Radical Hospitality

by Anika Rinker | Sep 20, 2020 | Group

Our Radical Hospitality group warmly welcomes newcomers to worship and to the community of our church. Members greet, bake and deliver bread to guests, and work to connect newcomers to groups and ministries in our church. We are intentionally inclusive, welcoming, respectful and nurturing.

We have a team of greeters who strive to make our visitors welcome as they enter our doors. The congregation as a whole extends a warm welcome when we “pass the peace” during the service. A greeter or another member of the congregation endeavors to escort our guests to the parish hall for refreshments following the service; our Coffee Hour is a time of meeting and greeting in a relaxed, family atmosphere.
All are welcome at Christ’s table.  Helpful instructions are given to make our guests comfortable in coming forward to receive Holy Communion or a blessing.
Members of the Bread Ministry deliver freshly-baked bread and information about St. Martin’s to guests who fill out a Communication Card found in the back of the pew. The delivery is most often made on the Sunday afternoon of the guest’s visit.
We follow up with welcoming emails and postal letters and calls to our guests. Requests for information by our guests are given to the appropriate ministry leader so that answers can be provided as quickly as possible. We add newcomers to our Contstant Contact mailing list and church database and order nametags.
All members of the congregation are automatically part of the Radical Hospitality team. The responsibilities are easy to fulfill. Speak to your neighbor at the peace; walk across the aisle and shake the hand of someone you don’t know. All you have to say is, “The Peace of the Lord.”

Welcome one another, therefore, as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. ~Romans 15:7
Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ~Peter 4:8-9
We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth. ~3 John 1:8

Get Involved: Like to meet new people and provide a warm welcome? Have we got a deal for you! Greeters serve one Sunday a month for about 30 minutes before the service and 30 minutes after the service. It is a truly rewarding experience. We are always looking to expand the team. Contact Mary Beth Butler at marybethbutler@gmail.com.

Band of Moms

by Alan Bentrup | Sep 18, 2020 | Group

Altar Guild

by Anika Rinker | Sep 16, 2020 | Group

Altar Guild teams, working under the direction of the clergy, prepare for the celebration of the Eucharist or any of the other sacraments of the church, including baptisms, weddings and funerals. They also take care of the vessels, vestments, linens, and acolyte equipment.
At our church, the altar guild is divided into four teams. Each team assumes responsibility for the worship services for a whole week, including Saturday, Sunday, weekday services, and weddings and funerals during the week. Team members prepare the altar before each service, clean the altar area after each service, and care for the linens and vestments. The guild holds two major meetings a year, prior to Holy Week and Christmas. Together they review the details of these busy times, socialize, and sometimes have a guest speaker. All members work together during Holy Week and Christmas to share the work and get to know people on the other teams.
Join us and learn about this great ministry, open to men and women, that has been in existence for centuries. If you are looking for a ministry that will truly and humbly serve the Lord, please contact our clergy or one of the Altar Guild directors, Linda Seeber at rwseeber@sbcglobal.net or Jean Freitag at jhfrei@mac.com.

Sisters of the Spirit

by Anika Rinker | Aug 29, 2020 | Group

About Sisters of the Spirit

Sisters of the Spirit (SOS) is for women who are interested in exploring their faith through book discussion. The group meets on Mondays from 1-2 pm in the small parish hall or by Zoom. SOS also occasionally goes to the movies together in place of a weekly meeting, or even has the occasional outing or party!

Kerry Angle, the group’s leader, sends out weekly emails to the SOS group regarding upcoming events. To get on the group email, send Kerry a message at kerryiscute64@gmail.com.

The focus of Sisters of the Spirit is around the book that the group is reading. Sisters of the Spirit does not have a designated facilitator, but the group reads and discusses chapters at a mutually-determined pace. Anyone who finds they would be interested in the book that is going to be read is encouraged to get a book and join in. Not everyone is on board for every book, and the group loves to have new people and to hear new points of view.

You can also join the conversation on Zoom! Please email Kerry Angle at kerryiscute64@gmail.com & she’ll add you to the call.

Meeting on Zoom these days!

