Worship With Us IN PERSON
Sunday, October 17 10 am at Church of Our Father: Holy Eucharist Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann
Deacon: The Rev. Mary-Carol Griffin 10 am at St. Saviour's: Holy Eucharist Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev. Jenny Reece 10 am at St. John the Divine: Lay Led Morning Prayer Officiant/Preacher: Rita Redfield Masks are required indoors to protect the most vulnerable:
younger children, the immunocompromised, and others who have not yet been vaccinated.
If you or a close contact tests positive for Covid, please let Mother Holly know so we can support you in your recovery and communicate with the community as necessary about their possible exposure to the virus while maintaining confidentiality and pastoral privacy. Coffee hour will be held only outdoors and canceled in poor weather.
Pre-registration is not required, and social distancing is encouraged.
Holy Communion will be offered in one-kind only (Bread).
If you are interested in being a lay leader of Morning Prayer or becoming a lay preacher on Sundays,
please contact Mother Holly and the parish administrator of your church.
Midweek Holy Eucharist on MDI
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 Holy Eucharist.
| | | Please Wear Your Name Tag to Church Remember that wearing your name tag at worship is helpful to each other, Mother Holly, supply clergy, and to visitors! If you would like a new name tag, contact your Parish Administrator. | | | Assisting at Services We are in need of support for our worship services: Acolytes, Greeters/Ushers, Lectors, Intercessors, Altar Guild, Coffee Hour/Lemonade on the Lawn Hosts, and officiants for Morning Prayer.If you would like to help at any of our services, please contact the parish administrator of your church. Thank you! | | | Pastoral Care Requests Holy Communion: If you are unable to attend an in-person worship service and would like Holy Communion brought to you, please contact the church office (contact information is at the bottom of this email). We will arrange a time for the clergy or Eucharistic Visitors to bring the Sacrament to your home or hospital bedside.
Hospital Visits: If you or a loved one is in the hospital, please let Mother Holly know. She is glad to come visit you in the hospital or call you during your stay. | | | IMPORTANT NEWS and DATES! | | | Please join us for Apple Picking!  Sunday October 17th at 3 p.m.
People from all three parishes will meet at Johnson's Apple Orchard in Ellsworth,have a quick circle up for introductions and then head out to pick. You will be responsible for paying for your own apples. Have too many? We will try to make arrangements to get them to folks who can use them.
Please consider bringing any children in your life as well as the young at heart who could use some old fashioned outdoor fun ! Questions call Chris Krenicki 664-4945.
| | Sunday, 10/24
Lay Preaching Seminar on MDI  The Rev. Dr. Mark Jefferson, Assistant Professor of Homiletics at Virginia Theological Seminary, is our guest preacher for the island-wide service of Holy Eucharist on Sunday, October 24 at St. Saviour.
Mother Holly met Mark while in Omaha, Nebraska in June when he was preaching at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral. Following this service and time to eat lunch, Mark will lead a seminar for lay preachers to inspire and guide them in both inner, spiritual and practical preparation of sermons. Folks from MDI may attend in person, if they desire. The seminar may also be attended by Zoom. To attend in person email Mother Holly to attend on Zoom click here now to reserve your spot.
This seminar will be hosted by the parishes of the MDI Partnership and open to others in the Diocese of Maine and Province 1.
The Rev. Dr. Mark Jefferson holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Religion focusing on Homiletics from Emory University where he was a doctoral fellow for the Fund for Theological Exploration (FTE) and the Lilly Foundation. During his doctoral work, he received the W.E.B. Du Bois Award from the Candler School of Theology. He is an internationally respected preacher and teacher of preachers. He was inducted into the Martin Luther King, Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College and appeared in The Nassau Guardian (Bahamas). He has preached at churches such as: Washington National Cathedral, Washington, D.C.; Alfred Street Baptist Church, Alexandria, VA; Mt. Ararat Baptist Church, Pittsburgh, PA; The House of Hope Atlanta, Decatur, GA; Friendship Baptist Church, Atlanta, GA; Trinity Cathedral, Phoenix, AZ; Alexandria Detention Center, Alexandria, VA and Bethel A.M.E, Hampton, VA among many others churches, conferences, chapels, public gatherings, and occasions. Dr. Jefferson was selected for the historic Lenten Preaching Series at Calvary Episcopal Church, in Memphis, TN. VTS is honoring its 200th anniversary on October 15, 2023, and in contribution to this effort, Dr. Jefferson is currently preaching 200 sermons locally, nationally, and internationally in the years leading up to the Bicentennial Celebration.
