March 27, 2015
In This Issue
From the Reverend R. Justice Schunior
From the Vestry
From the Music Director
Youth & Family Ministry Update
Service Notes & Music
Sunday Service Schedule
About the Gospel
Quick Links
The Gospel According to St. Mark's


Holy Week Schedule

March 29, Palm Sunday
8:45am, 11:15am, 5:00pm Liturgy of the Palms + Holy Eucharist

April 2, Maundy Thursday
6:00pm Foot Washing + Fellowship Hour
7:30pm Agape Feast + 8:30pm Holy Eucharist & Tenebrae

April 3, Good Friday
12:00pm Good Friday Service 
1:30pm Stations of the Cross
2:15pm Prayers for Social Justice on Capitol Hill

April 4, The Great Vigil of Easter
8:00pm Inter-denominational Easter Vigil + Festival Eucharist
(Held at St. Mark's)

April 5, Easter Sunday
8:45am, 11:15am (incense), 5:00pm Festival Eucharist
From the Reverend R. Justice Schunior

Friends,

This Sunday we begin Holy Week. This week includes waving palms and experiencing the whip lash of an adoring crowd becoming a murderous one; a shared meal with friends that ends in darkness; a painful recounting of torture and death; a bonfire and a proclamation that there is light in the darkness. I'll be honest, it's a strange time of the year and it's A LOT of church. However, I encourage you to participate in any way you can, even if you don't understand it completely. I certainly don't. I'm never comfortable with waving my palm and then shouting "Crucify Him!" You may not be comfortable washing the feet of another or having your own feet washed (strangely, I have no issue with this; I'm always happy for people to wash my feet!). But the point of this week is not to be comfortable or really to be uncomfortable; the point is to experience the sweep of human experience - joy, triumph, pain, love, vulnerability, death, resurrection - all in one week of worship. Letting it all wash over us, as much as we're able, is part of the drama of Holy Week. Each of us, and all of those who came before us and all who will come after us, can claim this roller coaster of human weakness and triumph. It's called life; and we are called to find the holy in it. 

I also want to put in a plug for the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday evening, April 4. It begins with a bonfire at dusk, continues with the recounting of our stories from the dawn of human history to the empty tomb, and concludes with Easter joy. We are hosting this year's service at St. Mark's for the first time in four years, and welcoming our neighboring congregations from Christ Church, Washington Parish; Reformation Lutheran Church; and Trinity Lutheran Church.  This service is one of the loveliest in Christian liturgy and also a rare opportunity to worship with  and welcome our neighbors.

I look forward to seeing you throughout this coming week in all of its strangeness, mystery, and holiness.

Peace,

Justi 

Maundy Thursday Sign-ups!

Maundy Thursday is April 2nd: Please Come! Have YOU signed up to participate in one of St. Mark's most significant annual events, Agape Potluck Dinner? No $ fees! Go online today to Sign-Up Genius: http://j.mp/Maundy2015 or sign up after services. Select a table & food dish. Bringing children? Please fill their name in a box for your table. Babysitting pre-sign up contact: Pam Lacey ( placey@aga.org). All are welcome!  Evening events: 6:00-BYOB Fellowship Hour (Baxter Hall) & Footwashing (Nave); 7:00 transition to Nave for Agape Potluck Dinner. Tables are bare for our 8:30ish Tenebrae Service. Lights are gradually extinguished to darkness as the readings lead up to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. Clean up immediately after service. Volunteers needed! Contact: David Deutsch, Footwashing (dsd@his.com ); Valeri Byrd, Agape Dinner (valbyrd22@yahoo.com).
From the Director of Music

Dear St. Mark's

 

I'm excited to share with you this Sunday morning the end result of a fun, creative project many weeks in the making.  Sometime in January, co-leader of the Liturgy Planning Team Jessie Babcock first mentioned to me her idea of having interpretive dance and music during the reading of the Passion on Palm Sunday.  The project immediately appealed to me but I knew there wasn't any music in existence that would serve our needs.  "I think I could crank out some music" I said, or something similar.  After further discussion with Jessie and choreographer Rosie Brooks, I started to time each section of narrative, decide how long any musical interludes might be, and create the main structure of the musical composition.  Fast-forward a couple weeks, add a deadline for when Rosie needed to begin choreographing and teaching the music, and the piece started to come to life.  A  couple weeks later it was more or less finished.  The result, which you will hear at both of the morning services on Sunday, is an 8-minute piece of music for cello and piano that accompanies two narrators and a handful of dancers.  I hope you will enjoy hearing and seeing the fruits of our labors.