Sisters of the Spirit invite you

Movie outing!   

Books are determined by a recommendation by group members, and the group votes on which book to read next. Books range from those found in the theology section of a bookstore, to fiction or non-fiction that might be on the New York Times best seller list. All of these books have something to teach, and members share their understanding with one another as to what they mean to them. Some books are very light reading, some delve into deep and emotional subjects and some are classics that were read many years ago, but were felt to probably have a different lesson to teach as they are read now.

Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance.
Proverbs 1:5

Email Kerry for our current book!

SOS has previously read: 

The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes, On Gold Mountain by Lisa See, The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn,  The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, Rich People Problems by Kevin Kwan, She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb, The Shadowland by Elizabeth Kostova, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown, The Goldfinch by Donna Tart, Allie and Bea by Catherine Ryan Hyde, News of the World by Paulette Jiles, Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, China Rich Girlfriend by Kevin Kwan, The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolan, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir by Jennifer Ryan, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah, Right Ho, Jeeves by PG Wodehouse, A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks,  A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans , Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie, My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman,  The Girl Before by JP Delaney, The Summer Before the War by Helen Simonson, The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin, The Rose Re
nt by Ellis Peters, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon, The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead, A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Blood and Silk: The Hidden Love Story of Mary Magdalene and Jesus of Nazareth by Carol McKay, A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler, The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, Compass and Stars by the Rev. Martin L. Smith. The Sunday Philosophy Club  by Alexander McCall Smith, Flunking Sainthood: A Year of Breaking the Sabbath, Forgetting to Pray, and Still Loving my Neighbor by Jana Riess, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, A year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans, Heft: A Novel by Liz Moore, Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee,  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, The Giver by Lois Lowry,  White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green,  Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, Zealot by Reza Aslan,   It’s Really All About God by Samir Selmanovic, Snow in August by Pete Hamill,  Small Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace by Anne Lamott

Have questions? Please email Kerry Angle at kkangle@prodigy.net. You can also ask Kerry to put you on the SOS email group to get news from the group, book updates, prayer requests, and more!

Outreach

by Anika Rinker | Aug 11, 2020 | Group

Through our outreach programs, St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church reaches out to our neighbors in need locally and around the globe, acting as Christ’s heart, hands and feet. We work to support the poor and homeless in our midst here in Tarrant County, and we partner with worldwide agencies like Episcopal Relief and Development. We encourage all to give of themselves following the example of Christ and the example of St. Martin in sharing what we have to help others.
Get involved with the outreach activities of our church! Contact Dick Seeber at rwseeber@sbcglobal.net to learn how to participate in this servant work our church.

Year-round local outreach

***Note: Service Sunday is currently on hold due to COVID restrictions.
Our year-round outreach addresses hunger, homelessness, and poverty locally in Tarrant County.

4Saints Episcopal Food Pantry

4Saints Food Pantry – 4th Saturdays

Service Sunday is a monthly ministry to feed the homeless served by Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County. This fun and energetic ministry welcomes all to be involved making and delivering sack lunches.

Service Sunday (Second Sundays): Feed the Homeless

 Quarterly financial gifts give local agencies support they can count on

St. Martin’s budgets and makes planned, regular gifts to Union Gospel Mission, Presbyterian Night Shelter, and Meals on Wheels to serve the needs of the most vulnerable people in our area. With support like ours, Presbyterian Night Shelter continues to provide emergency shelter, housing assistance, and ministry to people in all walks of life, showing people they are God’s children, infinitely valuable and loved. With support like ours, Union Gospel Mission works to end homeless with a holistic approach to transition homeless people to self-sufficiency, one person and family at a time. With support like ours, Meals on Wheels provides home-delivered meals and coordinates other needed services, serving older adults, people with disabilities, and others who are homebound.

Past Success stories

International impact – Rise Against Hunger

We rose against hunger with 20,718 meals

Local Impact – 17¢ to fight hunger

Give to fight hunger – red envelopes

Local impact – Summer outreach mission trip – City Week, July 22-25

City Week intergenerational mission trip

International impact – Well Water

Lenten Outreach – the holy gift of water