Hello there,
Summer is most certainly here. I hope that you had a very nice Fourth of July Celebration. Last weekend it was a honor to march in the Pride Parade with members of St Mark’s and other congregations from around our diocese. The weather, here in San Diego, was, and is, perfect. However we only need to look at the news for a few seconds to see that so much of our continent is baking in high temperatures. Across the Atlantic, much of Europe is sweltering in record breaking heat. I never thought that I would see the day when the temperature in the UK would pass 100 degrees. We can not deny global warming and the role which our society has played in it. As children of God, we need to do a much better job at protecting and looking after this fragile earth, our island home.
If you have been at St, Mark’s during one of the hot summer months then you will know that without fully functioning AC we can get quite hot! Thanks to the success of our Wholeness Capital campaign, we have been able to start work on reroofing and getting ready to install a new AC system. Howard Smith and Robert Montana reported this week that our car park (a.k.a. parking lot) was full of contractors working on the roof. Thanks to your support we are getting our building ready to serve God in City Heights for many years to come.
The work will take some time though and so our Worship Committee has made the decision to move our Sunday worship, in the months of August and September, to start an hour earlier at 9.15 a.m., so that we can avoid some of the heat of the midday sun. On two Sundays, August 21st, September 18th, we will once again worship in City Heights park, next to the library, as we celebrate Mass on the Grass and distribute blessings in a bag. What a fantastic way to get out into our community and share God’s love with all of our neighbor’s. Start inviting your friends now to join us this Summer at St. Mark’s.
As the summer temperatures rise, look after yourself, call on your neighbors and make sure that our animal friends stay hydrated and out of the heat.
Blessings to you all,
Fr. Richard