ST. MARK’S MAGAZINE – AUGUST 2024

As 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