That was a very eventful August! Following the very welcome rebuilding of the boundary wall after many weeks in which its stones had been lying on the ground (and had been dubbed St Mark's Rockery) in July, we were able to hold our Pimm's and Hymns afternoon on 4th August. Although the area where the rockery had been was looking a bit worse for wear, the rest of the garden was splendid and in full bloom, thanks to our faithful gardening team. As a consequence of the date, a number of our regular members were unable to attend but we were delighted to welcome friends from other churches who enjoyed a rousing afternoon of hymns and stories to accompany them. Our musicians were on good form and it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. In addition, the donations received for the Breast Cancer charity amounted to over £200 and this was doubled by an anonymous donor. Many thanks to all who contributed, including that anonymous person!This followed the very successful Swanage Carnival as July turned into August, an event in which the Christians of the town had played their part. What else happened in August? Ah, yes the sun shone (at least some of the time) and the wind abated, things which couldn't be said (as we remember it) for July. Swanage filled with people and there were yet more festivals and although the national and international news was as concerning as ever, much enjoyment was had by many people. I hope that most of you had an August to remember and had some relaxation to take you into the coming months.As we start September, the schools return and we send our friends at St Mark's School all our best wishes as they start the year armed with their good Ofsted report from last term. We look forward to continued good relationships with the school leading up to their Harvest and Christmas services later in the term.Our activities in and around the church restart. The first Bible Study as we continue Mark's Gospel is on 3rd September and they continue fortnightly from there. Prayer and Share which turned into Prayer Walks for August returns to its usual form weekly, although sometimes changing its day of the week, so listen to notices and read the weekly sheet for the latest information. Both Bible Study and Prayer are valuable aspects of a Christian life, as well as the life of a church and so if you would like to try these meetings out on occasion, do come to join the regulars.One date that isn't on the diary above is our next social event. We're hoping to have a Bric-a-brac sale with coffee and cakes sometime in September. As I write, the date isn't quite agreed but, again, listen to notices.How often do we find ourselves saying "is it that time of year already?" Even if the early summer weather wasn't all we might have wished, at least it was a talking point and as we go from summer to autumn we can look forward to whatever the weather in God's wonderful world sends us. Think of the seasonal fruit, the lovely colour of the trees - I wish you a glorious autumn!John WayChurchwarden
ST. MARK’S MAGAZINE – AUGUST 2024As I write (mid-July) we expect the St Mark’s boundary wall to be repaired within the next few weeks. This will allow us to use the whole garden for our popular Pimm’s and Hymns on the afternoon of 4th August. There will be favourite hymns chosen and introduced by members of St Mark’s, afternoon tea and a glass of Pimm’s – just right for a (hopefully) lovely summer afternoon.We are also looking forward to the amazing Swanage Carnival, with lots of Churches Together involvement through the Carnival Praise Service on 28th July, our entry in the Carnival procession, and a tent on the field throughout Carnival week. It is so good to join in with this great community event.As part of our commitment to the wider community, St Mark’s aims to pray for Herston. During August our Prayer and Share Group will be going walkabout, with a series of Prayer Walks to cover the whole of Herston. Please see the weekly pewsheet, or the St Mark’s Facebook posts, for exact details of times and meeting places. We will also launch our Herston Prayer Cycle on Sunday 4th August.St Mark’s Church continues to support St Mark’s School. We prayed hard for the OFSTED inspection and were delighted with the result. The inspector said St Mark’s is a good school, and said lots of nice things about the life and work of the school. There was a special occasion on 20th June as the Year 6 Leavers from St Mark’s School took part in a special service at Salisbury Cathedral. The School asked us if we had a banner they could take to the Cathedral, and we checked the banner that normally hangs on the Church wall and found it to be in a very good condition (a tribute to the people who made it), and it just needed a few small repairs. We understand it was made for a Children’s Festival at Salisbury Cathedral in 1989, and it was wonderful to see it carried with such pride by the children of St Mark’s School in 2024. Have a blessed August. Dave Richards
