The Online Lion for September 11, Kickoff Sunday

St. Mark's Episcopal Church September 11, 2011

New Canaan, CT Kickoff Sunday

We welcome you and your family to St. Mark's

If you are seeking a church home, we would be honored to have you as a member of our parish family. Please speak to one of the clergy, or be in touch with us during the week to find out more about us (contact information below).

Nursery care is available for children under 3-years old from 9:00-11:45 a.m. in the nursery wing.

This Sunday's schedule

8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite I - chapel
9:00 a.m. Ice Breaker/Community-Maker in Morrill Hall - Don't miss it.

9:50 a.m. Church School Begins

10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist Rite II
11:15 a.m. Parish Picnic, Confirmation and Jr. High Youth Group

5:00 p.m. 9/11 Ecumenical Service of Remembrance on God's Acre

6:00 p.m. Sr. High Ecumenical Dinner on the Great Lawn

6:30 p.m. Sr. High Ecumenical Water Balloon Dodgeball Game

If you are interested in joining or finding out more about St. Mark's, please contact us or call the church office: 203.966.4515. Visit our website to learn more: www.stmarksnewcanaan.org. Click here to read/hear recent sermons and for the current newsletter, The Lion's Roar. If you have a pastoral concern, please contact Mother Anne Richards or Father Peter Walsh.

Potluck Kickoff Picnic This Sunday at 11:15!

Come One Come All!

See Old Friends, Make New Ones!

We'll provide the main dish,

please bring a side, dessert or salad!

Lend a hand if you can!

Sunday at St. Mark's

Ice-Breaker/Community-Maker takes place at 9am Sunday in Morrill Hall. Join us as Father Peter takes us through a fun experience that will help you feel more connected to St. Mark's and make you a few new friends too. Kids too!

New or Visiting this Sunday? Help us get to know you! Please take a red folder from the back, and speak with an usher or member of the clergy. If you have children, please register for programs during the parish picnic!

The Lion's Den Book and Gift Store is open Sunday, Hip Hip Hooray!!! (9am to 1pm)

The Blessing of the Backpacks takes place Sunday at the 10:00 service. We invite all children and youth to bring their backpacks or book bags to church this morning for a special school-year blessing.

Parish Picnic takes place Sunday after the 10am service. Everyone invited. Special thanks to picnic masterminds Nancy Kalal and Michael Sautkulis for organizing this annual event for our Kick-off Sunday. Please lend a hand.

Community Interfaith Service of Remembrance for 9/11 takes place at 5pm Sunday on God's Acre. Come with St. Mark's clergy and choir to participate in this town service. In case of rain, the service will be at St. Mark's.

Altar Flowers...This week's floral arrangements, comprised of white blossoms surrounded by greenery, were specifically selected for this service on the anniversary of 9/11. The white roses, orchids, and other white flowers symbolize honor and reverence. Interspersed throughout the arrangements are sprigs of rosemary from the Gospel Garden and from our home gardens, to signify remembrance.

Look for Dick Sandberg in the chef's hat and apron at the picnic and sign up for Supper Club. Join an informal group of the same 8 or 10 people who meet for dinner in each other's homes 4 or 5 times throughout the year. Each person brings a part of the meal. The only purpose is to meet fellow parishioners, enjoy their company, and really get to know each other. You can also sign up by calling the church office or contacting Lois Sandberg at

sandberg.lois@gmail.com

Please keep the following people in your daily prayers: Tyler Everett Austin, Andy Baecker, Sam Bieler, Patty Bozzella, Margaret, Matthew Evans, Jacob, Janada, Victor Kravitsky, Martha, Mary, Laura Minchella, Terry, CIndy and Tom Orlando, Margaret Paul, Barbara Porterfield, Ruthann Saphier, Alex Stolar, Norman Toy. We pray for those who have died, especially Stanley Howard Atherton, father of Kent and Craig Atherton; Al Orlando, Godfather of Cyra Borsy; and Ben Spearman, father of Laura Watt.

Weekday Classes

Transformation in Christ: Sunday Morning Series begins next Sunday at 9am in Morrill Hall. Join Father Peter and Mother Anne for an introductory session on styles and stages of faith development. Click here to learn more.

