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The Dio Log
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news and events in
the Episcopal Diocese of Maine
since 1999
Volume 20, Number 1 ~ January 5
, 2018
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"You pray for the hungry. Then you feed them. That's how prayer works."
Pope Francis
It also works for those who are cold and without heating fuel.
In the run up to yesterday's storm and reports that many Mainers are having difficulties obtaining emergency fuel deliveries, we employed, for the first time, the emergency messaging system Alert Media - Maine is one of a number of dioceses beta-testing the service - to solicit from priests-in-charge and senior wardens information about warming centers in their communities. We shared it with the United Way's 211 system (they were a little stunned to hear from us but very grateful for the information) and have posted it at www.episcopalmaine.org.
Thanks to all who responded. If you would like to add a resource available in your community, please email the details to Heidi Shott at [email protected].
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What's New in the Episcopal Church in Maine
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Prayers for...
the Rev. Kerry Mansir
who will be ordained to the priesthood on Saturday, January 20, at 11 a.m. at Christ Church, Gardiner. All are welcome. Clergy red stoles.
the Rev. Abigail C. D'Ambruoso, a Lutheran pastor and the new pediatric chaplain at Maine Medical Center, who invites Episcopal friends and colleagues (in person or in prayer) to a blessing and installation on Sunday, January 14, at 3 p.m. at St. Ansgar's Lutheran Church at 515 Woodford Street, Portland. She invites clergy to be in touch with her in her new role at
[email protected].
Congratulations to...
Trinity Jubilee Center
of Lewiston upon being awarded a $3,000 grant from The Episcopal Church to support its ministry in the coming year.
Voices among us...
The Ice Storm of 1998 was 20 years ago! Hard to believe. The Diocese of Maine was the recipient of a $25,000 emergency grant from Episcopal Relief & Development (then The Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief) to assist Maine congregations that were, in turn, helping members of their communities. A few years ago, when ER&D was celebrating its 75th anniversary, it profiled how the people of Christ Church, Gardiner, served their neighbors in the aftermath of the storm.
Check out the story and video featuring the Rev. Jack and Becky Fles, "Suddenly we were the community in need."
St. John Baptist, Thomaston's 150 anniversary of worshipping and serving the midcoast community was featured on WABI-TV. Watch
here.
Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church's role in serving their neighbors over the holidays was recently celebrated in the
Kennebec Journal and also in
this story that marks the blessing of the Augusta Community Warming Center.
In case you missed
Bishop Stephen Lane's Christmas message:
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Around the Diocese...
United Thank Offering grants available for 2018
The 2018 United Thank Offering grant application materials are now available at
https://www.episcopalchurch.org/2018-uto-grants. The focus of the 2018 UTO grants will be "Becoming Beloved Community: Racial Healing, Reconciliation and Justice."
Instructions, forms, and guidelines are available on the UTO website posted above. Because each diocese is allowed to submit one application, all applications must first be submitted for the Bishop's review. The diocesan deadline for submission of a completed application (and required documents) is Friday, February 16, 2018. One application will receive the Bishop's endorsement with the final application submitted to the UTO office by the deadline of March 2.
If you need assistance or have questions about the application, please contact our new Diocese of Maine UTO Coordinator Tracy Shaffer at [email protected] or the Rev. Canon Heather Melton, Staff Officer for the United Thank Offering at [email protected].
Also, there will be two webinars in January: Tuesday, January 16, and Wednesday, January 17,
and two in February: Tuesday, February 6, and Wednesday, February 7. All webinars will
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Upcoming in Maine and Beyond
EPF-Maine welcomes all to its January meeting
Episcopal Peace Fellowship-Maine Chapter will meet on Saturday, January 13, from 10 a.m. through lunch at St. John Baptist, Thomaston.
The
main agenda item will be preparing to put into effect the resolution passed at Diocesan Convention and hearing from the gun violence subcommittee with possible action. All are welcome.
