Worship With Us IN PERSON and ONLINE Sunday, March 6, 2022 (4th Sunday, Island-wide Worship will resume this month) Sunday services of Holy Eucharist will be livestreamed to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/MDIEPISCOPAL Morning Prayer 9 am at Church of Our Father Officiant: Gail Leland Holy Eucharist 11 am at St. Saviour's, Bar Harbor Celebrant: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann Holy Eucharist 4 pm at St. John the Divine Celebrant: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann You can always look to the online calendar to see the service schedule: https://mdi-episcopal.org/calendar/ Worship services will be held even in the event of snow. Make good decisions for yourself on whether to drive in to church or not. | | 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. On the first Wednesday of the month, we will use a Rite I liturgy. | | Covid Precautions: If you are exhibiting any of the symptoms of Covid, please choose to attend a service online. Everyone masks indoors. Wear a medical-grade mask (double mask, if using cloth). Medical masks are available at all churches. Socially distanced seating. Communion in one-kind, Bread only. Sanitize your hands prior to receiving Communion. Contact tracing sign in for visitors and guests. God bless you for keeping our church, our community, and our loved ones safe. 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. | | Sermon by the Rev. Holly Hoffmann on the Last Sunday after the Epiphany February 27, 2022 at St. John the Divine Southwest Harbor, ME. "Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white." (Luke 9:28-36, [37-43a]). Sermon begins 2:56. | | | 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! | | 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. | | 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 EVENTS and DATES! | | | | Ash Wednesday Service, St. John the Divine, Southwest Harbor March 2, 2022 Celebrant and Preacher: The Rev. Holly Hoffmann | | Invitation to a Holy, Prayerful Lent Wednesdays: Stations of the Cross following the 8 am worship service until noon at Church of Our Father Building off the strong tradition of praying with the Stations of the Cross at this parish, individuals are welcome to pray the Stations of the Cross in small groups or individually during this time. Prayer devotionals will be provided. Thursdays: Music and Meditation 12-12:30 pm at St. Saviour's During the season of Lent, St. Saviour's will offer a weekly series of programs of Music & Meditation. They will take place on the six Thursdays in Lent from 12 noon until 12:30, starting on March 3. Each service of Music & Meditation will include a welcome and introduction by a member of the clergy, a period of music (about 20 minutes) for reflection and restoration, and some closing prayers. The music will be offered by the musicians of the MDI parishes, including Tony Sousa, Bill Merrill, Deborah Govenor, and the Dr. Daniel Pyle. March 10 Paul Dickson March 17 Tony Sousa March 24 Deborah Govenor March 31 Bill Merrill April 7 Dr. Daniel Pyle Labyrinth Walking Meditation Tuesday, March 29 4 pm and 7 pm St. Andrew's (it will be heated) The Rev. Madeline Murphy, deacon at Christ Church, Eastport, will provide an introduction to the practice of walking a Labyrinth as a form of prayer. Flautist Catherine Bull will provide music as a part of this experience. The labyrinth will be available for individual use starting Tuesday 3/29 through Holy Week and Easter. If you would like to be a greeter / docent during these weeks for folks from the wider community who are likely to want to enjoy this resource while we have it in our community, please be in touch with Mother Holly. (snow date will be Wednesday, March 30, same times) The Schedule for Holy Week and Easter Worship will be announced later. | | | A 40 Days of Gratitude Lenten Journal From the United Thank Offering: The 40 Days of Gratitude Lenten Journal is designed for at-home use for adults to deepen their spiritual practice of gratitude during Lent. Each week, the authors will focus on practicing gratitude for a specific topic based on scripture. They recommend printing it out double-sided and stapling it on the long edge, so that it functions as a book. Click here to download. | | March 9: Prayer Vigil for the Ukraine St. Andrew's Lutheran Church, Ellsworth Pastor Jonathan Vogel and the parish of St. Andrew's Lutheran has invited us to pray with them for the situation in Ukraine. St. Andrew will be hosting a day long Prayer Vigil for Ukraine on Wednesday, March 9. The sanctuary will be open at 8 am, with a brief spoken liturgy at noon, and concluding with 7pm worship (in-person, parking lot and Zoom). All are welcome to come when they choose and stay as long as desired. Pastors will be available throughout the day for conversation as desired. | | March 19: Evening Music Concert, 4 pm Celebrating the birthday of Johann Sebastian Bach (21 March 1685) The Art of Fugue Dr. Daniel Pyle performs one of Bach's last and most profound works, The Art of Fugue. Bach apparently created the work as an exploration of all the possibilities for fugal writing (music in several voices in which each voice imitates musical gestures that appear in the others) inherent in a