This is just a reminder to please turn in your pledge cards if you have not already done so.
We must approve a budget on December 12th, and much of what we can approve depends on what we know will be coming in.
I know you are all familiar with how it works, and you may have already turned in your pledge card last Wednesday night or last week. If so, THANK YOU! If not, please do so at your earliest convenience.
Thanks very much,
Pere Kesner Ajax, Paulette Austin, Rev. Greg Pickens
The Adventure Team will leave the Parish Hall at 10:45 am Tuesday, November 30th for lunch at La Madeline and to visit The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University.
Two exhibits are currently featured — El Greco’s painting of “The Pentecost” on loan from the Prado Museum, Madrid, Spain and “Breaking New Ground, Key Bush Administration Artifacts and Papers from the George W. Bush Presidential Center.”
For further details, see www.meadowsmuseumdallas.org. If you plan to attend, please notify Ed M. by Sunday, November 28th.
Tuesday, November 2nd, St. Markians blasted off for lunch at Ft. Worth’s Kimbell Art Museum and to view “Firey Pool: The Maya and the Mythic Sea,” a new interpretation of Maya Culture based on the sea as a defining feature of the Maya spiritual realm and inspiration for much of that Culture’s finest art.
Sadly, photos of the group did not turn out, but an interesting and fun time was had by all!
Why not join us on our next excursion?
At the request of several parishioners, Jeff G’s comments regarding stewardship are being posted here for those who may not have been in attendance on Sunday, 10/31.
I must confess that I’ve been dreading giving this little talk all week.
I’ve been procrastinating and putting off giving the subject serious thought since Julie Esstman asked me to speak last Sunday.
“What does Saint Mark’s mean to me?”
Why have I been avoiding this question all week? Why the struggle here? This should be one of the easiest questions for me to answer. I’m fairly active in the goings-on of the church; choir, outreach, other things… I truly care about Saint Mark’s.
And what does this have to do with stewardship? Money and God. Two subjects that many folks have great difficulty discussing in the same conversation.
So… as I was making coffee at 5 o’clock this morning in total desperation, it hit me. I think the reason I have been wrestling so with the question “What does Saint Mark’s mean to me?” is that, for me… that’s the wrong question.
A better question to ask myself is “What does Saint Mark’s mean to others?”
What does Saint Mark’s mean to the young mothers and children who spent time with us earlier this month at the Fall Festival; the young women and children who are living in homeless shelters or who are victims of domestic violence.
What does Saint Mark’s mean to the families who rely on Irving Cares to feed their families, or the homeless who depend on the Austin Street Shelter to provide a meal and a place to sleep.
What does Saint Mark’s mean to the children who receive books and coats donated to Debbie Swartz’s school, and to the children Dee Mulinaux works with in the Early Childhood Program?
What does Saint Mark’s mean to us as a congregation, a community in faith – in this place where we gather to teach each other and learn from each other; this place where we join to encourage each other in times of joy, and support each other in times of sorrow.
You see, the reason I was having trouble getting my head around the question was because it’s really not about what Saint Mark’s means to ME. It’s about what the existence of this place means to those in need in our community, to our neighbors, to our families, and to you.
One of the things I pray for is opportunity. I pray that I’ll be presented with opportunities that are challenging. I pray that I will have the wherewithal to recognize them when they present themselves and that I will have the courage and perseverance to apply all that I have been given toward making the most of them.
Saint Mark’s is a source of immeasurable opportunity. We are so fortunate. We are drowning in opportunity here. There is so much genuine need in the world, and we have so much to give.
So… here it comes. The Stewardship part. The “money and God” part.
Here’s where the question changes from “What does Saint Mark’s mean to me?” to something more along the lines of “What value hath Saint Mark’s?”
In addition to the basic operating costs involved in running the church, consider all that goes on here; all the lives that are touched by the committed individuals who make it happen through the various ministries and outreach programs. What are our efforts worth to those in need; to the young mothers, and children, and homeless. From their standpoint, I’m not sure you can put a price on it. It’s invaluable.
All of this is what I must consider as I prepare to submit my pledge card next Sunday for the coming year.
I hope you’ll do the same.
