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

One way of praying is known in Ignatian Spirituality as the Prayer of Consideration. In this method of prayer we are invited to look at something we encounter and ask what it has to say to us about God’s grace. Jesus invited his followers to do this on several occasions. On one such occasion, In Matthew 6, Jesus said, “Consider the lilies of the field. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” On another occasion, in Matthew 18, Jesus called a child to stand among the disciples and said, “Unless you become like this child, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

In the First Principle and Foundation of his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius of Loyola wrote, “All the things in this world are gifts from God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily.” This is an invitation to look for God’s love in all of creation. God is constantly sending us gifts of love and inviting us to love Him and others in return.

This kind of prayer can be especially helpful for those leading a busy life. When something or someone catches our attention, we can pause to ask, “What does God have to say to me through what I have just seen?”

I recently saw a homeless person in an interaction with a police officer and a restaurant manager. The manager complained that the homeless person had used the restaurant’s restroom, which was only for customers. The police officer explained to the homeless person that she could not ever go back in the restaurant, or she would be arrested for trespassing.

After seeing the interaction, I wondered what purpose God may have had for putting me in that place at that time. It was easy enough to see the call to protect the dignity of every person. The reason the person needed to use the restroom was that no public restrooms were available in the area. What other choices did she have? What was less obvious to me in the moment was the fear of the restaurant manager. What experiences had he had in the past? What if someone complained to the owner? If he did not respond, would his position be in danger? The police officer was caught in the middle. He was expected to resolve a situation that had no good resolution. All three were caught in a system that constrained them.

Then, I began to wonder how I have been constrained by that system. How can I find the freedom to act in the way that reflects the love of Jesus for every person?

Fr. RJ+

Sunday, August 24:

Services at 8 and 10 a.m.

Altar Guild Meeting, 9 a.m.

Intergenerational Service in the Undercroft, 10 a.m.

Lessons

Bulletin

Live Stream

Monday, August 25:

Knitting, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, August 26:

Lunch Bunch, Walther's, 1 p.m.

NO YOGA for the remainder of August

Wednesday, August 27:

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

Thursday, August 28:

Prayer Book Study, 1 p.m.

View the full St. Mark's calendar HERE.

Building and Grounds

The St. Mark’s mystery painter has been hard at work. Check out the pavilion and fence around the sanctuary air conditioner. Well done Tony.

Book Club Updates

September 2025 – Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid
October 2025 – I Was Anastasia, Ariel Lawhon
November 2025 – The Briar Club, Kate Quinn
December 2025 – Ghosts of Panama, Mark Harmon / Leon Carroll, Jr.
January 2026 – The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress: A Novel, Ariel Lawhon

Newsletter Additions

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

August Birthdays

1 Jess Hostetter

4 Jack Gordon

11 Tory Willoughby

12 Todd Heinzman

13 Joyce Rupp

Pamela Clark

18 Bradley Mull

28 Tony Kovacevich

August Anniversaries

1 Drew and Mandy Pelger

4 Bruce and Jane Schutrum

21 Scott and Debbie Shellhammer

26 John and Tory Willoughby

27 Patrick and Rebecca Watters

*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

When I was a teen, that statement by my church's trustee chair about not receiving payment for playing in church started me thinking. To be sure, God has given us life and a measure of talent and we should use these gifts for His glory. A Bible verse that captured my youthful attention was the admonition to "seek first the Kingdom of God and all the rest will be added to you." But the development of that native gift comes at a cost, and it's nice to have it pay off.

Virgil Fox was keenly aware of his fee as a major concert artist. [He once told me that the payment for an album he recorded for the Hammond Organ company paid for his swimming pool!] The first time he played at Canton downtown Methodist (which was May 1950), his charge was $250. That appearance helped pave the way for my coming to Canton a year or so later, when the committee learned that Fox had been my first organ teacher.

The three manual 61 rank Aeolian-Skinner (designed by G. Donald Harrison) had been dedicated on March 5, 1950, by the eminent Arthur Poister of Syracuse University. It did not go well. Poister played with phenomenal accuracy but the whole affair was weakened by minister of music Don Farley's announcement at the start that this was a sacred occasion - no applause! [The entire affair was recorded on 78rpm discs, and I clearly heard Mr. Farley declare that there was to be no applause.]

And, to make matters worse, that auditorium hadn't heard a full-voiced pipe organ since the days of its inception in the late 1800s, when a great New England-made Johnson organ filled that space (powered by a water motor). The organs following the demise of the Johnson were mild-mannered and, when they fell into disuse, a concert model Hammond was installed (awaiting the Aeolian-Skinner).

So most of that audience hadn't heard a full-throated masterpiece in that room until that fateful March day, which was well before I knew much of anything about Canton Ohio. I learned all this from Clara Gravis, the church secretary, who said she never saw the church so full as at the Poister dedication, and, as she further remarked, some folks said "the harshness will likely wear off in time" and "sounds like a brass band."

It took Fox's $250 visit two months after the Poister affair to turn things around.

Prayer Concerns

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

For those who have died: McKenzie Julian (Daughter-in-law of the Julians) + Shelley Burns (Tom Burns’ cousin’s wife)

Family & Friends: Tom King (Jane King’s husband) + Nikki, Paul Tagliabue, Judy, Bob Timken, & Jody (friends & family of the Boyds) + Hannah Smith (friend of Brynn Pelger) + Mary Ann Legrom, Lee, & Chuck Boone (friends & cousin of the Hixons) + Jill Black (friend of Leslie Redmon) + Schultz family (acquaintances of Katie Cerrone) + Joann Smith family (friends of Ken Jaeb) + Jean & David Fell (Father RJ’s acquaintance) + Kathleen (acquaintence of Sara Strattan) + Allison (cousin of Sandi Kaustinen) + Debbie, Jared, & Clarice Lough (niece & friends of the Watters) + Katheleen Philippsborn (sister of Tom Turner) + Robert Dink” Heinzman & Machelle Wells (Todd’s dad & friend of the Heinzmans) + Father Jon Conventry (Trinity Episcopal Church - Alliance) + Jimmy Little (son of Sue Little) + Tom (brother-in-law of AnJane McConville) + Gail and Judy Shumway (sister-in-law & co-worker friend of the Rand’s daughter) + Karen McVehil & Pam Lagodich (friends of the Mulls) + George Finley family, Sara, Val Hiner-Donlon, & Rick Ciminelli (cousins & friends of the Gordons) + Terry Adaska (acquaintance of Bert Heisser) + Trish (friend of Paulette Frech) + 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