The Lion's Pause 🦁

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

We have transitioned from the Season of Christmas to the Season of Epiphany. Epiphany means a showing forth, making public, or making obvious. We can take this showing forth in two ways. First, the season of Epiphany shows who Jesus is. He is the world’s true Lord, and the incarnate Son of God. Second, in the person of Jesus we see who God is. Certainly, there are revelations of the nature of God in the Old Testament. However, in Jesus, we have the clearest revelation of the nature of God.

The Season of Epiphany begins with the visit of the Magi with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, the first Sunday after the Epiphany, we read of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist and the voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased.” The season culminates with the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountaintop.

This year, there will be eight Sundays in the Season of Epiphany. Each Sunday, we will read of some aspect of the person of Jesus which reveals the nature of God. As we move through this season of Epiphany, pay close attention to what is revealed about Jesus and what that revelation says about the nature of God.

Fr. RJ+

St. Mark’s will hold its Annual Parish Meeting on January 26 following a single service at 9:00 a.m. An amendment to the Bylaws will be proposed to change the date of future annual meetings to February. The purpose for this change is to allow all of the prior year’s financial data to be available for the Financial Report. The proposed amendment is:

The annual meeting of members of the Parish, for the election of the members of the Vestry and for the transaction of such other business as may properly come before the meeting, shall be held on or before the ~~fourth Sunday of January~~ third Sunday of February of each year or on such other date and at a time and place that may be designated by the Vestry.

70th Anniversary Apparel!

Apparel to celebrate St. Mark's 70th Anniversary is being sold through March 2. T-shirts and sweatshirts will be available for purchase in the Narthex on Sunday mornings.

Need to mail an order form? Find it here.

Sunday , January 12:

Services at 8 and 10 a.m.

Lessons

Bulletin

Live Stream

Monday, January 13:

Knitting, 1 p.m.

Book Club, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, January 15:

Evening Prayer, 4 p.m.

Zoom Bulletin

GREETERS!

There’s a new GREETER sign up sheet on the kiosk just waiting for you to be willing to welcome your fellow parishioners, prior to the 10 o’clock service.

ALTAR FLOWERS

It's a new year and time to donate to providing flowers for our Sunday services. Dedications can be made “in memory of”, “in celebration of”, “in thanksgiving for” and other requests for $20 each date to be honored. Checks, however, are now to be made out to St. Mark’s Episcopal Church (not Altar Guild). Envelopes for this purpose can be found in the pews and in the back of the church.

View the St. Mark's calendar HERE.

The Great Chili Cook-off!

Spicy - Mild - Texas style - Gramma’s recipe - Vegan!

Bring it on!

Bring your best crockpot Chili for tasting and

see who wins THE GRAND PRIZE!

DATE: SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2025

WHEN: AFTER THE 10:00 SERVICE

Sign-up now in the Narthex!

Beth Julian will guide you through slow, relaxing yoga stretches, breathwork. and guided muscle relaxation.

Join us for any or all of the sessions:

January 14, 21 and 28, 6:30-7:30 PM in the undercroft.

Cost is $10 per session, or $25 to pre-register for all 3 weeks.

Cash, check, Venmo or PayPal accepted

Reserve your spot by texting 330-705-4359 or emailing yogabeth63@gmail.com

Book Club Updates

January 13 - Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult

February 10 - The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

March 10 - Mr. Einstein’s Secretary by Matthew Reilly

April 14 - The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

May 12 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Newsletter Additions

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

January Anniversaries

3 Jan Hudson

16 Mark and Kim Nadel

24 Fred and Roberta Zollinger

January Birthdays

3 Sara Strattan

4 Livvy Mull

6 John Willoughby

8 Rick Crowl

10 Debbie Shellhammer

13 Parker Heinzman, Ryleigh Heinzman

16 Tasha Smith

18 Julie Werren

25 Barrie Thorp Ten Gall

*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

I spent two years of grad study at Westminster Choir College. Highlights were the weekly chapel services with presentations by the founder, Canton OH native John Finley Williamson, sermons by Charles R. Erdman (who didn't need a Bible for the lessons; he recited whole chapters from memory), and the organ playing of Alexander McCurdy which was more instructive than a private lesson. He used every stop of the organ at every service including chimes and bells. For "National Hymn" (God of Our Fathers) he played each stanza's trumpet fanfares a half-step higher. For Easter Hymn he dropped the organ out completely on the first three Alleluias of the last stanza (which I have copied). And he introduced me to carillonic bells so that when I came to Canton I had a goal to install this instrument at (then) First Methodist which happened in 1954 and still going strong thanks to a refurbishing by Rick Ruggiero a couple of summers ago.

And I bought 37 hand chimes (four-sided aluminum alloy tubes) in memory of my parents. It was handy to use these with the children's choirs since one didn't have to worry about smudges like in handbells. But recently I noticed some of them didn't sound right - just a thud, so I called Malmark (from whom we had bought the chimes) in Plumsteadville PA with my plight. They had done some refurbishing of our Whitechapel handbells. But the response I got was not good. The lady I spoke with looked up our order and said that those particular chimes had a design flaw and could not be repaired, but they'd sell me another set for a 10% discount. Well, I wasn't about to do this.

Then came an answer to my dilemma from a place I could not have imagined.

Prayer Concerns

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

For those who have died: Earl Hoot

Family & Friends: The Willoughby Family + Baby Ulysses (MaryAnn Kiesling’s 2nd cousin’s grandson) + Linda Young (Marcia Kiesling’s mother) + Kimberly Nugent (daughter of the Thorps) + Craig Kerner (Mandy Pelger’s father) + Grosschmidt family (friends of the Nadels) + Father Jon Conventry (Trinity Episcopal Church - Alliance) + Jimmy Little (son of Sue Little) + Greg, Debbie, & Victoria Swinehart and Richard Flohr (family of Frances Swinehart) + Patti & Jack Freeder and Kim Milinkovich (former members of St. Marks) + Alison (friend of the Willoughbys) + Jane McBride (mother of Beth Crowl) + Tom (brother-in-law of AnJane McConville) + Barb, Gail, & Jody Shumway (friend, sister-in-law, & co-worker friend of the Rand’s daughter) + Dr. Mallamaci (acquaintance of Bobbi Zollinger) + Jolonda Mull & Pam Lagodich (sister-in-law & friend of the Mulls) + Scott Jones, Val Hiner-Donlon, Rick Ciminelli, Harold Freedman, & Tim Swihart (cousin & friend of the Gordons) + Larry Aclaska & Judy Heisser-Turner (acquaintance & sister of Bert Heisser) + Lee, Theresa, & Chuck Boone (friends & cousin of the Hixons) + Lucas Anderson & family and Clarice Lough (friends of the Watters) + Elaine Campbell (friend of the Turners) + Melanie & Trish (friends of Paulette Frech) + Pat Walter & family (friend of Barb Whitehouse) + Alycia Geis (Karen Violand’s friend’s daughter) + Don Siegfried, Janet Sheatzley-Morgan, & Erin Siegfried (husband, sister of Barb, & daughter-in-law) + Allison Cornell-Hood & Anne Higgins (daughter & friend of Diane Cornell) + Finnigan Savage (friend of Pam McCarthy) + Tony Donahue (friend of the Boyds) + David (acquaintance of the Nadels) + 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.