Capitol Hill | 301 A St SE, Washington, DC (corner of 3rd & A St SE) | stmarks.net


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In This Issue
From the Associate Rector
From the Senior Warden
From the Junior Warden
From the Music Director
Service Notes & Music
Sunday Service Schedule
About the Gospel
Quick Links
The Gospel According to St. Mark's


When we are happy, when we are full of fun and laughter 
God welcomes us. 

When we are angry, when people let us down and make us sad

God welcomes us. 

When we are tired, when we need to stop and curl up and rest

God welcomes us.
- from Iona Worship Book
Join us this Sunday for 10:00 am Holy Eucharist and Annual Crab Feast 
Friends,


This Sunday we'll combine our two morning services for a special 10:00 am Eucharist celebrating Crab Sunday. This is a unique, and I think, utterly delightful St. Mark's tradition. Each year, a person in the congregation who we might call "crabby", but always in the service of bettering our common life, is chose to be the Crab of the Year. The person who might be, in other churches, the irritating "squeaky wheel", is, at St. Mark's, celebrated! All of the past Crabs of the Year form what we call the College of Crustaceans. They process in the liturgy in their crab regalia, in a way I can only describe as joyful absurdity. 


After the service, we gather in Baxter Hall to feast on crabs (as well as chicken and corn and other yummy foods) and hear the nominations for this year's Crab.


See you Sunday!


Peace,
Justi
From Peter Sherer, Senior Warden


Dear Ones,
 
This is the most difficult week I can remember in my many years at St Mark's.
 
We lost two wonderful men after difficult and cruel illnesses.
 
We first heard that Tim Veney had died. Tim had a personality that was bigger than life itself although it was not usually on display on Sunday mornings. On Sunday mornings he was the quiet, dutiful, supportive, husband of Loretta as she skillfully guided us through the service as a dependable verger. But get him into Baxter Hall after the service or better yet on the golf course and you got full frontal Tim who was warm, funny, irreverent, kind, and a big softy around his granddaughter. In short, Tim was a natural leader, a man's man, a retired cop that inspired confidence in the profession, and a tremendous amount of fun.
Tim Veney
 
I had a chance to play in a golf foursome with Tim in two of the recent tournaments to support the homeless organized by Capital Hill Group Ministries. One of the great aspects of golf is that it takes a long time so you have a chance to get to know your playing partners which is at least half the fun. Tim was a serious competitor and from time to time could hit great shots. But much better than his golf was his uninterrupted funny and insightful patter about his daughter Kimberly, his beloved Redskins, the latest adventure with Loretta, and his favorite topic...his granddaughter Kendal. I say uninterrupted patter but that isn't quite accurate since in golf you are supposed to observe silence when someone is about to hit the ball. But the amazing and fun thing about playing with Tim was that you knew that as soon as the golf ball left the club face Tim would be back on the air with an encouraging word or a joke to take the sting out of a bad shot.
 
Tim Veney was a good guy and we will all miss him even as we will never forget him.
 
As if losing Tim wasn't painful enough we learned yesterday that Crane Miller had finally succumbed to the cruel cancer that made his last few years more difficult than any of us wanted for him, Jane and the rest of his family.
 
Jane and Crane Miller
 Crane was much more than a fellow parishioner and friend. He was an institution. Crane held every elected and appointed leadership position the church had to offer. After years of guiding one aspect of our life together or other he settled into his role as the Dean of the College of Crustaceans. The College's main function is to make sure that we don't take ourselves too seriously and he led the collected former Crabs of the Year in their annual send up of our individual and collective foibles. The Crab Fest this Sunday will be the first of many chances to remember what a lasting impact Crane had on all of us.
 
They say that first impressions are important and to meet Crane Miller was to be stunned by his handsome and impressive physical presence. Crane was a big guy. If you were looking to speak to Crane after a service on Sunday he was not a hard person to find. Standing a foot taller than anyone else Crane was always actively engaged with someone seeking his advice about how they should complete a task that he had accomplished effortlessly in the past. "I don't know, ask Crane" was a familiar refrain.
 
But even more impressive that his height was Crane's voice. He was the reader that we all aspired to be. I could have listened to Crane read the phonebook with pleasure. Fortunately, he read more interesting and familiar texts at key moments like Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday. One could be forgiven for confusing Crane with St. Paul when he read one of his letters or with any of a number of major characters in our lore when he read our stories. Crane's voice was at the same time authoritative and comforting. If I had the misfortune to be in a fire then Crane's voice leading me out of danger is the one I would most want to hear.
 
