St. Mark’s RemarksSt. Mark’s RemarksSt. Mark’s RemarksSt. Mark’s Remarks

At the beginning of a New Year it

is customary for us to greet each

other with "Happy New Year!" Do

we mean "day" rather than

"year"? We give the greeting on

New Year's Day, but on this

twenty-eighth day of the new

year, are we still saying it? Are

we wishing friends to be happy for only a day or for a

whole year? How can we be happy for a whole year

when the forecast for the new year may predict un-

happy times? Can we be happy if in the coming year

we may have less to eat, if we must make old clothes

do for another year, if a vacation is out of the ques-

tion, and if we must worry about the bills coming

due?

Regardless of conditions, we do want to be happy. Is

there anyone here who does not want to be happy in

this starting year? If anybody should be happy, it is

a Christian. But, is the average Christian known for

his joy? Many think of a Christian in terms of solem-

nity, seriousness, and severity.

We Christians have good reason to be the happiest

people in the world. Our happiness is not based upon

the condition of the world but upon the condition of

the heart. We are happy because of God and not be-

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 Seek God Serve Others Transform LivesSeek God Serve Others Transform LivesSeek God Serve Others Transform LivesSeek God Serve Others Transform Lives

St. Mark’s Episcopal ChurchSt. Mark’s Episcopal ChurchSt. Mark’s Episcopal ChurchSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church

322 North Horne Street, Mesa, AZ 85203

Office Hours: Tues —Fri: 9 am-1 pm

(480) 964-5820

E-Mail: office@stmarksmesa.org

Web Site: www.stmarksmesa.org

Parish Directory

The Rev. Gerardo Brambila Vicar

The Rev. Steven Ford Assistant Priest

Chris Perry Director of Music

Gloria McManus Parish Administrator

Deb Cannon Licensed in Children’s Ministries

Terry Gordo Senior Warden

Bob Cheatham Junior Warden

Al Rausch Treasurer

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Services: 8:30 am-Praise Service . . 9:45 am-Children’s Chapel & Lion’s Den Fellowship . . 11 am-Choral Holy Eucharist Rite II . . 12:30 pm-Spanish Service . . Wed. 10 am-Healing Service

Bishop’s Committee Members

Mayra Alvarado Caleb Collins

John Ddamba Judy Hossack

Patrick Mack Anali Perry

Paige Stalcup

Ministry Leaders

Acolytes Paige Stalcup

Altar Guild Terry Gordon

Choir and Praise Ensemble Chris Perry

Christian Formation for Youth Deb Cannon

Dianne Nunez

Communications Kathy Cheatham/

ML Burgess

Cursillo Monica Larsen

Daughters of the King Marge Fountain

ECW (Women’s Ministry) Jeanette Rogers

Food Pantry Penny Place

Greeters Judy Hossack

Hispanic Ministry Fr. Brambila

Liturgical Arrangements Viviana Brambila

Office Angels Gloria McManus

Pastoral Care Elaine Austin

PRIDE (Men’s Fellowship) Glenn Gordon

Scriptorium Deb Cannon

Sunday Lay Ministries Fr. Brambila/

Gloria McManus

Tai Chi Dee Greiner

Thrift Store Sally Worthington

Ushers Kathy Smith/

Bob Cheatham

Visit us on the Web: www.stmarksmesa.org and join us on Facebook at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church-Mesa, AZ

Join us at www.stmarksmesa.org for updates and more news!

cause of man. This is brought out by Isaiah 61 text:

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole be-

ing shall exult in my God ..."

As Christians we, too, can be happy because God

has set us free through Christ. We Christians are

the happiest people in the world because Christ has

set us free by his death on the cross. This sacrifice

on our behalf frees us from the guilt and power of

sin. Now we are free from having to earn acceptance

with God. In His great mercy God in Christ paid the

price for our sins and we are free from condemna-

tion and damnation. Because of Christ we are for-

given. Pardon is a gift of grace.

So Happy New Year to all of you, my church family,

and I really mean HAPPY ENTIRE NEW YEAR,

and blessings to all.

The Candlemas Bells, also known as Snowdrops, symbolize hope

according to ChrisDan belief.