St. John's, Bangor, hosts MLK, Jr. commemoration featuring past poet laureate Richard Blanco
St. John's, Bangor, welcomes all to
"A Service of Light" on Sunday, January 14, 4 p.m., a Celebration of the Life and Witness of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The guest speaker will be Maine resident, Richard Blanco, U.S. Inaugural Poet for President Obama's Second Inauguration.
Enjoy music performed by St. John's Choir, All Souls Congregational, Congregation Beth El, and Bangor Area Children's Choir
All welcome to "Faith in Action" at Grace Church, Bath, January 27
On Saturday, January 27, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church in Bath invites you to j an interactive workshop designed to put our faith into action with John Hennessy, Director of the Maine Episcopal Network for Justice.
We will explore the concepts of faith-rooted organizing and an asset-based approach to engaging our church and community. Learn how to bring your voice of faith to the public square.
In our time together, we will talk about creatively and realistically developing a strategy to bring about local change based on the theological perspective that God offers us all things necessary to realize
shalom - the state of living in peace and prosperity as the people of God.
Please bring a bag lunch; b
everages will be provided. Snow date:
Saturday February 10.
Maine sites for Trinity Institute 2018: Faith in Values, February 2-3
At least three Maine congregations - Trinity, Castine; St. Peter's, Rockland; and St. George's, York Harbor - will serve as partner sites for the 2018 Trinity Institute, Faith in Values. See more below or learn how your church can become a partner site
here. Each winter Trinity Wall Street, offers an opportunity for expanding our faith.
This year's conference features leading activists, theologians, authors, and experts on how to integrate core values into strategic and effective action, including the Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness; Pádraig Ó Tuama, poet, theologian, and mediator; Jose Antonio Vargas, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, filmmaker, and undocumented immigrant; and
more.
Diocesan Music Workshop: Paperless Songs - on Saturday, February 3
Everyone who leads or loves music is invited to the diocesan music workshop on Saturday, February 3.
Thew Elliott will teach chants, rounds, intercessions, acclamations and other pieces that can easily be shared with choirs and congregations and worked into community life. These pieces work on a variety of levels, and can be used with multiple levels of accompaniment, harmony and participation.
Attendees will have a chance to try leading and teaching some of the songs, and Thew will also provide sources for continuing exploration and practice (print and on-line).
This free workshop will be held at Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church in Augusta
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Register here.
Youth events to share
Youth Ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine is gearing up for an exciting New Year! Be on the lookout for registration information for all three events in January.
REACH: Reaching In, Reaching Out, Reaching God
March 2-4, 2018 at Christ Church Episcopal in Gardiner
For middle schoolers in 6-8 grade
We will reach inside ourselves to understand who we are right now, reach out to our community to help other people live out who they are, and reach to God through song and worship to find who we are called to be. Kids in grades 6-8 are invited to spend the weekend playing games, doing a service project, making friends, eating awesome food, and worshiping God together.
Called to Serve
March 16-18, 2018 at Grace Episcopal Church in Bath
For high schoolers in 9-12 grade
Jesus calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, and as a part of that love, we are called to serve. What does it mean to love? What does it mean to serve? How do we find the strength to do something that sometimes feels so hard? A team of youth staff and adults will lead us, as we spend a weekend together doing the work of serving others, while figuring out how to keep up the energy to do that work. We will laugh together, sing together, serve together, pray together and make friends we can rely on as we figure out how we are called to serve.
Summer Finale Camp
August 20-26, 2018 at Camp Bishopswood
For youth who have finished 6-12 grade
Spend a week in a youth cabin with you friends at Camp Bishopswood. You'll do all the typical camp activities - swimming, boating, running around in the woods - while also deepening your spiritual life, and worshiping God in the midst of nature.
2018 Dates to Save
Living Local: Joining God
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Saturday, February 17
Interfaith Advocacy Days in Augusta - Monday and Tuesday, March 19 and 20
Spring Training - a diocesan day of workshops for everyone - Saturday, April 28
Diocesan Adult Retreat at Bishopswood - June 15-17
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