The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Field Notes

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Happy Pride Month!

Sunday Worship

June 16th, 2024

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist (spoken)

9:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist for Children and Families

10:30 a.m. Folk Mass

Please note: Services this weekend will not be livestreamed.

We apologize for any inconvenience.

We encourage everyone to attend the Folk Mass at 10:30 a.m.!

A Note From Rev. Britta

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty firmament!

Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his surpassing greatness!

Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute and harp!

Praise him with tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings and pipe!

Praise him with clanging cymbals;

praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

The last verse of Psalm 150 is our theme verse for Vacation Bible School, which will begin on Monday, June 17 at St. Martin’s. The psalm is a celebration of the creation and the one who created it. We will invite the children to imagine all the amazing ways we give praise to God as we celebrate life and care for one another and for the earth. Continue reading here.

Features

Introducing Our New Vestry Members & Diocesan Convention Delegates

We are happy to announce that the following parishioners were unanimously voted onto the Vestry at last Sunday's Annual Meeting:

Martha Crowell, Rector’s Warden

Tom Sibson, Finance Warden (re-election)

Garry Duncan

Andrea Fine

Gary Glazer

Kelly Martin

Chris Satullo

Anne Swoyer

Grace McGinley, Carolyn Green, and Debby Schaaf (alternate) were also unanimously elected to serve as our Diocesan Convention Delegates.

We give our profound thanks to Barbara Thomson, Jim Fairburn, Emily Law, and Carol Horne Penn, who have now rotated off of the Vestry, and to Cathy Glazer, our outgoing Diocesan Convention Delegate.

Annual Meeting Recording

If you did not get a chance to attend the Annual Meeting and would like to view a recording, please email Noor Diskan, Director of Communications & Events, at ndiskan@stmartinec.org

Folk Mass

This Sunday, June 16th at 10:30 a.m.

June 16th sees the return of our yearly Folk/Bluegrass Mass! Co-led this year by Vestry Member, David Dieck, and Alto Section Leader, Marisa Miller, this service will bring together musicians from the congregation who will share a variety of wonderful music. We hope to see you this Sunday at 10:30 a.m.!

Juneteenth

Next Wednesday, June 19th

Click here to learn more about Juneteenth.

Click here for a list of Juneteenth activities around Philadelphia.

Click here to read the Episcopal Church's latest Becoming Beloved Community newsletter.

Click here and here for resource guides with recommendations for books, media, and direct action.

Sermon Transcript

The Rev. Dr. Reed Carlson, Th.D

June 9th, 2024

I Heard the Sound of You In the Garden

Not many people realize that there are two creation accounts in the book of Genesis in the Bible. It seems that these two stories were told side-by-side for centuries in ancient Israelite antiquity and eventually later Jewish scribes placed these accounts together in the composition that what would become our Bible.

The first account can be found in Genesis 1. It’s the “God said, ‘let there be light,’ creation in seven days version that you probably know.

The second account is in Genesis 2 and 3. This is the one about Adam and Eve, and the Garden, and the snake… I’m guessing you’ve heard this one too We heard a portion of it read just a few minutes ago. When I teach my Old Testament classes at the seminary, I refer to these stories as the neat version of creation. That’s Genesis 1. And the messy version; that’s Genesis 2 and 3. Continue reading here. 

A Note from our Director of Music & Arts, Tyrone Whiting

Last Sunday, the Choir and Section Leaders of St. Martin’s, supported by the Fairmount String Quartet, and guest organist, Gabriel Benton, sang the third ever LGBTQ+ Pride Evensong at the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Philadelphia. We believe the first such service in our Diocese was held at St. Martin’s in June 2022, and beautifully, we are now not the only church holding such events!

As I said to the congregation last Sunday, (retyped from our livestream):

“There are so many faces in this congregation that I don’t recognize, and yet, as I stood at the back of the church this evening welcoming you all in, I heard so many of your stories, so quickly. I heard about your disaffection with the church, I heard how traumatic it can be for you to be in a sacred space, I heard how you have not been able to connect with people outside of a service such as this and how important these things are. Let me assure you that you are heard, and you are seen, and you are welcome here. No matter who you are, no matter who you love, you are welcome here. Part of the great thing about my work here at St. Martin’s is that I have this great canvas upon which to draw, and create, and spread a rainbow, and you are part of it. … If you do not know who St. Martin’s is, you are it. You are already part of us, you are already part of our being; by being on our campus and being with us this evening. It is pride month, yes, where we highlight LGBTQ+ voices, and BIPOC composers, and female composers, but that is us year round, not just June. You are so welcome here.”

I am so proud of all involved in our music & arts ministries at St. Martin’s and I am incredibly grateful to all that make our community the welcoming and actively inclusive place it is. This Pride Evensong was a wonderful celebration of a very successful year despite the challenges of multiple transitions. Click here to continue reading and to view additional photos.

Take Action

An Update on Our Beyond Borders Sponsored Families

From the Rev. Carol Duncan

"Brian Stevens, the Beyond Borders Engagement Director, has sent our first update on the families we are sponsoring in the Beyond Borders Family Graduation Program. Here’s what Brian shared:

St. Martin members and the church itself are collectively sponsoring 7.75 families.

• Six St. Martin members (or couples) are sponsoring an entire family, and three have joined together to partially co-sponsor a family. (If one more parishioner joined them and started a monthly gift of $25 the family would be fully sponsored.)
• On behalf of St. Martin’s, our Community Engagement Committee is also sponsoring one family.
• The families we are sponsoring are:
• Daniese Joseph and her family,
• Joinicia Jean and her family,
• Lormelia Exavier and her family,
• Kencia Altidor and her family,
• Angeline Joseph and her family,
• Mimose Charles and her family,
• Rebeca Louis and her family,
• Bilovena Juste and her family.

As your Deacon, I ask that all of us pray by name for these families, and collectively for all families in Haiti." Please click here to read Carol's full update.

Guatemala Student Scholarship Fundraising 2025

The Guatemala Scholarships Pledge Drive is off to a roaring start! In two weeks, we’ve raised over $10,000 in pledges to educate children age 3 all the way to graduate school. All of us at St. Martin’s has benefitted from education, but attending school in the highlands of Guatemala is not a given. That’s where we come in. Each $550 pledge supports a child through a full year of school in their community. On the side of the one-room schoolhouse a mural including a quote by Malala Yousafzai reads: “One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world.” We’re not at the finish line yet. Let’s be a part of changing the world of children in rural Guatemala. Click here and select Guatemala Scholarships fund to donate directly or make your pledge any of the next three Sundays.

Coming Up

Youth Connecting

This Sunday, June 16, and Sunday, July 21

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Grades 7-12   

Meet at the home of the Martin Family

Youth are invited to connect for games, conversation, and hanging out. At each session, we will make time to discuss resources from Christian tradition that help us respond to some of the most challenging issues of our day. Topics may include climate change, gender and sexuality, or war; we will adjust our focus based on what is most important for the youth who are present. A simple meal will be provided. Feel free to bring a snack to share. We hope you can make it! Please contact Rev. Britta with questions or to RSVP (cyf@stmartinec.org).

Upcoming Office Closures

Thursday July 4th and Friday, July 5th

In accordance with the federal holiday for Independence Day, the office will be closed July 4th and 5th. We will reopen Monday, June 8th, at 9:00 a.m.

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Every Wednesday at

12:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

Wellspring Worship Reflections

In Person in the Houston Room following the 10:30 service.