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

April 6, 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

This Monday, I attended a special Eucharist for Transgender Day of Visibility, along with others from St Martin’s. The service was hosted by Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church and presided over by St. Martins’ own Rev. Luke. It was a beautiful statement of witness and joy, and it felt good to be present with the trans community in the Diocese in this vulnerable time. Continue reading here.

Features

Memorial Service for the Rev. Sharline Fulton

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

Reception to follow


View obituary here.

Holy Week and Easter

Holy Week and Easter are right around the corner! Please click here to view a complete list of services and program offerings.

Easter Memorial Flowers

If you would like to make a donation to this year's Easter Flower Fund in honor of, or thanksgiving for, a loved one, please contact Connie Haggard at choirconnie@gmail.com. As is St. Martin's tradition, we will memorialize each loved one's name in our Easter service leaflets. Please submit names no later than next Sun., April 13th.

Parish Elections

At the June 1 Annual Meeting of the parish, new Vestry members and Diocesan Convention delegates will be elected. Following the bylaws changes adopted by the parish at the February Parish Meeting and Financial Report, here is the process:


A Nominating Committee has been formed, consisting of the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber, Rector; David Collins, David Dieck, Rob Jennings and Paula Wineland, who will be cycling off the Vestry this year; and Richard Haggard and Rita Downs, parishioners at large. The Nominating Committee welcomes recommendations of parishioners to be considered for the slate of nominees. The deadline is April 27 for submitting recommendations, which may be made to any member of the Nominating Committee. Parishioners interested in serving in these positions may inform the committee of their availability. Continue reading here.

POWER Town Hall on Education Justice

This 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 THIS Sunday, 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 important. Your presence and voice matter! Please RSVP here. Click here to view the event poster.

Stewardship Committee Update

At the Financial Presentation to the parish on February 25th, parishioners asked how the average annual pledge at St. Martin’s compares with both the Diocese and the National Church. Here are the results, using 2023 data from the Episcopal Church statistical database:


  • Average St. Martin’s 2025 pledge: $3,044
  • Average St. Martin’s 2023 pledge: $2,788
  • Average 2023 Diocese of PA pledge: $3,225
  • Average 2023 National Episcopal Church pledge: $3,648


In both 2023 and 2025, St. Martin’s average pledges are less than both the average pledges in the Diocese and in the National Episcopal Church, where the latest available data is 2023.


The Stewardship Committee and Vestry view this comparative data on pledge giving as both a challenge and an opportunity. As we begin planning for the 2026 Annual Giving program, we are committed to sharing with you the amazing impact our church will be able to have as a result of increases in the financial support that we all pledge to St. Martin’s. Look forward to further communication beginning this Spring.

Children, Youth, & Families

Youth Interest Survey (ages 8-18)

Easter Flower Arranging

Holy Saturday, April 19th

9:30-11:00 a.m. in the Church

Join the Flower Guild on Holy Saturday as they arrange flowers and decorate the church for Easter. Families and people of all ages are welcome, no experience necessary! Drop in to make an arrangement. Donuts and coffee will be provided. Email Annette Lareau at alareau@sas.upenn.edu if you have any questions.

St. Martin's Youth:

The Gospel of Mark

April 6 and 13

4-5 p.m. in the Library

Watch and discuss a stage adaptation of the most dramatic retelling of the Gospel, the story of Jesus’ life and death. For youth ages 10-18.

St. Martin's Youth:

Game Night!

Sunday, April 6, 6-7:30 p.m. in the Parish Hall

Join us for pizza, snacks, games in the Parish Hall. Children and youth of all ages are welcome! There will be ping-pong, card games, board games, and more but feel free to bring your favorite game with you!

VBS 2025:

Come Grow with Us!

Monday, June 24th-Friday, June 27th. Click on the poster to learn more!

St. Martin’s Art Fair & Auction

Sunday, May 4 | A Celebration of Creativity!

Join us for a joyful day of art, music, food, and community as we celebrate 135 years of creativity St. Martin’s—including paintings, rare books, photography, musical scores, vinyl collections, and more! Continue reading here.

Upcoming Music Events

Click on the images below to learn more about each event.

Call for Art:

Stations of the Cross

Stainer's The Crucifixion

Sunday, April 13th at

5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Pergolesi's Stabat Mater

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

Donations for Holy Week & Easter Music

Music plays a vital role in our Holy Week and Easter celebrations, deepening our worship and enhancing our celebration of the Resurrection. This year, alongside our Stainer Crucifixion and Pergolesi Stabat Mater concerts we welcome back the Fairmount String Quartet to play for the Good Friday Seven Last Words service and Easter Day, when they will be joined by the excellent young trumpeter, Aidan Peterson. We will also welcome back the Positive Movement Drumline on Palm Sunday. 


