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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Worship Services

Sunday, January 18, 2026:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day (observed)

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

Also via livestream here

Followed by Worship Reflections in the Houston Room

5:00 p.m. Choral Evensong for MLK Jr. Day

Also via livestream here

This Sunday's Readings

Exodus 3:7–12 | Psalm 77:11–20 | Ephesians 6:10-20 | Luke 6:27–36

Please note: The office will be closed this upcoming Monday, January 19th, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Rector's Note

As your rector, I have the privilege of seeing this St Martin’s community in many of its different facets. These past several days, I have met with the director of Face to Face Germantown, hearing about how vital our partnership is to them and imagining how to keep deepening our relationship. I have visited a parishioner in hospice. I have met with individual St Martin’s members to talk about their ministry and their spiritual life. I have run into St Martin’s people at vigils and rallies in the wake of recent ICE violence and the death of Renee Good.

And we have prayed and worshiped together in community on Sunday and Wednesday. We have shared a holy meal and prayed to God to send us out “to do the work you have given us to do.” I know that many St Martin’s members take these words very much to heart, using our common worship and prayer to strengthen and support their ministry, daily work, and family life. Continue reading here.

Features

Choral Evensong for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

This Sunday, January 18th

5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Join us for a service of Choral Evensong sung by the Choir of St. Martin's in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. A light reception in the Parish House will follow the service. All are welcome.

A Message from St. Martin’s Medicine Cabinet

We hope you ended 2025 well and started 2026 in good health! And we want you to stay that way.

As of mid-January, reports of “influenza-like illness” or ILI – doctor/hospital visits for fever, cough, and sore throat – are the highest in nearly 30 years. It’s a very bad flu season! CDC estimates there have been at least 15,000,000 illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations, and 7,400 deaths from flu so far. Infections haven’t peaked yet, and Pennsylvania is already in the high ILI category. What can you do to protect yourself and others? Click here to find out!

The Life and Witness of Pauli Murray: An All-Ages Study

Join us this February for an all-ages study of the life and legacy of Pauli Murray—poet, priest, civil rights lawyer, theologian, and saint of the Episcopal Church—whose courage and faith continue to shape both our church and our nation.

We will begin on Sunday, February 8, (9:40-10:15 a.m.) with a conversation for all ages in the Houston Room using the book Pauli Murray: Shouting for the Rights of All People, an accessible and engaging introduction to Pauli’s life and work (ages 6+). You can purchase your book using the link above, or, consider supporting a local bookstore! Our study will then continue on Sunday, February 28 (3 - 5 p.m.) with a viewing and discussion of the powerful documentary My Name is Pauli Murray, also in the Houston Room.

Pauli Murray’s witness helped lay the legal and moral groundwork for desegregation, women’s equality, and LGBTQ+ rights in the United States. As the first Black woman ordained an Episcopal priest, and now honored as a saint in our church’s calendar, Pauli’s life also calls us to see how faith, justice, and identity are deeply intertwined.

Together, we will reflect on themes of privilege and exclusion, faith and resilience, race and gender, belonging and belovedness—listening for how Pauli’s story speaks to our own lives and to our call as Christians today.

All are welcome. Come read, watch, listen, and share as we honor a life that still calls us to shout for the rights—and the sacred worth—of all people. Please contact Rev. Luke or Rev. Mary with any questions.

Epiphany Fireside Tea & Sherry

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

Every Sunday until February 15th, 2026

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.

Chess Club Beside the Fireplace

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

Every Sunday until February 15th, 2026

Chess Club will take place in conjunction with Epiphany Fireside Tea and Sherry every Sunday from now until Feb. 15th! All ages and skill levels encouraged. Chess equipment provided, but don’t hesitate to bring such if you so desire. No RSVP needed. Contact Al Pearson with any questions.

Lenten Retreat at Holy Cross Monastery

Friday, March 20th to Sunday, March 22nd, 2026

Blooming in the Lenten Desert: Encountering God in Lent as We Age

As we age through mid-life and beyond, we are particularly suited to understand and experience Lent in a profound way. The Lenten desert experience is meant to ultimately deepen our relationship with God through embracing the Paschal Mystery. Likewise aging, with its physical limitations, losses, emotional challenges, invitations to let go and calls to new life, is a mirroring experience that can aid us in a very particular way during this liturgical season. Come and explore this intersection.

