 August 25, 2017
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I pray that you are having a wonderful summer. Thank you for being so faithful in supporting the work and ministries of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mesa. Because of you, thousands of lives are being transformed into fully committed followers of Christ. I have recently travelled to the mountain top, actually the Rockies, and honestly God has spoken to me. Since I arrived to our beloved church, I have been working tirelessly with all of you in healing and reconciliation, and The Holy Spirit has been by our side, every single day. Together: God you, and I, we have faced several challenges that we have already transformed into opportunities to grow The Kingdom and to spread The Gospel of Love of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now it is time for us to take our next step to consolidate our church and grow in Love and Unity. This summer we have been blessed with the opportunity to worship in unity, and concord, as a ONE Family, under ONE GOD. The great majority of you, have showed an overwhelming support to our new worship schedule, not only with your presence but also welcoming visitors that later become new members. We are growing and that is a fact. For several Sundays in a row, during what would normally be considered “low attendance Sundays”, we have reached numbers exceeding attendance records for summer Sunday services over the past 8-10 years; and that’s without our beloved winter visitors. We have been also financial, ecological and resourcefully responsible stewards, by saving in electricity and many other expenditures pertaining to our profoundly hot summers in the desert, in addition to maturing in fellowship while mingling among many and getting to know each other better. After many months of prayerful consideration and responding to the voice of the great majority of our parishioners, “Vox Populi, Vox Dei” The Voice of the People is the voice of GOD, and with the blessing of our authorities, our Bishop’s Committee and the entire leadership of St. Mark’s: I have arrived to the conclusion that we are going to continue worshiping together at 10:00 am, on Sundays all year round, until we grow enough to open another mass. We will have Sunday School and Lion’s Den at 9 am between the Spanish and English service. With this decision we are making it possible to finally incorporate into our midst, those brothers and sisters in Christ who speak Spanish, and come faithfully to church at 8:00 in the morning, and they are really excited about the possibility of having their children attend our Sunday school. The adults from this service, while sharing a cup of coffee at Lion’s Den, will also have the opportunity to establish a friendly relationship with those who care, and who love The Same LORD that we are already worshiping in English. Rest assured that I continue praying and caring for all of you, and as much as I am sensitive to those of you who don’t like this decision, I feel it necessary to support the overwhelming great majority. I happily extend and open invitation to anyone who wants to discuss this. I’ll be honored and happy to meet with you, to find common ground and the best way to together serve The LORD, and our beloved church. GOD ALMIGHTY loves and blesses all of you, so do I. Yours in Christ, Fr. Gerardo Brambila+ Vicar (Printable PDF) Today's Readings: Exodus 1:8-2:10; Psalm 124; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20
Noticias Re"Mark"adas (anuncios espanol) Together in Faith: Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:15 As Christians, we would say that Jesus is the loving presence of God in our world. As members of his Body, we share in that presence. Let’s live so that others see the loving presence of God in us. Bishop's Committee Parishioner Liaison: Every week there will be an assigned member of the Bishop's Committee to serve as a Parishioner Liaison. We encourage parishioners to seek out this assigned member whenever there is a suggestion, question or concern. The liaisons will bring all comments to the monthly meeting of the Bishop's Committee to be addressed as appropriate. This week’s Parishioner Liaison is Paige Stalcup. Project for the homeless: Members of our Cursillo group are crocheting mats for the homeless, using plastic shopping bags. We need bags and will have a box for that purpose in the Narthex. Anyone interested in assisting the group in the making of the mats may contact Monica Larsen at 480-621-8158 or mlarsen498@aol.com. Upcoming Ministry Meetings:
Mark Your Calendars:
