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 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.

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Sunday Worship

May 11th, 2025

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

In Person & via livestream here

5:00 p.m. Congregational Evensong

In Person & via livestream here

Rector's Note

This week included a funeral and a baptism. One a ritual marking a sad loss, and the other a joyous new beginning. Yet, Larry Turner’s funeral was a beautiful celebration of a life well lived. The flowers and the people just kept on arriving through the morning, a visible demonstration of the community showing up to surround the family with love. Continue reading here.

Features

St. James School is Visiting St. Martin’s!

This Sunday, May 11, 2025

at all three morning services and coffee hour

St. James is a tuition-free Episcopal school for 4th - 8th graders located in the Allegheny West neighborhood of North Philadelphia.

This Sunday, May 11th, Dave Kasievich, President and Head of School, will be preaching at all three services. Come hear about the impact St. Martin's is making on the St. James community. There will also be an opportunity to peruse woodshop items made by St. James graduates and purchase St. James honey and Trappist preserves to support scholarships. Continue reading here.

Congregational Evensong

This Sunday, May 11th

5:00 p.m.

Gather for a service of Evensong sung by Choir and Congregation together. Featuring hymns and chants which everyone can sing, this service will offer an opportunity to join our voices in prayer and worship in the ancient and beautiful service that is Evensong. No experience necessary!

Cantate Domino!

— Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts

Upcoming Memorial Service: Raymond "Skip" Lynch, Sr.

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

Reception to follow in the Parish Hall

Please click here to view Skip's obituary.

If you cannot attend in person and would like to view a livestream of the service, please email Noor Diskan, Director of Communications & Events, by Friday, May 16th (ndiskan@stmartinec.org), or contact a member of Skip's family.

An Easter Workshop

Finding the Sacred in Nature: A Path to Faith and Responsibility

Co-Sponsored by Wellspring and the Climate Action Team

This Saturday, May 10th, 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Hilary House

RSVP here.

This workshop will explore ways we can find our way toward a deeper and greater connection to nature and our planet home. Finding God’s presence, and the sacredness of all that is on this earth can provide direction and meaning through these times. A return to awe, wonder and gratitude can be our guides. Continue reading here.

Next Week's Adult Forum: The Immigration Crisis: What Can We Do?

Wednesday, May 14th

7:00 p.m.

Houston Room and via Zoom (Passcode 074688)

Led by Chris Satullo and the Refugee Resettlement Ministry

Join us for a brainstorming session on what St. Martin's as a faith community - and its members as individuals - can do in response to the deportation policies now in place in Washington. This parish forum is being convened in partnership with the parish's Refugee Resettlement Ministry and will be grounded in the ministry's new statement of values re: immigration policy. Working collaboratively in plenary and breakout sessions, participants will seek to identify some collective and individual steps that seem to make good sense and have a chance of achieving impact.

Children, Youth, & Families

Youth Interest Survey (ages 8-18)

CYF Service Day: Neighborhood Planting with Spruce Hollow

This Saturday, May 10th, 9 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at Woodward Pines

Friends of Casey’s Ice Pond Park (AKA Woodward Pines) are welcoming our neighbors to a tree planting on May 10 9am-12 noon. Woodward Pines is located at the junction of Lincoln Drive, West Springfield Avenue and Navajo Streets. This is the inaugural event of our 2025 season of renewal and replanting of the park. Bring your shovels, wheelbarrows, gloves and enthusiasm, we have lots of things to plant! Refreshments will be provided.

St. Martin's Youth: Game Night!

This Saturday, May 10th, 5:30-7 p.m. in the Parish Hall

Join us for pizza and games in the Parish Hall. Children and youth of all ages are welcome! Bring a drink or dessert to share and a favorite game.

Knowing Jesus in a New Way: Eastertide Sunday School Series for All-Ages

Six Sundays: May 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, June 1st & 8th

9:30-10:15 a.m. in the church

Easter isn’t just a day, it’s a season—a season for rejoicing as we build up our community of faith and prepare to welcome the Holy Spirit into our midst at Pentecost. This year we are invited to continue to enlarge our understanding of who we are as a parish—to get to know each other across our different worship services and ages. Read more here.

VBS 2025:

Come Grow with Us!

Monday, June 24th-Friday, June 27th

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

Click on the poster to learn more!

2025 Stations of the Cross Call for Art Honoraria Recipients

I am delighted to announce the honoraria recipients of this year's Stations of the Cross Call for Art! We received wonderful and thoughtful submissions to 2025's Call for Art, which were displayed in our sanctuary during Lent & Holy Week. Thank you to every single artist for their creation, talent, efforts, and achievement in submitting their pieces. We received some very moving pieces and we are delighted to offer three honoraria to:

Children & Youth Category

Nat Smith

Joint Recipients of the Non-Professional Category

Susan Kaufman & Al Pearson

Professional Category

Ryan Gober

Please join us in congratulating our honoraria recipients, who will be presented with their awards on May 18 at the 10:30 a.m. service.