single theme. The very first moments of the work present this one musical theme entirely alone; the eighteen movements which follow are all derived from this one musical idea. Although the surviving copies of the work do not specify what instrument or instruments it should be played on, internal evidence strongly suggests that Bach had the harpsichord in mind, and Dr. Pyle will be playing on his two-manual harpsichord. The concert is free, but donations in support of The Friends of Music at St. Saviour's are requested. All members of the audience must be masked. | | | March 27: Island-wide Shared Worship Resumes | | March: Women's History Month at the Southwest Harbor Library Mother Holly, KC Burton, and Marsha Lyons (and perhaps other parishioners, too!) have artwork on display at the Southwest Harbor Library as a part of an observation of Women's History Month. The theme of the show is Hope and Healing. The art show will be open throughout the month of March. https://swhplibrary.libcal.com/event/8912936 | | Upcoming in April: Book of Hope Community Read & Discussion Following our experience with the documentary film Mission: Joy and the book Book of Joy, those gathered for the book discussions this week decided to continue this series by reading the Book of Hope: A survival guide for trying times by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams. Join us for continued conversation on Joy and Hope. These discussions will be in the season of Easter, likely in the first few weeks following Easter (April 10). Exact date TBD. A parish member has donated a few books to allow anyone who would like to, to participate. Don't let finances prevent you from joining the dialog. Please contact Mother Holly, if you would like to receive one of these books. | | Shared Faith Café: Every Tuesday at 11:30 am - Noon Connect with familiar faces, make new friends, and visit with people who are away from MDI for the winter months! Join Mother Holly and others in your faith community on Zoom for a cup of tea or coffee you brew in the comfort of your home. We will meet for 30 minutes once a week through the months of February and March. Click here to join the Zoom. No passcode needed. Circles of Caring: Every other Wednesday (other than third Wednesday of the month) at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm As the pandemic continues, a number of us have been feeling a lack of connectedness. There's an opportunity for anyone in the Partnership to join a " Circle of Caring" where you can connect with others. Please feel free to extend this invitation to anyone you think would be interested. The groups are fluid, no necessary commitment, just an opportunity to "see: friends, meet new ones, and reach out to others." The next meeting is March 9th. If you are interested in attending, even if you are unavailable for the meeting on the 9th, let Pat and Roger Samuel know.You can contact them by emailing click here. | | Participate in General Convention Hearings - Happening Now + April/May! The 80th General Convention will convene in Baltimore in July 2022. The Convention is the Episcopal Church's governing body, making decisions about: - Worship, authorizing new liturgical materials and deciding about revision of the Book of Common Prayer
- Programs and policies in areas such as racial justice, congregational and diocesan vitality, and Christian formation
- The Church's stance on issues such as the economy, poverty, war, health care, violence, climate change, racism, and human rights.
- The budget of the Episcopal Church
The Convention works by adopting resolutions. Legislative committees have begun meeting to review resolutions assigned to them. All Episcopalians, and all members of the public, are invited to register to attend or testify at online hearings on resolutions being considered for the 80th General Convention of The Episcopal Church. Some important notes to help you plan your participation: - Online hearings are being scheduled for April 30-May 21. Committees will meet throughout the winter and spring.
- Resolutions can be found on the General Convention Virtual Binder.
- More than 100 resolutions have been submitted so far, and one way to narrow your focus is to browse the list of Committees. Select a committee whose topic is of particular interest to you, then view the resolutions assigned to that committee.
- Anyone can observe a meeting of a legislative committee and/or testify at an online hearing. Registration in advance is required. The Legislative Committee Calendar lists upcoming meetings and hearings; additional meetings will be posted as committees schedule them with the General Convention Office. Links for "more info" on the Legislative Committee Calendar will take you to the sign-up page to observe or testify.
- There are two types of Legislative Committee meetings: deliberation and hearing. Only those listed "Video - Open Hearing" are available for members of the public to testify. Members of the public can opt to attend and observe hearings, but will not have the option of speaking unless they change their registration to testify prior to the meeting. If the meeting is listed as "Video - Ctte Deliberation Only - No Testimony," members of the public are invited to request to observe the meeting.