Junior Warden Schedule: Our Junior Warden, Bob Cheatham, will be keeping regularly scheduled hours at the office: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from 8-10 am performing various maintenance duties; also every Friday from 7 am-11 am performing beautification, and property maintenance. If you have questions, comments or just want to help out, please call Bob Cheatham at 602-568-2701. Full announcements (pdf) Today's Readings: Genesis 45:1-15; Psalm 133; Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32; Matthew 15:10-20, 21-28
Noticias Re"Mark"adas (anuncios espanol) Together in Faith: And the woman’s daughter was healed at that moment. Matthew 15:28 Care of the sick and needy became a hallmark of the early Christian movement and has remained so for thousands of years. In that tradition, let’s seek ways that we can reach out to those hoping for a loving, caring hand. Bishop's Committee Parishioner Liaison: Every week there will be an assigned member of the Bishop's Committee to serve as a Parishioner Liaison. We encourage parishioners to seek out this assigned member whenever there is a suggestion, question or concern. The liaisons will bring all comments to the monthly meeting of the Bishop's Committee to be addressed as appropriate. This week’s Parishioner Liaison is Anali Perry. Project for the homeless: Members of our Cursillo group are crocheting mats for the homeless, using plastic shopping bags. We need bags and will have a box for that purpose in the Narthex. Anyone interested in assisting the group in the making of the mats may contact Monica Larsen at 480-621-8158 or mlarsen498@aol.com. Upcoming Ministry Meetings:
Mark Your Calendars:
Junior Warden Schedule: Our Junior Warden, Bob Cheatham, will be keeping regularly scheduled hours at the office: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from 8-10 am performing various maintenance duties; also every Friday from 7 am-11 am performing beautification, and property maintenance. If you have questions, comments or just want to help out, please call Bob Cheatham at 602-568-2701. Full Announcements (pdf) Today's Readings: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28; Psalm 105, 1-6, 16-22, 45b; Romans 10:5-15; Matthew 14:22-33
Noticias Re"Mark"adas (anuncios espanol) Together in Faith: “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter said, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” Jesus said. Matthew 14:28-29 It took Jesus’ assurance for Peter to step out of the boat. We’re the same way, and we receive the same encouragement. “Come, follow me,” Jesus tells us. How will we respond? Bishop's Committee Parishioner Liaison: Every week there will be an assigned member of the Bishop's Committee to serve as a Parishioner Liaison. We encourage parishioners to seek out this assigned member whenever there is a suggestion, question or concern. The liaisons will bring all comments to the monthly meeting of the Bishop's Committee to be addressed as appropriate. This week’s Parishioner Liaison is Judy Hossack. Fashion Show: Mark Downs Thrift Store and our ECW & Men’s group are joining forces to host a Fashion Show highlighting Mark Downs merchandise on February 3rd, 2018. Besides the Fashion Show and lunch, there will be a silent auction, raffle prizes, entertainment by the Uptown Angels and shopping at Mark Downs. We are looking for models of all ages, sizes, gender. Have you ever dreamed of walking the runway? Please contact Jeanette Rogers if you are interested. You can wear something you’ve already purchased from the store, find something from Mark Down’s to show off or wear something you’d like to donate to the store after you’ve modeled it. We are asking for donations of tea pots that will be enhanced by our décor committee. They will fit perfectly with our theme Dressed to a Tea….Party!! Please give these to Maureen Davis or Jeannie Buckingham. Would you like to set a table for 8 by showing off your own dinnerware, silverware, linens, napkins, etc? You can decorate one or as many tables as you’d like. If you are interested, please see Judy Hossack for more details. Watch our website, bulletins and newsletter for additional information. It will be Tea Party you won’t want to miss.” Upcoming Ministry Meetings:
Mark Your Calendars:
Junior Warden Schedule: Our Junior Warden, Bob Cheatham, will be keeping regularly scheduled hours at the office: 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month from 8-10 am performing various maintenance duties; also every Friday from 7 am-11 am performing beautification, and property maintenance. If you have questions, comments or just want to help out, please call Bob Cheatham at 602-568-2701. Full announcements (pdf) |
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