Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

We hope it is a meaningful day for you and the long weekend allows for reflection and rest as well as celebration. Prayers are always welcomed for our active military service members on our Prayer List. 

Church Closed Monday, May 27 in observance.

Graduate Recognition and Celebration

June 2, during the 10:30 a.m. Service and Social Hour

Join us in celebrating the accomplishments of our grads!

Pride Festival Booth, June 22, 12-6 pm

St. Mark's Supports Grand Rapids PRIDE! Our church proudly stands with our LGBTQ+ friends, family and neighbors. Come spread God's love for all people at our Pride Booth between 12-6 pm. Sign up for a time slot at the Welcome Desk or through Scot, s.gugle@comcast.net.

Church Spotlight: Grand Rapids Episcopal Youth (G.R.E.Y.)  

Jeff Brown, our awesome G.R.E.Y. leader, is pulling off a full summer’s worth of meaningful youth experiences (and that’s as a part-time staff person serving both St. Mark’s and St. Andrew’s!). He truly has that magic for connecting with our young people and building up a beloved community around them. Many thanks to all the youth, parents and volunteers lifting up this program.

Middle School Fun Night  

14 youth (and their adults) had a blast at Craig’s Cruisers this week! The rising 6 graders already fit right in.

Engaging GR Overnight Service Summit, June 7-11

Five of our 8-12 graders will get to experience a new overnight service summit in partnership with fellow downtown churches.

Bi-Diocesan Service Trip Camp to Louisville, KY, June 21-28

Episcopal high schoolers can register through Saturday, June 1 for this journey of pilgrimage and discovery, including a visit the General Convention of the Episcopal Church. 

Congratulations to Anna Skidmore and Agol Anei, our G.R.E.Y. rock stars chosen as the only two official youth delegates to Convention from Province V.

And of course there are our camp offerings: Camp Chickagami, Episcopal Youth Camp (EYC), and Plainsong Farm.

Contact Jeff Brown, jeffatgrey@gmail.com, with any questions, to register, or to request assistance covering registrations fees.

Announcements & Celebrations

Safe Haven Training

Check out this awesome crew from St. Mark's and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church! We were blessed to have all these folks dedicate a full 8 hr day this past sunny Saturday, for a training we sponsored.

Safe Haven Ministries' work is "Supporting Survivors, Preventing Violence."

We'll be sharing out info and ways you can help us all stay in right relationship as a community. For now, there are two key takeaways:

1. Having at least one trusted adult you could turn to is hugely important, for people of all ages.
2. If someone comes forward to say they have been physically or emotionally abused by someone in a relationship of power over them, it is not our jobs to be the detective or judge. It is our job to listen and connect them to resources.

Adult Formation

Thank you to everyone who led and contributed to our May Adult Formation series! Rev. Steven Manskar, Rev. Susan York, Rev. Jan Gockerman, Rev. Val Ambrose and David Buller offered us all the great gift of their experiences and ideas. We look forward to starting a new series up in the fall. In the meantime, let's keep the good conversations going at Social Hour and elsewhere.

Thank you to the Children’s Formation Team!

Lead teachers Laura Kozminski, Laura Rozeboom, Emily Krueger and Jackie Yam have all put in tremendous time and talents into children’s formation this year. So have many other dedicated volunteers without whom these experiences for our children would not be possible. They will be formally recognized next Sunday, June 2. Thank you for sharing your presence and talents.

Sacred Sounds

Our Music Director Dr. Gregory Crowell, the Choir, lectors and clergy all put on a beautiful Evensong Service last Sunday. That concludes this season of Sacred Sounds performances. Next year's program is already well underway and promises to be excellent.

Congratulations to Dr. Gregory Crowell! He was awarded the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Grand Valley State University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a commendable achievement, which will not surprise those familiar with Greg.

Construction Update



Until June 2nd, those coming on Plainfield/Division from the north can use Crescent Street to loop down to Lyon Street and then Winchester Pl. You can no longer take Division Ave down to Lyon St.

The only access to our church parking lot is from the back way via the Winchester Place NE 'alley'. The chains are down. The Division Avenue gate is not an option while our stretch of the road is rebuilt.

Please continue to plan an extra few minutes to arrive at St. Mark's and be an alert, defensive driver. Ongoing - and shifting- traffic backups are definitely causing us all some frustration. Thank you for your patience with it.

Drivers have mostly adjusted to Lyon St and Pearl St being temporarily converted to two-way traffic. Repairs to the Fountain Street Church bell tower add to the visual confusion on Fountain Street.