Your generous support makes it possible to sustain and enhance our music and arts ministries during this most sacred season and ensure that our musicians are fairly compensated. To contribute, please click here or write “Music Fund” in the memo line of your donation. 


I am very grateful for your continued and generous support of our music & arts ministries at St. Martin's. — Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts

Take Action

Wanted: Community partners for Need in Deed classrooms

Our newest outreach partner, Need in Deed, is looking for parishioners who are willing to spend an hour in a Philadelphia public school classroom (grades 3-8) sharing their skills/ particular experience related to a social issue the students have chosen for their year-long service-learning project (i.e. food insecurity, addiction, animal abuse, homelessness.) To learn more, contact Barbara Dundon or Pam Prell (contact info in directory).  

Face to Face Spring Celebration

This Saturday, April 5th, at 6:00 p.m.

Chestnut Hill College

St Martin’s Ministry Partner, Face to Face, is hosting their annual spring celebration, featuring a silent auction, a raffle, “exquisite food and beverages, and the opportunity to mingle with friends,” at Chestnut Hill College on Saturday, April 5th. Continue reading here.

It's Time to Get Your REAL ID!

By May 7th, everyone MUST have a REAL ID in order to:

  • Take a domestic flight
  • Enter a federal building (such as the Social Security Administration)

A REAL ID card is either a state driver’s license or state ID card that meets federal standards for security. You can tell you have a REAL ID if your driver’s license or state ID card has a star in the upper right-hand corner. If you renewed your PA license or ID card recently, you will automatically have a REAL ID. If you think you need to get a REAL ID, simply make an appointment at the DMV. For more information, click here.

Sermon Transcript

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

March 30, 2025

There was a man who had two sons. We think we know all about what this story is about, the parable of the prodigal son. But parables are tricky and surprising.  Any Jew living in Jesus’ time and hearing this opening sentence would probably be already assuming that the younger son will turn out to be the hero, because of so many other Bible stories, Cain and Abel, Esau and Jacob, Joseph and his older brothers, David and his older brothers. Continue reading here.

Coming Up

The Last Supper by Rod Borghese (Contemporary Indigenous Ojibwe Canadian Artist)



Image:https://curiouschristian.blog/2014/03/04/jewish-jesus-art/

Connections: Passover and Holy Week Illustrated in Art

Sponsored by Interfaith Philadelphia and Wellspring

This Sunday, April 6th, from 2 - 3:30 p.m. (Virtual)

Register here.

In 2025, Passover and Holy Week will be observed simultaneously. Paraphrasing Krister Stendahl: “If Christians from different denominations are brothers and sisters in Christ, then we might say that Christians and Jews are cousins in faith.” This program focuses on the themes and rituals of Passover and Holy Week: significant days in closely related traditions. The presentation and discussion will feature art illustrating fascinating similarities and notable differences in the themes and rituals being observed.

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.

Spirituality of Aging

Next Wednesday, April 9th

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.

Next Week's Adult Forum: The Real Story of Immigration

Led by Anuj Gupta, The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians

Wednesday, April 9th

Pre-forum Compline: 6:45 p.m. in the Houston Room

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

As America's deportation crisis grinds on, next week's forum is designed to offer you needed facts and context, as well as a set of principles to guide our parish's response. Our speaker is Anuj Gupta, president and CEO of The Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians. Gupta is a leading expert on the economic benefits of immigration to our city. In his distinguished career, he has also been chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, head of the Reading Terminal Market and an assistant city manager for Philadelphia. The forum will begin with a compline prayer service at 6:45 led by our rector, the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber. It will also include a presentation by the Refugee Resettlement Ministry of the policy statement it has crafted to inform the parish’s efforts to assist immigrants and refugees – a statement thoroughly grounded in biblical teaching.

Upcoming Lenten Events

Please click on each image to learn more.

Lenten Breakfasts & Spiritual Journeys

Every Friday in Lent

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

Stations of the Cross

Every Sunday in Lent

5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary


Lenten Sunday School for

All Ages

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

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

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Mary Chapel

Morning Prayer on Zoom

Weekdays at 7:30 a.m.

Email morningprayer@ stmartinec.org for the link.

Wellspring Worship Reflections

After the 10:30 a.m. service

Houston Room

Biblical Studies on Zoom

or by phone

Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m.

Please contact Cathy Glazer for the Zoom information.

Blessed Baking

Fridays at 9:00 a.m.

Parking Lot


Non-Perishable Food Collection for St. Luke's

Ongoing: Please deliver to the wagons on the Parish House porch.

Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
8000 St. Martin's Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19118
StMartinEC.org | 215.247.7466
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