For more on Dr. Jefferson, click here. | | Booster Vaccine Doses:
The latest from the Maine CDC: "The U.S. CDC recommends that some individuals who received the Pfizer vaccine get a booster dose. This includes those who are 65 years and older, residents in long-term care facilities, and people ages 50-64 years with underlying medical conditions. People ages 18-49 with underlying medical conditions and those ages 18-64 at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission may also receive a booster. For more information, see this FAQ. To find a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine, find a vaccination site offering the Pfizer shot."
Read the complete information at the Maine CDC website: https://www.maine.gov/covid19/vaccines | | | | Covid Task Force Update Our Covid Task Force of the Episcopal churches of MDI have started meeting regularly again due to the increase of cases in Maine. We reviewed our protocols: -
Masking for all regardless of vaccination status at all indoor gatherings -
Social distancing will be marked within the worship space of all our churches -
Refreshments will be only served outdoors (as has been our policy) -
Ushers take care to encourage masking when entering the building and to maintain social distancing, especially during the distribution of Communion | | Youth & 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
All youth graduating 5th-12th grade are welcome! If you haven't participated in a diocesan youth event, this is a great opportunity to check one out. 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.
Adult Formation
Bible Study with the Rev. Stephen Muncie The Wednesday Morning Bible Study will resume on October 13, 10:30 am. We will pick up our study of the Book of Exodus beginning with chapter 16. However, we will spend some time offering an overview of the beginnings of Exodus and the Moses story, the plagues of Egypt, and the deliverance at the Red Sea. All are welcome to attend. If you would like to be added to the class mailing list please send Fr. Steve an email here: Email Father Steve. 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! If you intend to come to Orland in person, please call or text Jenny at 207-952-2363 for the schedule, as the meeting will be Zoom only on the weeks when she is absent and Mother Regina is leading the group. | | Mother Holly's Office Hours
Sunday as scheduled and where needed
Monday at St. John's
Tuesday at St. Saviour's
Wednesday at Church of Our Father
Thursday where needed and sermon preparation
She is happy to schedule an appointment if you would like to see her!
Call the parish office or E-mail her For pastoral emergencies, call her at 207-244-8144
and leave a message,
if you do not reach her immediately. | | | | IN CASE YOU MISSED IT . . . | | | | Preparing for the 202nd Convention of the Diocese | | | "Go forth with hope and grace" | | Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 NRSV
The 202nd Convention of the Diocese of Maine will take place online on Saturday, October 23. Time TBA. All information will be posted to the convention page of the diocesan website as it becomes available. Please contact Canon Barbara Martin with any questions.
| | | | | Update Your Zoom!
Zoom regularly pushes out new versions of their desktop client and mobile app to fix bugs, add enhancements, and address security concerns.
Zoom pushed out a new update on Monday, August 2nd. If you haven't updated your Zoom, consider this your reminder to do so!
Click here for more information and to select the download you need (PC, Mac, Linux, mobile). | | | Tech Tip: Changing Your Zoom Screen Name
How do you change your Zoom screen name? We're here to show you how! Click on the video link below (or click here) for a brief video from the Episcopal Diocese of Maine that shows you three different ways to change your Zoom screen name.
| | | | | Support Your Church To facilitate stewardship, the Diocese of Maine has launched an online giving resource at no charge to the parishes. The Diocese will transfer the funds you give to your church or summer chapel using this online payment system. Simply select your church and set up your one-time or recurring gift or establish automatic weekly or monthly donations to the parish, either charged to your credit card or to your personal checking or savings account. You can also name your gift in memory or honor of someone through this site in the memo section. Congregation names begin with their town; chapels begin with "Chapel" followed by town and chapel name. Click here to visit the online giving portal of the Diocese.
As always, the church accepts other forms of donations. Contact the church office if you would like to request pledge envelopes for the future. | | | 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.
| | | 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 Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at noon, and on Saturdays, Mondays, and Wednesdays at 7 pm. | | | Warning 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. | | |
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