- To testify, you must indicate a specific resolution. The time allocated to each witness may be limited to as little as one or two minutes, so prepare your remarks carefully.
| | May 14: Save the Date for Spring Training 2022 | | Spring Training 2022 will feature a conversation with the Bishops of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Saturday, May 14 9 am -12 pm Online Join us for a morning of conversation, prayer, and learning. Participants will attend two workshops of their choice, as well as engage in a conversation between our own Bishop Brown, Bishop MacVean-Brown of Vermont, and Bishop Hirschfeld of New Hampshire. Workshop topics range from environmental and social justice to welcoming COVID-traumatized children into our sanctuaries, to exploring the diaconate. Mark your calendars now, and be on the lookout for forthcoming registration for this free online event! | | | | Covid Task Force Update Our Covid Task Force of the four Episcopal parishes of MDI meet biweekly. We will continue: - Masking 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 of attendees at services to assist in contact tracing, should that be necessary
- Refreshments will be only served outdoors (as has been our policy)
- Ushers will take care to remind people of masking when entering the building and maintaining social distancing, especially during the distribution of Communion
- The celebrant will either mask during the celebration of the Eucharist or cover the elements being consecrated so as to not unknowingly transmit the virus
- Offer a streamed, in-real-time option for attending worship wherever possible (all three of our parishes now have wifi in their sanctuary). Services of Holy Eucharist will be streamed at the time of the service.
- Continue to promote other online opportunities for worship such as at St. Luke's Cathedral, the National Cathedral, and monthly diocesan pre-recorded services
- The clergy request that all mask during visits to parishioners' homes for the safety of all.
- Encourage people to not cluster or block exits following a service so that those who want to exit swiftly may do so.
- Promote the option of attending the Wednesday 8 am service of Holy Eucharist at Church of Our Father where social distancing is easily maintained.
- Encourage booster shots, as the medical community now considers this a part of being "fully vaccinated."
Note: Full vaccinations expected, unless medically prohibited. We have eliminated these precautions as of 2/20/22: - Limits on congregational singing.
- Move all parish meetings and gatherings online (for example, vestry and parish meetings). Small groups from inside the parish and outside the parish may continue to meet in person and follow our Covid protocols.
- We will not hold island-wide worship in January and February so as to not gather in as large a number at this time.
| | Age 5+ eligible to schedule COVID-19 vaccination, Age 12+ eligible for booster COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots are available by appointment at the Community Health Center, Cooper Gilmore, and Trenton Health Center. The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is the only vaccine currently authorized for children ages 5-17. Everyone age 12+ is eligible for a booster shot. You must be 5 months past your second dose of Pfizer/Moderna or 2 months past your first dose of Johnson & Johnson to receive a booster dose. If you would like to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination or booster, please call one of our vaccination sites below or check our Bar Harbor Regency Clinic calendar. COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are also available by appointment at local pharmacies in Bar Harbor, Southwest Harbor and Ellsworth. Call now to schedule your vaccine or booster (Pfizer/J&J): Cooper Gilmore Health Center: 207-288–5024 17 Hancock Street, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 Community Health Center: 207-244–5630 16 Community Lane, Southwest Harbor, ME 04679 Trenton Health Center: 207-667–5899 394 Bar Harbor Road, Trenton, ME 04605 | | | ** Get free at-home COVID-19 tests ** 1) Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days. Order your tests now so you have them when you need them: https://www.covidtests.gov Project ACT 2) Additional Free Tests can be ordered for those living in some communities in Hancock County. Search by Zip Code: https://www.accesscovidtests.org | | | Giving within the Wider Community | | | 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. Connect with other Episcopal Maine households walking the path of faith via this private Facebook group. Our team will provide curated resources, and we will be resources for one another. 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, March 21 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, March 7 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. | | | | | Bible Study with the Rev. Stephen Muncie on Wednesday mornings at 10 am. 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. 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. Summer Study at Yale Divinity School: June 6-10 on Zoom https://summerstudy.yale.edu/classes This program is open to anyone interested in theological education. There are no prior educational requirements necessary to participate. Courses can count towards continuing education requirements for some clergy. Participants receive a Yale Certificate of Completion at the end of the course week. Courses are not for academic credit, but can count towards continuing education requirements for some clergy. Participants receive a Yale Certificate of Completion at the end of the course week. All courses are offered exclusively online via Zoom. Yale Divinity School's Summer Study program is open to the public, and all are welcome. The Center for Continuing Education at Yale Divinity School provides opportunities and resources for churches, clergy, and laity to foster the knowledge and love of God in their communities. The Center makes available the theological resources of YDS —events, lectures, programs, instructional