Our Regular 5pm Service of Holy Eucharist resumes next Sunday in the chapel. This is a simple, informal, come-as-you-are service that lasts 30 minutes. Try it if you haven't already.

Monday Morning Class begins next Monday, Sept. 19. Join Mother Anne for a discussion group around "Female Leadership: Management, Jungian Psychology, Spirituality, and the Global Journey through Purgatory." Don't let the title intimidate you! Come explore topics in spiritual development in a fun and informal discussion group - men welcome too.

Children and Youth Choirs begin rehearsals this week: the Joyful Noyze! (children 4 - 2nd grade) at 4pm; Youth/Taizé (8th grade and older) at 6pm; the Choristers (3rd-7th grade) at 4pm. Please fill in the choir registration form in today's bulletin.

Wednesday Bible Study with Bishop Grein reconvenes this Wednesday the 14th, 10-11am in the Education Center. We will begin a survey of Christianity in the British Isles from the Celts to the Reformation, focusing on the saints who lived it.

Meditation Group reconvenes this Saturday the 17th and every Saturday thereafter in the Library from 8:00-8:45am. We follow the meditation method of the World Community for Christian Meditation www.wccm.org. Everyone welcome, including beginners.

Upcoming Events and Announcements

Town Hall Meeting Sunday, September 25, 11:15-12:15 in Morrill Hall. Don't miss it! Come here all about what has been done over the summer and what is planned for the year. Activities and care for the kids.

Coffee Hour Guild Potluck Supper on Thursday was a blast! Thanks to everyone for coming with delicious dishes and to Michael Sautkulis for creating the main dish. If you would like to be part of the new Coffee Hour Guild, contact Michael at mjs20@optonline.net or speak with Mother Anne.

CaTS (Career Transition Support) presents Fr. Peter Walsh and "How to Stay Grounded in your Soul When the Bottom Falls Out" on Thursday, September 22, 7-9pm in Morrill Hall. Fr. Peter will lead a talk on how unemployment affects everything, including the health of one's soul. This discussion will center on the reality of soul-crushing events and suggest ways to soul strength to meet the challenges of life. CaTS encourages all those exploring job transition or career change to come.

"Red, White, and Blue September 11th Remembrance Quilts" will be displayed at the Historical Society during the month of September. The quilts are made of 585 squares designed by New Canaan individuals and were the idea of the Town of New Canaan's Community Crisis Team. They involved the efforts of the Woman's Club, the Volunteer Center, the Red Cross, schools, churches, individuals and organizations. The project was designed and completed under the supervision of the United Way and its then president, Brooke Manning-Hinds. The quilts may be viewed during the Society's open hours and on September 11th from 5:30-6:30 following the 5:00PM ecumenical service at God's Acre.

Faithbook Wall in Morrill Hall is undergoing a "faithlift." Please send us a good quality digital photo you would like to have included (if you haven't in the past). Give us a call if you're not sure we have your photo. Send to: rmorrill@stmarksnewcanaan.org

Cape Cod House on the Market The parish voted to sell our So. Dennis, MA, property in May. This is the former residence of the late Rev. Grant Morrill, former rector of St. Mark's, and his wife, Marjorie. Mrs. Morrill moved to North Carolina this spring. We have listed this property with a local Cape Cod broker. It has two bedrooms, one bathroom and a two car garage. The asking price is $234,900. You may know someone who would be interested in looking at or buying this property. For further information, contact Jeremy Reifsnyder (reifsnyd@optimum.net) or Dick DePatie (rdepatie@stmarksnewcanaan.org).

The Flower Guild Invites You to Grow with Us! The St. Mark's Flower Guild is recruiting new members. Have you always admired the arrangements in church and wondered how they're done? As a new member of the Flower Guild, you'll be paired with one of our seasoned "pros", who will teach you--no prior experience or green thumb needed! Each team arranges about 4 Sundays a year. There are also opportunities to help with our Gospel Garden flower beds. Both men and women are welcome. It's a great way to learn a useful skill, make new friends, and give the gift of beauty to St. Mark's. Contact Maureen Mayer at mmayerct@optonline.net.

