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

Field Notes

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Sunday Worship

January 12th, 2025

The Baptism of Our Lord

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

In person

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

In person

10:30 a.m. Choral Holy Eucharist

In person & via Livestream

A Note from Rev. Laura

Imagine if 30% of the unusable space at St. Martin’s was not only out of commission but also dangerous. This has been a reality here for the past many months. 

But here is the GREAT news: mold remediation of the Undercroft has now been successfully completed. The space which does indeed represent 30% of our usable space is now clean, safe, and ready for use. It is an understatement to say this has been a huge undertaking.

There is nothing exciting about mold remediation. Trust me. The mold that was in the Undercroft was a problem twelve years in the making. “Deferred maintenance” and Covid exacerbated the problem but also made it easy to ignore. 

Kudos to the indomitable Debra Roberts, co-chair with David Dieck of the Buildings and Grounds Committee, who decided to take a look at the Undercroft last September and was alarmed by what she found. She rang the alarm bells, took photographs, and helped the rest of us realize the urgency of the situation. The mold growing in the Undercroft was tested, analyzed, and found to pose a real health risk to children, the elderly, and those with a compromised immune system. The Undercroft was off limits to all for months. 

But not anymore! This week the Undercroft was officially declared clean and healthy. Undercroft repairs include adding 3 sump pumps, dehumidifiers, replacing affected drywall and encapsulating external walls to repel water. 

Phase II of the project will now begin which includes renovating the Undercroft to support our ever-expanding Sunday School programming as well as our Children, Youth, and Families ministries. Continue reading here.

Features

Welcoming The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

Next Sunday, January 19th, 2025

Click here to RSVP

Next Sunday, January 19th, we will welcome our new rector, The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber, at our 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Sunday services. While there will be no 9:00 a.m. service, Godly Play will be offered in the Mary Chapel during the 10:30 a.m. service's sermon.

Following the 10:30 a.m. service we will be hosting a Welcome Reception for Mary in the Parish Hall. All are welcome! Please RSVP so we can plan accordingly.

Volunteers are needed for set-up, clean-up, serving, and contributing food. Please contact Debra Roberts if you are interested in volunteering!

Annual Parish Financial Meeting and Special Parish Meeting

Feb. 23rd, after 10:30 a.m. service

The Vestry has set Sunday, Feb. 23, as the date for the Annual Parish Financial Meeting, a requirement of the parish bylaws. The 2025 budget and the financial health of the parish will be reviewed. The meeting will be promptly after the 10:30 a.m. liturgy.

There will also be a Special Parish Meeting that day for the purpose of voting on a set of bylaws amendments that the Vestry endorsed at its December meeting. The amendments are basically fixes and clarifications to problematic and/or conflicting clauses in the current bylaws related to election of Vestry members and the scheduling of parish meetings. None of the changes are intended to make major changes in parish operations.

Michael Martin Mills, the Vestry’s point person on the proposed amendments, will be available this Sunday, January 12, after the 10:30 liturgy to meet with any parishioners who have questions on the package of amendments. To read the proposed changes, with explanatory remarks, click the button below:

Next Week's Adult Forum

Wednesday January 15th, 2025

7p.m. in the Houston Room

Topic: Immigration

Speakers: Jeff Meade and Mary Anne Delaney

This presentation will review the activities of our Refugee Resettlement Ministry, recent regional efforts to assist people, and groups working on this issue collaboratively to try to adapt as changes in immigration policy move forward. 

Epiphany Fireside Tea & Sherry Begins This Sunday!

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

Continues every Sunday through March 2nd

All are invited to attend a cozy gathering beside the Houston Room fireplace complete with tea, hot chocolate, and of course, per St. Martin's tradition, sherry! If you are able, please consider bringing a treat or additional beverage to share! RSVPs are not required. Please contact Kate Maus with any questions.

Let's Light the Way Home!

2025 Annual Giving Update

Pledges to date: $525,167

81% of goal met so far!

163 households have pledged including

26 new or returning pledges

As of today, 163 families have pledged $525,167 to support St. Martin’s mission and ministry in 2025. For those of you who have yet to make a pledge, take a moment to think about what St. Martin’s means to you. In the past, in the present, in the future. As you think of these blessings, please also think about how to nourish, extend, and increase them. Your pledge does that. 

Our Annual Giving pledge goal is $650,000. About 380 families consider themselves members of St. Martin’s. We need everyone who is lifted up by belonging to St. Martin’s to participate in the Annual Giving pledge campaign. Pledges received promptly will help us firm up our 2025 budget. It’s not too late to include your family into those pledging financial support to St. Martin’s for 2025!

Children, Youth, & Families

Beginning January 22nd, there will be a cozy fiber arts and crafts time for all-ages from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Houston Room Wednesday evenings through Ash Wednesday, March 5th. 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 in the Houston Room.

Hope you can join us!

-Rev. Luke and Diane Pierce

Sermon Transcript

The Rev. Laura Palmer

January 5th, 2025

Empowered by the Light

Where would we be without Joseph? Just as the birth of Jesus depended on Mary’s bold “Yes” to the Angel Gabriel, his survival depended on Joseph, the man who loved her enough to stand by her despite whatever fear or doubt he had. But that was only the beginning. 

We would not be here today – two thousand years later --had Joseph not said “Yes” again by immediately acting on the warning the angels gave to him in a dream as soon as the Wise Men had left: take your wife and baby and flee to Egypt? Flee? Now it was Mary’s turn to accept the unimaginable-- that the powerful emperor was somehow threatened by her powerless infant son. Continue reading here.

Good News

Photos from our celebration of the Rev. Carol Duncan

Last Sunday, January 5th, 2025

Those interested in contributing to Carol's purse gift are kindly asked to do so by this Sunday, January 12th. To make a contribution:

• Go to the Giving page of St. Martin's website: https://www.stmartinec.org/give. Click the "Give Now" button. Under the "Select Fund" drop down menu, select "Purse Gifts". Please write “Rev. Carol’s Purse” in the memo line. 
• Or write a check to St. Martin's with "Rev. Carol's Purse" in the memo line. Please put it in the offering plate or leave it in Lorie Hershey’s mailbox in the Parish House. 

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Mary Chapel

Wellspring Worship Reflections

After the 10:30 a.m. service

Houston Room