Worship With Us IN PERSON
NEW Service Schedule
Sunday, December 12
Third Sunday in Advent
9 am at Church of Our Father: Holy Eucharist Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann Deacon: The Rev. Mary-Carol Griffin 11 am at St. Saviour's: Lay led Morning Prayer Officiant/Preacher: Lee Garrett 4 pm at St. John the Divine: Holy Eucharist Celebrant/Preacher: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann You can always look to the online calendar to see the service schedule: https://mdi-episcopal.org/calendar/
Covid Precautions Masks are required indoors to protect the most vulnerable: younger children, the immunocompromised, and others who have not yet been vaccinated. Pre-registration is not required, and social distancing is encouraged.We will be keep a list of those who attend services, should contact tracing become necessary. Holy Communion will be offered in one-kind only (Bread). 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.
Using the readings appointed for the day in the Book of Common Prayer,
we will have a service Holy Eucharist.
On the first Wednesday of the month, we will use a Rite I liturgy. | | Weekly Sermons and More
This past Sunday's sermon:
https://youtu.be/neo9mEgZER8
Evening Holy Eucharist St. John's, Advent II, Sunday, December 5, 2021 The Rev. Holly Hoffmann, St. John the Divine, Southwest Harbor, ME. "the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness." Luke 3:1-6.
The sermon Mother Holly offered this Sunday at St. Saviour's, the video can be seen here: https://youtu.be/e72Ebb0FdDA
If you missed a sermon offered by Mother Holly or want to hear it again,
you can watch a recording of it by visiting the
MDI Episcopal YouTube Channel. |  | | | 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, 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! | | | |  December 12: The Harborside Trio: A Christmas Concert for The Community at St. John The Divine
On Sunday, December 12th at 2 pm, "PEOPLE, LOOK EAST," a concert of festive music for the season, will be presented by the Harborside Trio. The musicians will be Cherie Magnello, soprano; Carl Wrubel, baritone; and William Merrill, pianist. The music on the program will include medieval chant settings, Christmas solos and duets by Vivaldi, Dello Joio, Alec Rowley, and John Rutter. William Merrill has been supporting worship at St. John's this season on the first and third Sundays of the month. The audience and performers will be masked. Freewill offerings are appreciated. (limited to 30 people for social distancing) We are going to try to livestream this concert to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MDIEPISCOPAL | | | December 12: Christmas Cookie Ministry There are two opportunities to donate cookies to fill tins for folks in our community who are homebound. We need both bakers and helpers! Fully decorated cookies will be brought in on December 12, the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Contact Pat Samuel or Gail Leland to volunteer to help bake or deliver (see the church directory). Please contact Pat, Gail, or Mother Holly if you have someone you think should receive a tin from any of the three parishes. | | | December 14: Diocesan Town Hall: "Where is God calling me, in my real life, right now?" : A Question for All of Us!
Every week we ask God to "send us out to do the work you have given us to do."
We're doing something unique and exciting in Maine that we hope will spread and influence the wider church. With the leadership of the Commission on Ministry, we're asking what God is up to in each of our lives at this moment in time. We are looking for ways to offer discernment for all of us: laypeople, people seeking holy orders, and even clergy - because discernment is not a "one-and-done" event!
This Town Hall on Tuesday, December 14th at 5pm will: Introduce you to this exciting work Invite you to take part in it Update you on the work the Commission on Ministry is doing to shepherd the ordination process | | | Christmas Worship Schedule on MDI
Christmas Eve, December 24
4 pm Church of Our Father, The Rev. Holly Hoffmann
Prelude to begin at 3:30 pm
4 pm St. Mary's, The Rev. Stephen Muncie
7 pm St. Saviour's, The Rev. Holly Hoffmann
with full choir, organ, and harp
9:30 pm St. John's, The Rev. Holly Hoffmann
with candlelight, organ, piano, and harp
Christmas Day, December 25
10 am St. John's, The Rev. Holly Hoffmann
music provided by the Dr. Daniel Pyle
10 am St. Mary's, The Rev. Stephen Muncie
December 26
Island-wide Shared MDI Episcopal Worship Service
10 am St. Mary's, Northeast Harbor,
Lessons and Carols with Holy Eucharist
The Rev. Stephen Muncie
| | | January 2: "Soul Deep Healing of Racism's Wounds"
with Dr. Meeks
| | Episcopal Peace Fellowship (EPF) continues to host a series of online, 1-hour presentations at 4:00 pm on the first Sunday of each month that address different aspects of and approaches to peacebuilding, both with others and within ourselves.
The next offering on Sunday, January 2 is "Soul Deep Healing of Racism's Wounds". Presenter, Catherine Meeks, PhD, takes the healing of racism deeper than politics to address the injuries and grievances we bear in our hearts. Dr. Meeks is the Founding Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing, a collaborative initiative between the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta and he Episcopal Church.