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GOD SAID “I AM” . . . GOD SAID “I AM” . . . GOD SAID “I AM” . . . GOD SAID “I AM” . . .

Nativity Scene Restored . . . Nativity Scene Restored . . . Nativity Scene Restored . . . Nativity Scene Restored . . .

Kid’s Korner . . . Kid’s Korner . . . Kid’s Korner . . . Kid’s Korner . . . Our St. Mark’s kids were kept busy during the month of December — prac-

ticing for the Christmas Eve Pageant, making

Christmas cards for their friends and making

scarves for the residents at the Good Samaritan

Assisted Living facility. The older kids enjoyed a

night out at the zoo and helped in any way possi-

ble with the younger set. Thank you kids for

bringing joy

and laughter into our lives — the pag-

eant was magnificent and the scarves

and cards are outstanding as well.

Many, many thanks to the teachers and

chaperones who planned and imple-

mented all of the wonderful events —

you are awesome!

Proverbs 22:6 — Start children off on

the way they should go, and even when

they are old they will not turn from it.

The Scriptures, both Old and New Testa-

ments (no matter which version you per-

sonally read and reference), offer words and models of the

works of God and Jesus. I believe that Jesus as the son of

God offers us ways of living to model during our time on

this planet we call EARTH. I believe that when God was

asked by early man (use of term inclusive of all sexes) re-

sponded: “ I AM…” I also believe that those words direct

us to live as an I AM.

So in a meditation workshop offered by a wonderful wom-

an in our parish last year (does that not sound like a long

time ago), I meditated in relationship to those two simple

but highly complex words in relationship to ME. I then

began to think of I and words beginning with that letter

which I think describe ME.

I ran though many – some that I wish were not as true as

others in my behavior and here are a few:

Intelligent, inpatient, interesting, injured, inquis-

itive, indulgent, idealistic, influential, indebted,

inexperienced, immature, and involved….

I end this printed list with INVOLVED because I believe

that in being who I AM God wishes me to be daily exam-

ining the What and Why I am. I also believe that I best

find this through MEDITATION, brief as it may be,

where ever it may be, before or after I pray I get an AC-

TION PLAN for modeling the I AM God wishes as me in

acts of Christian concern and kindness. My wishes are

sometimes those of God’s desire. -St. Mark’s Parishioner

T he restoration of your nativity scene has been a year long labor of love by myself

(Robbie Coller) and my friend...the artist...Sheila Gordon.

I did the repairs to the pieces, including replacing the cow's horn and Joseph's foot as

well as a few noses along the way. Sheila lovingly painted and decorated each piece

and then I varnished them and put the covering on the bottom...it truly was a joint

effort and a project not a chore.

I did uncover a bit of history about the nativity set. I am not sure how long it has lived

at St. Mark's but here is a glimpse of the company that made it originally.

The pieces are made from a resin mold -- much like fiberglass without the glass. It's a

technique rarely used anymore as most similar pieces are made of plastic. The compa-

ny that made the pieces did so more than 50 years ago in upstate New

York .....ALFCO-NY ...stands for Artist Latex Foam Company of New York. They

worked primarily on Nativity scenes, cigar store Indians and decorative and mounted

horse heads. The company is now out of business. They were located in New Rochelle,

New York, and were responsible for crafting the resin-based home/restaurant decor

ship figurehead reproductions in the 1960's and 1970's.

Another church in Spencer City had a nativity set like ours and they redid it as well...it took seven people combined

working more than 340 hours of labor on the project. Sheila and I feel blessed that our set did not take as much res-

toration as theirs appeared to need!

We hope you will enjoy and treasure this nativity set for many more years to come. Kind regards, Robbie Coller

Christmas Blessings from Christmas Blessings from Christmas Blessings from Christmas Blessings from St. Mark’s to Naco, SonoraSt. Mark’s to Naco, SonoraSt. Mark’s to Naco, SonoraSt. Mark’s to Naco, Sonora

Check out youtu.be . . . A very grateful “thank you”

for Christmas gifts sent to Naco, Sonora.

