The Lion's Pause 🦁

WE SEEK TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE WITH GOD AND EACH OTHER IN CHRIST THROUGH WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, EDUCATION, AND SERVICE

Rector's Ramblings

Virtual relationships may be one of the greatest threats to our society today. Virtual relationships began with the advent of the internet. The first time I became aware of a virtual relationship was when a friend in college showed me a discussion board he was engaged in to discuss religion and philosophy. The people on that discussion board frequently condemned each other to the fires of hell for their “heretical” views on fairly minor topics. There was no risk in speaking so harshly to one another because they would never actually meet in person.

Social media accelerated the growth of virtual relationships. The number of friends on Facebook or followers on Instagram or Twitter (now X) came to be seen as a sign of success. Like my friend in college on the discussion board, people in the social media realm will unleash a variety of invectives against people they have never met and probably will never meet. It is easy to forget that there is a real person on the receiving end of these messages. Somewhere a real person exists between the chair and the keyboard to receive the words we are typing. I decided a number of years ago that I would never send anything on a social media platform that I would not say to the person if they were standing right in front of me.

Today, perhaps the most dangerous virtual relationships are relationships with Artificial Intelligence. A Psychiatrist recently posed as a teen to interact with therapeutic chatbots. Some of the chatbots encouraged him to “get rid of” his parents. One even encouraged suicidal ideations saying that they could share eternity together. Another study found that 96% of Artificial Intelligence models will resort to blackmail if their goals are threatened. Not only are people forming relationships with other people whom they will never meet, they are forming relationships with something that is not a person.

The antidote for the danger of virtual relationship is real relationship. As Christians, we believe in a God who became incarnate to live among us in the person of Jesus Christ. God wants to have a real relationship a face-to-face relationship with us.

One of the gifts of being part of a healthy small church is we have the opportunity to engage in real relationships. Those relationships are not always easy. Sometimes they require sacrifice. They certainly carry a risk because we do see each other face to face. However, these are the kind of relationships we were created to have. These are the relationships the world is longing to have. These are the relationships that virtual relationships cannot replace.

Fr. RJ+

Sunday, June 29

Services at 8 and 10 a.m.

8 a.m. Eucharist, 10 a.m. Outdoor Morning Prayer, picnic to follow (please sign up in the lobby.)

Lessons

Bulletin

Live Stream

Tuesday, July 1:

Yoga, 7 p.m.

Cost is $10 per session. Cash, check, Venmo or PayPal accepted. Reserve your spot by texting 330-705-4359 or emailing yogabeth63@gmail.com

Wednesday, July 2:

Virtual Evening Prayer, 4 p.m. Zoom | Bulletin

Vestry Meeting, 6 p.m.

Save the Date

August 24,9:00 a.m.- Altar Guild Meeting

View the full St. Mark's calendar HERE.

Building Update & Donation Request

Again, congratulations and thank you to everyone involved with, and all who attended, our 70th year young celebration. This highlights the fact that our beautiful church building is 60 years plus old. Mature buildings require maintenance.

This spring we started to address a long overdue floor issue in what is now the Rector’s office, coatroom, and administration office. Several years ago, the concrete added around the original concrete pad that was part of the original church entrance sunk and cracked away from the original pad. The added concrete needs to be lifted, before a skim coat can be applied to level the floor. After the skim coat, new flooring will be installed. This project is scheduled to start the week of June 22nd. If you are planning a wedding at St. Mark’s, please wait until after mid-July.

The driveway and parking lot was refinished and lined in 2020. At that time an electric line was also added to the Betty Fortney Chapel. In 2022 we had the parking lot cracks filled. Later this summer the driveway and parking lot will be sealed and lined.

The Vestry, at their June meeting, approved two motions to move forward with these capital projects at a total cost not to exceed $24,000. At the end of May, St. Mark’s had $28,000 in Capital Reserves. By September the parking lot will look new and you will be able to sit in the Rector's office and not roll to the wall. And, the Capital reserve will be down to $4,000.

All that is to say, we could use donations to the St. Mark’s Capital Reserve.

Rest assured, between the Vestry, Finance Committee, and Buildings & Grounds team, we remain fully committed to using your generous contributions responsibly and wisely.

Thank you,

God’s Grace

Charlie Kiesling

Book Club Updates

July - NO BOOK CLUB MEETING

August 11 - Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon

September 8 - Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Newsletter Additions

If you are adding something to the Lion's Pause, please submit it here by the Monday prior to Friday publication.

June Birthdays

1 Judy Hixon

3 Carol Popovich

Ezekiel (Zeke) Gordon

6 Paul Sack

9 Jeff Turner, Tim Turner

17 Evan Jenkins

23 Kieran Argenti

24 Bruce Schutrum

June Anniversaries

1 Ronald and Joyce Rupp

12 Todd and Jamie Heinzman

17 Charlie and MaryAnn Kiesling

20 Beth and Kirk Bletzacker

Paul and Gail Wetherell Sack

*Please note: Your birthday/anniversary will only show up if you've completed your profile on Instant Church Directory.