Community Bridgebuilders dedicates Friday and Saturday, September 15 and 16 as St. Mark's Work Days. Come join your church friends at the Stamford site anytime between 8am and 3pm. Ten parishioners have already signed up and we have space for another twelve. Please contact George Wright to let him know you're coming and to get the specs. gw4@pips.com

Casseroles Needed... A power glitch during the storm resulted in the loss of all our St Elizabeth's casseroles meant for the sick and homebound. We need large and small casseroles desperately so that we can keep our program going. Recipes for casseroles available on our website under the Parish Life tab. Please bring your casserole to Thea in the parish office.

Happy Birthday to Alice Mueller who celebrated her 99th Birthday.

Don't Forget to put your name stickers on your offering envelopes! Unless you do, we have no way of knowing who put the envelope in the plate. You can find your name stickers in the box your envelopes come in.

May Fair Donations have begun to come in. Please do not leave anything but books, CDs, DVDs, or records in the Parish House entranceway. We welcome furniture at this time, but please call the parish office for instructions on pickup. Please, do not donate anything that is dirty, worn-out or not in working condition.

May Fair Needs Space! We have already maxed out our storage space for White Elephant furniture and cannot pick up additional items until more is secured. If you have space in a garage, barn, or storage area we can "borrow" until May Fair, let us know. Also, we will need volunteers to help with White Elephant furniture pickup - any amount of time is welcome. Please let Dick DePatie know how you can help. (203.966.4515x112/rdepatie@stmarksnewcanaan.org)

Food Pantry Wish List: cold cereal, juice boxes, coffee - instant and drip, taco kits, laundry detergent and canned fruit. Donations should be brought to the Food Pantry in the undercroft. As always, financial gifts are appreciated. Please make your check out to: New Canaan Food Pantry, 77 Main St., New Canaan, CT 06840.

Bereavement Group...St. Mark's is joining with other churches in New Canaan, to again offer an eight-week support and guidance program for men and women who have lost a loved one. It will be held on Monday nights at 7:00 PM in the parlor of the First Presbyterian Church beginning on September 26th. Please call the First Presbyterian church office, 203-966-0002, for further information, or to register.

Children and Family Ministries Contact Josh

Blessing of the Backpacks is rescheduled for this Sunday (due to Irene). Children are invited to bring their backpacks or school supplies and come for a school year blessing.

St. Mark's Nursery School is accepting fall applications. We have room in our 3s program for Fall

Church School begins at 9:50am in the library (3s-2nd) and Education Center (3rd-5th).
All children join the congregation at the Peace.

The Episcopal Church encourages all baptized children to receive the bread and wine of Holy Communion.
Nursery Care is available every Sunday in the education wing from 8:45am-11:45pm for children up to 36 months.

Children's Registration: Please click on the link below to register your child. Then fax it, bring it to church or the office or stop by the registration table at the picnic on Sunday.

Godly Play (3s-2nd grade) Welcome and Orientation

Weaving God's Promises (3rd-5th grade) Welcome and Orientation

Church School Teachers Needed - contact Josh if interested: jhill@stmarksnewcanaan.org

Youth Ministry Contact Josh

Youth Registration: Please fill out the Church School/Youth Registration form (see below) or stop by the Registration table at the picnic.

Total Chaos

(6th-7th grade) Get your food from the picnic and meet in the undercroft right after church!

Confirmation (8th and up) Get your food from the picnic and meet in the library right after church!

EYC (9th-12th) Meets tonight from 6:00 for Pizza and 6:30-7:30 for the Great Water Balloon Dodgeball Game. Dress for wet.

FIND US on Facebook: Search St. Mark's Episcopal Youth Community and Request to Join!

New Acolytes Wanted: All youth grades 6-12 are encouraged to serve as crucifers and torchbearers roughly once per month. Contact Amanda Sutton acmsutton@gmail.com or Kerry Robinson mkerryr@ymail.com .. Just think...front row seats... playing with fire...oh, and leadership.

Volunteers for Youth Wanted. Contact Josh to learn more: jhill@stmarksnewcanaan.org

Photo Gallery

*Labor Day at Church

Sunday Morning, August 21