Ministry continues to grow and flourish this summer. Many thanks to our parish discernment committee for providing special receptions this past Sunday in honor of the newest priest of our diocese, Father Ray Woo. Father Ray has been interning at St. Mark's for the past year, and many of you attended his reception as a priest into the Episcopal Church. Thanks are due to everyone for their continued support. Last Sunday's receptions were a wonderful way to give thanks within our parish community.

As I write this I am preparing to leave for Salt Lake City for the General Convention of our Episcopal Church. I will be serving as one of the deputies of our diocese. Much work awaits us as a church whether it is our church structure, the theology of marriage, the church's calendar of saints, as well as the election of a new presiding bishop. Some may not realize this, but the schedule of General Convention can be quite hectic. Days often begin early, and they finish well into the evening. A lot of prayer and work gets crammed into this short amount of time. I will be doing a recap of the General Convention for the parish on Sunday, July 26 at 11:30 am.

This coming Sunday a new Bible Study begins, or shall I say an older parish format returns. All are invited to continue gathering at 9:10 am on Sundays for a discussion on the Sunday Gospel. The preacher will also be on tap, most of the time, for some discussion on the sermon. We hope to continue the lively discussions that have been a hallmark of this Bible Study for longer than I can remember. You might be turned off by Bible study thinking that it is something only the fundamentalists do, or it something for which only the very pious practice. You might also think that studying the Bible is boring. Nothing could be further from the truth at St. Mark's, so come and join the group.

I hope everyone is getting some time this summer for their own re-creation. This is not the beginning of Lent or the beginning of a new year, but summer can be a good time to find the space for that which is the most important. I encourage you to find ways in which you might renew your commitment to Jesus Christ. This is a good time to create healthy patterns so that when fall comes, and life gets busier, one's spiritual house is ready for the challenges.

Father Paul Lillie +