The Weekly Connector

Sunday, September 27

Worship Services

8:00 am | Rite I (Traditional Language), Spoken Eucharist

10:30 am | Rite II (Contemporary Language), Choral Eucharist.

5:00 pm | Choral Evensong

View the music for our worship together here.

Other Opportunities to Connect

Sunday Fellowship | Join us every Sunday morning beginning at 9 am, and continuing through the morning (except during the 10:30 worship service) to build and deepen relationships and enjoy refreshments.

Ministry Fair | following our 8 and 10:30 services. We believe that each of us has gifts and passions to serve God and neighbor. Come and learn about how and where you may use your gifts in some 40 ministries of hospitality and service, ask questions, join in conversation, make connections. We look forward to seeing you there!

Music Series: Choir of Christ Church Cathedral TODAY, September 25 at 7:30 pm

Join us in opening our 55th season as we welcome the Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford as they celebrate their 500th Anniversary Year!

King Henry VIII established the Collegiate Foundation in 1546, including one Organist and eight Lay Clerks, plus provision for a schoolmaster to educate the choristers. In the last five hundred years, the choir has always been a central part of Christ Church; and many significant church musicians have been associated with it, from the first director of music John Taverner, to twentieth-century choristers and composers William Walton, Simon Preston and Howard Goodall. Get tickets here.

Blessing of the Animals, Sunday, October 4

During the 10:30 am Worship Service

St. Mark’s breathtaking nave never gets old—but this beloved liturgy brings a different kind of holy joy: a delightfully unscripted celebration of creation and the creatures who share our lives.

In honor of St. Francis of Assisi, we’ll gather to give thanks for the animals who bring us comfort, companionship, wonder—and joy into our lives. Bring your dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, or other beloved pets for a special blessing. Photos are also welcome.

Come celebrate the beautiful, sometimes messy, always unpredictable animals in our community. There will be an abundance of giggles and smiles, other pets and their owners to meet, photo ops and reminders that along with St Francis, we are all part of one sacred family.

Small Groups ~ Registration is Open

“In a world in which we are so easily labeled and polarized by our differences: man/woman, Protestant/Catholic, gay/straight, feminist/chauvinist, monastic hospitality is a model for the kind of openness that we need if we are going to see and hear each other at all.” 

Kathleen Norris The Cloister Walk 

Small groups are a way to see and hear each other as we navigate the challenges of our time. St. Benedict’s charge to his community in the sixth century lays out a way for a community to not only survive but to thrive. By using his Rule as our foundation, our small groups this fall focus on the inherent values that Benedict espoused for his community – values like hospitality, stability, justice and peace. We will be discussing how we live these values in our everyday lives and how those values can bring about a greater sense of God’s love and action in our community.  

Our small groups will meet for six weeks starting the first week in October. Times and days are below: 

• Monday evening in person in Golden Valley 7:00-8:00 PM  October 5-November 9 
• Tuesday evening in person at church 7:00-8:00 PM  October 6-November 10 
• Tuesday evening online 6:30-7:30 PM  October 6-November 10 
• Thursday daytime online 12:00-1:00 PM  October 8-November 12 
• Thursday evening online 7:00-8:00 PM  October 8-November 12 
• Friday daytime in person at The Kenwood Retirement Community 1:00-2:00 PM October 9-November 13 

To register, email Joan Olson. 

We are still looking for a Tech Volunteer

With a full schedule of fall formation programs, we want to offer a welcoming experience for everyone—in person and online. To make that possible, we’re looking for a tech volunteer to help with Sunday morning classes, small groups, and occasional Wednesday evening offerings. Support could be as simple as recording with a phone, setting up Zoom links, or helping the lead teacher that evening.

Do you have a little time and a little tech know-how to share with Saint Mark’s? Please contact Mary Lusk. You will be supporting our formation programs as we experience together a “Pilgrimage with Christ.”

The Ministry of Cards:

Notes of Compassion and Hope

The Card Ministry is one way that we follow Jesus’ call to love and serve one another and to help bear each other’s burdens. We wounld be delighted to have you join us in this rich and rewarding ministry. Please contact Gayle Bidne, who coordinates the Card Ministry and learn more about the unique way you can serve your Cathedral community.

If you want to suggest that we reach out with a card to someone you care about you may make it through a Prayer Request on the Saint Mark’s website.