Saint Mark's Episcopal Church - Irving, TX
Hear The Gospel - Worship God - Share The Faith
All parishioners are invited to join the Women’s Guild at their Christmas celebration on Tuesday, December 13th. In addition to dinner and good cheer, attendees will enjoy arranging Christmas baskets for extending the spirit of giving to the less fortunate. On Saturday morning, December 17th, gift certificates and fresh fruit will be added to goodie packages in time for distribution to pre-qualified recipients. For more information on what donations are needed, contact Paulette A.
The Bodybuilding Committee will begin a “Warm Hands – Warm Hearts” drive now through Epiphany, Jan. 6th. We are collecting gifts of hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and blankets. Bodybuilding will focus on items for children and teens, but we will collect for all ages. There are many families including children and teens who are homeless today, many in our South Irving community. While we can’t eradicate homelessness, we can demonstrate the same unconditional love given to us from the One whose birth we celebrate at this time of year. Proceeds of this drive will be going to the various organizations serving homeless families, including Captain Hope’s Kids, Brighter Tomorrows and Austin Street. Please provide only new unused hats and gloves (for health reasons), but blankets that are gently used and clean are welcome. Please pray for and remember those whose only shelter may be a cardboard box. If you have any questions, please see Kathy W. or any member of the Bodybuilding Committee!
Our Outreach Chair, Wende Burton, sent this along. Please read and get ready for a great time this year. Information is below. Fr. Greg
St. Mark’s 3rd Fall Festival for homeless children in partnership with Captain Hope’s Kids will be Saturday, October 15th from 10:30 to 2:00pm. We will be hosting homeless kids of all ages from agencies that provide housing for homeless families, providing them a safe place to enjoy themselves. We will be collecting books for kids of all ages (babies to teens) for a “book walk” and volunteers are needed for registration, games, and making our guests feel welcome! Also, we will be serving lunch, so you would like to contribute brownies or cookies, that would be appreciated as well! There will be a brief meeting after church on Sunday, October 8th to review last minute details! If you have questions, please contact Wende Burton or Kathy Whitgrove. Please note that volunteers must have completed Safe Church training in order to participate.
Thanks!
W.
Our own Wende Burton is running the North Texas Giving Day this year. Read below how the people of St. Mark’s can multiply our charitable giving to charities we already support.
On Thursday September 15, 2011, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Captain Hope’s Kids, Irving Cares, Austin Street Shelter, along with over 750 nonprofits in North Texas will be taking part in 2011 Get Up and Give! North Texas Giving Day. $1,000,000 in matching money has been raised, and every donation $25 and above will be matched at some percentage when made on www.donorbridgetx.org, North Texas’ online resource that connects donors with nonprofit organizations.
Please consider visiting www.donorbridgetx.org anytime between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on September 15th. To give, search for the nonprofit by name, select their record and then click “Donate Now.” Y our donation will go a long way in helping these organizations in achieving their missions of meeting the critical needs in our community. Plus, your gifts given September 15th will receive a portion of $1,000,000 in matching funds–making your dollars go further.
If you have issues donating on the website, you are more than welcome to call them at 214-750-4222 and they will process your donation via telephone!
On Saturday, March 26, 2011, and intrepid group of St. Markians joined volunteers from other Irving Churches and charitable organizations in the 2011 Great Days of Service event.
The St. Mark’s crews scraped, painted, and helped affix new siding at homes in the local neighborhood.
Great Days of Service is a faith-based, interdenominational association of Irving churches which are united in serving God and community by renewing neighborhoods and aiding homeowners in the restoration of their properties.
A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who participated in Bodybuilding’s Warm Hands-Warm Hearts hat/glove/blanket drive.
St. Mark’s collected a WHOPPING 115 pairs of gloves/mittens, as well as 37 blankets, 9 coats, 65 hats and 25 hat/scarf/glove combos.
We divided the proceeds between the Austin Street Shelter and Captain Hope’s Kids, which will provide gloves and hats to other homeless agencies as needed.
As always, the generosity of this church is overwhelming, and is such a blessing to those in our community who have so little. The Bodybuilding Committee is so grateful to all your support to this, as well as all the other efforts of this past year.
A message from Dee M.:
It is that time of year again! I want to thank everyone that donated clothing or money last year for the disadvantaged children I work with.
Through my work with the Early Childhood Program, I encounter many children in our community who are in desperate need of clothing.
As winter approaches, the need increases. I need clothing for boys and girls, mainly sizes 12, 18, and 24 months.
Anyone wishing to help can contact me directly.
Please bring donations in gift bags with tags stating gender and size. Tags help me sort and distribute the clothing more easily.
Again, many thanks for whatever help you can provide.
Best,
Dee
The Episcopal Church of Haiti was established in 1861. The Diocese of Haiti runs the Bishop Tharp Institute (BTI) in Les Cayes, Haiti’s third largest city.
You are invited to join us for a briefing to be presented by The Rev. Kesner Ajax, Executive Director of The Bishop Tharp Institute (BTI), at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, November 21, immediately following the 9:30AM service.
Haiti’s higher education system was severely impacted by January’s earthquake. Twenty-eight of Haiti’s 32 major universities were completely destroyed and the four remaining universities were severely damaged.
The Executive Director will provide information on the multiple efforts among Episcopal dioceses and organizations, committed to the rebuilding of the Diocese of Haiti. The devastating earthquake destroyed some 85% of the institutions in the Diocese. Efforts are being coordinated by The Rt. Rev. Jean Zache Duracin, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, and are geared to put into effect a Diocese’s Master Plan for Recovery.
St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, through the Women’s Guild, has established a Fund to cover scholarships to the 2-year technical training program offered at the Bishop Tharp Institute. Thanks to the generous contribution of our parishioners, three scholarships were awarded for the academic period commencing on 6 September 2010.
The Second Annual Fall Festival for Captain Hope’s Kids will be held on Saturday, October 9th from 10:30am to 1:00pm.
Donations of children’s books and individually wrapped candies can be left in the parish hall. Cookies and brownies are needed the day of the event.
If you would like to participate, please sign-up in the Parish Hall and/or contact Wende B. or Patricia S. for more information.
New St. Mark’s T-shirts will be going into production Monday, October 18. All shirts are 100% heavyweight cotton pocket-Ts and will be screen printed in two colors.
Cost: $15 each.
These T-shirts are a great way to share your faith with people around you. Ministry and outreach participants are encouraged to purchase a shirt so we can wear them when working together in the community.
T-shirt order forms will be available in the Parish Hall. Payment must accompany all orders. Orders must be received by Jeff G. no later than Monday, October 18, 2010.
Please speak with Jeff G. directly or contact him if you have questions.