We’re all familiar with the names of William Bradford, Chief Massasoit, and Squanto; right? The events that made up that famous three day festival in 1621 (probably during the month of October) have been familiar to us ever since we re-enacted them in grammar school pageants. It’s a lovely tale, and there is some truth to it; but there is a grown-up version that most of us have never heard. So, if you want the rest of the story, read on.
“Thanksgiving” for thousands of years has been a meaningful event to peoples all around the world. In ancient times, hunter-gatherers offered “thanksgiving” as a daily event (if the day went well). To land-cultivators, “thanksgiving” was more of a seasonal event offered at the time of harvest (if the crop came in). We give thanks at every meal by saying grace. We say the “Great Thanksgiving” at every Eucharist after all have communed.
So why is the great American Thanksgiving such a big deal? Besides the fact that, as an annual national event, it’s unique in all the world (okay, Canada has one too but it’s just a harvest festival marginally observed on the 2nd Monday in October); the simple answer is that Thanksgiving is a big deal to us because we’re shopaholic gluttons!
In more modern times, most national days of thanksgiving have been one-time declarations in celebration of the defeat of an enemy in time of war. Granted, Governor Bradford’s colonial thanksgiving declarations were of the idealist variety; but he only declared them twice. The second one was a summer-time celebration giving thanks for a rain-storm that broke a long drought. No indigenous people were invited to that one. More than 50 years then passed before another day of thanksgiving was declared. This was to celebrate the Charleston, Massachusetts militia’s victory in a war with the local indigenous peoples.
The next time there was a national day of thanksgiving was 110 years after that. It was declared in celebration of the victory at Saratoga. Another 11 years passed before we had another thanksgiving. Congress asked George Washington to declare a day of thanks for the successful establishment of the U.S. government, and he set the date as Thursday, November 26th, 1789. No other president called for a national day of thanksgiving until after the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, in his eloquent proclamation of 1863, did not, however, call for a victory celebration. His was an appeal for God’s healing of those who were suffering as a result of the recent “unavoidable” unpleasantness and God’s blessing on those who were striving to move the nation forward out of its despair. Lincoln set the date of Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November.
Every president for the next 75 years honored that tradition. It was Franklin Roosevelt who, in 1939, moved the date up to the fourth Thursday of November. And he did this, by his own admission, to lengthen the Christmas shopping season! Even though Macy’s had been doing their Thanksgiving Day parade since 1924 to officially kick-off the Christmas shopping season, there were now undertones of a governmental sanctioning of the season.
But let us back-up to Lincoln’s time. This is when then the holiday become a celebration of all-American gluttony; well at least in the north, where the population was not suffering from the privations of reconstruction. Believe it or not, thanksgiving events heretofore had been characterized by prayer and fasting! The harvest festivals, like the pilgrims celebrated, often concluded with a nominal feast but only after a period of prayer and fasting.
The modern eat-until-you-burst American Thanksgiving Feast is the invention of a 19th century lady named Sarah Hale. Some have referred to her as the Martha Stewart of her day. Victorian homemakers eagerly anticipated her columns in popular publications like “Godey’s Lady’s Book” and “The Boston Ladies’ Magazine.” The Victorian ideal of over-decorated homes and over-served meals came to full fruition in her stylized Thanksgiving that set the benchmark for our celebrations of today.
It is also from the Victorian era that we get one of our best known Thanksgiving songs. (I’ll bet you thought we’d never get around to music!) The thoroughly Anglican “Come, ye thankful people, come” was written by the Very Rev. Dr. Henry Alford, who became Dean of Canterbury Cathedral in 1857. The tune, known as “St. George, Windsor,” was written in 1858 by Sir George Elvey who was the organist at St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle during Queen Victoria’s reign. This song is a true harvest song; unlike some others, which are actually military victory songs. “We gather together to ask the Lord’s blessing,” for example, is a song that the Pilgrims may have actually sung in 1610.
The protestant English colonists had actually come from the Netherlands, where they had fled to escape Anglican discrimination. In the Netherlands they would have likely heard this song being sung, as it was quite popular. It had been written as a “thanksgiving” song in celebration of the victory of the Dutch army over Spanish conquistadors at the Battle of Turnhout in 1597. Another great victory song which we associate with Thanksgiving is “Now thank we all our God.” This was written by a Lutheran Pastor named Martin Rinkart toward the end of the Thirty Years War. It became immensely popular in Germany after the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Its association with our Thanksgiving likely comes from German immigrants in the 19th century who regularly sang it as grace after their meals. (Note the term “after”.)
