Thursday, February 24, 2011

Events & News from St. Andrew & St. John Episcopal Church

ST. ANDREW & ST. JOHN

EPISCOPAL CHURCH

EVENTS & NEWS

February 24, 2011

Worship

Sunday, February 27, 2011 – 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.

Scripture:

Psalm 131; Isaiah 49:8-16a; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Matthew 6:24-34

Participants:

Celebrant: The Rev. Emily Blair Stribling

Usher: Fred Benson

First Lesson & Psalm: Ellen Gilmore

Second Lesson: Margot Haertel

Prayers: Susan Buell

Chalice: Floy Ervin

Acolyte: Spencer Ervin (8:00); Ted Fletcher (10:00)

Altar Guild: Margot Haertel

Flowers: Ginny Agar

Ash Wednesday Services: March 9th

St. John's: 12:00 noon

St. Saviour's: 8:30am and noon

Church of Our Father: 7:00am and 5:30pm

St. Mary's: 5:00pm

Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. – A service that offers healing and hope to all.

Sunday Forums at 9:00 a.m.

The public is invited.

February 27: A Resilient View of Addiction, Ed Oechslie and Michelle Marx

March 6: No Forum (Joint service at St. Saviour’s)

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The church office will be open February 28th, and then closed until March 17th. If you have questions or need assistance, please call Ted Fletcher (244-3115) or Ann Cox Halkett (288-5832).

MDI Episcopal Church Events

Appreciating Our Gifts: What exactly does it mean to be the Episcopal Church on MDI? As we struggle with this question, it makes sense to identify the strengths of each individual parish and its unique ways of doing God's work. What does each parish on MDI bring to the island community? We don't know—we need your help! Corinthians speaks of the body of Christ thus: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. The body does not consist of one member, but of many.” (I Corinthians, 12, 14)

A gathering is being planned for Saturday, March 5, from 10:30 am until around 1 pm, at the Somesville firehouse, (bad weather date of March 6 in St. Savior's parish hall, following the combined service). The purpose of this meeting will be to: identify strengths, to learn from each other, identify resources, and brainstorm ideas of how we can work collabor-atively. We know that there are things we could do together that we could not do as individual parishes, with limited resources and overworked individuals. The Christmas card collection is an example of a project that showed us how much more can be done when we work together. It does not seem coincidental that the date available to us is still in the Epiphany season. Perhaps we will have an 'epiphany', a revealing of God's purpose for the church of MDI. We know that the whole is greater that the sum of its parts. We as a whole, the Episcopal presence on MDI, the body of Christ, can accomplish much in bringing Christ's light to others! Bring your ideas and join us for discussion and a light lunch on March 5th.

St. Mary’s and St. Jude’s:

Contemplative Prayer/Book Study is led by The Rev. Patricia Robertson, 4:30 p.m. on Wednesdays the Somesville Meeting House, Parish Hall. We are currently reading Richard Rohr’s “Everything Belongs”. This study/prayer group is open to anyone interested.

St. John’s:

Bean Supper – This Saturday, February 26, 5:30-7 PM to benefit the Capital Campaign for the Church. Beans/fixins/beverage/pie included for a donation to the fund. Volunteers needed to bake/set up/serve/clean up - see sign up sheet in the undercroft. Cash donations to defray the cost of ingredients always welcome.

The 2011 Quietside Fair @ St. John’s will take place on Saturday, July 16th. There will be an organizational meeting on Saturday, March 5th at 8:00 a.m. in the Undercroft to get this year's fair set up. Please think about how you might make this year's fair a grand success.

Pancake Supper – will not take place this year, but we look forward to a glorious one on Tuesday, February 21, 2012.

Westside Food Pantry: Open the first Sunday (12:00-2:00) and third Sunday (12:00-1:00) of the month. Questions? Susan Buell - 244-3124 and Dean Henry - 244-3539.

Church of Our Father:

The Alpha Course will meet in the Neighborhood House, Northeast Harbor, on Sunday evenings, 5-7:30 pm, starting Sunday, February 27 and lasting for 10 weeks, with an overnight getaway in the middle. FMI contact the Rev. Chuck Bradshaw at the Church of Our Father, 288-4849.

St. Saviour’s:

Stress Reduction Through Meditation facilitated by Sandy Haggett, Mondays at 11:30 a.m. Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain and illness, it is possible to relate to these unwanted parts of our life in a very different way. Open to the public – a $1.00 per session donation to St. Saviour’s is the fee.