Looking for some place for your old

eye glasses??? There is a receptacle

in Knight Hall on the table under the

kitchen serving window to drop your

old eye glasses. The Leisure World

Lions Club will refurbish them

for folks in third world coun-

tries. We Serve! Thanks Ray Haug.

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Praying with Icons Praying with Icons Praying with Icons Praying with Icons Workshop . . . Workshop . . . Workshop . . . Workshop . . .

Shrove Tuesday-Shrove Tuesday-Shrove Tuesday-Shrove Tuesday-Pancake Supper . . . Pancake Supper . . . Pancake Supper . . . Pancake Supper . . .

In Memoriam . . . In Memoriam . . . In Memoriam . . . In Memoriam . . .

The St. Mark’s Daughters of

the King is hosting a “free”

meditation workshop high-

lighting “Praying with Icons” on Sat-

urday, February 11, 2017 in Knight

Hall from 10 am to 1 pm. The work-

shop will be facilitated by Sally

Worthington. Bring your lunch —

drinks provided. Sign-up sheet is in

the Narthex . . . Please sign up. If

you have any questions, contact Sal-

ly Worthington at 480-290-4321.

ECW Bake SaleECW Bake SaleECW Bake SaleECW Bake Sale

“Fat Tuesday” according to the calen-

dar, is on February 28th—the day

before Ash Wednesday. St. Mark’s

ECW and Men will host the event —

serving delicious pancakes and asso-

ciated delicious dishes. Mark this

date on your calendar . . You don’t

want to miss it. Tickets will be on

sale SOON — $7/adult, $5/children,

$20/families. Shrove Tuesday is the

first event preceding the

Lenten season — Ash

Wednesday is February

29th.

Five years ago Cailey and Sean Jones along with Dianne

Nunez, commissioned

by Deb Cannon, painted

this cute mural of No-

ah’s Ark in the chil-

dren’s nursery at St.

Mark’s. Most people

don’t get to see it and

probably don’t even

know it is there.

Did You Know? ? ?Did You Know? ? ?Did You Know? ? ?Did You Know? ? ? UTO Box Getting Full? ? ?UTO Box Getting Full? ? ?UTO Box Getting Full? ? ?UTO Box Getting Full? ? ? If your blue UTO box is

getting full you can empty

out your coins and write

out a check payable to St.

Mark’s for the amount.

There are marked enve-

lopes in the Narthex. You

can place your envelope in

the “collection” plate or

give it to an Usher. Thank you for your support of this

very important Ministry.

Feast of the Candles Feast of the Candles Feast of the Candles Feast of the Candles ———— (Candlemas)(Candlemas)(Candlemas)(Candlemas)

“Eat Your Heart Out” on Sunday,

February 12th between the 8:30 and

11 am services at the St.

Mark’s ECW & Men Bake

Sale in Knight Hall. It’s

a great time to get your

“sweets” for your “sweetheart” on

Valentines Day.

Setup for the BIG SALE is on Satur-

day, February 11th at 9:30 am in a

room, (to be announced), adjacent to

Knight Hall. If you’re in the mood to

make cookies, cakes and/or lollipops,

please bring them on Saturday and

make time to visit the bake sale on

Sunday.

The Feast of the Candles will be celebrated at St. Mark’s on Sunday, Febru-

ary 5th. Parishioners are encouraged to bring white candles to their respec-

tive service. Candlemas is a Christian holiday celebrated annually. It cele-

brates three occasions according to Christian belief: the presentation of the

child Jesus; Jesus’ first entry into the temple; and it celebrates the Virgin

Mary’s purification (mainly in Catholic churches). Christians consider Jesus

as the “light of the world” so it is fitting that candles are blessed on this day

and that a candle-lit procession precedes the mass. Candlemas is also

known as Candelaria in Spanish speaking countries. Whoever finds baby figures hidden inside the Rosca de Reyes

(Kings Cake) on Epiphany is obliged to bring food to this gathering. Many Orthodox Christians celebrate this event

by bringing beeswax candles to their local church — requesting these candles be blessed to be used in the church or at

home. Some Christians observe the practice of leaving Christmas decorations up until Candlemas. Candlemas pri-

marily focuses on Jesus’ early life. Many Christians believe that Jesus’ mother Mary presented him to God at the

Temple in Jerusalem after observing the traditional 40-day period of purification (of mothers) following his birth. Ac-

cording to a New Testament gospel, a Jewish man named Simeon held the baby in his arms and said that

he would be a light for the Gentiles (Luke 2:32). It is for this reason that this event is called Candlemas.