Register for this presentation here. | | | | | Advent Resources from the Diocese | | | | "Christ at Our Door:
A Quiet Evening of Preparation in Advent"
 The Rev. Martin Smith led an Advent retreat on Wednesday, December 8 at St. Peter's in Portland. Rev. Smith is an Episcopal priest, noted author, spiritual director, and leader of retreats across the country. Fr. Martin is the author of the book that we read and discussed this past Lent on MDI with Mother Holly. The recording of this hour-long event will be available for the remainder of Advent on St. Peter's Facebook page (click here) Please enjoy! "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to them and eat with them, and they with me." This verse from Revelation (chapter 3 verse 20) was the theme for a quiet evening of thoughtfulness and prayer about ways to let Christ in, to help us take advantage of Advent's invitation to a fresh start. Fr. Martin Smith gave three brief reflections, each followed by a time for personal prayer and reflection. The retreat concluded with the service of Compline. | |  | | Please click above for Bishop Thomas Brown's Advent message for 2021. | |  Diocese of Maine Hymn Advent Calendar We are delighted to share this Advent resource with you. Follow along each Advent day in December as we share favorite Advent (and Christmas) hymns and songs, submitted by members, youth, clergy, and staff from all around the diocese! The link to the Advent calendar is here. Just like any Advent calendar, door #1 is not available to be opened until December 1st! | | Advent Calendar
Once again The Rev. Tom Mousin and Merry Watters have created an Advent Devotional Calendar for all to share. Here is a PDF of this calendar as we begin our Church year, and our personal journeys of deep reflection, preparing for the birth of Jesus Christ.
For more information, and to access it at their blog, click *here* | | | | |
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.
Episcopal Maine Youth of all ages are gathering online
| | All youth grades 6-12 are invited to join a fun and prayerful online space each month! The next meeting for this age group is Monday, December 20 at 6:30 pm.
No registration needed! Youth can just click here to join via Zoom to spend time getting to know one another, playing some games, and praying together. | | High schoolers and young adults (21 and younger) are also invited to gather for conversation and prayer online.
They can cick here to join on Zoom on the first Monday of each month. The next meeting is Monday, December 6 at 6:30 pm. The group will talk about current events, their faith, God, and everything in between - wherever the conversation goes!
Questions about either of these monthly gatherings? Please contact the Rev. Cn. Sara D'Angio White. | |
Adult Formation
Bible Study with the Rev. Stephen Muncie The Wednesday Morning Bible Study has resumed. If you would like to be added to the class mailing list please send Fr. Steve an email here: Email Father Steve. Contemplative Prayer Group: 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. Beginners are always welcome, as are the more experienced, so long as they have "beginner's mind"! 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 Advent 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 (or if you need directions), as the meeting will be Zoom only on the weeks when she is absent and Mother Regina is leading the group. | | | Praying Compline in the Diocese
Monday-Friday at 8 pm
A core community at the Cathedral of St. Luke, Portland have been praying the service of Compline together for sometime. They would now like to invite anyone in the diocese to come and pray with them! Follow this Zoom link to join them Monday through Friday at 8:00pm. They look forward to meeting you as they end the day in prayer together. | | | An Invitation to Pray Transformation Northeast is a nondenominational effort to renew Christianity in New England. Tony Sousa, Senior Warden of Church of Our Father in Hulls Cove, encourages churches in our diocese to become involved. Join them in praying 24/7 for Church and regional renewal, transformation, and awakening. Click here to "start to pray". Sign up for a time slot that isn't yet taken. You will receive an automatic reminder to let you know your prayer time is coming. Find prayer guides here. Email questions to David Janssen. | | 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 . . . | | | Diocese in the News!
Read in Bill Nemitz: Ringing in the holidays with tasty Maine spuds about how Jason Briggs, parishioner at Trinity, Saco and vice president of business development for VIP Tour & Charter in Portland, has been inspired through the years to donate pallets of Aroostook County potatoes to points south. The article talks about his collaboration with the Episcopal Diocese of Maine including the time they ended up with 50,000 instead of 5,000 pounds of potatoes to distribute! | | | | | Watch this interview of Presiding Bishop Curry by ABC News about the Church addressing climate change following his experience at the COP26 Climate Conference. |  | | | New Worship Schedule Starting in November:
9 am at Church of Our Father
11 am at St. Saviour
4 pm at St. John the Divine (moving to 5 pm for the summer months)
This schedule allows Mother Holly to worship with you in a celebration of Holy Eucharist all but one Sunday a month while keeping her Sunday schedule manageable across the three parishes.
Our shared, island-wide Episcopal worship services with St. Mary's and St. Jude's will be on the 4th Sunday of the month at 10 am during the program year in different churches that can host larger worship services. We will continue to have a lay-led prayer services but now only once per month and on a predictable schedule because of the new service times: 1st Sundays of the month will be Morning Prayer at 9 am at Church of Our Father 2nd Sundays will be Morning Prayer at 11 am St. Saviour's 3rd Sundays will be Evening Prayer at 4 pm St. John the Divine All other Sundays will be services of Holy Eucharist, and Mother Holly will be the celebrant unless otherwise noted. You can always look to the online calendar to see the service schedule: https://mdi-episcopal.org/calendar/ | | 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 is required for all, regardless of vaccination status at all indoor gatherings
- Social distancing will be marked within the worship space of all our churches
- We will keep a list to assist in contact tracing should that be necessary
- Refreshments will be only served outdoors (as has been our policy)
- Ushers, take care to encourage masking when entering the building and maintaining social distancing, especially during the distribution of Communion
| | | 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
Westside Food Pantry Distribution of vouchers at St. John the Divine in Southwest Harbor occur on the first Sunday (12:00-2:00) and third Sunday (12:00-1:00) of each month from November through April and beyond, if necessary. We invite you to visit the facebook page where you will find periodic announcements and information about the Westside Food Pantry. Please visit the page at: https://www.facebook.com/WestsideFoodPantry and like it.
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.
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/.
AA recovery groups, online and in person, in Downeast Maine can be found by clicking here | | | 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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