Bar Harbor UCC

Guided meditation group meets in the library at 2:00 on Tuesdays and Wednesday evenings at 7:00. On the fourth Wednesday of each month the group meets at 6:00 PM. Please come if you have a desire to study Scripture more closely and learn some positive techniques for relaxation.

Community Supper – sponsored by the Outreach Board for any and all of our neighbors on Tuesday March 15th. There will be no cost, just an opportunity to eat together with old and hopefully new friends.

Pray for the people of Egypt in the midst of political unrest.

Click here http://www.anglicancommunion.org/acns/news.cfm/2011/2/2/ACNS4792 …to read a letter from Bishop Mouneer Anis, the Anglican Bishop of Egypt.

Also click here http://episcopalchurch.org/79425_126790_ENG_HTM.htm …to read an interview with The Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler, rector of an international Episcopal church in Cairo.

AND posted on the bulletin board in the Undercroft is an e-mail letter from Rebecca Campbell (Mark and Barbara’s daughter) who is living and attending school in Cairo.

Community News:

A request from Sister Lucille at the Emmaus Center: The Emmaus Center is a candidate for a “Community Matters More” grant of $5,000 from the Bangor Savings Bank Foundation. Selection for the grant will be based on votes from people like you. Voting is open to Maine residents of all ages. If you would like to support the Emmaus Center in the selection process, you can vote in one of a variety of ways:

· Since you are reading this on the internet, go to http://www.bangor.com/cmm and cast your vote online; or

· Print the ballot from the bangor.com website (above) and mail it to any Bangor Savings Bank branch (i.e., 59 Foster Street, Ellsworth 04605); or

· Visit the Emmaus Center (Main & Water Sts., Ellsworth) and pick up a ballot to mail.

If you have questions or ideas, call the Emmaus Center at 667-3962. Voting ends on March 7.

Assisted Living Community – Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have, in Ellsworth, a not-for-profit Assisted Living community/facility for elders? One where individuals and couples could live, even to the end of their lives, with appropriate levels of in home care available as needed; with rates based on a percentage of income, so that it was financially available for all? Where one could have community and privacy? Where one could feel safe and comfortable, knowing that there would be no need to move again? Where all aspects of life, physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual could be attended to? It is a dream that could become a reality. Perhaps as you’ve driven eastward on US 1 out of Ellsworth you’ve noticed a large FOR SALE sign on an empty parcel of land. This 14 acre parcel, between Rts 1 & 184; has significant frontage on both roads and would be a very convenient and accessible place for such a community. Interested? Please come to an exploratory meeting on Thursday, March 10 at 7 PM to discuss the possibilities. Comments, ideas, thoughts, and suggestions from as many individuals and groups as possible would be welcome. The meeting will be in the fellowship hall of St. Andrew Lutheran Church (175 Downeast Highway), which just happens to be next to the land under consideration. FMI contact Priscilla Hukki (207) 610-0480

Island Connections – Volunteer drivers are needed to deliver meals and groceries, to drive neighbors to healthcare appointments, and to shopping and community centers. As MDI's population ages Island Connections is getting more requests than ever. Often it’s just a short drive to a healthcare appointment or grocery store and back. Island Connections match neighbors' requests with drivers' availability and geographic preferences. Call Mary Parker at 288-4457 for more information.

U U U U U U U

Keep in your prayers this week: Spencer, Barbara, Vonnie, Patti, Ron, Scott, Mark, Josh, Chelsea, Jim, Pete, Elizabeth, Ian and Oren, Ezra, Stella, Cuff, Bob, Yoojin, Terri, and John.

Military Casualties (February 17-22)

Iraq: Lashawn Evans, Corey Owens

Afghanistan: Bradley Hart, Jonathan Pilgeram, Matthew Deyoung, Andrew Carpenter, Daren Hidalgo, Robert Sisson, Johnathan Taylor

Prayer for the Community of St. Andrew & St. John

Gracious God, we offer thanks for our parish, for your inspiration, and for the spirit of ministry which is our heritage. We acknowledge your call to continue serving each other and the people in our community through open hearts and open doors. Guide us all, especially our Capital Campaign and Design & Construction Committees and Vestry, as we seek funding and plan expansion of the facilities, including accessibility for all at St. John. Inspire us to share faithfully the love that you have revealed to us through the ministry and sacrifice of your son, Jesus Christ. Amen.