The Weekly E-Pistle

Thursday, August 1st, 2024

A Reflection from the Reverend George Stevens, Interim Dean

Dear Friends-

The Gospels appointed for the next three weeks focus on bread. Even for people like me, who absolutely love all kinds of bread, it’s a lot of bread! In preparation to preach on the subject I pulled down a fantastic book from my shelf at home on Wednesday night. It’s called, Bread for the Journey, it’s by the famed writer and theologian Henri Nouwen.

While there are certainly sections of the book that talk about physical bread that fills our stomachs, Nouwen also reflects beautifully on the spiritual bread that feeds our souls. There is much to commend in this slim volume, but there’s one passage that gained purchase in my heart today. I’ve shared it below.

See you Sunday!

-George

Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, 'Prove that you are a good person.' Another voice says, 'You’d better be ashamed of yourself.' There also is a voice that says, 'Nobody really cares about you,' and one that says, 'Be sure to become successful, popular, and powerful.' But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a still, small voice that says, 'You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you.' That’s the voice we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen. That’s what prayer is. It is listening to the voice that calls us 'my Beloved'.

UPCOMING

Summer Finale

Sept. 13 - 15

Camp Bishopswood

Registration is now open for Summer Finale at Camp Bishopswood!

Summer Finale has several offerings:

There is a day-only option on Saturday, Sept. 14.
Back this year after a several-year hiatus is a mini retreat especially for those who do formation work in our diocese on Friday, Sept. 13 from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

As in years past, this will be an opportunity to spend a day in conversation with formation folks, to enjoy delicious food, and imagine ways in which we can collaborate and uplift one another in our formation work.

See a full description, including FAQs, here.

Season of Creation Banner Painting

Sunday, August 25 after the 10AM Service

Lower Hall

Come help paint our new Season of Creation banner!

No artistic skills are needed beyond the ability to paint within the lines of a simple shape.

Join us after church on Sunday, August 25 in the Lower Hall for a time of fun and fellowship.

Please plan to wear old clothes due to potential paint stains!

For more info, contact Linda Carleton.

Season of Creation Book Group

Meeting Each Monday at 6:45PM

August 26-September 30

Connect Room at St. Alban's Episcopal Church

885 Shore Rd, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107

Contact Mary Bingham Paul if Interested

The Season of Creation is fast approaching! In September, parishioners from St. Alban’s, St. Luke’s, and St. Peter’s are joining together to form a book group.

The group will start on August 26 and end on September 30, 2024. Proposed meeting times are each Monday from 6:45PM-8:00PM in the Connect Room at St Alban’s. Spaces are limited to 12 people. While in-person is preferable, a hybrid option will be offered.

The book discussion will be led by Mary Brigham Paul, a member of St. Alban’s.

The group will be reading Sacred Nature: Restoring Our Ancient Bond with the Natural World by Karen Armstrong.

Please contact Mary Brigham Paul sign up, and please indicate whether you would like to meet in person or on zoom.

You can purchase the book through Amazon, Nonesuch Books, or wherever you like to purchase your books.

About the Author: Karen Armstrong has written many books on religious affairs, with a specific focus on the history of world religions. To read more about her please visit the webpage here.

About the book: Sacred Nature is “An urgent manifesto and a practical guide on how to rekindle our spiritual bond with nature, drawing on the wisdom of the world’s religious traditions”.

“Since the beginning of time, humankind has looked upon nature and seen the divine. In the writings of the great thinkers across religions, the natural world inspires everything from fear to awe to tranquil contemplation; God, or however one defined the sublime, was present in everything. Yet today, even as we admire a tree or take in a striking landscape, we rarely see nature as sacred…Karen Armstrong re-sacralizes nature for modern times. Drawing on her vast knowledge of the world’s religious traditions, she vividly describes nature’s central plan in spirituality across the centuries: from the Book of Job to St. Thomas Aquinas, from Lao Tzu to Wordsworth, and from the Stoics to Jainism and beyond…explor(ing) the power of silence and solitude, the nature of personal sacrifice and the need to reconnect with sorrow and compassion—and how greater contact and appreciation for nature can help us in unexpected ways”. Penguin Random House Publishing

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Most Recent Minutes from the Lesser Chapter Meeting

To read the most recent draft minutes from the Lesser Chapter Meeting held on July 24th please click here.

