Have you ever been to a really hip club in the city? You know, the kind of club so exclusive you have to know someone to get in? Me, neither.

But I've heard about them.

Have you ever wanted to clobber the one you love most?

I had a wonderful vacation. I'm very grateful to St. Mark's for giving me the time off.  I love being your priest, but I was pretty tired.  My fire was starting to burn low.  I was so ready for a vacation.  Now, don't get me wrong -- I'm not complaining. I love being your priest!  But I wanted that vacation.  And finally, it arrived.  There I was, the first morning of vacation, sipping coffee, reading a book, full of bliss.

We have scanned in the original brochure prepared by the artist back in 1979 which is her attempt to explain the altar and its meaning.  Click here to see the gallery of the images from the original brochure.

Early in 1995, I realized that I had picked a winner.

I was new at this church back then.  And I was just getting to know you.  A pastor always wonders how it will go in a new parish.  Will things work out?  Will we get along?

A letter to the editor from pressconnects.com, published July 10, 2010:

Twentysome years ago, my sister Cindy's husband, Ben Harendza, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. At the time, Ben was in his early 30s, working at the Wyoming Youth Center, coaching youth wrestling and had become a state-certified wrestling referee. He also was raising his two young sons.

While this news was absolutely devastating to Ben and our families, Ben has never let his incurable disease define him and his outlook on life. He continued work and remained involved in youth and high school wrestling for many years. But Ben's Parkinson's has continued to progress to the point that he now requires the assistance of a wheelchair.

On a recent weekend through its Summer Volunteer Project, the Broome County Council of Churches, Inc. and St. Mark's Episcopal Church constructed an exterior wheelchair ramp at the Harendzas' home in Johnson City.

Our families are grateful to both of these wonderful organizations for constructing this ramp.

Tricia Leonard

Yuba City, Calif.