“Give rest, O Christ, to

your servants Barbara

Schmidt, with your

saints, where sorrow

and pain are no more,

neither sighing, but life

everlasting.”

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This section of the Newsletter is provided for Parishioners to advertise their business. We will print a copy of your business card for a period of three (3) consecutive Newsletters. Rather than assess a fee for the publication, we are asking for a monetary dona-tion to help defray the cost of printing the Newsletter. Currently, the Newsletter is distributed to all of our parishioners and guests — approximately 200 copies per edition. At the end of the three printings, you may renew your business card along with an addi-tional monetary donation. Contact Mary Lou Burgess at mburg37114@aol.com or 480-218-5434 for further information.

Space available . . .

January 22 — Annual Meeting — 10 am ser-

vice (Bilingual)

February 5 — Feast of the Candles

February 11 — Meditation Workshop —

Knight Hall 10 am—1 pm

February 12 — ECW Bake Sale between services

February 12 — ECW & Men’s Ministry Meeting — 12:15 pm

in Knight Hall

February 28 — Shrove Tuesday — Pancake Supper 5 pm

March 1 — Ash Wednesday — 10 am & 7 pm Services

March 3 — Taizé Service — 7pm—Reception Following

March 10 — Lenten Soup Suppers Begin — 5 pm

March 12 — ECW & Men’s Ministry Meeting — 12:15 pm

in Knight Hall

March 14 — East Valley Pops Concert — 7 pm

March 19 — St. Patrick’s Celebration with Mesa Caledoni-

an Pipe Band

Cursillo Grouping — Every Wednesday — 11 am in the

Conference Room

*Baptism/Confirmation Class — Every Sunday —1:30

pm

Scriptorium — new meeting times TBA — All are welcome

Tai Chi — Every Saturday Morning — 10 am in Knight

Hall — All are welcome

*Note change in day and time.

Upcoming Events . . .Upcoming Events . . .Upcoming Events . . .Upcoming Events . . .

ECW & Guests Celebrate ECW & Guests Celebrate ECW & Guests Celebrate ECW & Guests Celebrate Christmas . . . Christmas . . . Christmas . . . Christmas . . .

The St. Mark’s ECW celebrated its “first” annual Christ-

mas luncheon on December 11th at Garcia’s on Gilbert

and University. It was a beautiful day to sit outside on

their patio and celebrate the holiday with friends and

have a delicious “Mexican Food” lunch. Gifts were ex-

changed, more than once, spirits were high and we

capped the afternoon off with magnificent favors made

by Lori Rogers. Everyone had a wonderful time . . .

Thanks Kathy S. and Maureen D. for leading the charge.

Annual Meeting Annual Meeting Annual Meeting Annual Meeting ———— Congratulations In Order . . . Congratulations In Order . . . Congratulations In Order . . . Congratulations In Order . . .

St. Mark’s Annual Meeting was held on Sunday, January

22nd. Terry Gordon was named as the Senior Warden and

Bob Cheatham was elected to be Junior Warden. The fol-

lowing members were elected to serve on the Bishop’s Com-

mittee: Caleb Collins, Judy Hossack and Anali Perry. An

election was also held to determine the delegates to the

2017 Diocesan Convention. The delegates to the Conven-

tion will be Caleb Collins, John Ddamba, Judy Hossack,

Sam Mungai and Jeanette Rogers. If you did not get your

Annual Meeting Report, please contact the Church Office.

The Report contains information regarding the financial

status of St. Mark’s as well as reports from all of the Minis-

tries.

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There are many more pictures of all of the events during the month of

December posted on the bulletin board. Join us on Facebook — St.

Mark's Episcopal Church-Mesa, AZ for an array of photos and news.