The Lion's Pause

WE SEEK TO UNITE ALL PEOPLE WITH GOD AND EACH OTHER IN CHRIST THROUGH WORSHIP, FELLOWSHIP, EDUCATION, AND SERVICE

Rector's Ramblings

Sunday is Mother’s Day. There is a long history of celebrating motherhood, which dates back to at least the Greeks and Romans. In the British tradition, Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent was a day when people would return to their “mother church,” the church where they were baptized and raised, for a special service. Later, it became a custom to present mothers with flowers and gifts of appreciation.

In the United States, Mother’s Day began during the time that the country was still divided after the Civil War. In 1868, Ann Reeves Jarvis gathered mothers and soldiers who had fought in the war in an attempt to promote reconciliation. In 1870, Julia Ward Howe, a Unitarian Universalist, best known for the Battle Hymn of the Republic, wrote a Mother’s Day Proclamation inviting mothers to join together to promote peace.

After the death of Ann Reeves Jarvis, her daughter Anna Jarvis began a movement to try to gain recognition for Mother’s Day across the nation. In 1908, Mother’s Day was observed at the Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. She continued to promote Mother’s Day until Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation that the second Sunday in May would be observed as Mother’s Day in 1914. Anna Jarvis envisioned a day when people would visit their mothers and attend church together.

It was not long before florists discovered an opportunity for profit. By the 1920s, Anna Jarvis was upset by the commercialization of Mother’s Day, and actively discouraged people from buying flowers for Mother’s Day. By the time of her death in 1948, Anna Jarvis had campaigned to have Mother’s Day removed from the national calendar.

In our celebrations of Mother’s Day, it might be helpful to return to the original intent. Mother’s Day should be a time to honor the mothers in our lives. It should also be a day when we are reminded to work for peace and reconciliation. I would not discourage anyone from giving gifts, cards, or flowers. However, it might also be a wonderful time to think about how me might make our mothers’ lives easier. What might we do, not just on one day, but every day to show our appreciation.

RJ+

Sunday, May 12:

8 and 10 a.m.

Lessons

Bulletin

Live Stream

Monday, May 13:

Knitting, 1 p.m.

Book Club, 3 p.m.

Wednesday, May 15:

Zoom Evening Prayer, 4 p.m.

Bulletin Zoom

Yoga with Beth 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY SCHOOL OUTREACH PROJECT UPDATE

Sunday, May 5 proved to be a fruitful day as five kids assembled 451 hygiene kits! They were all so excited to do that many. Hope Outreach Ministries has been very thankful to be able to distribute these kits to those in need.

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who supports this Outreach project by donating goods and money so we are able to continue!

Total for 2023: 2,322

Total for 2024: 967 (and growing!)

Beth Bletzacker

Sunday School Outreach Coordinator

SUMMER IN THE SANCTUARY

Mark your calendars now for Morning Prayer services to be held in the Betty Fortney Sanctuary in the Woods! Three services have been planned, with food and fellowship following!

June 9 - Morning Prayer followed by cookout and Strawberry Social

July 14 - “Sermon on the Mount” followed by our traditional picnic/cookout

August 18 - Intergenerational Service and Blessing of the Backpacks

Yoga with Beth

Beth Julian, CYT 200, will guide you through deep breathing paired with slow, relaxing yoga stretches and guided muscle relaxation. Think of it as a moving meditation, more than “exercise,” so if you can breathe, you can do yoga!
Join us for any, or all of the four sessions on Wednesdays in May: May 8, 15, 22, 29 from 7-8:15 in St. Mark’s undercroft.
Cost is $10 per session, cash, check, or PayPal to bjulian@neo.rr.com
Limited to 15 participants
Doors open at 6:40 to allow time for paperwork and settling into a meditative mind.
Bring your own mat. Yoga blocks and strap are helpful but not necessary.
Questions? Text or call 330-705-4359 or email yogabeth63@gmail.com

My mission is to cultivate the joy of yoga, harnessing its transformative power to relieve stress and promote holistic well-being. I believe in the gentle, nurturing qualities of yoga, tailored to embrace and support bodies of all ages. Through accessible practices, individuals are invited to discover the profound benefits of yoga, fostering a lifelong journey of health, vitality, and inner peace.

Follow Yoga with Beth on Facebook or YogaBeth63 on Instagram

+ Our nomination for Lent Madness 2025 +

James Lloyd Breck

(1818 - 1876)

Priest, Educator and Missionary of the Episcopal Church

(with a connection to St. Mark's)

For more information on Nominationtide visit www.lentmadness.org

From time to time, St. Mark's experiences unexpected expenses just as we all do. Most recently, our water conditioner needed a complete rebuild costing $2,816. If you would like to help with this cost, please note "water conditioner" in the memo line of your check.

Thank you, Geoff Gordon

PROGRESSIVE DINNER - Thoughts are churning for a Progressive Dinner to be held sometime in September! Stay tuned for more information on this fun event!

NEXT LUNCH BUNCH GATHERING TUESDAY, MAY 28 AT TABLE SIX!

The Diocese has continued to offer easy online giving. To use this, please select "St. Mark's Canton" from the dropdown, and choose either a one-time or recurring gift. We thank you for your continued support.

Designate a Gift to St. Mark's

Newsletter Additions

If you are adding something to the Lion's Pause, please submit it here by the Monday prior to Friday publication.

