Have you met the newest addition to St. Mark's? The first chick hatched on 9/17 and we are anxiously awaiting the other eleven. Stop into the large Sunday School class and say hi!
This Weekend at a glance
Sunday September 22 - The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Saturday Evening Service, 5pm in Post Chapel
- 8am Rite I Service
- 10am Rite II Service with Sunday School
Fall Rummage Sale Thank You
We would like to thank everyone who got involved in one way or another with the Fall 2019 Rummage Sale. We netted $11,700, which was a 16% increase from last Fall. This year, the April and September Rummage Sale totaled $25,000.00 – an incredible achievement considering that we sell everything so cheaply. It is very gratifying to see the St. Mark’s community come together in order to make this important fund Raiser such a success. The Rummage Sale would not be possible without your involvement and your kind donations. We hope you enjoyed the fellowship we experienced last week.Our next rummage sale will be March 27 and 28th, 2020.
Harry Woods, Kit McLaughlan and Annabelle Wilmer
Saturdays in Somerville - 9/21 & 9/28
Looking for Volunteers, 9:30-noon on the remaining September Saturdays: 21st, 28th at the new pantry location the Shiloh Pentecostal Church located at 139 Davenport St., Somerville. We’ll distribute food to folks who aren’t able to make it to the food bank during the week. Please contact Lea O’Shea (leaoshea4@gmail.com) for more details.For summer collection, we've liked to ask for laundry detergent (on sale many stores this week), toilet paper ("spare a square"), toothpaste and toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, and sturdy grocery bags. Please leave the items in the Link. Thanks for your generosity!
Project Insight
This fall we are going to be holding Cottage Meetings for all parishioners—where we can all come together and talk about the future of St Mark’s.Ten years ago there were cottage meetings and discernment committees to talk about the call of a new rector. Ten years later we don’t need a new rector, but we’d love to pick your brain about where you see St Mark’s now, and where you’d like to see St Mark’s go.
You should have received an email with the available dates/times. Please let the office know which meeting you can attend.
Ross Farm Giving Gardens
We are over the 1,900 lb mark of harvested & donated produce, heading for our goal of 2,000 pounds!We will have a work session every Saturday morning, 9:30-noon, weather permitting, including this Saturday, 9/20
The following week's schedule is as follows:
Monday, 9/23 9:30-11:30am
Thursday, 9/26 3-5pm
We would love to have our teens and young adults join in!
Remember to wear gloves, sunscreen and bug spray. Please save your coffee grinds and eggshells and bring them to the garden or drop them in the church kitchen for use in our compost. Great source of nutrients for our plants, and great kid’s project!
Come posso aiutare! ‘how can I help’ We really appreciate the parish support to make this another successful St. Mark’s event and these are a few ways you can join in:
Please contact Gerry McDonnell 908-255-7747; geraldmcdonnell1968@gmail.com)
Lea O’Shea (908-803-9462; leaoshea4@gmail.com
or the parish office if you are available to help.
Grazie molto!
- Save the date, buy some tickets, and enjoy the night.
- Spread the news and invite some friends. This is a social occasion and an opportunity for us to outreach.
- Donate wine….the theme this year is Italian
- Donate a basket or a gift for auction.
- Volunteer! The organizing committee will be meeting periodically during September and feel free to join us if you can. We are looking for help with the organization, collecting donations for baskets, preparing food, set-up before the event, wine tasting sommeliers, serving, and clean-up.
Please contact Gerry McDonnell 908-255-7747; geraldmcdonnell1968@gmail.com)
Lea O’Shea (908-803-9462; leaoshea4@gmail.com
or the parish office if you are available to help.
Grazie molto!
Morris County Recovery Walk - Saturday, Sept 28th (Rain date Sept 29th)
Here are the details:George Gramby Memorial Park, Abbett Avenue, Morristown, NJ
Registration & check-in 8-9am and Walk begins at 9am
You can register online, here
All proceeds benefit Freedom House
For more info, contact: Shani Gorman 908.617.5492, sgorman@freedomhousenj.org
Recovery Sunday, October 13th
We have had a Recovery Sunday for the past several years, where we pray for, are inspired by people in recovery and those who minister to those in recovery. This year other houses of worshipOn Sunday 10/13 we will he joined by Keaton Douglas, the Program Coordinator of the I Thirst Initiate at the Shrine of St Joseph.
Following the 10am service, we will join a community-wide walk beginning at 11:30 through downtown Basking Ridge and which will culminate at the center of town for fellowship, learning, and support.
Community in Crisis invites you to send a photo of a loved one who has passed from substance use disorder, so that they can print 18x24 posters to line the route of the walk. Please email info@communityincrisis.org with your loved one's photo (jpg, head and shoulders or just their face if possible) with their name, hometown and date of birth and passing. Each poster costs $15. Please make an online donation to Community in Crisis to cover the cost of the poster which you will be able to keep after the event. If you find the cost prohibitive, please consider donating whatever you can manage and they will cover the remaining balance. www.communityincrisis.org/donate
Click here to learn more about Community in Crisis
A Note from the Flower Guild
Our St Mark’s flower guild would love to add a few new members to our team!The duties are not tough: 1) Once each month or so, each member has an assigned Saturday to stop in and arrange a memorial if we have one, and take a moment to water the indoor and outdoor pots. 2) We work together for a couple of hours before Easter and Christmas to beautify St. Mark’s. If you are interested, please reach out to Jan Williams (rjwillia16@gmail.com, 908-565-4174) Thank you!
Meet our New Seminarian, Chip Rubendall
Siblings in Christ,Over the course of this coming year I aspire to feed many birds with one seed. I come to St. Mark’s as a seminarian allegedly well-versed in the complexities of our faith, but also as a newcomer to the Episcopal Church in which St. Mark’s will be my first home. In the spirit of perpetual newness in life, I look forward to learning with and from you as we grow together.
I am a recent transfer from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America where, after a difficult period of discernment, Christ ultimately revealed to me that my path lay with the Episcopal Church. From that journey I bring with me a strong emphasis on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and in our lives, as well as an appreciation for the Three-Legged Anglican Stool.
I originally hail from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but since 2002 I have been a resident of Greenwich Village in New York City. I originally moved there under the pretense of pursuing an acting career—don’t ask!—but ultimately found my calling in ministry. I have been married to my wife Joanne, who will hopefully be a real presence in worship from time to time, for six years. Introductions are not exactly my métier, so let me just stress my excitement about the coming year and the opportunity to get to know you all better.
In Christ,
Chip Rubendall
Art Studio
We’ll be meeting this Tuesday, September 24 for painting in the Sunday School classroom from 12:00-3:00pm. We bring our own paints and pictures to paint. We’re always happy to have new members.Please call Jenny Phillips 908-451-9638 or email: jrpw26@gmail.com if you’re interested and would like more information.
The annual Teen Volunteer Fair held at the Bernards Township Library is a great opportunity for teens to meet face to face with organizations looking for teen volunteers. This year we will have over 20 organizations participating. The fair this year will be Wednesday, September 25th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the Bernards Township Library in Program Rooms A & B. This event is open to all members of the community and free to enter. This program is sponsored by the Bernards Township Library, Bernards Township Health Department, and Bernards Township Municipal Alliance. Thank you!