Sincere gratitude to you all for your support of our music and arts ministries.

Cantate Domino!

Tyrone Whiting

Director of Music & Arts

In case you missed it! Pergolesi Stabat Mater recording

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our inspiring Holy Week services and concerts! We are thrilled to share that the recording of our performance of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater– listen here.

Special congratulations to our wonderful soloists, Anika Kildegaard and Marisa Miller, whose stunning performances brought this piece to life.

The recording of our performance of Stainer’s The Crucifixion, in collaboration with Christ Church, will be released in the next week or two. Stay tuned!

Thank you for supporting the rich musical life of St. Martin’s!

— Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts

Art Auction & Fair Postponed to September — A Bigger Celebration Awaits!

Due to an overwhelming response from our creative community, the Art Auction & Fair originally scheduled for May 4 has been postponed to September. We have already received over 100 incredible pieces of art, vinyl collections, and even a musical instrument! We’re thrilled by the outpouring of creativity and support! Continue reading here.

Take Action

Your Generosity Matters! Please Help Our Neighbors Support Their Pets

The Pop-up Pet Pantry we helped support two months ago was a huge success and is happening in Germantown on May 31st. Deadline for donations here at St. Martin's is May 26th.

Please continue to be generous. There's a desperate need for food, medicine, pet supplies, and new or lightly used toys. You can also view the pet pantry's Amazon wish-list here.

Last time only Weaver's Way collected more than St. Martin's and they have a pet store!

People lined up at 6am last time for an event from 10-2pm. They ran out 90 minutes after opening. Overall, 68 pet owners and 248 pets were supported. Helping families keep their pets at home keeps them out of shelters!

PA Schools Work Rally

Next Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Harrisburg

Thank you to all St. Martin's Friends that attended our Fair Funding Town Hall. We had one hundred twenty five participants, two State Representatives and two State Senators attend our April 6th Town Hall. As a follow up we are joining with PA Schools Work Rally in Harrisburg on May 13 to show our legislators that we are serious about our demand for Fair Finding for public school education in Pennsylvania. I hope that some of you may be able to join the Rally. There will be Legislative visits, a Rally at noon, and a POWER Luncheon and further introduction to POWER. Please click here to sign up to attend the rally and here to sign up for the afternoon programming led by POWER. If you care about Public Education for all students in Philadelphia please participate. - Diane Pierce, St. Martin’s POWER Local Organizing Committee

Capstone Event for Need in Deed, Shout Out

May 21st & 22nd, from 4-6 p.m. at the Arch Street Meetinghouse

Tired of all the bad news in the world? Come to the Need in Deed Shout Out on either Wed., May 21st or Thurs., May 22nd and feel the rush of joy that comes from seeing how passionate kids are about making positive change in their communities. This annual event is a chance for representatives from 3rd-8th Philly public schools to showcase the projects they have worked on to address social issues that concern them. Picture a Science Fair—but for social issues facing Philadelphia. These students have tackled such problems as smoking, homelessness, food waste, and access to healthcare for women, among others. And now they are eager to have an audience of caring adults to celebrate with them. Please click here to RSVP. Carpooling from St. Martin’s is available. Questions? Contact Barbara Dundon or Pam Prell.

Sermon Transcript

The Rev. Luke Selles

May 4, 2025

‘“Jesus said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he had said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”’ In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

And so here we are, back at the beginning of Jesus’ calling of the disciples, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Continue reading here.

Coming Up

Spirituality of Aging

Next Wednesday, May 14th

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.

“To Protest or Not to Protest” Adult Forum

Two Wednesdays from now: May 21st, 2025

Led by the Rev. Luke Selles and Chris Satullo

Houston Room and via Zoom (Passcode 074688)

Join Rev. Luke and Chris Satullo for an interactive presentation on protests, their purpose, and how to prepare for them, in order to guide your decision on when to join a protest.

St. James School "Drive to Thrive" Benefit Event

Tuesday, May 20th at 6:00 p.m.

6825 Norwitch Drive, Philadelphia, PA

All are invited to St. James' annual Dr. Audrey Evans Benefit on May 20th. Come join for a festive evening supporting St. James!

Among this year's honorees this year is our retired presiding Bishop, Michael Curry. Click here for more information.

The Philadelphia Eleven Film Screening

Sunday, June 22nd, 2025

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.