ST MARK’S MAGAZINE - JULY 2024July is almost upon us and already Swanage is preparing for the busy summer season. Swanage, like most seaside towns have thousands of visitors, especially in the summer months, some new visitors and some who are regular visitors, returning to our beautiful town and countryside. We have had several events in the town already; including Steam Train events, a Pirate Festival, and a Fairy Festival. Many other events are planned, including the Town Band Concerts, the Jazz Festival, and of course our annual Carnival and Carnival Parade which is always exciting, fun and eventful. At the end of May, several of us joined Bishop Karen on the St Aldhelm Pilgrimage. We had a lovely walk in the sunshine and celebrated Holy Communion in the chapel. Several of us had taken a picnic lunch and then took the opportunity to have a walk around the historic site. I went to see the nearby memorial to Dr Bill Penley, CB, CBE, Radar Pioneer, whose scientific works had such a significant role in World War Two. Bill Penley will also be dearly remembered for being a faithful member and a Church Warden of St Marks. On Saturday 8th June, the Royal British Legion and Swanage Town marked the D-Day 80-year Commemorations with a Military Parade through the town followed by a Service at the War Memorial. On Sunday 9th June at 3:30pm we held a musical extravaganza, in aid of the Herston Village Hall Youth Club’s Summer Holiday programme, with a varied programme of light music and verse, raising an amazing sum of £600.00. Several members of the Youth Club attended and were delighted with the generous donation received. On Sunday 21st July we will be looking forward to meeting our new Team Curate, Rev. Natalie Davies. We hope that Natalie and her family will be very happy in Swanage and we’ll be sure to give Natalie a very warm ‘St Marks Welcome! Definitely an occasion for cake! On Sunday 28th July we will join with Churches Together in Swanage for the Carnival Service (full details to follow) There will be no service at St Marks that morning. The church garden is looking beautiful and colourful, now, and especially the wonderful roses! With special thanks to David Hudson and Tony Nash, who keep the garden looking so lovely. Looking forward to August; we are planning a Pimms and Hymns afternoon tea in the church garden, on Sunday 4th August. A ‘free event’ with donations to Cancer Research. (providing the church wall has been repaired) Further details nearer the date. Swanage my Happy Place!May God Bless and Keep YouAnne Roper Church Warden
ST MARK’S MAGAZINE - JUNE 2024Sunday 2nd June - 10am Holy Communion Tuesday 4th June - 7pm Bible Study Group Sunday 9th June - 10am Holy Communion Sunday 9th June - 3.30pm Afternoon Concert of light music and verse by St Mark's musicians and friends, followed by refreshmentsSunday 16th June - 10am Holy Communion Tuesday 18th June - 7pm Bible Study Group Sunday 23rd June - 10am Holy CommunionSunday 30th June - 10am Celebration Service with St Mark’s BandEvery Week:Choir Rehearsal - Mondays 6:15 - 7pmPrayer and Share - Wednesdays 10am – 10.45am. You don't need me to tell you that, as we approach the mid-point of the year, Swanage has undertaken its transformation from the peaceful (!) town it has been through the winter and spring months into a full-blown seaside resort. The winter storm protection blocks disappeared a few months ago, the roofs have been taken off some of the double decker buses, the deck chairs have appeared, along with various huts on the beach-front. Visitors have taken over and, except in the very worst weather, people in large numbers are all over the beach. The visitors are not only on the seafront and in the shops; it is the time of year when we hope to be in a position to welcome some of them into our services. I know that they will get a good welcome in St Mark's and the other churches in the town; just as we would hope for such a welcome if we strayed into an unfamiliar church when we were on holiday.In May we celebrated the last two major festivals of the church year for a while - Ascension Day on the 9th and Pentecost on the 19th. From now on, until Advent, we have our familiar pattern of services and the opportunity to explore in our readings, hymns and sermons other aspects of our faith, not directly related to the themes of the great festivals.This rather "quieter" time allows Anne and me to thank all those members of St Mark's who do so much to make our services the enjoyable and spiritually satisfying times that they are. This includes those who welcome everyone who comes through the door, who read lessons and lead intercession as well as our wonderful musicians (who, as well as being on duty on a Sunday, will be "on show" at our afternoon concert on 9th June). There are those who arrange flowers at times when nobody is looking, who deliver church magazines, who look after our garden and keep the kitchen and other parts of our church clean. So many skills were on show, and time willingly given, on our "Many Hands at St Mark's" Day in April. People were polishing pews, dusting odd corners, both on the floor and on ladders, clearing the shed, taking rubbish to the tip, weeding the garden and doing so much more, including, of course, providing refreshment for those doing the other jobs.It was a very pleasant social activity as well and the more usual social events have continued with the wonderful Pizza Night in April and the visit from the Purbeck Village Quire last month. I have already mentioned the "home grown" concert to come at 3.30pm on the 9th June. Other events are planned - watch this space! If you're feeling left out, we are planning another "Many Hands" day later in the year - and we are always on the lookout for other people to act as welcomers, lesson readers and leaders of intercessions. Do speak to either Anne or me if you want to join the teams.May I wish you all a happy summer ahead.John WayChurchwarden
