Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
This Sunday is one of my favorite Gospels. It's the parable of seeds sown, and then some growing in sand, some on rocky ground, others on good soil.
What's remarkable to me about this Gospel is that it shows that God's love is sown everywhere. Amidst thorns, God's love is sown. On a path, God's love is sown. In the rocks, God's love is sown. God's love is literally sown everywhere.
As our COVID numbers continue to rise, as anxieties continue to spike, as we seek to navigate this new un-normal, I like the simple idea that God's love is everywhere. Sure, sometimes you have to look for it harder then other times, but it's there. In the midst of the thorns and hard places of our lives, God's love is sown. I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday.
In Christ,
Mitch+
|
|
Join us online for church this Sunday!
|
Click
HERE
for the readings.
Click
HERE
for the Book of Common Prayer.
Click
HERE
for the Order of Service, which includes current prayer lists.
|
|
Then join us after church
for a Zoom coffee hour!
This is a great way to catch up with one another. You will need Zoom on your device to join. If you do not have Zoom, when you click
HERE
, you'll be invited to download Zoom and join the meeting.
Once you are in Zoom, you will need the following to join the meeting:
Meeting ID:
924 4926 0578
Password:
onthepoint
If you want to join by dialing in,
call
253.215.8782
Meeting ID:
924 4926 0578
Password:
236317
|
|
PRAYER LIST FORM NOW AVAILABLE
|
|
If you would like to submit a name for our ongoing prayer list, please use this form. Names will be shared weekly prior to worship and will be removed after three weeks, as in the past.
|
|
Let's log the most miles in the Great EpisGOpal Race!
Mitch has challenged other churches in the diocese to compete against St.Martin's in logging the most miles for the Great EpisGopal Race that supports COVID relief efforts provided by the United Thank Offering
(click on image to left to see his challenge)
.
Anytime between July 22-31, choose your preferred mode and distance and race to raise money for COVID-19 relief.
Click
the first button below
to register with the St. Martin's team. You will be prompted to create an account with UTO and then join the St. Martin's team. The password to join our team is
smiffy
.
Click
the second button below
simply to make a contribution on behalf of Team SMIF.
Questions? Contact
Caitlyn
.
|
|
|
|
Community Garden needs you!
|
Please click below to sign up to help water the Community Garden. We still have a few open slots.
|
|
|
|
Won't you please share a letter of encouragement?
|
|
Through El Refugio, St. Martin's has begun ministries of remembering and walking alongside people in immigration detention. This winter, we sent our first group of "missionaries" to make visits with people in detention, listening to their stories and letting them know they are not alone or forgotten. Since the pandemic, we have been conducting ministries of relationship through letter writing. Our friends in immigration detention are discouraged, fearful, and anxious during this pandemic. While some have been released on asylum, or had their deportation orders cancelled during this time, others have died from the COVID-19 virus while in detention.
For those who remain imprisoned, notes of hello and encouragement are a very important piece of love and charity that we can show them. Pictures drawn by children are also encouraged!
Here are important details about this effort:
- Our goal is 100 total notes. They will go to men at Stewart Detention Center and women at the Irwin Detention Center.
- For guidelines & video, go to the OUTREACH PAGE of our website.
- For sample notes in Spanish or English, click HERE.
|
|
Tuesday Morning Prayer Group
You are invited to join this group of parishioners that gathers weekly via Zoom for Morning Prayer on
Tuesdays at
7:30 a.m.
T
he video call is protected by a password. You can obtain that password by clicking
HERE
. After clicking in, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Meditation study
seeks participants
|
A nursing doctoral student of parishioner Kate Jones is seeking participants for her study
"Mindfulness Meditation for Stress Management"
for adults age 55 and older. The study is a final phase of her doctoral work.
Participants will:
- Attend an online one-hour workshop.
- Take a stress questionnaire.
- Practice meditation on their own for eight weeks with a guided meditation provided by the study.
- Retake the stress questionnaire after the eight-week practice period.
Enrollment runs through July 19. For information or to take part, please email Jessica Stoelting, RN, MSN, at
[email protected]
|
|
|
|
Resources for
talking with children about race are
HERE.
|
|
|
|
|
Gravatt explorers
every Thursday
|
St. Martin's is joining with Camp Gravatt this summer and serving as a sponsor for their
"Gravatt Explorers"
program each Thursday
at 2 p.m.
Follow their social media posts on
Facebook
and
Instagram
each Thursday for a visit to a state park or other outdoor adventure spot in the Diocese. Gravatt is also posting other types of activities and Christian formation materials daily via their social media outlets.
|
|
2 OPTIONS FOR CHURCH DIRECTORIES
|
|
This app puts the church directory at your fingertips!
The easiest and fastest way to have an up-to-date parish directory is by downloading the ChurchLife app onto your phone. Follow these instructions to get started. You will be so glad you did this! We promise.
- For the iPhone, click HERE.
- For an Android phone, click HERE.
Log in info: Site # 90036
Username and password are same as your church website log in. You will only have to input this info once. If you haven't created a login, follow the steps with the
login button
on the
homepage of the church website
.
|
|
You can also use the church website
Click the button below for step-by-step instructions on how to access directories via our website.
|
|
July 12
John Richter
Monty Thompson Jr.
July 13
Brian Douglass
July 14
Ryan Munro
July 15
Carol Lumpkin
|
|
July 16
Taylor Gibbons
Susan Stockdell
July 17
Brian Burns
Ted Zanders
July 18
Jessica Bornick
Samantha Shuler
|
|
|
Follow St. Martin's on
Facebook
(St. Martin's-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church) throughout the week for parish news.
LIKE
the page for us, and
SHARE
posts with friends and family.
|
|
Follow St. Martin's on Instagram at
@smifsc, where we post:
- The 3-Word Gospel on Tuesdays.
- Compline from Home each evening, Monday through Friday.
- And other fun posts!
|
|
|
|
Thank you for your gifts . . .
|
To make
your pledge via online giving
, click
HERE.
To make
a financial gift to St. Martin's online
, click
HERE
.
To make your
Capital Campaign pledge online
, click
HERE
.
To make
a gift to the Capital Campaign
, click
HERE
.
|
|
 |
5220 Clemson Avenue
Columbia, SC 29206
803.787.0392 | www.stmartinsinthefields.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
