St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Mystic, Connecticut
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Parish Ministries
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Mystic, Connecticut |
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Each of these ministry areas is guided by a committee, led by one or more Vestry members. Volunteers are always welcome!
The Buildings and Grounds Ministry oversees the church property.
The Christian Education Ministry is in charge of the Sunday School. (Content modified 29 September 2009.)
Finance Ministry
The Hospitality Ministry provides light refreshments following the Sunday worship services at 8 and 10 AM.
The Memorial Garden Ministry maintains the Memorial Garden.
The Music Ministry is much more than the choir singing!
The Newcomers Ministry identifies, welcomes, and enriches the experiences of newcomers.
The Outreach Ministry helps carry Christ's love into the world.
The Pastoral Care Ministry assists the Rector to meet the individual needs of the parishioners.
The Spiritual Growth Ministry helps people grow in their knowledge and love of Christ.
Stewardship Ministry is Christianity in practice.
Toddler Playgroup Ministry
The goal of the Building and Grounds Ministry is to be good stewards of our buildings and grounds.
The Building and Grounds Ministry is overseen by the Junior Warden and an Advisory Committee of interested parishioners. Members of the parish are called on to help maintain the grounds and buildings and to attend to minor repairs and projects.
A list of professional contractors is maintained, and they are used for more involved or major projects (such as re-roofing the church, as was done in early 2008).
Doug Barrett, the Junior Warden, is the contact person.
Our mission is to teach our children and youth what it means to be a Christian, to share our Episcopal tradition, to nurture their spirituality, and to include them in the community of this parish.
Our objective is to include as many people as possible in the important and enjoyable work of the Christian Education of our youth.
St. Mark's Church School uses the "Godly Play" curriculum. "Godly Play" is an approach to children's spiritual learning that is based on the presentation of stories of faith. The stories are told with simple props and without interpretation. After a story is presented, the children and the storyteller wonder aloud together about aspects of the story that may have meaning or that they found interesting.
We currently have three Church School teachers serving as storytellers. We encourage everyone to consider helping the Church School.
Please contact Mike Meyer or Connie Readett for more information.
The Hospitality Ministry provides light refreshments following the Sunday worship services at 8 and 10 AM. Parishioners and guests enjoy the social interaction as well as the presentations at the Adult Forum, which follows the early service. Ministry members especially value this opportunity to bond in God's love for us.
The Hospitality Ministry welcomes everyone to join us. Volunteers are needed to help by baking cookies, brownies, etc., or by being the hosts. This is a great way to meet fellow parishioners!
Babs Neary is the contact person.
Ministry members maintain the Memorial Garden, the terraced plot of land immediately behind the Church, under which ashes of deceased parishioners are buried. Responsibilities of the Ministry include coordinating the interments, keeping records of interments, and maintaining the Memorial Garden.
Tim Evers is the contact person.
Music is an important element of worship at St. Mark's. Music is coordinated by David Tubbs, Organist and Director of Music. The Senior and Junior Choirs sing together at every 10 AM worship service on Sundays, and choir members take turns as cantor for the singing of the Psalm. A third musical group, the Bell Choir, performs as needed.
Occasional 10 AM Sunday services highlight special music, such as singing quartets, trumpet soloists, and string quintets.
Any member of the parish who is interested in music is invited to join our three choirs. The Senior Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings and before the 10 AM service on Sundays, the Junior Choir rehearses after the 10 AM service on Sunday, and the Bell Choir rehearses on Thursday evenings.
Dave Porter is the contact person.
The primary purpose of the Newcomers Ministry is to identify, welcome, and enrich the experiences of newcomers as they become acquainted with the worship services and ministries of St. Mark's. The Newcomers Ministry organizes greeters for the two Sunday services at 8 and 10 AM.
Another major objective is to involve new families, particularly those with young children, in a variety of spiritually-themed social activities, such as Christmas and Mardi Gras parties.
Gordon Fader and Nicky Trench are the contact people.
St. Mark's is an outreach church, taking the light of Christ into the world in a variety of ways. We have a partnership with St. Luc's Church and School in Haiti and participate in two local walkathons, one to fight racism and the other to fight hunger.
St. Mark's also hosts a community Thanksgiving dinner, and at Christmas buys presents for the needy through four different agencies.
In addition to working closely with United Action and Bread for the World, both of which work for social justice, every Sunday the Outreach Ministry coordinates the collection of food for three regional food pantries.
A Mardi Gras party, hosted by the Parish each year, benefits MASH (Mystic Area Shelter and Hospitality), a local temporary shelter for the homeless (WWW.MashShelter.Org [external Site] has details). Parish members also supply a dinner once a month and serve lunches twice a month at WARM (Westerly Area Rest and Meals), a homeless shelter in Westerly, Rhode Island (WWW.WarmShelter.Org [external Site] has details).
Julia Porter is the contact person.
In order to supplement the Rector's pastoral responsibilities, members of the Pastoral Care Ministry help to meet individual needs of parishioners.
In addition to sending cards to the sick and to those celebrating birthdays and anniversaries, ministers supply transportation for medical appointments and Church activities. Members also coordinate a prayer chain for those in need of comfort and solace, knit and crochet prayer shawls for those in recuperation, and meet with parishioners who are in need of a friendly visit. Finally, the Pastoral Care Ministry occasionally sponsors a luncheon for retired persons to share a good time with longtime friends and to become better acquainted with new ones.
The contact person is Tim Evers.
The Ministry welcomes everyone to join any or all of these activities.
Pam Allen is the contact person.
Stewardship is Christianity in practice; it involves every aspect of life in all its stages. Stewardship is about making choices, as individuals and as a community. It is more than giving money to the Church. It requires a consideration of how our choices affect us and others; of how we can be good caretakers and how we can best serve God.
Sandi Eddy and Chris Barnes are the contact people.
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St. Mark's Episcopal Church 15 Pearl Street Mystic, CT 06355 (860) 572-9549 |
Version 2.3a F 13 October 2009 |