Notes from the Active Attacker Seminar



17 people attended the Active Attacker Seminar at St. Mark's Church tonight. We reviewed the major accomplishments of the Safety and Security Ministry Team since its inception about four years ago. Kent County Sheriff's Deputy Omar Dieppa gave an excellent presentation on the subject of Active Attackers and how to best respond to this threat. 

We should always examine possible exits when entering a building. Most people exit through the same doors they entered the building. In a crisis situation, the worst thing you can do is nothing. Attackers are now looking for soft targets now that schools have increased their security efforts.

The average police response time now averages three to four minutes depending on location of the 911 call. In a crisis situation, follow your gut instincts.

 ~Safety and Security Ministry

Safety and Security Ministry Monthly Update

Stop the Bleed

Adults, learn 3 ways to stop life-threatening bleeding by clicking this video link. (Contains vivid photos of blood.)

Church Finance Information

As we enter the summer months, we kindly ask for your continued support through pledges and offerings. Additionally, the financials are available for your review on the bulletin board. Thank you for your ongoing support of St. Mark's mission and ministry!

Sign a Childcare Voter Card: As a church member of Together West Michigan, St. Mark’s continues to work toward solutions to the childcare crisis. Whether or not you submitted a postcard earlier in the campaign, please do so now. Then remember to vote for the Ready by 5 millage renewal on August 6.

~Together West Michigan core team, St. Mark's

All staff, Vestry and volunteers in contact with vulnerable youth or adults must re-certify with Safe Church every 3 years. For the online, self-directed platform, reach out to Kate or Jeff for instructions.

Zoom opportunities for this training are forthcoming from the diocese.

Annual Diaper Drive: Thank you to all who donated diapers for our community’s children! As we say, it takes a village. Donations are gladly accepted through Sunday, May 26. 

Volunteer for Pride Table, June 22: St. Mark's Supports Grand Rapids PRIDE! Our church proudly stands with our LGBTQ+ friends, family and neighbors. Come spread God's love for all people at our Pride Booth between 12-6 pm. Sign up for a time slot at the Welcome Desk or through Scot, s.gugle@comcast.net.

St. Mark's partners with Westminster's Downtown Food Pantry. Items needed for May: pasta sauce (canned preferred) and pasta.

St. Mark's Volunteers:

St. Mark’s relies upon a significant volunteer effort to fulfill its mission – within the congregation and in the community. There is an online form to see volunteer opportunities you can fill out to alert staff and ministry leads. If you prefer a more personal option, do not hesitate to reach out to Mike or Kate, 616-456-1684. Thanks to all our ongoing volunteers!

Sunday Services at 8:00 a.m. and at 10:30 a.m. (recorded live)

Healing Prayer during Holy Communion, near the piano in the South Transept

Mid-week Eucharist at noon on Wednesdays from September-May

St. Mark's Episcopal Church is a growing, welcoming, and affirming community of faith in a vibrant urban community. In our worship and in our service to the community, we proclaim that all people are worthy of God's love. We celebrate and uphold the dignity of all people whose ethnicity, cultural heritage, and denominational traditions are examples and celebrations of God's love. We welcome visitors and parishioners from all social, political, and educational backgrounds, and all abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. We affirm all people and celebrate diversity, as we work to fulfill God's love for all people as a community of faith.  

Parking and Restrooms on Sundays

Please respect the handicap parking spaces at St. Mark’s, especially on Sundays. These are needed by many parishioners.

Consider the free metered parking on Pearl, Ionia, Lyon, Fountain and other streets near the church. The small Kendall College lot across Division from the church is available when the gate is open. Paid options include the upper and lower levels of the GRCC building on Fountain Street, and the Ellis Parking Lot at 210 Ionia just west of Lyon Street. For Sundays only, white validation tickets for the Ellis lot can be found from an usher or greeter.

Main floor restrooms are limited. The second floor has additional restrooms.

Sunday Children's Opportunities

During the 10:30 Service, in the Lower Level. 



For more info and to volunteer, contact the church office.

Grand Rapids Episcopal Youth

For info on virtual and in-person youth group meetings as well as events and activities, contact Jeff Brown, Director of Youth Ministries at jeffatgrey@gmail.com

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

134 N. Division Avenue

Grand Rapids, MI 49503

616-456-1684

https://www.stmarksgr.org

https://www.facebook.com/stmarksgr/

officeadmin@stmarksgr.org