The Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields

Field Notes

For Pastoral Care 

Call 215-247-7466 and leave a message. If you are experiencing a pastoral emergency text or call the Rev. Dr. Mary Barber at 845-527-9545.

Have you had an address, email, or phone number update?

Send us your update here.

Field Notes submission requests must be emailed by Tuesday at noon to ndiskan@stmartinec.org.

This email is best viewed as a webpage. Click here to make sure you don't miss anything!

Rector's Note

I often get asked, How do I become a member of St Martin’s? You would think the answer would be simple, but it actually depends on what is meant by membership.

If you want to be eligible to vote in our Annual Church Meeting, membership means you need to attend Sunday worship and give any amount of money to the church. If you want to be counted in Parochial Report data sent to The Episcopal Church as a communicant in good standing, you need to be baptized and attend Sunday Eucharist at least three times a year.

There are many ways to get even more deeply into membership and belonging at St Martin’s. You can choose to not only give to the church, but pledge each year, that is, promise to give a certain amount. You can join a committee or serve on vestry. You can come to activities and worship opportunities throughout the week and year, from Wednesday noon service to Worship Reflections to Adult Forum to retreats and beyond. You can be baptized if you never had that rite before. You can be confirmed or received by the Bishop. 

But all of that is still too narrow, because the universe of people who belong at St Martin’s includes many others.

Continue reading here.

Maundy Thursday

April 2nd

• 7 p.m. Choral Holy Eucharist with Foot Washing

In Person and via livestream here.

• 8:30 p.m. Altar of Repose

In Person and via livestream here.

Please sign up here to keep vigil at the altar in the Mary Chapel for approx. one hour. There are three different shifts to choose from.

Good Friday

April 3rd

• 12 p.m. Communion with Sung Passion & Veneration of the Cross

In Person and via livestream here.



• 7 p.m. Seven Last Words of Christ

Ft. Fairmount String Quartet

In Person and via livestream here.

The Great Vigil of Easter

Saturday, April 4th

• 8 p.m. Choral Holy Eucharist

In Person and via livestream here.

• 10 p.m. Vigil Feast

Please sign up to bring a dish using the clipboards in the church!

Easter Sunday

April 5th

• 8 a.m. Spoken Holy Eucharist

In Person

• 9 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Music & Pageant

In Person and via livestream here.

Followed by Easter Egg Hunt at ~10:15 a.m.!

• 11:15 a.m. Festival Choral Holy Eucharist

In Person and via livestream here.

Easter Egg Hunt!

This Sun., April 5th following the 9:00 a.m. Service

(~10:15 a.m.)

Join us after this year's 9 a.m. Easter Sunday service to hunt for eggs and meet the Easter Bunny! Last year, not all eggs from our Easter egg hunt were found. Can we collect them all this year (before the squirrels do)??

Features

Easter Break!

Please note the following for the week after Easter:

1) The Parish Office will be closed Monday, April 6th and Tuesday, April 7th.

2) There will be no Wednesday Night Programming on April 8th (Chess Club, Food and Fellowship, Adult Forum, Choristers Rehearsals).

Easter Flower Arranging

Holy Saturday, April 4th

9:30-11:00 a.m. in the Church

Join the Flower Guild on Holy Saturday as they arrange flowers and decorate the church for Easter. Families and people of all ages are welcome, no experience necessary! Drop in to make a flower arrangement. A light breakfast and coffee will be provided. Email or text Dani Reed (reed@monell.org; 267-280-3248) if you have questions.

Upcoming Memorial Service for Ethan Ball Jr.

Thursday, April 9th

10:00 a.m. Calling Hour (Parish Hall)

11:00 a.m. Funeral Service

12:00 p.m. Reception (Parish Hall)

Click here to view Ethan's obituary.

Thank You to Our Needlepoint Guild and Volunteers!

A huge thank you goes to Leslie Newbold, Jenny McHugh, David Rote, Donna Duncan, Debra Roberts, Eugenie Dieck, and Jane Good for vacuuming all of the pew kneelers in our church ahead of Easter. Not only did they clean the needlepoint kneelers but ALL of the plain kneelers which had not been vacuumed in at least 20 years! We are so grateful for all the behind-the-scenes work that is happening ahead of Easter Sunday!

Diocese of Pennsylvania Men's Fellowship BBQ

Saturday, May 30th at 4:00 p.m.

St. David’s Episcopal Church Fairgrounds

Bishop Gutiérrez invites you to a barbecue on Saturday, May 30 at 4:00 p.m. The event takes place on the fairgrounds near the original (smaller) church at St. David’s located at 763 S. Valley Forge Road in Wayne, PA. In addition to grilled meat, salads, sides, and refreshments, roundtable discussions will be held on how to start and grow men’s fellowship groups at church. Please click here to RSVP.

Snapshots

Thank you to all who donated to the Germantown Pet Pantry!

Children, Youth, & Families

The Easter Vigil: A Feast of New Light, A Rite of Becoming

An Invitation to Youth & Young Adults from Rev. Luke

Come rediscover Easter this year at the Vigil, a powerful and ancient service marking the turning point from death to new life in Christ. The Church’s first and oldest Easter liturgy, the Easter Vigil was when new members of the early church were baptized and then welcomed into the community at dawn — a dramatic, communal way to understand Easter that still speaks strongly, especially to those of us figuring out faith, identity, or belonging. I experienced my own first Easter Vigil at Taize, the ecumenical monastery in France, where I spent Holy Week in 2017 at age 21 (I was older than the majority of visitors that week). My transformative experience led to my reconversion to Christianity and set me on the path to the priesthood. Two years later, I was Confirmed into the Episcopal Church at my parish’s Easter Vigil. 

