January 27, 2023

Dear St. Mark’s Family,

I became a resident clergy in the Diocese of Texas in October 2013. From afar, in the last ten years I have learned about and heard of many parishes. This includes St. Mark’s, Beaumont. I learned of the longstanding connection between St. Mark’s and chili! I have been amazed at the number of clergy and family who have had some type of connection to St. Mark’s, or Beaumont, or Southeast Texas. I learned about St. Mark’s deep community involvement through outreach. These are all things I knew about St. Mark’s from afar and I am so grateful to be experiencing them up close and personally!

Another part of St. Mark’s story I learned about, from clergy gatherings and Episcopal school events, is a person—Fr. Dean Calcote. Many ordinands visited with Fr. Dean through his muti-year service on the diocesan board of examining chaplains. In my own priestly experience with two previous Episcopal schools, I learned of Fr. Dean’s influence and impact in Episcopal education and the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools (SAES). Upon receiving the call to come to St. Mark’s, I have received the incredible gift of grace of working personally with Fr. Dean. I have learned so much about his faithful service to All Saints School and St. Mark’s. Since his arrival in 1974, he has worked with many rectors and clergy. His stable and faithful clergy presence over the last several years has been a gift of incredible grace to St. Mark’s. Fr. Dean, through his own life, shared his witness of caring for Maree during her sickness, and beginning a new chapter in life after her death. Fr. Dean has been and remains an example of deep faithfulness.

With a heart full of deep gratitude, I want to share what Fr. Dean’s presence among us will look like as we move forward in 2023. While remaining a vital part of the worshipping community at St. Mark’s, Fr. Dean’s active participation in ministry and leadership at St. Mark’s will come to an end. He will lead the Friday morning service through the month of February, as this will allow time for him to fully transition into the worshipping community at St. Mark’s.

With Fr. Dean and his family, we are planning an event later in the Spring, where we will all have a chance to gather, honor his priestly ministry, and most importantly, give thanks for the numerous ways we have been touched by Fr. Dean’s faithfulness. Please be on the lookout for when the date and event is set.

During these days, and as Fr. Dean sits and worships among us, take time to say thank you. We are a more faithful community because Fr. Dean has served so well. I give God thanks for the wonderful community of St. Mark’s, and the gift of grace in Fr. Dean Calcote.

Faithfully,
Fr. James

January 13, 2023 

Dear St. Mark’s, 

I went to the wedding of a beloved friend last weekend. She and her now husband are starting a new life together. It was lovely to witness them intentionally set forth on this journey. They were making promises about how they want to live together and the kind of life they want to have as they say, “I will.” 

The night before the wedding, a friend I went to Seminary with welcomed a long-awaited child into the world. This baby is a newborn; he is beginning his life. So, while my friend is in the middle of his life, he is at the onset of his life as a father. It’s a new start in many ways. 

Many of us make new year resolutions. We long for a new life. We tend to think, ‘this is the day the first of the year when things are going to be different.’ But, alas, many of us have messed up with these goals by this second week in January.  

But there is good news. God is always inviting us into renewal. We don’t have to wait for the New Year, or Monday, or even tomorrow morning. Nothing is standing in our way. Starting again can be as soon as this next breath.  

Ruach (pronounced roo-akh) is the English spelling of the Hebrew word meaning breath, wind, or spirit. This is the word used in Genesis 1:1 in the poetic description of the beginning of the world. It’s used several times in the Old Testament. Pneuma is a Greek word that means breath, spirit, and Holy Spirit. It is used frequently when the languages switch in the New Testament.  

So, you might feel called to start again this week and going forward. You might consider that your life is taking a new path. You might want to make a new promise to yourself or to someone you love. If and when that happens, I have some ideas to consider. 

1. Take a breath. 
2. Remember this beginning. 
3. Think of the Spirit that surrounds you. 
4. Go forth and begin (again). 

Yours faithfully,
Deacon Joy

Join us Sunday, December 18 at 6PM

December 9, 2022

Dear St. Mark’s Family,

This past Tuesday, Deacon Joy offered the homily at Tuesday Healing Eucharist. Tuesday was the feast day of St. Nicholas and the gospel lesson used was:

Matthew 18:12-14

What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.

I was very moved with how Deacon Joy spoke of the incredible charity for which Nicholas has always been known, and then how that kind of charity is seen in the love for the ninety-nine and the one that was lost. This point really resonated with me…it is both/and. It is the ninety-nine and the one that are loved by the shepherd.

We are still on our Advent journey and can begin seeing and feeling the coming celebration of Christ’s birth at Christmas. The deep love of Jesus, which Nicholas tried to faithfully practice, is at the core of our faith. This love is sheer gift, as it cannot be earned nor merited. We cannot make ourselves worthy to receive. I think this is part of why it is both so amazing and disconcerting to receive such grace and love. We might often feel like we must earn it (from the belief that nothing in this world is free), and when we fall short, we might also think that we are so unworthy that the gift should not be wasted on us. It can be so hard to rest on the belief that we are of value simply because God says we are.

I was visiting with a friend this week and they told me how messy their life is right now. There are family dynamics that are terribly complex, and it is hard to see how it can be and will be resolved. These friends are deeply faithful and bear witness to how this season of Advent waiting is incredibly messy. In our rush to Christmas, we so want things to be resolved so we can get on with the carols and festivities of the coming season.

Advent waiting might entail for you collapsing into the deep love of Jesus Christ. The mess in our lives will not be cleaned up quickly. There are not readily available answers to our troubling questions. It might be difficult to see how our own choices or of those we love can be redeemed. Yet, amid all of this, God loves, Period. God loves us. Perhaps a gift you can give yourself is to simply say, God loves me. If you are the lost one, God loves you. If you are in the ninety-nine, God loves you. Wherever you find yourself right now, trust you are beloved by God.

In-love,
Fr. James

Following our hospital levels and the covid.cdc.gov website regarding Jefferson County has shown a steady and significant decline in COVID cases in our county. If you are not readily familiar with the CDC website, it categorizes the community spread in counties in four levels: blue (low), yellow (moderate), orange (substantial), and red (high).

Because of where we are right now, beginning this Sunday, November 7, masks will be optional inside for anyone that is vaccinated. Following the CDC guidelines as well, masks are still expected for those that are unvaccinated. Our social distancing protocols have been relaxed as well. As long as our county remains in the moderate to low levels, we will proceed in this way.

As our parish moves forward, please continue to do what is best and safest for you and your family. We will continue to livestream our 10 AM service. If you wish to wear a mask, please do so. We will continue to provide masks for anyone who did not bring one but wishes to have one. Thank you to everyone as we walk together during this time.

Fr. James Pevehouse

St. Mark’s will offer Christian Formation opportunities for kids and adults. Lauren Johnsen will oversee a time for kids and Fr. James will offer a series for adults called, “Walking with the Saints.” Each Sunday, we will be introduced to a different person on our Episcopal Church calendar. We will begin with a discussion as to how someone is added to the Episcopal calendar. We will look at their faith journey where they were challenged to grow and then reflect together as to how the examples of the different “saints” can impact our own faith journey.