
St. Martin’s News for the Week of Sunday, 09/20/2026
This Sunday: Program Year Kick-Off and More
Sanctuary Choir Returns and Baptism at 10am: The Sanctuary Choir returns on Sunday. We are also delighted to baptize Miriam Teresa Aguilar and welcome her into the household of God.
Godly Play Begins Sunday, 10am: Godly Play begins Sunday during the 10am service for children TK – 6th grade in Room 4. Parents can drop off their children at Room 4 and fill out any required registration forms. Information about Godly Play is on the Godly Play webpage on our church website.
Music Notes: One of our Communion hymns will be “Sing a New World into Being,” by Mary Louise Bringle. This contemporary hymn comes from Songs for the Holy Other, a free collection of hymns published in 2019 by The Hymn Society in the United States and Canada, created to make the voices and experiences of LGBTQIA2S+ people more fully part of the church’s common song. Today’s hymn invites us not only to imagine but to help create a world shaped by justice, belonging, compassion, and peace, amplifying the text of the Offertory anthem, Ken Medema’s “Come Build a Church.”
All-Parish Conversation about the Visioning Process for St. Martin’s at 75, after 10am Service: Please join us in the parish hall for a light brunch and an important conversation about the work that has gone into the visioning process and what happens next. We want to hear from you! It is vital that as many members of our community as possible take part in planning for this milestone and the next 75 years of St. Martin’s life and ministry. The nursery will be open during this event. For TK to 6th-grade children, we will have a supervised art project and soccer on the great lawn.
Sunday Afternoon! Davis Progressive Youth Collective (DPYC) Escape Room: DPYC invites students in 6th-12th grade to join them for an Escape Room on Sunday, September 20 from 1:40-3pm at PanIQ Escape Room 2642 5th St. Sacramento. The cost is $40/per person; please bring cash to the event (financial assistance is available) and RSVP to Megan from Davis United Methodist Church dumckids@davisumc.org.
Sunday Afternoon! Sinfonia Spirituosa Concert at St. Martin’s, 4pm: This is Sinfonia Spirituosa’s fall concert, “Echoes from the Bridge.” Tickets: $40 general; $20 St. Martin’s parishioners; $10 students. Find more information on their website.
Fall Class: “Reflecting Images: Christianity and AI In Conversation”
Earlier this year, Pope Leo XIV released Magnifica Humanitas, a letter to the church urging us to be responsible in our usage of Al. St. Martin’s, Lutheran Church of the Incarnation, and the Belfry invite you to a discussion series led by Dr. Mae Forrest Barnes. Mae has a background in theology and ethics, with a special focus in accessibility, science, and theological ethics. Please join us on Tuesdays at 7pm, September 29 through October 27, in the narthex at St. Martin’s.
Next Sunday, September 27
Fourth Sunday at 10am: Our 10am service will be a Fourth Sunday, meaning the service is a little shorter and more interactive, making it more accessible to the youngest in our congregation. We’ll also have a Pop-Up Choir where anyone who wants can come up and sing the anthem with the choir. If possible, come to the rehearsal in the church at 9:15am, but you can still feel free to sing even if you can’t make the rehearsal.
Preaching: Parishioner and choir member Pierre Gianferrara will preach at the 8am service. Rev. Maggie will preach at 10am with the children in mind.
Pizza Church, 5pm: This month, we’ll meet on the labyrinth, where Rev. Maggie will lead families in a labyrinth walk reflecting on the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, a feast heralding the shortening days and the end of harvest time. We’ll have singing, a time to acknowledge and give thanks for the changing of the season, and of course, pizza! (There will be no Eucharist this month at this service).
Upcoming Events Offered by the Broader Community
Yolo Sol presents Good Fire, Living Water: The Gifts of a Marsh Economy: September 20-November 13, 2026 at the Davis Arts Center. The event is a public exhibition on wetland stewardship featuring the eco-cultural and artistic practice of Wintun/Maidu culture-bearer Diana Almendariz and her daughters Ooti Maxine and Christina Almendariz. Funded, in part, by the City of Davis Arts & Cultural Affairs program. Learn more here.
Recovery Retreat: “Practicing Everyday Resurrection,” September 26, Trinity Cathedral, 9am-12pm: Enjoy a morning of prayer, music, and encouragement with speaker, the Rev. Coleen Tully. Offered by Trinity Cathedral and Diocesan Recovery Ministries. At Trinity Cathedral, 2620 Capitol Avenue, Sacramento. Those in recovery and their loved ones are welcome. No charge.
Clergy Office Hours
Rev. Pamela holds office hours on Tuesdays, 4-5:15pm; her next office hours will be on September 22. Rev. Maggie holds office hours on Mondays, 2-4pm; her next office hours will be on September 21. To see them at a different time, please email them directly (pamela@churchofstmartin.org; maggie@churchofstmartin.org) or contact the office.
- St. Martin’s News 10/09/2026St. Martin’s News for the Week of Sunday, 10/11/2026 Belfry Sunday, Youth Liturgy of the Word, Taizé Worship, October 11Belfry Sunday!: This Sunday, we celebrate our partnership with the Belfry Lutheran Episcopal Campus Ministry and welcome the Rev. Dr. Portia Hopkins, chaplain at the Belfry, as our preacher at both services. After the 10am service, Rev. Portia will lead an adult forum in the parish hall on how we build a house of welcome. Youth Liturgy of the Word: Junior high and high school students meet with Rev. Debbie in Room 8 during the first half of the 10am service…
- St. Martin’s News 10/02/2026St. Martin’s News for the Week of Sunday, 10/04/2026 This Sunday, October 4 – The Feast of St. Francis and Blessing of the Animals at Both ServicesDuring the Season of Creation, we give special thanks for all God’s creatures, especially the animals that share our lives. The clergy will be blessing animals at both the 8am and 10am services this Sunday. Bring your pets, with dogs on leashes and other animals in carriers as needed. The 8am service will be indoors and will be livestreamed; the 10am service will be outdoors and will not be livestreamed this Sunday. For the…
- St. Martin’s News 09/25/2026St. Martin’s News for the Week of Sunday, 09/27/2026 From the RectorDear Ones,I am writing from Salt Lake City, where I am attending the Province VIII Creation Care Conference. I’m sorry that the title of the conference is so “inside baseball” because the topics and presenters make me think this is going to be one of the best I’ve ever attended, with great relevance to our lives and the life of the Church. If you want to learn more, the Episcopal News Service published an excellent article this week. Last Sunday we had a full house at the All-Parish Conversation,…
- St. Martin’s News 09/18/2026St. Martin’s News for the Week of Sunday, 09/20/2026 This Sunday: Program Year Kick-Off and MoreSanctuary Choir Returns and Baptism at 10am: The Sanctuary Choir returns on Sunday. We are also delighted to baptize Miriam Teresa Aguilar and welcome her into the household of God. Godly Play Begins Sunday, 10am: Godly Play begins Sunday during the 10am service for children TK – 6th grade in Room 4. Parents can drop off their children at Room 4 and fill out any required registration forms. Information about Godly Play is on the Godly Play webpage on our church website. Music Notes: One…
- St. Martin’s News 09/11/2026St. Martin’s News for the Week of Sunday, 09/13/2026 From the Rector – Remembering 9/11Dear Ones,Most of us over a certain age remember exactly where we were on this morning 25 years ago. My story is not special. I was a young mother, dealing with my toddler’s recurring ear infection, still a bit sad about having left New York the year before. I didn’t normally watch the news on TV, but that morning, like much of the nation, I ended up unable to take my eyes away from the horror unfolding in real time. I had worked in lower Manhattan…

