News, Musings & More
Announcements, Stories & other news
This Week from Caitlyn
This past week our Youth Group has also been away on their mission trip to New York City. They have participated in feeding ministries, learned about the service and mission of racial reconciliation in places whose bricks were laid by enslaved peoples, learned about how our sacred spaces tell our stories, and how beauty points to God. All the while enjoying good NY pizza, Highline tours, and a little fun. Please pray for them as they travel back home to us this Sunday.
This Week from Mitch
I pray that you are well and that you have found ways to beat the summer heat. This week at St. Martin's has been a week of Bible stories, laughter, games, and play. Thank you to all of the amazing volunteers from youth to adults who have made this week happen. The pictures on our Facebook page and Instagram page are amazing. I encourage everyone to take a look.
This Week from Mitch
The sounds of children playing, singing God's praises, and praying make me smile. I love Vacation Bible School for its tradition, its silliness, and its dedication to teaching the love of the Lord. If you want to see that the church is alive and well, swing by sometime next week before noon.
This Week from Mitch
Starting at the end of July, work will begin to solve these issues and restore the beauty of these spaces. For the next two weeks, I will be holding space between services to answer any questions you may have. Since becoming a priest, I have tried my best to treat every funeral I have done like I was doing a service for my own family. The work in and around the memorial gardens will be done with the same respect, dignity, and love.
This Week from Mitch
Each of us is called on to be a voice of welcome and/or a smiling face of invitation. Being a loving and welcoming community requires the individuals of that community to be loving and welcoming. It requires us to see the folks around us as the honored guest at the eucharistic feast we are hosting. From this hosting, bonds of friendship and affection can and will grow.
This Week from Mitch
At St. Martin’s, I want to celebrate summer with you. From frequent snowball Sundays to lunches for seniors, I look forward to seeing you. I look forward to celebrating God’s love with you as we make summer memories.
This Week from Mitch
This week Christopher Johnson will serve at the altar and preach as one of the newest deacons in the church. Chris, who is the lead chaplain at Heathwood Hall, has a unique calling. He is a chaplain. A chaplain at a school or in the military or even a hospital is in the unique position of supporting others through the love of God in their primary purpose. For Chris, his role in an Episcopal School is to support students, teachers, parents, and administrators in their callings to teach and to learn. It's a special job that I believe exists in the questions.
This Week from Mitch
For our parents, I know that you may be busy, and summer childcare is always a challenge. Nonetheless, I encourage you to try to take some time to connect with your children. Bring them to church and sing with them, color with them in the pews, put church art up on your fridge.
This Week from Mitch
To ask the Holy Spirit for guidance is to admit that we can't do everything alone, but with God's help and guidance we can do much more than ever thought we could. When we pray to the Holy Spirit, we rest our vulnerabilities inside the loving arms of God's invulnerability and for me that is more than enough.
This Week from Mitch
Youth Sunday is always a special day and I am incredibly proud of our youth, particularly our seniors. St. Martin's seniors have been leaders here at the church, in their schools, and on sporting fields around the state. I am inspired by them. As our youth move on to the next adventures in their lives, I give thanks to God for their families and the community we know as St. Martin's.
A Note from English Morris
Excitement always comes with stepping into the unknown. It's in moments of transition that I often pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I pray for its presence, that it may lead and I may follow. Transitions can be hard, but hard does not mean bad. In fact, with God's blessing, I have found most transitions in both my life and my ministry have been good. So, this week I ask for your prayers for those in our community who stand on the precipice of something new.
This Week from Mitch
Excitement always comes with stepping into the unknown. It's in moments of transition that I often pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I pray for its presence, that it may lead and I may follow. Transitions can be hard, but hard does not mean bad. In fact, with God's blessing, I have found most transitions in both my life and my ministry have been good. So, this week I ask for your prayers for those in our community who stand on the precipice of something new.
This Week from Caitlyn
I find that often our Lenten practices are very solitary or inward focused. I know mine usually are. I cherish that Lenten time. But this season I'm taking on joy practices. How will I open my heart up to the joys of Easter? How will I be grateful to God for the mercies I see? What can I do to fill my soul with a sense of God's grace?
This Week from Mitch
In the coming weeks, we will read about how Jesus was known to the disciples in the breaking of the bread. There is something special about sitting down and breaking bread with people. The act of breaking bread with someone deepens relationships and strengthens connections. It's holy time.
This Week from Mitch
This week we step into the most solemn week of our year. It is a time of confession and redemption, a time when past sins present realities, and future hopes all come together in our hearts. Through it all, it is a time when we remember that God loves us and is always calling us home. Please know all are invited to worship and pray with us. These are among the most important days of the Christian faith, they are our story and they are our hope.
This Week from Mitch
Circle of Welcome, confirmation classes, MORE Justice, campus clean ups, help for a sister congregation, Bible Studies, and more. There is a lot happening. It's great! These things are signs not only of life, but of vibrancy. It is fun to be a part of; it is fun to watch; it is good. If it's been awhile, we have programming and opportunities for everyone. Come and see what you can do. Come and see what you can be a part of.
This Week from Mitch
It is my experience that the more we put into our communities, the more we get back from them. Lent is a great time to reinvest in your faith and faith community, and it is easier to do than you think. All you need to do is come and see.
This Week from Mitch
In this week's Gospel, we will hear again the story of the woman at the well. It's a story of Jesus's love; it's a story of a woman's faithfulness, and it is the story of one of the first evangelists. The woman leaves Jesus and shouts: "Come and see this person who told me all about myself." Jesus never picks the most likely of candidates to share his story. When he goes into the town, he does not grab the mayor or the leading business people. He picks people like you and me.
This Week from Mitch
Where is there absolute consistency in your life? What times in your day are repeated day in and day out? Could you add a moment of prayer to these times? Could you do this every time? Creating a healthy prayer life anew is something anyone can do. It's a matter of simply starting.