Well that was nice while it lasted! We knew at the beginning of this pandemic that we would most likely be going back and forth in our progress to health. This is the reality of life. Sometimes we take a few steps forward, and then we take a few steps backward. In the end we hope we are making more steps forward!

For the past two months we have gathered for worship in the church, but that must now be paused for a season. With the rise of COVID infections on the island, the Episcopal churches on Oahu will now be pausing in-person worship, and this includes St. Mark’s.

We are currently making plans to create worship videos for the upcoming Sundays. This is an opportunity to show more of the world what we do well at St. Mark’s. Every Sunday we will publish a mass at 10:30 am on our website and the various social media platforms. The services will last approximately one hour, and at 11:30 am everyone is invited to join us online for a Sunday Aloha Hour via Zoom. The worship video will remain on the website for viewing throughout the week.

Even though in-person worship is being paused, we must not pause our parish relationships. Please join us online for the Daily Office, as it continues every day of the week, and please join us for the Sunday coffee hour. These are wonderful ways to connect with one another and to care for one another.

As well, ministry continues at St. Mark’s. Flower donors are more important than ever before as our worship will be online. We also need your food donations for Youth Outreach as the Friday meals for homeless youth continue weekly. Finally, we will continue the operation of our thrift shop, limiting access to ten people at a time (current practice), following all safety protocols. We are discovering that the thrift shop is a huge help to our local homeless community. It has been good to make new connections with some of the folks living on our streets and to support them as we can. Youth Outreach food donations, as well as thrift shop donations, may be dropped off during thrift shop hours. The current hours of operation are Tuesdays and Saturdays from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and Thursdays from 2:00 to 6:00 pm. Please support us.

Lastly, as Christians we must not be defeatist. We have a message of hope to proclaim due to Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to yet another new challenge of being the church this August. I hope you are too. With Christ all things are possible.

Please stay safe and take care,
The Rev’d Paul Lillie +

Sunday Information

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

Rector's Journal

St. Mark's Episcopal Church

The Rector's Journal

From the Rector: Pausing In-Person Worship

Rector's Journal

We have much to celebrate over the next few days and weeks. Tomorrow is the fortieth day of Easter, and according to the Acts of the Apostles, it is the Day of the Ascension. One of the great feasts of the church, we will celebrate with a Solemn Mass at 7:00 pm.

Last Saturday morning I met with a cross section of lay leaders who devote many volunteer hours to our worship ministries. Our task was to evaluate what went well with Lent, Holy Week, and Easter, as well as what we might improve for the future. We also looked at the upcoming feasts.