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Aloha!
Let's say that, hypothetically, you could only do Christian formation for either adults or for children at your church. You cannot do both - you have to choose one or the other - adults or children. Which group do you choose?
The answer to this question is that you choose to do Christian formation for the adults. Surprised? Most people are. We constantly hear about how our children are the future of our world, and how we need to invest in their education and their formation. This is certainly true.
But let us never forget that the most important teachers of the faith for our children are their parents or guardians. Parents spend more hours with their children than Sunday School teachers and priests, and so the role of parents in teaching the faith to their children is crucial. Hence, if you could only do Christian formation for one group, choose the adults. If you form the adults in the faith at the church, then they can share that faith with their children at home.
I recently viewed a list from the Episcopal Church entitled, "the Top Twenty Reasons Episcopal Churches are Likely to Grow." One of those top twenty reasons was that "parents put a strong emphasis on talking about their faith with their children."
Parents need to talk about their faith with their kids if their kids are going to grow in the faith. Simply attending church every week together is not good enough (although it is a good start). Parents need to articulate why they follow Jesus Christ with their children, and they need to do it regularly. As we say in the Islands, start "talking story" about Jesus with your kids.
The good news is that children respond well to God. They have a natural inclination to find Jesus Christ interesting, and they will be willing to listen. Talking about our faith with our children does not need to be intimidating. You can start by simply reading some of the more interesting stories from the Bible with your children, and then talk about it. Or maybe you can write a prayer with your children at home, bring the prayer to church, and say the prayer before one of our shrines as you light a candle together. Whatever you do, start talking story with your kids about the faith. I guarantee you will be rewarded for your efforts!
Blessings,
Father Paul Lillie +
Rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Honolulu
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Worship with us this weekend!
November 12 & 13
The 22nd Sunday after Pentecost
SATURDAY:
Evening Prayer in the Mary Chapel, 4:45 pm
Sung Vigil Mass, 5:15 pm
SUNDAY:
Morning Prayer in the Mary Chapel, 7:00 am
Low Mass, 7:30 am
Godly Play, 9:00 am
Sunday Morning Forum, 9:00 am
High Mass with the Women of the Choir, 10:00 am
HIGH MASS HYMNS: 358, 598, 490, 655 The Godly Play story for this Sunday is the Ark and the Temple, and Michel Reavis is our storyteller. Godly Play meets in the Godly Play Room, the room with the red doors off of the playground.
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I know that my Redeemer liveth
 Veterans' Day RequiemFriday, November 118:00 amMonthly Parish RequiemSaturday, November 129:00 amMay light perpetual shine upon them. |
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Ministry Spotlight: The Aloha Ministry
November 13, 9:00 am
The Aloha Ministry & Project Dana
Guest Speaker: Dr. Michael Cheang
This Sunday we welcome Dr. Michael Cheang from Project Dana as our guest speaker. Dr. Cheang is a very engaging speaker, and you will find his talk to be inspiring and informative. Project Dana is an interfaith ministry that seeks to provide needed services to our kupuna in the community. Our Aloha Ministry at St. Mark's is a partner of Project Dana.
Come grab a cup of coffee at 9:00 am, and hear about the great work many of our parishioners are doing for the lives of people in our community. Come and hear about how you might do the same!
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Stewardship Ingathering &
the Feast of the Holy Sovereigns
Our Stewardship Ingathering is approaching fast! The parish mailed our annual stewardship letter with pledge card to the people of St. Mark's a few weeks ago. If you did not get the letter by chance, please let us know. There are additional pledge cards in the back of the church. As the letter stated, we are asking everyone to bring their pledge card to one of the weekend masses on Saturday and Sunday, November 19 and 20.
STEWARDSHIP INGATHERING @ ALL MASSES
SATURDAY & SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19 & 20
 On this weekend we celebrate Christ the King Sunday and the Feast of our Holy Sovereigns, especially Queen Emma our minor patron saint. Queen Emma was certainly a joyful offering for the people of our Islands, and on this special day, we invite everyone to offer their pledge commitment for 2012. We are asking everyone to come and place their pledge card in the offering at one of our masses this weekend.
PARISH FEAST
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 at 8:30 am
Between the Sunday morning masses, we will gather as a parish 'ohana for a potluck with Hawaiian music at 8:30 am. Come join the fun, and get to know some of our other members who attend a different mass! Everyone is being asked to bring a dish to share, and the Vestry will provide the main dish - taco rice!!! You will have to come to the potluck to discover what taco rice is. It is delicious.