Crane Miller served us all faithfully with wit, intelligence and empathy for decades. To say that we will miss him deeply understates our loss.
From Doris Burton, Junior Warden
 
Around the House...
 
It's been a busy week!
HVAC:  On Monday, our system got its quarterly inspection, with clean filters and a check for any new problems. Work on the second of the two air handlers servicing the nave began Friday along with some minor work on the air handler that shut down last year (these are the units that deliver heat/ac).
Monarc will soon do the annual evaluation of the entire building. Some of you may recall JW Jane Rutherford arranging our first over-all review in 2001-03.
Stonework: A long-term concern of Fabric is the deterioration of the terrazzo in the nave. While the repair is 'in the works', we discovered the step to the high altar, something you rarely see because of the choir risers, was virtually crushed and held together with strips of duct tape. On Tuesday, Arconti Tile replaced the broken step with the same Tennessee Pink marble as the original. We hope to have a report about the terrazzo very soon (Did you know: at one time, we had a Tennessee Pink marble altar in the chapel... no one knows what happened to it).
Wood floors: With the risers and choir chairs out of the chancel, you can see the deteriorated 19th C parquet floor. Universal Floors will soon sand, repair, and refinish.
Sunday school classroom windows will now (a) actually close and (b) no longer leak cold air. Monarc replaced rusted hinges and checked insulation on Friday.
Other Monarc work includes repairing a crack in Baxter Hall wall and damaged caulking in a downspout.
PMM:  It has been a steep curve as they learning how we operate: last week was their first major event: a wedding involving a complex set/re-set. We've met, discussed, reviewed and believe that tomorrow's wedding set/re-set will be easier and faster with a more accurate re-set as they move/store nave furniture. Patience is the word.
Thanks go to Nora Howell and Jack Richards, both Fabric members, who assisted the Manciple with some clean-out/storage issues, assistant Fritz Henn (Fabric) and to Susan Sedgewick who ran another load of construction (still) and other trash to the dump.
Sunday's Crab Fest will be #37 making it a tradition! The Crab Processional opens the service, led by the 2016 Crab of the Year, Senior Warden Peter Sherer, followed by other COTYs. Following a normal Eucharist, everyone is invited to Baxter Hall for steamed crabs, beverages, corn, watermelon and the 2017 Nominations and naming of the 2017 Crab of the Year (who will it be??) The price (cash only, checks under duress) is $20/adult for all you can eat, $10/18 & under, Free/under 10.
COTY 1985 Crane Miller, who has been the Chief Crab for many years, will be honored by the College at the Fest. Please join us!
From Jeff Kempskie, Director of Music



Dear St. Mark's,



I invite you to sing with the Summer Choir this Sunday!  The warm up and rehearsal for the single 10:00 a.m. morning service begin at 9:15 in the nave.  This is the perfect way to get your feet wet and see if (or be reminded that) you enjoy singing in a choir!  No strings attached.  It'll be easy and fun!



Peace,

JEFF 
 
Prelude
Prelude on a theme of Gustav Holst (Thaxted), arr. Charles Callahan (b. 1951) - Dr. Donna Whited, guest organist 


Opening Hymn
412 Earth and all stars, Tune: Earth and All Stars 
 
Sequence Hymn 
711 Seek ye first the kingdom of God, Tune: Seek Ye First
 
Offertory Anthem
Breathe on Me, Breath of God, Words by Edwin Hatch, Music by David Harris - Summer Choir
 
Presentation Hymn
LEVAS 189 Great is thy faithfulness, Words by Thomas O. Chisholm, Music by William M. Runyan            
 
Sanctus & Fraction Anthem  Peter Crisafulli  
 
The Lord's Prayer S 148 (chanted)
 
Music During Communion
LEVAS 225 Oh, Freedom! African American Spiritual, arr. Carl Haywood
LEVAS 109 What a Friend We Have in Jesus, Words by Joseph Scriven, Music by Charles Converse
 
Closing Hymn
 450 All hail the power of Jesus' Name! Tune: Coronation


Postlude
Fanfare, Opus 85, C.S. Lang (1891-1972) - Dr. Donna Whited, guest organist

Schedule of Services 
July 24, 2016
The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
 
10:00 am Holy Eucharist & Procession of the Crabs

The Reverend Michele H. Morgan, Presider

The Reverend Rebecca Justice Schunior, Preacher

 

No Children's Chapel this Sunday

 

5:00 pm Contemplative Eucharist

The Reverend Rebecca Justice Schunior, Presider & Homilist

About the Gospel
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St. Marks Episcopal Church-Capitol Hill | 301 A Street SE | Washington | DC | 20003