May Birthdays

2 Benjamin Clark

9 Chris Arnold Arnold

10 Dave Kiesling Jan Hudson

12 Jane King

15 Derek Gordon

19 Connor Pelger

24 Justin Crowl

*Please note: Your birthday/anniversary will only show up if you've completed your profile on Instant Church Directory.

Need to log in? Go here.

Bob's Music Notes

Each summer I looked forward to a convention or workshop sponsored by the American Guild of Organists, the Organ Historical Society, or Choristers Guild. These affairs were led by various masters of their craft. One of these was Madeleine Marshall who authored "The Singer's Manual of English Diction." She taught at Juilliard and was especially appreciated by young people who aimed to star on Broadway where clarity of diction was essential. She was a delightful speaker. One humorous observation she made was regarding Dido's Lament - an aria by Purcell from his opera "Dido and Aeneas" where the heroine is dying. She sings "Remember me, but, ah, forget my fate." Ms. Marshall pointed out that the vowel in "fate" needs to have a touch of the "ee" sound but not too much, which would make the text "but ah, forget my feet." As a side note, I know of nothing in the repertoire of song more mournful than that aria. It moves me to tears whenever I encounter it but that's tempered a bit when I think of Ms. Marshall's witty take.

My first workshop was at age 15 when I went to Westminster College in New Wilmington PA (not to be confused with Westminster Choir College in Princeton) where we were lectured by Clarence Dickinson, a founder of AGO and a composer of note with his wife Adell.

I had heard of an overseas summer workshop in France but couldn't find out anything about it until I spoke with, arguably, Canton's finest pianist of her day, Bess Scharff Leven. She held degrees from CIM and KSU and a diploma from Fontainebleau's American Academy. She immediately filled me in with information about the summer school in France. Ms. Leven was a beloved faculty member at Mt. Union, and past president of the MacDowell Music Club now headed by the Rev. Dr. Barbara Bond.

One of the few good things about WWI was General Pershing, who wanted to improve the quality of military bands. He asked Damrosch, conductor of the NY Philharmonic to come to France for this task, which Damrosch, along with French master Casadesus, accomplished - accomplished so well that, after the war, they established "Les Ecoles d'Art Americaine de Fontainebleau" in 1921 with a roster of "greats" to die for: Widor, Ravel, Robert and Gaby Casadesus, Philippe Entremont, Yehudi Menuhin, Artur Rubinstein, Leonard Bernstein, Nadia Boulanger. With assistance from the French government, the Louis XV wing of the Palais de Fontainebleau was set aside for this endeavor.

And now I was about to enter this heady world for two months.

Prayer Concerns

Have compassion on: Pastor Marilyn, Ten Gall, Vonda Temelkoff, Henry Aegerter, Jim Weaver, Jane Schutrum, Ron Brookes, and all those who suffer from any grief or trouble.

For those who have died: Kit Caspar (brother of Carol Hayn) and Lynn McBride (father of Beth Crowl).

Family & Friends: John Fortney (brother of Cindy Brown) + Bletzacker/Stutz families (death of Beth’s brother, Jeff) + Joel Harris (friend of Derek & Emily Gordon) - Doug (friend of Marcia Tirpak) + Joanne C. (Florida friend of the Kieslings) + Tom (brother-in-law of AnJane McConville) + Jody Shumway (Co-worker friend of the Rand’s daughter) + Dr. Mallamaci (acquaintance of Bobbi Zollinger) + Jolonda Mull, Kirk Schuring, Pam Lagodich, & Bill Allen (sister-in-law & friends of the Mulls) + Earl Hoot (father of Joe Hoot) + Ashley Stockman (friend of Katie & Ryan Kuceyeski) + Scott Jones & Tim Swihart (cousing & friend of the Gordons) + Larry Aclaska & Judy Heisser-Turner (acquaintance & sister of Bert Heisser) + Lee, Theresa, and Chuck Boone (friends & cousin of the Hixons) + Nori Shawk (friend of Brynn Pelger) + Johnny Willoughby (grandson of the Willoughbys) + Heather Armington & Mark Osterhage (friends of the Watters) - Elaine Campbell (friend of the Turners) + Sammy Coates (friend of Leslie Redmon) + Melanie & Trish (friends of Paulette Frech) + Pat Walter & family (friend of Barb Whitehouse) + Alycia Geis (Karen Violand’s friend’s daughter) + Don & Janet Sheatzley-Morgan (husband & sister of Barb Siegfried) + DaNay Jackson (friend of Ron Brookes) + Allison Cornell-Hood & Anne Higgins (daughter & friend of Diane Cornell) + Finnigan Savage (friend of Pam McCarthy) + Jimmy Little (son of Sue Little) + Yanette Pysher (Vonda Temelkoff’s cousin) + Tony Donahue (friend of the Boyds) + Marc Hostetler (brother of Susan Hostetler) + David (acquaintance of the Nadels) + Those in the Armed Forces.

PRAYER CHAIN:

St. Mark's has a group of prayer warriors who pray for the specific needs of those on the prayer chain. If you would like to place yourself or a loved one on the prayer chain, please contact Bobbi Gordon at ggordon24@sbcglobal.net

Prayer requests may be placed on the private Prayer Chain or on the Prayer Concerns list appearing in The Lion's Pause and Sunday bulletin or in both places. Please let Bobbi know your preference. Unless otherwise instructed, names will be listed as we receive them. Please update Bobbi or Katie on the status of your friends or family members as to when they may be removed from the prayer lists.