We also hope all of the children will attend the feast at 8:30 am. Once they have had breakfast, Jenny Wallace and Michel Reavis will tell the story of "How the Church Tells Time" (a lesson about the seasons of the church year) in the Godly Play Room.
JOYFUL OFFERINGS
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Stewardship Stories Journal
Have you been enjoying all of the wonderful stewardship stories from the parishioners of St. Mark's? We have heard about . . .
- The Money Exchange
- Pennies in the Collection Plate
- Monastic Vows
- A Loyal Father and Treasurer
- plus others.
We have archived all of these stories on the parish website. In case you missed one of the stories, you can read them on our STEWARDSHIP STORIES WEBPAGE. We plan to add more stories in the future, and we will let you know when we do so.
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The Catechumenate
Sundays at 11:30 am
Last Sunday our catechumenate commenced another season. It is not too late to join. If you are an adult who desires to be baptized, confirmed, received into the Episcopal Church, or have your baptismal vows renewed, please speak with Father Lillie.
You can follow what the catechumens are doing by going to the parish website. A journal page has been created, and this journal will be updated periodically.
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Thanksgiving: Sacred Food for Pilgrims
Thanksgiving Eve
Sung Mass @ Epiphany Church, 6:00 pm
Thanksgiving Day
Low Mass @ St. Mark's, 8:00 am
We will join Epiphany Church again this year on the Eve of Thanksgiving to give thanks for life's multiple blessings. Father Daniel Leatherman, Chaplain at 'Iolani School, will preach and Father Lillie and Father Jackson will concelebrate. Afterwards we will gather for a potluck in the Parish Hall of Epiphany.
On Thanksgiving Day, a quiet low mass will be said in the Mary Chapel. Father Norio Sasaki will preach and celebrate.
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Mass of Reconciliation for HIV/AIDS
 The Saturday after World AIDS DayDecember 3, 5:15 pmIn observance of World AIDS Day (December 1), the Vigil Mass on Saturday, December 3 will be a Mass of Reconciliation for HIV/AIDS. Prayers for healing and reconciliation will be offered, and we will take time to remember all those who have died due to this epidemic. The St. Mark's Choir will sing the mass. This mass is sponsored by the Queen Emma Outreach Guild of St. Mark's. MORE INFORMATION |
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Sunday Morning Forums
Every Sunday at 9:00 am in the Parish Hall Did you know that St. Mark's offers a different program almost every Sunday at 9:00 am between the two morning masses? It is one of the wonderful community building benefits of our new mass schedule. We may more time to come together as a parish family every week! Some of the topics covered include . . .
- Interfaith Jerusalem
- Stewardship Stories
- Planned Giving
- Jesus Christ & the Holy Mass
- Outreach Activities Presentation
- Baptismal Ministry
- The Holy Habits of the Faith
And coming up we have scheduled . . . - Learn about our Aloha Ministry
- Stewardship Ingathering Feast
- Saints & Sinners: Part II
- Christmas Cards for the Homebound
- St. Nicholas Pageant
Go to the SUNDAY MORNING FORUMS WEBPAGE for more information. We hope to see you there!
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Hawaiian Music & Ukulele Workshops
 Saturdays, November 12 & 264:00 pm in the Parish HallInterested in learning how to play the ukulele? Maybe you are looking to brush up your skills? Come join us on these Saturday afternoons for a great time of Hawaiian music-making. All levels of musicians are welcome. These are intergenerational events, so children and adults will both enjoy.
