Flowers for the Church

Flower donations are needed for February 12 and 19. If you would like to donate in memory or thanksgiving of a person or event, please contact Connie Haggard in the church office at 215.247.7466 x116. 
In addition, parishioners are welcome to take flowers home with them on Sunday mornings after the 11:15 service to bring to neighbors, friends, and family.

Nurturing Children’s Spirituality

On Sunday, February 12th, we will be joined by child and family therapist Ann Adalist-Estrin for a forum on nurturing the spirituality of children. Building on the 2010 session with a similar theme, Ann will examine the primary tasks of parenthood, review elements of child development that impact spirituality, and relate it to your specific concerns. Some issues she will explore include: how children understand spirituality at various ages, what their spiritual needs are as they grow and develop, how parents can handle children’s resistance to church, what happens when parents disagree about religion, and others. Whether you are the parent of a toddler or a teen, come to this forum! It will be offered twice, at 10am and at 11am, in the Houston Room; free childcare is provided in the undercroft nursery. Please contact The Rev. Callie Swanlund, Associate for Formation & Family Ministry, with any questions at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 215.247.7466 x105.

The Habit Book Signing with Susan Morse

SAVE THE DATE—AUTHOR EVENT ON FEBRUARY 15

Join us on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00p.m. in the Parish Hall for an evening with Susan Morse, member of St. Martin’s and author of The Habit.  Susan will discuss her wonderful and compelling new book which has much wisdom and humor to offer for all who struggle in the “Sandwich Generation.”  Books are on sale in the church office for $10.

Books and Banter 2011-2012

Click here for a revised schedule of readings for February through May 2012.

Christmas Collection 2011 will support The House of Hope and Peace and Teen UpRise

The open plate offering - that is checks made to St. Martin’s or cash - will go directly to two Philadelphia non-profits which work with vulnerable populations.  The House of Hope and Peace works with mothers and children in North Philadelphia who have experienced violence and loss to help them with spiritual and emotional healing.  Teen UpRise works with hard to reach teens in Manayunk and Roxborough helping them make the transition from chaos at home and in personal lives to a new level of maturity and progress.  Brochures for House of Hope and Peace are in the Parish Hall and Teen UpRise has a website at www.teenuprise.org. We thank you for your generosity!

2012 Pledge Envelopes Now Available!

Pledge Envelopes are now available for pick up at Parish House.  Everyone who indicated a desire for 2012 Pledge Envelopes on their pledge card may pick them up in parish hall, where they are in alphabetical order on the stage.  New this year, the envelopes are mail-back ready.

If you did not indicate a desire for pledge envelopes on your card, but do still want them, please contact Natalee Hill in the church office at 215.247.7466 x106 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) so that she can be sure to get you your correct set of envelope numbers.

Guatemala Scholarships Due!

If you made a pledge towards a scholarship for a Guatemalan child for the 2012 school year and have not yet paid, or if you would like to contribute now, please do so as soon as possible. Remember that the total cost of a full scholarship is $525 this year, but contributions of any amount are most welcome. Your check should be made payable to “Church of St. Martin-in-the Fields” with “Guatemala Scholarship” written on the memo line. The check can be dropped in the plate on Sunday or mailed to the church office.

Bishop Carlos Lainfiesta, the congregation of San Juan Apostol, and the Companion Parish Committee thank all who have contributed to this important program.

Reading with the Rector Returns

All are invited to read and discuss Invitation to Love: The Way of Christian Contemplation by Thomas Keating over four sessions, on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 p.m, January 18 through February 8.  “The regular practice of contemplative prayer initiates a healing process that might called ‘the divine therapy.’”  This discussion will explore the contemplative and mystical side of our Christian Faith with an eye toward practical spiritual growth.

A Big Thank You to St. Martin’s, Young and Old

On behalf of St. Nicholas of Myra’s love for children and the poor, a heartfelt “thanks” for your support for the work of The American Friends of The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, and in particular, the disabled Palestinian children, who benefit from the care given to them and their mothers at The Princess Basma Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children in Jerusalem and the West Bank.

As of Sunday, the 18th, you have given $1,277.00 for this work of Love.  We expect a little more to come in and will give you the total when it’s available.  THANK YOU.

Guatemala Companion Parish Renamed

P. Heber Ruiz reports that the name change for the Episcopal parish in Totonicapan is now official. The name is no longer La Natividad; it is San Martin, Obispo de Tours (Bishop of Tours).  The reasons for the change were to obtain a festival day on which there was a likelihood that members of the congregation from different communities could get together and get to know each other better; to reflect the congregation’s feeling that they were now better able to share the little that they have; and to acknowledge the mutual benefit of our companion relationship.

Biblical Studies: January and Beyond

Looking to January 2012, after the seasonal break, the classes will resume.

The Parallel Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke will meet on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 beginning January 3, in the Houston Room. The unfolding accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry now begin his final ascent to Jerusalem, and the week of his passion. The group is already of a good size, but there is room for one or two more.

The Book of Acts will meet on Thursday mornings at 7:30, in time to make it to work, beginning January 5, in the Houston Room. Reading Luke’s account of those who followed Jesus, and formed the earliest movement of the church in Jerusalem, the events are found to pass rapidly. Peter, James, John, and Stephen are the first figures to emerge as leaders, but soon the dominant figure of a man named Paul takes center stage. The Movement begins to spread…

If you would like to join either group at this point, you are welcome to do so. Please contact Helen White, 215.984.8996 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to learn how easy it is to do this.

Support for Bill Hixon

Bill Hixon, husband of former Associate Rector Beth Hixon, is seriously ill.  You may follow his journey online at www.mylifeline.org/billhixon.

Name Tags, Get Your Name Tags Here!

Please pick up your pre-printed name tag on Sunday morning in the new black binders in the back of the church, or in nice weather, outside the South door. If you do not find your name, or you run out of tags, please sign up on the sheet and we will have a new set for the following week.

Visit with the Rector

Would you like to visit with The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel?  Sign up on the list in Parish House or email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and he will be in contact with you.

Online Giving at St. Martin’s

Parishioners and guests can now make secure financial contributions to St. Martin’s via www.stmartinec.org In partnering with ACS Access, St. Martin’s has created a secure program that allows parishioners and visitors to make online contributions and pledge payments, set up recurring payments and check personal giving history.  Simply look for the ‘Better Together’ banner and ‘online giving’  button on the sidebar of our home page and click that link to create a personal account and learn specific information about this new program.  If you have questions concerning this new program, please contact .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Don’t Forget to Tell Us When ...

1. You move.
2. You get a new email address or home/work phone number.
3. You want us to know your cell phone number or a work email.
4. Any of the information in the directory needs correction of any kind.
5. There has been a new addition to your family.
6. You or a member of your family are hospitalized.
7. You would like this parish community to pray for you or someone you love.
8. You would like a clergy visit.
9. You would like to receive the email version of Field Notes weekly on Thursdays.

You can call Natalee Hill in the parish office (215-247-7466, x106 or send her an email) for any of the above, or, if you would prefer to leave a confidential message about a prayer request or to request a clergy visit, you can do so by contacting the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel (via email or 215-247-7466, x101).

Another way to leave a request for prayers is to call the prayer voice mailbox at 215-247-7466, x107.