To read past minutes of the Lesser Chapter visit the vestry resource page on our website here.

The Reverend George Stevens will be out of the office August 5-7

In case of a pastoral emergency, please contact him via phone at (978)-578-8084.

Nancy Beebe Memorial Service Postponed

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the service in celebration of life for parishioner Nancy Beebe has been postponed until a later date to be determined. The service was originally scheduled for this Saturday, August 3, at 11:00AM.

The change reflects communication directly from Nancy's family.

We will honor their request and continue to hold them in our prayers.

When an updated service date and time has been determined, we will communicate this to the community.

Please continue to hold Nancy and her family in your prayers.

Eco Tips from the Public Policy

& Environmental Action Team

PPEAT invites you to watch the short film entitled “A Story of Stuff” which addresses the environmental impact of our consumption-crazed culture.

The film aims to raise awareness about what we are consuming and what becomes of these items when we no longer use or need them. Furthermore, it poses the greater question “Are our consumption habits contributing to environmental degradation and harm to others?”

To watch the film and to access helpful resources, visit the webpage here.

To learn more about PPEAT and to read past meeting minutes, please visit their page on the cathedral website here.

PPEAT Next Meeting: Tuesday August 13 from 6-7PM

Interested in learning more about PPEAT? Join us for our next meeting on Tuesday August 13 from 6-7 PM on Zoom. All are welcome!

Please see the link to join here.

For more information email Ruth Roemer.

RESOURCES FROM THE DIOCESE

& WIDER CHURCH

To read about stories, resources, and events from around the Diocese of Maine, read their newsletter, TheDioLog,by clicking the link here, or by clicking on the Episcopal Maine Shield in the bottom of this email.

From the Bishop: A Call to Prayerful Action

The commemoration of the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"The people in the Holy Land—Israel and Palestine—are heavy laden. And right now, our most faithful prayer is for the burdensome violence to end. I have written to our representatives in Washington to call for a ceasefire. And I urge you to join me in making your voices heard."

—The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown

Contact Your Representatives

Senator Susan Collins

Senator Angus King

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree

Congressman Jared Golden

President Joe Biden

To use the words in the four letters Bishop Brown wrote see this example to Senator Collins.

Read Presiding Bishop Curry's Letter To President Biden

Bishop Brown Recaps General Convention

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

News from the 81st General Convention is widely available from the Episcopal News Service and more information from our deputies and communications team will be forthcoming. In the meantime, the following is the bishop's curated list of key resolutions. All of the resolutions are easily accessible online here.

A015, Owning a Commitment to Reparations
A028, Support fro Freedom to Consider Ethical Issues in Investing
A035, Establish model policies for Anti-Racism work
A049, United Methodist Church, toward Full Communion
A053-A058, several canonical amendments related to Title IV disciplinary process
A101, Revise Denominational Health Plan pricing
A110, Clarify distinction between Biblical Israel and Modern Israel
A121, Authorize Commemoration of Bishop Barbara C. Harris
A168, Establish the Diocese of the Great Lakes
A169, Establish the Diocese of Wisconsin
B010, Revise Title IV process
C009, Establish Navajoland's autonomy
D007, Israel-Palestine
D074, Renouncing the Theology of Slavery by the Reverend James Craik, 11th President of the House of Deputies. nota bene--you will be hearing a GREAT DEAL more about this resolution and its connection to one among us in the Diocese of Maine.

Tri-Dio Sacred Ground Circles Begin Again This Fall

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"Are you interested in joining others from the Episcopal Dioceses of Northern New England (and beyond) in a film-based dialogue series on race and faith? The third round of Tri-Dio Sacred Ground dialogue circles will start this fall, and will include others from the wider Episcopal church and other denominations. There will be at least three circles that will meet at different times and on different days. Register here.

View the Sacred Ground Invitational video “We Bless You” by the Union of Black Episcopalians and Sacred Ground staff, and learn more about Sacred Ground here.

Representatives from each diocese are: Mary Provo of Maine, Betty Lane of New Hampshire, and Franci Vinal Farnsworth of Vermont. "

The BTS Center Convocation 2024

Hope in Small Places: Becoming People of Refugia Faith

Sept. 26-27

Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center, Hallowell

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine & The BTS Center

"In a climate-changed world, we are drawn toward places where life persists, hope is nurtured, and courage, gratitude, and wonder are ever-present. These are the spaces Convocation 2024 keynote speaker Debra Rienstra celebrates in her book "Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth,"

Drawing upon the biological concept of refugia—little pockets of safety where life persists in times of disaster— she suggests that this is a moment when people of faith are called to be people of spiritual refugia. In-person registration is limited to 100 participants. Learn more and register here."

