rd-Friday, June 27th

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Registration has been extended to June 11th to have your children join us this summer for a week of growth and discovery through storytelling, service-learning, gardening, and song. Click on the poster to learn more!

Volunteering for VBS 2025

If you are interested in supporting VBS this summer either the week of or with preparation before, please fill out this in-take form by this Monday, June 9th. Thank you!

Folk/Bluegrass Mass

Sunday, June 15th, at 10:30 a.m.

June 15th sees the return of our yearly Folk/Bluegrass Mass! Co-led this year by Vestry Member, David Dieck, and Children, Youth, and Families Music Leader, Julia Finegan, this service will bring together musicians from the congregation who will share a variety of wonderful music. We look forward to seeing you there!

Sermon Transcript

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

June 1, 2025

Well, here we are, St Martin’s, at our first annual meeting together. It’s been just a little over a hundred days with me as your rector. And for me these have been joyous days, where I have felt really welcomed, embraced, and at home here in this faith community.

This is a joyous time, after a difficult and uncertain transition period. This is a time of boldness and courage, where you have called your first woman rector, your first gay rector. And also, none of this is really new. And none of this is really about me. Continue reading here.

Take Action

Climate Action Team Update & Action Items

At the May 28th Adult Forum, Barbara Sheehan, a member of Our Mother of Consolation Church, shared how their climate ministry’s activities evolved from education, to practical lifestyle changes, to influencing policies that affect our environment and health. She highlighted the inspiration of Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, Laudato Si’, which calls for us to care for creation as we “hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

She and Maurice Sampson, Eastern PA Director of Clean Water Action, demonstrated the EnviroScreen, a powerful tool developed by the PA Dept of Environmental Protection to determine where environmental justice (EJ) areas exist across the state. They asked our team to support PA 109, which calls for cumulative impact assessments in EJ areas, so that these communities are not unfairly burdened by higher numbers of pollution-causing facilities. Their calls for action include:

Check out the environmental burden of any address in PA here.
Contact your state representative to thank or ask them for their support the bill, which has passed out of committee. Co-sponsors are listed here.
Contact House Majority Leader Matthew Bradford here to ask that the bill be moved to the house floor.

POWER Northwest Town Hall

Sunday, June 8 from 3-5 p.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church

Join us at POWER's Northwest Philly Housing Justice Town Hall to hear stories from POWER leaders about plans to launch an agenda for truly affordable communities. POWER has invited NW Philly Council Members Cindy Bass (8th District) and Anthony Phillips (9th District) to attend. Please click here to register.

Guatemala Student Scholarship Fundraising Campaign 2025

St Martin’s Guatemala Companion Parish Committee will be collecting pledges for the 2026 San Juan Apostol Scholarship Fund and the Totonicapán Scholarship Fund from Sunday, June 1st through Sunday, June 29th. In 2024 St Martin’s parishioners generously pledged and donated to support 34 young learners otherwise unable to attend school due to economic hardships. The annual awards of $550 per student support tuition, uniforms and healthy nutrition for students and provide families with hope for bright futures. Education is making a difference to break a cycle of poverty with student graduates making a difference in their families and local community. The young people we sponsor and their families are so very thankful for our support.

This year our goal is $15,000. Please consider pledging a contribution to this scholarship fund for the 2026 school year. Pledges beginning at $25 dollars can be made. A full scholarship for a student is $550. Committee members will be available at the end of all services with clipboards for you to sign up or you can contribute directly online or via the plate. Contributions of pledged funds are expected to be paid on or before Sept. 30th.

Coming Up

Spirituality of Aging

Next Wednesday, June 11th

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.