It’s, quite obviously, been a long, long eighteen months. 

I was in a meeting with other local Episcopal priests last week, and it was noted just how hard this time has been—and how what we’re going through RIGHT NOW, even a year and a half into this thing, is still hard. Things are “opening up” and “getting close to normal” but that word “CLOSE” is doing a lot of work. It’s normal-ish, but not normal.

The hardest part for the clergy on that Zoom call, including myself, is that the number of people who have returned to church and church activities is a fraction of what we saw before. We all know that many of those who aren’t in-person are still connecting in other ways—and that’s great! We know that we are reaching people that we weren’t prior to the pandemic—and that’s also great!

But, we also know that it’s kind of sad to look out and see pews and chairs that used to be filled, and which aren’t. I want to say clearly here—that if someone feels unsafe returning to our buildings, I totally support your decision to remain where you are.

So, we are trying to find ways to regather the community. One of those ways is with community dinners. Starting at 5:45PM, two Sundays a month, these dinners are meant to serve as opportunities for the whole church family to come together, reengage old friends, and meet new people. For now, I’m providing the food, but eventually I’d love to have people sign-up to provide /cook dinner.

On October 24th, we’re providing dinner through some food trucks! We’re going to ask that you sign up, and just show up to eat some good food.

Upcoming Dinners:

October 10

October 24 (with food trucks!)

November 14

November 21

December 5

Rick+

Click here to watch a quick video on how to connect with St. Mark's calendar

There are a limited number of pint jars (24 oz weight) of local honey (all containing some Ross Farm Hive honey) available as part of the annual fundraiser in support of the Ross Giving Garden.  The donation for a pint jar is $20 this year.  If interested, please contact the office or John Lyga.

The fall picnic at Dunham Park was enjoyed by many. First, listening to Father Rick’s sermon and Michael’s music... what a joyful experience on a beautiful sunny morning. Next, following the service, parishioners enjoyed coffee, snacks (many “old school” snacks like stuffed oatmeal cookie sandwiches) and lunch with old and new friends from our St. Mark’s family.

Ongoing activities include the “Grub Club”, a dinner club started this summer. Five groups have formed, please feel free to join in by sending an email to Sandy at sgogerty@optonline.net. The Gogertys hosted the first dinner with Group #1 with a Q & A sheet completed by guests that led to a nice discussion about favorite sports teams, places of birth, and family memories – to name a few. It was nice to get to know fellow parishioners on a more personal level.  Late summer, the Kujans hosted Group #2 in Morristown at their residence, also enjoying a first dinner with a well- planned delicious meal. Group #3 was hosted by the Millans. As one parishioner noted, “The dinner was just super and time passed in a flash”. Group #4 hosted by the Knills includes the Morley’s and Winters. Although the groups were randomly selected, it seems that this Group #4 may have an unfair “cooking” advantage (if you have ever eaten Karen or Dawn’s homemade food you would agree) Group #5 is still in the planning stages with Marilyn and John Lyga joining the fun. Guests supplemented the hosts main courses with many a fare including homemade lemonade, decadent desserts (can you say “chocolate”?), and lovely appetizers. 

Come one, come all!  We hope you didn’t sell your rakes at the rummage sale because we’re going to need them!  That’s right, it’s that time of year again… fall cleanup!   Final date TBD but we’ll need some help with raking leaves.  We don’t want to rush the leaves off the trees but please keep us in mind, we could use your help to beautify our Church.