Worship With Us IN PERSON By design, there will be Holy Eucharist offered on each side of MDI every Sunday in the parishes of the Partnership.
Sunday, June 27
10 am at Church of Our Father: Lay led Morning Prayer
Officiant: James Kitler
10 am at St. John the Divine: Holy Eucharist
Preacher and Celebrant: The Rev. John Burton
Note: Worship at St. John's will be outdoors and masking not required.
10 am at St. Saviour's: Holy Eucharist
Preacher and Celebrant: The Rev. Regina Christianson
Deacon: The Rev. Mary-Carol Griffin
Masks will still be required for indoor worship. Pre-registration and social distancing will not be required. Holy Communion will be offered in one-kind only (Bread). Coffee hour will be held outdoors.
Online Worship Resources
The Episcopal Church on MDI has returned to in-person worship in all four Island parishes. For those unable to attend in-person services at this time, Online Worship is available this morning at St. Luke's Cathedral in Portland and at Washington National Cathedral:
Worship at 10:00 am with St. Luke's Cathedral, Portland (Livestream)
Worship at 11:15 am with Washington National Cathedral (Livestream)
Sunday, July 4
8 am at St Andrew by-the-Lake: Holy Eucharist
Preacher and Celebrant: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann
10 am at Church of Our Father: Holy Eucharist
Preacher and Celebrant: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann
Deacon: The Rev. Mary-Carol Griffin
10 am at St. John the Divine: Lay led Morning Prayer
Officiant: Ellen Gilmore
Note: Worship at St. John's will be outdoors and masking not required.
10 am at St. Saviour's: Lay led Morning Prayer
Officiant: Lee Garrett
If you are interested in being a lay leader of Morning Prayer on Sundays this summer,
please let Mother Holly and the parish administrator of your church know.
You are invited to attend church at any of the Episcopal parishes, including St. Mary's (Holy Eucharist at 8 and 10 am) with the Rev. Stephen Muncie or at St. Jude's (Holy Eucharist at 10 am) with the Rev. Dr. William Hague.
On Wednesdays
at Church of Our Father at 8 am
Using the readings appointed for the day in the Book of Common Prayer, we will have a service of Morning Prayer followed by Holy Eucharist starting every other week. The next service of Holy Eucharist on Wednesday will be June 30 with The Rev. John Burton.
One of the Daily Office readings is selected for the devotional Day by Day (Forward Movement) which is available in the church offices. All readings appointed for the day are available online at: https://prayer.forwardmovement.org/. All are invited!
If you will be leading Morning Prayer this summer at your church on a Sunday, please try to join us for a refresher on leading this prayer service on a Wednesday morning. Note that Mother Holly is fully vaccinated.
We ask that you mask while indoors for worship to protect the most vulnerable. | | | IMPORTANT NEWS and DATES! | | | Mother Holly's Graduate Studies in Christian Spirituality Click here to read Mother Holly's letter to the parishes that was published in the June newsletters to learn more about where she is and what she is doing. | | |
Parish Annual Meetings: Save the Date!
St. Saviour's: Sunday, July 11 after 10 am worship, in person only
| | Attention Church Leaders, Volunteers with Youth and Family Ministry, Eucharistic Visitors:
Safe Church Training Due by July 15. "One of the important responsibilities we share is to keep each other safe--especially the youngest and most vulnerable among us. That is why for many years, The Diocese of Maine has required that people who work with children or with shut-ins have training in "Safe Church" practices: how to maintain appropriate boundaries, and what the danger signs are when someone might be transgressing those boundaries. Safe Church training is available to all Maine Episcopalians, and we hope that these convenient, online formats mean that many people will be able to learn how to help keep everyone safe. While it is available for all, current Safe Church Training certification through the Safeguarding Online program and the State of Maine's Mandated Reporting Online training is required of "...all Diocesan employees, volunteers, and others acting on behalf of the Diocese, as well as all clergy of the Diocese and persons otherwise accountable to the Diocese…." If you haven't been trained in the last four years, please re-do it. Be sure to read through the requirements carefully, completing both Part A and Part B. Click here to visit the diocesan website for more information and links to the two online training sites. These records are due to the parish office by July 15. One of the tasks when the bishop is on an official visit is to check that each parish's Safe Church Training is up to date. Thank you in advance and be in touch with Mother Holly if you need pastoral support while completing the training. | |  | | Happy Anniversary to Bishop Brown!
Bishop Brown celebrates the second anniversary of his consecration today. Join us in thanking him for his love and leadership over this past year! Leave comments here on our Facebook page.
SAVE the DATES: Bishop Brown makes his official visit to the Episcopal churches on MDI August 4-9. During this time there will be many parish and island-wide events, including a celebration of New Ministry with Mother Holly and the parishes of the MDI Partnership on Sunday, August 8. | |  | The Maine CDC and the Maine Department of Health and Human Services hosted a meeting with the Maine Council of Churches and faith leaders across the Maine to discuss how faith leaders can assist with the efforts to vaccinate Mainers against COVID-19 on June 3rd.
Mother Holly was one of the members of the clergy who attended this online meeting.
The session covered available information and best practices for communicating about the vaccine, and how places of worship can request to host pop-up clinics. Dr. Shah and other officials also answered questions.
Click the image above or here to view the recording. | | Adult, Youth, and Family Formation
Children's Faith Formation at Home on MDI
Brad Berry and Chris Krenicki of Church of Our Father send home materials to support faith formation at home monthly for elementary and middle school aged youth. If you would like to receive these materials or be notified when in person events are happening here for youth in this age range, please be in touch with the parish office. Contact information is at the bottom of this email.