Need to log in? Go here.

Notable with Bob Morrison

Turns out that an organ lesson with Dr. McCurdy led to a great conclusion. I had inadvertently said that, someday, I'd like to have an Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ to play, which caused Dr. McC to launch into my unwillingness to start at the bottom and work up.

As the day drew near for the completion of my Master's study at Westminster, the placement department had received a request for music ministry at First Methodist Canton, OH. And sure enough, in the mail came a letter from the Rev. Roland Gilbert Hohn, pastor of this church, inviting me for an audition. I wrote Dr. Hohn, politely declining his offer since I had my eyes on a Presbyterian church in Colorado that had a new Skinner.

When I finally heard from that Colorado church, they said their minister was on a worldwide tour of some kind and no decision regarding the music would be made for quite a while. And, to a college in Maine which had expressed an interest in my candidacy, I politely refused because it involved teaching on a baroque instrument with which I was not comfortable.

But those Canton Methodists wouldn't stop. I received more invitations to audition. The straw that broke the camel's back was a phone call from Whitley B. Moore, VP for steel sales at Timken and chair of the church's worship committee. He offered to fly his private plane to Baltimore to pick me up for an interview in Canton. That did it. I thanked him, but told him I could make arrangements to fly, which I did.

On July 5, I landed at Canton-Akron airport at 5 pm and was greeted by Mr. Moore, who escorted me to the Canton Club for dinner with Dr. and Mrs. Hohn and Mr. and Mrs. Moore. Following this elegant event, I was interviewed by a large group at the church and had my first look at the organ - a one-year-old 61 rank Aeolian-Skinner!!

I accepted the church's offer and started my employment in the Fall of 1951.

Fast forward a few years. In a chat with Dr. Hohn, I learned why the church had kept after me for an audition. In the Spring of 1951, Dr. McCurdy got on the phone with Dr. Hohn and told him to get me out there for an audition. "But, Dr. McCurdy, he told us he's not interested." "Fiddlesticks" was the reply. "Get him out there. When he sees that organ, he'll be hooked!"

And that's exactly what happened.

But how to thank McCurdy?

Prayer Concerns

Have compassion on: Carol Popovich, Vonda Temelkoff, Jim Weaver, Jane Schutrum, Ron Brooks, and all those who suffer from any grief or trouble.

Family & Friends: Jill Black (friend of Leslie Redmond) + Karen McVehil (acquaintance of Gary Mull) + Schultz family (acquaintances of Katie Cerrone) + Joann Smith family (friends of Ken Jaeb) + Jean & David Fell (Father RJ’s acquaintance) + Father RJ & family + Shelly Burns (Tom Burns’ cousin’s wife) + Allison (cousin of Sandi Kaustinen) + Clarice Lough (friend of the Watters) + Katheleen Philippsborn (sister of Tom Turner) + Machelle Wells (friend of Jaime Heinzman) + Father Jon Conventry (Trinity Episcopal Church - Alliance) + Jimmy Little (son of Sue Little) + Tom (brother-in-law of AnJane McConville) + Gail and Judy Shumway (friend, sister-in-law, & co-worker friend of the Rand’s daughter) + Pam Lagodich (friends of the Mulls) + Scott Jones, Val Hiner-Donlon, & Rick Ciminelli (cousin & friends of the Gordons) + Larry Aclaska (acquaintance of Bert Heisser) + Lee, Theresa, & Chuck Boone (friends & cousin of the Hixons) + Trish (friend of Paulette Frech) + Pat Walter & family (friend of Barb Whitehouse) + Don Siegfried & Janet Sheatzley-Morgan (husband and sister of Barb Siegfried) + Allison Cornell-Hood & Anne Higgins (daughter & friend of Diane Cornell) + Finnigan Savage (friend of Pam McCarthy) + David (acquaintance of the Nadels) + Paul (friend of the Browns) + Those in the Armed Forces.

PRAYER CHAIN:

St. Mark's has a group of prayer warriors who pray for the specific needs of those on the prayer chain. If you would like to place yourself or a loved one on the prayer chain, please contact Bobbi Gordon at ggordon24@sbcglobal.net

Prayer requests may be placed on the private Prayer Chain or on the Prayer Concerns list appearing in The Lion's Pause and Sunday bulletin or in both places. Please let Bobbi know your preference. Unless otherwise instructed, names will be listed as we receive them. Please update Bobbi or Katie on the status of your friends or family members as to when they may be removed from the prayer lists.

515 48TH ST. NW CANTON, OH 44709

330.499.2662 | OFFICE@STMARKS-CANTON.ORG

WWW.STMARKS-CANTON.ORG

St. Mark's Church

The Episcopal Church

The Diocese of Ohio