Meet Our Facilitator: Janet Corso

In 1995, Janet founded Sarabrae, a women’s spirituality center in Newburgh NY, which she oversaw for 9 years. She served as the director of Mariandale Retreat and Conference Center, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, in Ossining for 13 years; while there, she helped found and was a team leader of their Contemplative Formation Program, forming both lay and religious in the contemplative tradition. Since “retiring” ten years ago Janet has both spiritual direction and supervision practices, and trains directors and supervisors in both the northeast and California. She gives retreats around the country and works frequently with various communities particularly in the area of aging contemplatively. You can learn more about Janet here.

Save the Date: Discussions In Diversity

Every Wednesday in February except Ash Wednesday

7:00 p.m. in the Houston Room

As part of our Adult Forum Series on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., we will again host a series of Discussions in Diversity during Black History Month. Please mark your calendars! Plan also to join us for Food & Fellowship prior to the discussion, at 6:00 p.m.

Take Action

Join Joyful Readers for our MLK Day of Service 2026!

Monday, Jan. 19th, 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through a day of meaningful service with Joyful Readers. On Monday, January 19th we’ll gather at Frances E. Willard Elementary School (1930 E Elkhart St) to work together on a variety of projects to support the school and community. Volunteers will help paint literacy-themed murals that transform the school and support a family-friendly literacy carnival, where children from the community can experience the joy of reading through fun and engaging activities. Registration is recommended and children under 14 are invited to join the fun at the literacy-themed carnival. If you wish to volunteer or have questions, please reach out to Jason Martin at jmartin5@swarthmore.edu.

MLK Day of Action – Stop ICE Raids

Monday, January 19th, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Philadelphia Immigration Court

9th and Market Street, Philadelphia, PA

Join Senator Art Haywood and Interfaith Religious & Community Leaders for a MLK Day of Action - Stop ICE Raids outside the Philadelphia Immigration Count on January 19, 2026.

Join POWER Interfaith's Citywide Assembly On Affordability

Sunday, February 1st from 3:00-6:00 p.m.

Mother Bethel AME Church (419 S. 6th St.)

This is your chance to speak truth to power about affording life in Philadelphia and meet with our elected officials to come up with tangible, long-term solutions. There will be buses to this event. RSVP today by contacting Merritt Andruss at 907.957.1131 or merrittnp@gmail.com.

Sermon

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

January 11th, 2026

The Baptism of Our Lord

The season of Epiphany is about signs. Signs that reveal who this baby, who this man, Jesus, really is. Last week we heard about a star, and Magi from the East coming to kneel before a child.

This week, Jesus, and presumably everyone nearby, witness another powerful sign. As Jesus is baptized by John, the heavens open up, the Spirit comes down like a dove, and a voice says, This is my Son, the Beloved. Continue reading here.

Coming Up

Save the Date: Annual Parish Finance Meeting

Sunday, February 22nd

Immediately following the 10:30 a.m. service

Next Week's Adult Forum

Wednesday, Janunary 21st

7:00 p.m. in the Houston Room & via Zoom here

Topic: Make your conversations more productive and persuasive

Human beings never make decisions on the basis of facts alone. Whether in individual reflection, in conversations with others, in negotiations or in conflicts, values and emotions play a crucial role. In this workshop, Dr. Harris Sokoloff will help us look at five fundamental human wants that drive emotions, and thus all decisions. And we’ll look at how to use them to achieve more positive outcomes. Sokoloff taught and led professional development workshops for nearly four decades at the University of Pennsylvania. A philosopher by training, he's a nationally known expert in civic dialogue who is the co-founder of the PA Project for Civic Engagement and the Can We Talk? student dialogue program.

Koinonia: A Respite for the LGBTQ+ Community

Facilitated by Fr. Joshua Barrett Tracey

April 10th-12th, 2026 at St. Raphaela Center

Koinonia is a retreat at St. Raphaela Center (Haverford) that celebrates the luminous side of queer Christian life — the joy, creativity, and deep spirituality of those who live at the often-fraught crossroads of faith and identity. It offers an ecumenical, unhurried, and spacious environment for rest and renewal. This retreat is for those who are LGBTQ+ and are Christian, Christ-haunted, or still finding their way. Fr. Josh is a trained Spiritual Director, Episcopal Priest, and colleague of Rev. Mary. Learn more here. Please note: this retreat is not sponsored or led by St. Martin's.