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Martin of Tours, Soldier & Bishop, 397
 November 11Veteran's DayMartin was born around 330 of pagan parents. His father was a soldier, who enlisted Martin in the army at the age of fifteen. One winter day he saw an ill-clad beggar at the gate of the city of Amiens. Martin had no money to give, but he cut his cloak in half and gave half to the beggar. In a dream that night, Martin saw Christ wearing the half-cloak. He had for some time considered becoming a Christian, and this ended his wavering. He was promptly baptized. At the end of his next military campaign, he asked to be released from the army, saying: "Hitherto I have faithfully served Caesar. Let me now serve Christ." He was accused of cowardice, and offered to stand unarmed between the contending armies. He was imprisoned, but released when peace was signed. He became a disciple of Hilary of Poitiers, a chief opponent in the West of the Arians, who denied the full deity of Christ, and who had the favor of the emperor Constantius. Returning to his parents' home in Illyricum (Yugoslavia, approximately), he opposed the Arians with such effectiveness that he was publicly scourged and exiled. He was subsequently driven from Milan, and eventually returned to Gaul. There he founded the first monastary in Gaul, which lasted until the French Revolution. In 371 he was elected bishop of Tours. His was a mainly pagan diocese, but his instruction and personal manner of life prevailed. In one instance, the pagan priests agreed to fell their idol, a large fir tree, if Martin would stand directly in the path of its fall. He did so, and it missed him very narrowly. When an officer of the Imperial Guard arrived with a batch of prisoners who were to be tortured and executed the next day, Martin intervened and secured their release. In the year 384, the heretic (Gnostic) Priscillian and six companions had been condemned to death by the emperor Maximus. The bishops who had found them guilty in the ecclesiastical court pressed for their execution. Martin contended that the secular power had no authority to punish heresy, and that the excommunication by the bishops was an adequate sentence. In this he was upheld by Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. He refused to leave Treves until the emperor promised to reprieve them. No sooner was his back turned than the bishops persuaded the emperor to break his promise; Priscillian and his followers were executed. This was the first time that heresy was punished by death. Martin was furious, and excommunicated the bishops responsible. But afterwards, he took them back into communion in exchange for a pardon from Maximus for certain men condemned to death, and for the emperor's promise to end the persecution of the remaining Priscillianists. He never felt easy in his mind about this concession, and thereafter avoided assmblies of bishops where he might encounter some of those concerned in this affair. He died on or about 11 November 397 (my sources differ) and his shrine at Tours became a sanctuary for those seeking justice. The Feast of Martin, a soldier who fought bravely and faithfully in the service of an earthly sovereign, and then elisted in the service of Christ, is also the day of the Armistice which marked the end of the First World War. On it we remember those who have risked or lost their lives in what they perceived as the pursuit of justice and peace. by James Keifer & from his website |
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Coming Up at St. Mark's
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Leo the Great
Noonday Prayer 11:40
Mass 12:00
| | 11 | F | Martin of Tours
Friday Special Devotion
Veterans' Day
Morning Prayer 07:40
Requiem Mass for Veterans 08:00
Lectionary Bible Study 08:45
Altar Guild & Flower Guild 09:00
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Votive of the Departed
Morning Prayer 08:40
Requiem Mass & Rosary 09:00
Queen Emma Outreach Guild 15:00
Hawaiian Music & Ukulele Workshop 16:00
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Sa
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EVE OF THE 22nd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Evening Prayer 16:45
Sung Vigil Mass 17:15
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22nd SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
Morning Prayer 07:00
Low Mass 07:30
Sunday Morning Forum 09:00
Godly Play for Children 09:00
High Mass 10:00
Catechumenate 11:30
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Consecration of Samuel Seabury
Morning Prayer 07:40
Mass 08:00
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Weekday
Noonday Prayer 11:40
St. Mark's Choir Rehearsal 18:30
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| Margaret of Scotland
Morning Prayer 07:40
Mass 08:00
Preschool Chapel 09:00
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Save the Date for these Future Events!
Check out the parish website to find out about future events including the following:
The Admission of Catechumens, November 27
Saints & Sinners: Part II, November 27
St. Andrew the Apostle, November 30
Mass of Reconciliation for HIV/AIDS, December 3
Campus Ministry Outreach, December 6
Conception BVM, December 8
Christmas Cards for the Homebound, December 11
St. Nicholas Pageant, December 18
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church is an inclusive church in the Anglo-Catholic tradition.
We are dedicated to sharing the good news of God in Christ through our celebration of the Sacraments, Liturgy, and Music, and by attending in Jesus' Name, to the needs of our members and the wider community. We are a welcoming ohana, cherishing our catholic and Hawaiian mission roots, and we rejoice in our diversity.
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SATURDAY
4:45 pm Evening Prayer
5:15 pm Sung Vigil Mass
SUNDAY
7:00 am Morning Prayer
7:30 am Low Mass
9:00 am Godly Play
9:00 am Forum
MONDAY
7:40 am Morning Prayer
8:00 am Mass
TUESDAY
11:40 am Noonday Prayer
12:00 noon Mass
WEDNESDAY
7:40 am Morning Prayer
8:00 am Healing Mass
9:00 am Preschool Chapel
THURSDAY
11:40 am Noonday Prayer
12:00 noon Mass
FRIDAY
7:40 am Morning Prayer
8:00 am Mass
8:45 am Bible Study
SATURDAY
8:40 am Morning Prayer
9:00 am Mass & Rosary
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Weekly Collection
for the Needy
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 Every Sunday we collect food and hygeine products for the homeless and the hungry. Will you remember the neediest among us? Donations may be placed in the basket at the entry of the church on Sunday mornings. The donations are blessed at the offertory of High Mass. Please be generous.
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Did you miss last week's E-Newsletter? Read it online. E-NEWSLETTERS
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church
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