Pray, Play, Connect: A Fun and Prayerful Space for 6th-12th Graders across the Diocese
Third Mondays from 7:00-8:30 PM via Zoom - click here to join.
FMI: The Rev. Sara D'Angio White, Canon for Youth Formation here.
Let's Talk About It: Compline + Conversation for 9th-12th graders
Fourth Sundays from 7:00-8:30 pm Click here for the ZOOM LINK
Youth have jumped right in and engaged on difficult subjects, such as school violence and racism. Adults are welcome; contact Sara D'Angio White here.
SAVE THE DATE: Confirmation Class for Adults and High Schoolers on Saturday, July 24 from 9 am - 2 pm
The Rev. Holly Hoffmann and the Rev. Steve Muncie will lead a day-long confirmation class on Saturday, July 24. The class is open for those high school aged and older who would like to learn more about The Episcopal Church and consider being Confirmed (or Received from another tradition in which you have been previously Confirmed) into the church when Bishop Brown is here for his official visit to MDI the first week in August. More details forthcoming! Contact Mother Holly to register BY JULY 9 or if you have questions by clicking here.
Contemplative Prayer: How About Adding a Group Contemplative Prayer experience to your spiritual life this summer?
Mother Regina Christianson and the Rev. Dr. Jenny Reece are gathering those who have or would like to learn a centering prayer practice every Friday at 1:00 p.m. at the Oranbega Retreat Center in Orland, Maine, starting on Friday, June 18. Beginners are always welcome, as are the more experienced, so long as they have "beginner's mind"! If you are interested please call or email Jenny and she will give you directions to Oranbega. 207-952-2363.
Participation via Zoom will be available for those who live too far away to come to Orland for an hour on Fridays. To receive a link, use the above contact info. May your summer be richly blessed with prayer and meditation! | | | Partnership Parish Directories are available!
Members of the three parishes are welcome to pick up the Directory. Please stop by during parish office hours or contact the parish administrator to schedule a time. Contact information is at the bottom of this email. | | Mother Holly's Office Hours - suspended for June
while she is in Omaha, Nebraska for graduate studies. Click here to read Mother Holly's letter to the parishes that was published in the June newsletters to learn more about where she is and what she is doing. For pastoral emergencies, call her at 207-244-8144
and leave a message,
if you do not reach her immediately.
This number is set to ring both in Southwest Harbor and in Omaha.
She will respond to pastoral emergencies while away
and arrange for follow up with local clergy as needed. | | | | IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . . | | | The Diocese Is Seeking Readers for the July Online Service! The diocese will continue to offer a service online once a month over their YouTube Channel. If you would like to be a reader in the July service, please contact Director of Communications Katie Clark at your earliest convenience. Thank you! | | The MDI Covid Task Force Update 5/25: - Sunday, in-person worship resumes on June 20.
- Communion will be distributed in one kind only (blessed bread). The full grace of the sacrament is received.
- People will be required to wear masks when gathered for worship indoors.
- Worship leaders who are vaccinated can unmask only when at the lectern or altar.
- Unvaccinated people must remain masked at all times.
- Anyone singing will be required to mask.
- People will not be required to mask when gathered for worship outdoors at St. John's.
- People will be required to wear masks when entering the church offices and buildings.
- Coffee hours and receptions may be held outdoors only and may only offer pre-poured beverages and "grab and go" foods like cookies or plated foods.
- Groups from outside the parish will be using the church buildings again and will be required to mask when indoors.
- Small groups from inside the parish are requested to talk to the Priest-in-Charge about masking, if all people in the group are known to be vaccinated.
- Buildings will be cleaned as before the pandemic. Frequent hand washing and hand sanitation will be encouraged, especially before receiving Communion.
| | | Fun & Fellowship
St. Andrew and St. John has music available on their website by Stephen Sampson at any time. You may go to their website by clicking here then click on the Music tab on the left side of the page | | | Devotional Materials to Support Prayer at Home - Teen Simple Daily Devotional https://d365.org/ This resource is used by teens across the country. It walks you through simple daily devotionals (sort of like meditations). You could use it any day, to strengthen you on your faith journey.
- Forward Movement has the daily office (morning prayer, noonday prayer, evening prayer, or compline) on the Forward Movement Daily Prayer website.
- There is also a daily podcast, A Morning at the Office, with various people leading the prayers and reading the scripture lessons for the day.
- The popular daily devotion Forward Day by Day is posted each day online, and it too is available as a podcast.
- Hardcopies of the Day By Day readers are available by contacting the church office or stopping by when the parish office is open.
| | | Urgent Message about email, phone and text scams.
Neither the Rev. Holly Hoffmann nor any member of the church staff or leadership will solicit gifts, specifically gift cards, via email, phone or text directly. Neither will we ask if you are "free now" and request only an email or text response. Always check the actual email address from the sender to see if it matches Mother Holly's email and do not respond to the email, text or call. Please report these emails as phishing/scam attempts and block the sender or caller from your inbox or phone . If you are in doubt, or need more information, please contact the parish office. We will return your call. | | | Community Resources
Everybody Eats Free Community Meal is a project whose goal is to provide free, healthful and wholesome meals to the Ellsworth community. Visit their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/Everybody-Eats-A-Free-Community-Meal-568143769902367/.
Open Table MDI exists to inspire strong, loving, and inclusive communities by bringing people together to share in nourishing food. For more information visit their website here.
AA recovery groups, online and in person, in Downeast Maine can be found by clicking here
An AA group meets in St. Saviour's Parish Hall in small groups on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays at 7 pm. | | | |