 

Peace,

JEFF 

Youth & Family Ministry Update


 

I Need Your Help for Holy Week:


 

 Maundy Thursday Plans for Kids:  Here are the plans, thus far, for babysitting during Maundy Thursday evening fellowship hour, dinner and service. (6 pm - 10:30 pm)

 

Nursery for Infants and Toddlers:  For children ages 0-3, our usual sitters will open the Nursery from 6 pm to 10:30 pm.  So you can drop off your infant or toddler and come up to Baxter Hall for the Fellowship Hour, and a drink. ;)  I'm covering the cost for the nursery on our modest Youth budget.

 

Pizza and Movie for Kids (@ 4-12 years old):  I plan to get an adult, trained sitter to team with two of our teens (if they are interested) to supervise pizza and kids movies for kids 4-12. Parents are in charge of picking and bringing the movies.  I will pay for the pizza on the Youth budget, but I need parents to chip in to pay the 3 sitters (one adult and 2 teens).   Figuring $12 per hour for 4.5 hours (6 pm to 10:30 pm) - so that would be $54 per sitter times 3 = $162.  If 10 kids are there, the cost would be about $16 per kid. 

 

Action for Maundy Thursday: What I need from you:

 

a)      Infant & Child Head Count:  Tell me if you think you will bring your infant, toddler for the Nursery -and/or your elementary age child for pizza and movie.  Tell me names and ages please.

b)      Two Teen Babysitters:  Tell me if your teen wants to supervise the kids for pizza and movies - and earn $54.  In the alternative - do they want to volunteer and get 4.5 hours of community service time?

c)       Two large screen laptops - for showing the movies.

d)      Eight Parent-Approved kid's movies - 4 for little kids, and 4 for older kids.  That will give them a choice.  


 

Action for Easter Egg Hunt - What I Need from You: Volunteers - At least 2 Adults and 2 Teens

 

We have a team offering an egg hunt for the wee little ones.  But not yet for older kids.  If you would like the elementary school age kids to have an Easter Egg Hunt at church on Easter Sunday morning between the two morning services, I need at least 2 parents and 2 teens to volunteer to hide the 'eggs' (plastic eggs filled with candy) beforehand, and to supervise during the hunt - say on your mark, get set, go!  And make sure they don't get hurt. 

 

Thank you!! - Pam

 

Volunteer Youth & Family Ministry Manager - to be replaced soon by a professional!  Yay!

 

 

Processional

Hymn 154 All glory, laud, and honor, Tune: Valet will ich dir geben

 

Hymn   

Ride on! ride on in majesty! Tune: Winchester New

 

Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29  Confitemini Domino

 

The Passion Narrative - A Dance

Narrators: Wendy Couchman & Gwen Dillard

Dancers: Anne Alexander, Renee Braden, Karen King, Taylor Mensch, Leyla Mocan

Choreography: Rosetta "Rosie" Brooks

Cello: Sarah Biber

Music: Jeff Kempskie

Concept: Jessie Babcock

 

Offertory Anthem

Let This Mind Be in You, Lee Hoiby - Chancel Choir

 

Presentation Hymn

 313, v. 4, Jesu, meine Zuversicht

 

Sanctus

Russian Orthodox Tone 1, arr. Richard Proulx

 

Fraction Anthem

Agnus Dei after Alexander Archangelsky, arranged by Richard Proulx

 

Music During Communion

LEVAS 36 O Sacred Head, Sore Wounded, David Hurd

Hymn 458 My song is love unknown, Tune: Love Unknown

 

Closing Hymn

158 Ah, holy Jesus, how hast thou offended, Tune: Herzliebster Jesu

 

Postlude

Excerpt from Cello Sonata in A Minor, Antonio Vivaldi - Sarah Biber, cello

Schedule of Services 
Sunday, March 29, 2015
The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday
 

8:45 am Liturgy of the Palms + Holy Eucharist

The Reverend Josh Thomas, Presider and Preacher

The Reverend R. Justice Schunior, Co-Presider    


11:15 am Liturgy of the Palms + Holy Eucharist

The Reverend Josh Thomas, Presider and Preacher

The Reverend R. Justice Schunior, Co-Presider

 

5:00 pm Liturgy of the Palms + Holy Eucharist

The Reverend Josh Thomas, Presider and Homilist

About the Gospel
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