In the News

This fall, we’re relaunching Canterbury, the Episcopal campus ministry at Lamar University. Named for the historic seat of Anglican Christianity, Canterbury seeks to offer students a spiritual home rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the rhythms of liturgical prayer, and a welcoming community of a thoughtful and intellectual faith. College is a time of profound formation. For students, it is their first step towards adulthood and making the faith of their youth their own. They are asking life’s most fundamental questions: Who am I? What do I believe? Where do I belong? What will I do with my life? These aren’t just academic exercises — they are spiritual ones. And the good news of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ speaks directly to each of them. The Gospel is the good news to students that their identity is not earned by their performance or striving, but is received as a gift fully and finally given to them in Christ. The Gospel frees them to live with confidence and assurance that they are Christ’s own forever, and that is a reality which is not dependent on them. My hope is that Canterbury will be a place of deep formation for students and faculty alike. We are committed to cultivating the Christian life through scripture, sacraments, prayer, song, honest conversation, and deep friendship. We want to be a community where students can bring their honest questions and doubts without fear, where they can be challenged to grow in holiness, and where they can discover how their life and vocation fit into God’s great story of redemption. Please keep Canterbury Lamar in your prayers! We had our first meeting on campus last night where six of us prayed Evening Prayer as we commemorated the feast of Thomas Cranmer, Nicholas Ridley, and Hugh Latimer. What an appropriate feast day to relaunch our unabashedly Episcopal campus ministry! Pray for students to find their way into our fellowship. Pray for clarity in my own preaching and proclamation of the Gospel. Pray that St. Mark’s would be a place of welcome and support for young adults seeking a deeper and more rooted Christian faith. If you know a student at Lamar — or if you want to help with hospitality, food, music, or prayer — I would love to talk with you! A Prayer for Schools and Colleges - Book of Common Prayer (p. 824) O Eternal God, bless all schools, colleges, and universities and especially Lamar University, that they may be lively centers for sound learning, new discovery, and the pursuit of wisdom; and grant that those who teach and those who learn may find you to be the source of all truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. — The Rev. Christopher Hilton Curate, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church — Campus Minister, Canterbury Lamar

Join the choir of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church for a service of Choral Evensong for All Saints at 5 p.m. on Sunday, November 2. The sung service of evening prayer offers an opportunity for reflection and contemplation. Worship in the beauty of solemn holiness as the choir sings the "Preces and Responses" of American composer Katherine Burk Webb and two of the crown jewels of our Anglican heritage -- “Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in C" of Charles Villiers Stanford and Edgar Bainton’s anthem “And I Saw a New Heaven.” The choir will also sing “The Road Home” of Stephen Paulus as we remember those saints who have gone before us. We’ll also feature an anthem of Craig Phillips (All Saints Episcopal, Beverly Hills) that’s a serene chorale setting of one of the Evening Collects. Keep watch, dear Lord. Keep watch with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous, and all for your love's sake. Keep watch, dear Lord, keep watch. Amen. -- Book of Common Prayer (1979) Come for the music. Stay for the fellowship! A festive reception will follow.

You're invited to the 84th Annual St. Mark's Chili Supper and Bazaar on Thursday, November 13th. Lunch: 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Supper: 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Bazaar & Silent Auction: 10:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. Visit our website: https://www.stmarkschili.com Proceeds from our annual Chili Supper and the St. Mark's Treasure House are awarded to local community service organizations! Thanks to Southeast Texas' unfailing support of the St. Mark’s Chili Supper as well as the St. Mark's Treasure House, we were able to award $77K to our community last spring! St. Mark's — serving Christ, Community, and Chili since 1941!

Come join the fun! We have a busy few weeks ahead. All are welcome.

Rev. Hilton shared the following letter on August, 28, 2025. + + + Dear St. Mark’s Family, I write to you with great excitement, having officially begun my curacy at St. Mark’s! This new season has been one that I have been eagerly awaiting for many years, and it is almost surreal that the moment has arrived. The celebratory atmosphere at our August 17th rally day was such a wonderful and hospitable welcome into what I anticipate will be very fruitful and formative beginning years of ministry. I speak on behalf of my whole family when I say that we feel very welcomed at St. Mark’s and look forward to getting to know you as we settle into this new place we call home. In my first week at St. Mark’s, I've attended vestry, spent time with the Holy Smokers Men’s Group, led three chapel services at All Saints, preached at the Tuesday Eucharist, and browned 40 pounds of ground beef! I’ve already added “chili-tide” as an unofficial liturgical season on my church year wall calendar. I can feel the excitement in this place and am energized to dive into the many ministries of this wonderful parish. I can feel the momentum and inertia that comes from a parish that is manifestly passionate about a church they love. My curacy begins right on the heels of having spent the past 11 weeks working as a chaplain at MD Anderson Cancer Center in the Texas Medical Center. As a hospital that deals exclusively with cancer, almost every conversation was, by nature, down to the bare metal of reality. Life and death was the proverbial cloud hovering over every interaction in some way. And yet, the profound sense of faith, hope, charity, and resilience expressed by so many patients and their families in that place struck me anew day after day. I was often overwhelmed seeing that God truly works and meets people most powerfully in situations that would otherwise seem hopeless and impossible. In many ways, that experience was one where I saw the rubber of Christ’s love and mercy meeting the road time after time. Even in the midst of death and grief, I found myself returning to one of my favorite texts in our hymnbook (#355) where we sing, “All we go down to the dust; And weeping o’er the grave we make our song: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!” My time at MD Anderson was one of the most formative experiences of my life and has deeply shaped my own pastoral heart in a way that I will be forever grateful for. There are so many patients whose stories will be tucked away deep in my heart for the rest of my priestly career. I hope to bring what I learned there into my ministry through the importance of learning each other’s stories, being a spiritual companion to those who are suffering, and constantly reminding ourselves that our love for each other is ultimately love for our Lord himself. I look forward to getting to know each of you — worshiping with you, serving alongside you, and growing together in the grace and knowledge of our Lord together. I am especially excited to learn from the faithful legacy that has been cultivated at St. Mark’s and to join with you in the work of bearing witness to the love of God to us through Christ in Beaumont. Please continue to hold me and my family in your prayers as we continue to find our footing in this new season of life. Grace & Peace, The Rev. Christopher Hilton, Curate

