Category Archives: Latest News

A Much Appreciated Upgrade!

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Many of you know how concerned I am about the budget line for utilities, especially our electricity consumption. A portion of the issue is that parts of our church were built according to the budget available at the time and so are not the most energy efficient by today’s standards.

To help with this, one of our congregation kindly offered to replace and upgrade the office wing windows on the south side of our property. The new windows are double paned and will help reduce our energy use, especially during these hot days of summer.

I am so grateful for the generosity of all our members and also for those who do what they can to help our parish keep expenses in line with our means. Thank you!

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

New Parish Bylaws Approved For St. Mark’s

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Would you like to understand the qualifications for being a vestryperson at St. Mark’s?  Do you want to know how St. Mark’s defines a Member In Good Standing?  The Parish Bylaws are where you find answers to those questions and others.   Our Parish Bylaws are a set of binding rules that guide us in how we conduct our parish business as a member of the Diocese of Dallas. 

The former edition of our Parish Bylaws dated from December 2004 and was not in line with what our parish emphasizes in 2010.  So, how does one make changes to our Parish Bylaws?  Our current Sr. Warden and three past Sr. Wardens teamed up to recommend changes that would help our parish become more transparent in the conduct of business.  They spent a significant amount of time reviewing the previous document and crafting suggested changes for the approval of our Vestry.

Bylaws are so integral to the life of any parish that it takes two vestry meetings to approve the changes.  The suggested changes were accepted by our Vestry and the newly revised Parish Bylaws are now posted in the parish hall and here on our website in the “Parish Documents” section under the “About Us” button at the top.

I so appreciate the efforts of the Sr. Wardens of this parish.  If you have any questions, please contact anyone on the Vestry or me.

Fr. Greg

Call For Supplies – Help Make The 2010 VBS A Success! UPDATE

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***** UPDATE *****

Thanks to each of you who have donated supplies for the 2010 ReNew VBS. We still need a few things, however. Please see the list of items below.

The August 9 start date is fast approaching. Anything on the list that you can contribute would be much appreciated!

*********************

The start of our 2010 ReNew Vacation Bible School is fast approaching, but we need your help to make it a success!

The theme of this year’s curriculum is “ReNew: The Parable of the Sower,” and we need the following supplies in order to make this learning experience as rich and meaningful for our children as possible:

Seed Packets Bold colored construction paper
Glitter paints Butcher paper
Magnifying glasses Stamping ink
Globes Material scraps
Magazines with pictures of plants 2×4 pegboard (can be larger)
Projector with transparencies Vegetables stamps
Books on pollution Clothing to make a detective costume

Please contact Anne Cordell directly if you can provide any of the above as soon as possible. This way we’ll be sure to have enough of each item to go around and can avoid duplicates. Please call the Parish Office at (972) 253-7124 if you need Anne’s contact information.

Parish Update

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To the families and friends of St. Mark’s.

Summer Sermons: I wrote last month about the deep season of Pentecost and what that means for our discipleship.  To support this season of learning, you will have noticed that I am preaching through the Letters, or Epistles, of the Bible.  These letters are rich with instruction, pastoral advice, and even some admonition to a Church trying to find its own way after Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father.  Further, these letters help Christians today see the Trinity at work in the world.

Hearing sermons from this portion of the Scriptures can be difficult simply because the material may be less familiar than the Gospel readings.  In your devotions during the week, it might be helpful to review the readings from Sunday so as to get a sense of the issues and solutions that the authors are offering.  It is important to realize that it is not only the Gospels that are the inspired Word of the Lord.  I hope you will find these portions of Holy Scripture to be very relevant to us today.

Our Cool Church, went through a spell of not being so cool, as you no doubt remember.  As of now, we still are not completely sure what caused at least three of our air conditioning units to fail and one other unit to reduce its efficiency but we are working on the issue with the proper professionals.  I am so grateful for the ministries of our Jr. Warden, Bill Martichuski, Dave Brudi, and not least of all our own George Watson (who did the hot roof top work for us).  None of these men would want recognition but I want each of you to know how much our parish relies on them.

Please remember your parish as we move through this summer season.  With so many people taking time off, large expenditures must be paid for out of church savings.  If you can, please consider adding to your regular pledge to help us meet our budget and replace our savings account.

May God bless you and keep you.

Fr. Greg+

Stars, Stripes, and Saint Mark’s

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Saint Mark’s participated in Irving’s Independence Day Parade which was held on Saturday, July 3rd this year. Floats were decorated to represent events in American history.

The float for Saint Mark’s featured posters depicting rights accorded to each citizen, aspirations of some of America’s great leaders, and the contributions of immigrants in enriching the fabric of America.

The children on the float reflected a “rainbow” of ethnic groups which make up America’s melting pot.

Despite the rain, the parade and the day were a huge success!

Check out these photos of the day:

Mother’s Day Diaper Drive: It Was A Dusey!

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A big thank you to everyone who contributed diapers and wipes, as well as money to buy diapers and wipes, to the Mother’s Day Diaper Drive.

We collected an AMAZING 2,435 diapers and over 8,000 wipes, weighing well over 300 pounds! To put this in perspective, the average baby will use about 4,700 diapers in the first two years, so your generosity provided almost the equivalent amount. WOW!

The donation was divided equally between Irving Cares and Brighter Tomorrows, who kept asking if their allotment was really all for them! Your gifts will make a huge impact on an untold number of families who use the services of these two organization. Thank you again for your continued support of the Body Building Committee. We could not do this ministry without the active, ongoing support of this parish!

Children’s Chapel Service – An Introduction To Our Liturgy

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“Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

A few short words on the Children’s Chapel Service that is such an integral part of the early childhood Christian Education curriculum at Saint Mark’s.

Here, the children experience the same Liturgy of the Word, albeit shortened, as we have in the church proper. In general, we open with a collect, read several lines of the day’s psalm, read the Gospel story, have a question/discussion-based homily, create a “prayer card,” discuss the cards, and confess our sins. When there is extra time we practice our formal prayers or sing songs related to the day’s lesson.

We will continue to keep you informed. Please feel free to ask questions and provide feedback. We encourage you to visit with us at Chapel this summer!

2010 Vacation Bible School Registration Is Open!

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Are your kids ready to grow in faith, have fun, and change the world?

Please join us for Saint Mark’s Children’s Ministry VBS this summer. This year’s program is ReNew-The Green VBS — an environmentally-focused vacation bible school that will inspire both kids and adults to grow in faith, have fun, and change the world as they practice stewardship of God’s creation. It’s gonna be a great “green” summer!

Children can participate in three age groups: Preschool, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary.

Preschoolers will have their own activity site where they will learn the Parable of the Sower and explore creation through free play and activities oriented around the self and the community.

Lower and Upper Elementary will alternate between various activities highlighting what each person can do to grow in faith and care for creation. Planned activities enable participants to encounter the part of creation we call community and recognize God at work in our relationships with one another.

ReNew is about hope, opportunity, and service. Kids and congregations lead the way as stewards of the earth.

A light supper will be provided before classes.

Register your children and grandchildren for the 2010 ReNew Vacation Bible School at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church today! All children between the ages of 3 and 14 are invited to grow in faith as they play, learn, sing, and work to RENEW our congregation and community.

DATES: Mon., August 9 – Fri., August 13
TIME: 5:30pm – 8:30pm

VBS Registration Form Download

Download and fill out a registration form for each child who wishes to attend. Return completed forms to the Parish Office, attention Noralyn Pickens/Anne Cordel or to Noralyn/Anne directly: 2010 ReNew Vacation Bible School at Saint Mark’s