resources, publications, and more—to enable and enrich ministry and lay learning. These resources are intended to support faith formation, religious education, and personal and professional enrichment. https://divinity.yale.edu/continuing-education | | A Prayer for Ukraine from Archbishops Justin Welby & Stephen Cottrell | | | | Invitation to Pray Daily for the Ukraine at 8 pm In early February, the Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Ukraine invited Ukrainian Catholics to pray the rosary for peace at 8 pm ( read story here). This prayer invitation has spread globally and taken any number of prayer forms. Join with others around the world praying for peace at 8 pm. | | An Invitation to Pray: Transformation Northeast David Janssen. Email questions to 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 guidesClick hereJoin them in praying 24/7 for Church and regional renewal, transformation, and awakening. Tony Sousa, Senior Warden of Church of Our Father in Hulls Cove, encourages churches in our diocese to become involved. is a nondenominational effort to renew Christianity in New England. Transformation Northeast | | 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. | | We pray for the victims of the recent natural disasters around the world. We pray for all essential services personnel, the first responders and healthcare workers affected by the pandemic. Church of Our Father Please let us know if we don't have your birthdate or anniversary date to celebrate! shalomcoof@gmail.com | | Birthdays: March 5 Joanne Peterson March 10 Rev. Mary-Carol Griffin March 11 Belle Libitzki-McCabe March 13 Carroll Leland March 15 Dimp Sawyer March 15 Jenny Rogers March 20 Dick Salisbury March 21 Bob Chaplin | | St. Saviour We pray for Yolanda Ferrari, Cheryl Kolodziej, Julie Grindle, Geoff Schuller, Eleanor Raynes, Howard Brush, John Stewart, Ruth Westphal, Gretchen Westphal, Lucy Triplett, Gail Leland, Christopher Lebida, Christopher Walls, Linda Carman, Mary Smith, John Fibiger, Ray McDonald, Emily O'Connor, Sarah Cleaves, Nicholas, Janet Flood, Rachel, Mimi, Charlie, Sarah B., Dickie, Alex, Penny Ayer, Arletta Sullivan, and Anne Cleaves. Please let us know of any updates. Please let us know if we don't have your birthdate or anniversary date to celebrate! info@stsaviours.me | | Birthdays: March 7 Joshua Lively March 14 Ty Proctor, Karen Shields March 24 Thomas Parham March 30 Robert Cameron | Anniversaries: None at the moment. Are we missing yours? | | We pray for Mary Ann Mahoney, Liz, Edie Stanwood, Susan Buell, Elizabeth Ward, Bunny Watts, Anne Wetzel, Paul Haertel, Chuck Bradshaw, Ted Bromage, Jean Storace, Spencer Ervin, Geoff Schuller, Doris McCorison, Gail Leland, Michael Shook, Joyce and Jim Risser, Loretta Schmidt, Theresa Mitchell, Fred & Dollis Sprague, Sara Winchenbach, Richard Ramsdell, Dorothy & Jim Clunan, Bill and Barbara Loveland. Please let us know if we don't have your birthdate or anniversary date to celebrate! sasj@mdi-episcopal.org | | Birthdays: March 4 - Mary Ann Mahoney March 5 - Patsy Fogarty March 5 - Jackson DaCosta March 20 - Ann Kidder March 26 - Jean Storace | | 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 on Zoom or in person, 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 . . . | | | Mainers gather in Portland to pray for peace in Ukraine Mainers gathered late Sunday afternoon at an Episcopal church in Portland to pray for peace in Ukraine, attending a service that was just one among many gatherings and protests held around the United States and the world after Russian President... Read more www.pressherald.com | | $$ No Frills Oil Discount $$ No Frills Oil gives a discount to all Episcopalians for a private home: 8 cents off the cash price. Inquire directly with No Frills and contact Andrew McMullan, Junior Warden of St. Andrew and St. John, with questions. | | | Support Your Church Online Giving To facilitate stewardship, the Diocese of Maine has an online giving site 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. If you would like to set up automatic payments for your pledge, 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 or click the button below. As always, the church accepts other forms of donations (cash, check, etc.). | | Stewardship: If you haven't returned your pledge card, please do so now. If you did not receive a pledge card and would like to, please contact the parish office. | | | 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 AA recovery groups, online and in person, in Downeast Maine can be found by clicking here. Downeast Community Partners DCP brings community resources together to help people in Washington and Hancock counties achieve self-sufficiency and a better quality of life. Our Housing division helps people maintain safe, affordable, energy-efficient housing (including heating assistance through the THAW program). Our Transportationdivision staff travels over a million miles each year, helping people get to medical appointments, senior food programs and other important services. Helping Hands Garage helps people buy affordable roadworthy vehicles. Friendship Cottage in Blue Hill offers an Adult Day Service Program. Our Energy Services division provides a variety of services to prevent hunger, hypothermia, and homelessness. At Home provides services to assist seniors aging in place. Everybody Eats! provides a free community meal each week to Ellsworth area residents. Our Early Care and Education program provides Head Start, Early Head Start, Pre-K and Childcare services to local families. Our Supportive Services division provides support to individuals and families working to make changes in their lives. Nurse Bridging and Maternal and Child Health services provide caring nurse support to families with infants and small children. Peninsula Free Health Service provides free medical care to the uninsured on the Blue Hill Peninsula. https://www.downeastcommunitypartners.org 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. 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. | | 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. | | | |