Save the date for Presiding Bishop-elect Rowe’s

installation service

Published by the Episcopal Office of Public Affairs

"As announced at the close of the 81st General Conven tion, the installation of Presiding Bishop-elect Sean Rowe will be a simpler, scaled-down event this fall with a view toward reducing carbon footprint and increasing virtual engagement and participation.

The installation service will take place on Nov. 2 at the Chapel of Christ the Lord in The Episcopal Church Center in New York City with a prelude beginning at 10 a.m. ET and the service starting at 11 a.m. ET.

There will be an extensive livestream production to support churchwide access and participation.

All are welcome and encouraged to attend virtually."

More information will follow at a later date.

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

Sunday 5:15PM Service of Holy Eucharist

The 5:15PM Service is a lay-lead worship service of Holy Eucharist and meditation which gathers each Sunday in Emmanuel Chapel. Each week we welcome a member of the clergy to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

The service invites all in attendance into a space of quiet and stillness with music, scripture, and reflections.

With questions about the service please contact Liz Parsons.

We look forward to welcoming you to future services. Please join us!

Below is a photo from a service held on July 28 which features parishioner Barbara Rylan offering her musical gifts on harp.

This is accompanied by a reflection offered by The Reverend Dr. Celestin Hategekimana.

Parishioner Barbara Rylan offers her musical gifts on the harp

Click here to read a reflection offered by The Reverend Dr. Celestin Hategekimana

on July 28

Contribute to St. Luke’s Summer Music Ministry

The Cathedral Choir is on recess from 9 June through Labor Day, and summer is a great time to make a musical contribution to our worship as a singer or instrumentalist. Help us to keep our music well-supported with your offerings.

Please email Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music.

Access Your Realm Profile

The Cathedral’s online database, Realm, is a useful tool for parishioners to manage their contact and pledging information.

Realm helps our community by improving our record keeping in a more streamlined fashion.

When joining Realm you can sign-up to be a part of the online directory in the database.

To activate your Realm profile please contact our financial administrator Nina Andersen.

Nina will assist you with the few steps necessary to access your profile.

We look forward to sharing this exciting new technology with you!

Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour - Please join us after the service for a time of fellowship in the upper hall through the doors to the left of the altar. All are welcome.

Interested in hosting? It is an important part of our parish life and provides us with a time for connection. Hosting is fun and easy, it requires bringing in a baked good and brewing coffee the Sunday of your choosing. Please consider signing up, a lot of gratitude comes with the job. Thank you!

Check the hosting schedule by visiting the link here.

Please email Meredith Cough with your date.

Join Luke's Garden

LGBTQIA+ Group

Luke's Garden is the cathedral's LGBTQIA+ group which meets every 2nd Sunday of the month following coffee hour.

All are welcome!

For additional information contact Orion Williams

Join the Young and The Restless

We are St. Luke’s 20s-30s-year-old ministry. We are an active group at the cathedral which also gets together outside of the church.

Join us as we go hiking, ice skating, play trivia, or just enjoy each other’s company! If you are new to us, welcome! We meet each Tuesday at Maine Beer Company in Freeport, 6-8 PM for Trivia.

Other events happen sporadically throughout the month, however trivia is a wonderful opportunity to meet us if you’re joining us for the first time. Contact Shana Rose to stay up to date with group activities and information.

The Kneeler Guild and

Prayer Shawl Knitters

Tuesday

2:30PM

The Upper Hall.

For additional information contact Jeri Edgar 207-303-8447 or Nancy Mawhinney 207-775-7500

Everyone is welcome, whether you are curious or want to begin. Kneeler kits cost $75, which include directions, yarn, needles & canvas. Novices are welcome; we will teach you as needed. Prayer Shawls: 26-29” by 60”; select your yarn & needles. Coffee & Tea available.

The Parish Prayer List

Names remain on the prayer list for 3 consecutive weeks unless otherwise requested. If you wish for a name to be added, contact Avery Schott, Parish Administrator via email.