So there you have it; all the baggage that our modern American Thanksgiving brings with it. It may not all be pretty; but then most baggage isn’t. It’s scarred, beat-up, and reminds us of what we went through to get where we are. Even those who don’t feel they have much for which to be thankful, can at least thank God for having made it this far and thank him even more for the future place he has in mind for us all to go. If we are truly thankful, maybe we’ll demonstrate our thankfulness by finding opportunities to share that good news as we enter the upcoming shopping season. Remember, the gift of God’s love is already paid for and it’s one-size-fits-all. Shop on!
A message from Dee M.:
It is that time of year again! I want to thank everyone that donated clothing or money last year for the disadvantaged children I work with.
Through my work with the Early Childhood Program, I encounter many children in our community who are in desperate need of clothing.
As winter approaches, the need increases. I need clothing for boys and girls, mainly sizes 12, 18, and 24 months.
Anyone wishing to help can contact me directly.
Please bring donations in gift bags with tags stating gender and size. Tags help me sort and distribute the clothing more easily.
Again, many thanks for whatever help you can provide.
Best,
Dee
Please remember to sign up for the Stewardship Sunday Potluck Luncheon taking place Sunday, November 7, 2010. A sign-up sheet can be found in the Parish Hall.
This luncheon is being held to celebrate the 2010 Stewarship Campaign and will begin directly after the service on the 7th.
Our first attempt at the Fall Food Takeout was a smashing success! The sale raised over $1100 in just over 30 minutes!
Thanks to everyone for cooking and purchasing your friends’ dishes. HOWEVER, Julie E. got the feeling that several folks did not get the Quiches they were hoping for. We did not have that many to sell…. so here is Julie’s offer….
On November 7th, she will have Quiches available to those folks who wanted them IF YOU PRE-ORDER AND LET HER KNOW THIS WEEK – Cost: $12 ea.
They will be uncooked and frozen, so you will need to thaw them in the refrigerator and then bake. Please choose what you would like from the following: Quiche Lorraine, Ham & Cheese, and Broccoli Mushroom.
Please let her know if you were unable to participate in the Take Out and be sure to ORDER your Quiche this week. She will only take orders until 10/31 – and only by email or phone. She will not be at church on the 31st, so please let her know as soon as you can.
Again, thanks for all your support of the other FABULOUS food!
The Women’s Guild of St. Mark’s hosted two members of the Advocates for Homeless Teens, Dr. Lori Davis and Judy Smith, at their meeting of September 28, 2010.
The Advocate group has been appointed by the Mayor of Irving, with the task of recommending action which would lead to the provision of a safe and stable environment in which homeless teens can live while attending high school in Irving.
Homeless children are entitled to protection under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, the primary piece of federal legislation dealing with the education of youth experiencing homelessness in U.S. public schools. The term “homeless” applies to children sharing housing due to economic hardship or loss of housing; children living in motels or camp grounds due to lack of alternative accommodations; or to children awaiting foster care placement.
While the city of Irving does not have emergency or transitional facilities to accommodate homeless teens yet, alarming statistics attest to the following facts:
In May 2010 at IISD there were 135 active homeless students in 9th-12th grade and 30 active homeless students in Winfree Academy Charter School. Last year, there were over 1000 homeless children in IISD schools.
Given the enormous task of dealing with the entire homeless population, the Advocates decided to focus on a smaller group – these homeless teens who were trying to stay in school.
Studies have shown that homeless youth have a higher risk of academic failure than those students who live in dire poverty, but have stable housing. It was therefore obvious that housing was a critical problem.
Children living in homeless situations usually perform two to three years below grade level.
To experience physical abuse and low self-esteem, health problems and malnutrition, sleeping problems and low levels of language skills and learning disabilities attention deficit disorder, and developmental delays.
To exhibit anxiety, withdrawal, depression, restlessness, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, inappropriate acting out and immature motor behavior.
Attendees were apprised of the services being provided to homeless teens under the Pass Program (Program for Assisting Students in School), and of plans for establishing group housing for boys, initially, in Irving. The consensus was reached that this was an issue worthy of support under St. Mark’s Outreach Program.