After worship it is our tradition at St. Martin’s to gather for a joyful and truly spectacular feast in the Parish Hall. Likewise, the early church paired the Vigil with a festive meal celebrating new life and the newly baptized; our feast continues that practice as a time to eat, laugh, and welcome one another and the light of Christ, of new, resurrected life, into our midst. 

Want to help out with the feast? We are still in need of some help with set-up and clean-up for the feast this year. Please reach out to Kate Maus, kmaus@stmartinec.org, to help with this joyful ministry.

Blessings,

Rev. Luke+

Support Parish Family During Surgery Recovery

Please consider supporting one of our parish families, the Hagan-Bryants, as Stephanie Hagan recovers from surgery. Options for support include bringing a meal, driving Stephanie to and from physical therapy, and helping to provide childcare. Click here to sign up/learn more.

Guided by Prayer: A Confirmation Retreat

Friday, May 8th to Saturday, May 9th

4 p.m. on Friday to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday

Daylesford Abbey: 220 S Valley Rd, Paoli, PA 19301

Join Mother Mary and Rev. Luke for an overnight retreat and time of prayer and reflection on the topic of prayer. Open to all seeking a deeper relationship with God through prayer, but designed specifically for those who are recently confirmed and those interested in joining the Confirmation Class that will be offered in Fall 2026. 

Please note that all youth under 18 will have their cost waived, but we ask that all youth travel with a chaperone. The cost for adults is $150 each, but scholarships are available -- please email Mother Mary for more details (mbarber@stmartinec.org).

Please register here soon so we can get a sense of numbers, and we will send a follow-up email in late April with information about payment.

Donations for Holy Week & Easter Music

Music plays a vital role in our Holy Week and Easter celebrations, deepening our worship and enhancing our celebration of the Resurrection. This year, alongside our joint Palm Sunday concert with Christ Church and our Stabat Mater concert, we welcome back the Fairmount String Quartet to play for the Good Friday Seven Last Words service and Easter Day, when they will be joined by the excellent trumpeter, Mark Inchoco. We also welcomed the wonderful Positive Movement Drumline at this past weekend's 10:30 a.m. Palm Sunday service. Your generous support makes it possible to sustain and enhance our music and arts ministries during this most sacred season and ensure that our musicians are fairly compensated. To contribute, please click here or write “Music Fund” in the memo line of your donation. 

I am very grateful for your continued and generous support of our music & arts ministries at St. Martin's. — Tyrone Whiting, Director of Music & Arts

Good News

How Your Generosity Has Helped an Afghan Family

From Jeff Meade

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan ended on March 19. During Ramadan, the Afghan family of seven supported by our committee observed iftar, the evening meal used to break the daily fast.

My wife Diane and I were fortunate enough to have been invited to take part in this sunset repast – a new and fascinating experience for both of us, although I have shared many meals with them.

The family – I’ll call them the Akhtars to preserve their privacy – laid out a huge feast. Lovingly prepared by the mother, an outstanding cook, it included buttery basmati rice, spicy tandoori chicken legs, tender meatballs called korma köfta, a vegetable soup spiced with cumin – lots of cumin – coriander and turmeric, and a delicate flatbread called bulani. All followed by a sweet traditional Afghan custard topped with chopped pistachios, called firni, washed down with what seemed like gallons of green tea.

The Akhtars long ago ceased to be “the family we’re working with.” They have become our friends and neighbors. Their kindness and generosity never cease to amaze and humble me and the very dedicated and diligent members of our team.

I thought you would want to know how their lives are going, since it is largely because of you that they are here, living in a cozy house in the far Northeast, surrounded by helpful relatives, and gradually making their way toward supporting themselves.

Continue reading here.

Sermon

The Rev. Dr. Mary Barber

3.29.26 - Palm Sunday

Judas and Peter betray him. The others abandon him. The priests and leaders throw him under the bus to save themselves. Pilate confuses and gaslights the crowd into turning on themselves and condemning him. The soldiers and crowds mock him. The Romans crucify him.

There is so much cruelty, fear, and betrayal in today’s story. But I am drawn to something else on this day. I want to notice Jesus, what he does and what he says.

Jesus rides into town on a donkey covered with cloaks. People wave and throw branches at him, hailing him as a king. Imagine. Imagine this instead as a procession from Philadelphia City Hall to the Art Museum. Jesus is riding a child’s scooter and wearing a Superman cape. Continue reading here.

Coming Up

St. Martin's To Be Honored at St. James School's Dr. Audrey Evans Benefit Event

Wednesday, May 20th, from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

We are excited to share that St. Martin's will be honored at the 2026 Dr. Audrey Evans Benefit, alongside the Epiphany School of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

This year’s theme, “Sharing the Spark,” reflects how small acts of kindness and faithful service can kindle lasting hope and inspire others to share their spark. Members of St. Martin’s are invited to take advantage of early access to tickets and sponsorship opportunities here. For questions, contact Gillian Golson, Annual Giving Manager at ggolson@stjamesphila.org or (484) 224-3891.

Wednesday Noon Eucharist

Mary Chapel

Wellspring Worship Reflections

After the 10:30 a.m. service

Houston Room

Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA)

Thursdays 7-8:30 p.m. (Library)

Al Anon

Sundays 6-7 p.m. (Houston Room)

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)

1 - Tuesdays 8-10 p.m. (Houston Room)

2 - Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. (Houston Room)

3 - Sundays 8-10 p.m. (Houston Room)