You’re invited to join members of the Beaumont Chapter of the American Guild of Organists for an afternoon of sacred song. Get ready for all of your favorite hymns, played by all of your favorite Southeast Texas organists! The service will be held S unday, September 14 at 5 p.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church , 3430 Harrison, Beaumont. It promises to be a fun experience. A reception will follow. Admission is FREE ! The organists will be joined by the choirs from St. Mark’s Episcopal, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, and Trinity United Methodist. Editor’s Note: Hymn Fest is an annual event hosted by the Beaumont AGO. We anticipate it returning to St. Mark’s in 2026 after the return of our Aeolian Skinner pipe organ. Jordan Williams | 12News Evening Anchor 525 Interstate 10 South | Beaumont, TX 77701 P: 409-981-1506, C: 409-540-0192 | jwilliams@12newsnow.com | 12NewsNow.com

The project is on budget and on time. Estimated completion and return to Beaumont will be in late 2025 or early 2026.  Earlier this summer, I traveled to Pennsylvania to see the progress on our organ restoration project. From the moment I arrived at Steve Emery’s workshop, situated in the bucolic hills north of Philadelphia, I was in awe. Everywhere I turned, there were pieces – pipes – components – of our beloved Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ. Steve and his team are carefully and comprehensively refurbishing our historic instrument. They’re receiving guidance from our fine organ consultant, Jonathan Ambrosino. During our recent visit, Jonathan and I were both impressed with the quality of the craftsmanship and the Emery team’s dedication to historic preservation. Here are three takeaways: The project is on budget and on time. Estimated completion and return to Beaumont will be in late 2025 or early 2026. The organ reeds (think trumpet-sounding pipes) and blower are finished. Much of the leatherwork continues. There are pieces of leather in the chests (where the pipes sit) and on the stoppers of wooden pipes.  Each of the organ’s 2,830 pipes has been cleaned and repaired where necessary. The pipes were then placed on a voicing machine to be regulated. The goal is for each rank of pipes to sound similar in tone and volume. Additional voicing work will happen at St. Mark’s once the organ returns. We are only making adjustments to regulate the pipework. Because our instrument is so historic, we are being careful not to make any unnecessary changes.  The project also includes upgrades to the console (where I sit to play) as well as the wiring and control mechanisms. All cotton-covered wiring will be replaced with plastic-insulated wire in keeping with National Electrical Code regulations. The console is being reworked to accommodate the new wiring and electric control system. This includes new “stop” knobs and couplers. Our original keyboards have been retained and restored. Components — including chests and wind lines — will be delivered first this fall. The team will return later with the pipes. Then will come the massive effort to put everything back together. The aforementioned pipe “voicing” work will follow in the church.  The restoration will cost approximately $600,000. We are grateful to the St. Mark’s Foundation, our parishioners, community members, and SETX foundations who have graciously supported our preservation efforts. We are still fundraising to close the remaining $41,121 needed to fully fund this project. Donations may be made online by selecting “Organ Fund,” or by check, noting “Organ Fund” in the memo line. Designated gifts may be made to the parish office via check or “On Realm” by selecting “Organ Fund.” The project is entering its final phase, and we cannot wait to welcome the instrument back to Beaumont in late 2025 or early 2026. Jordan Williams Organist-Choirmaster Button Button Button Button Button Button Button Button

f you've been looking for a special invite to come back to Church, this is it! Join us for Rally Day 2025 at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Downtown Beaumont. FACEBOOK EVENT | Let us know you're coming! Worship in the beauty of holiness at 8:00 or 10:30 a.m. Formation for all ages resumes at 9:15 a.m. Stay for the Blessings of the Backpacks for students, teachers, and educational staff! At 11:45 a.m., immediately after worship, we'll take our parish photo. A delicious lunch will follow. We'll also welcome back Father James from sabbatical, and celebrate the arrival of our new curate, Christopher Hilton.

We continue praying for everyone impacted by the devastating flooding, and we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Texas Hill Country.