Picture of the Week
Getting to know goats at Heifer Farm last weekend!
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Children's & Youth
programs on Sunday during 9:30 worship.
Come check'em out!
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9:30am -
Holy Eucharist
Rite II
Wednesday
8:15am -
Centering Prayer
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Meetings & Events
11/6 Parish Breakfast
11/8 Vestry Meeting
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VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
It's Pageant time!
Sunday December 18, 2016
at the
9:30am service
Volunteer and Participant sign-ups now available!
Look for both volunteer and participant sign-ups on Sunday mornings or contact
Katie Holicky at
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Children's Formation
needs your help!
We are seeking volunteers for the upcoming Advent Rotation. We are hoping to schedule both rotation teachers and shepherds for this upcoming rotation. Keep an eye out for sign-up sheets Sunday mornings or contact Katie Holicky at
kholicky@stalbansmaine.org
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Are you upgrading
your Ipad?
Our Children's Formation group has an immediate need for an Ipad to be able to play the movies in the Show Me Cinema.
Email Katie at:
kholicky@stalbansmaine.org
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Want to help?
But not necessarily as a teacher?
The 1st and 2nd grade Formation could use a few "helpers" to aid our teachers.
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How to get through the Holidays
with less stress
and more Spirit
with Paul W. Miller, LCPC-Clinical Director
NOVEMBER 13TH
Our time together will include space for reflection on your own journey in the last year. With the reflections we will look at the way we can transform places of stress into places of growth. We will be doing this in the context of the spiritual journey of each participant. In our time together I am hoping we go from identifying stress to finding a peaceful center that becomes a place of hope to live out of.
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This last weekend I and other adult leaders journeyed with our middle school youth to the Heifer Farm in Rutland, MA. The farm used to raise animals for Heifer Project to ship around the world for sustainable development work. Now Heifer Project buys animals locally around the world, so the Farm has become a community for teaching and experience.
The first evening the kids learned about population distribution around the world, and private consumption around the world (ask them what they learned!). The second evening we found out where we'd be staying in the "Global Village"; Poland, Tibet, and for my group, Guatemala. In each setting the youth prepared and cooked dinner. One was literate and had directions. The others cooked, cared for our 'child' and dealt with their 'injuries' sustained in their rugged subsistence farming lifestyle.
Guatemala's bean soup and homemade tortillas filled us up, but we all agreed they could use "more salt." Poland told us they weren't even full.
Tibet was warmest but found their food plain.
The following morning we closed with reflection. Youth commented with gratitude about their present lives. They repeatedly named how nice it was having "no screens," forcing them to just talk with each other and hang out. They were caught with the simplicity, the hard work, and the possible monotony of a lower
standard of living, but also used the language we had learned to talk about
quality of life as a separate experience.
The comment that most stuck in my head was, "I bet I could get used to living that way, but it would take me probably 10 years." I heard there an encapsulation of both profound respect for the difference of another culture, and also appreciation that our relationships could span that difference, given time and investment. The reflections drew me out, and for my part I returned home with a renewed spirit for simplicity.
As our year of "Love your neighbor as yourself" continues, I hope you'll say to a young person, "What have you discovered about loving our neighbors?" If you're ready to listen across the cultural difference, you'll likely find yourself transformed along with them.
In Christ,
The Rev. Reed Loy
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The Bell Choir welcomes additional players. If you would be interested in playing, please visit with me about your interest. The bells are an "easy entry" instrument with beautiful results! We rehearse each
Thursday from
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. and now would be an ideal time to begin. If you are interested, give me a call to schedule a "no obligation" visit or just come to rehearsal and see what is involved.
James Strand, Organist/Choirmaster and Bell Director
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Adult Formation this Fall
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Episcopal 101
In these open and engaging sessions, led by your clergy, the goal is to share the dynamic approach to scripture, prayer, liturgy, music and the sacraments as understood and celebrated by the Episcopal Church while inviting you to join in conversation and to bring your own experience and questions. We honor our traditions and acknowledge the gifts of reason, curiosity, discovery and doubt.
November 14, 21, and 28: 7:00 -8:30 p.m.
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 Dreams help us to find meaning in our lives. They also mirror our decisio
ns back to ourselves, coach us around problems,
call us to a higher purpose, and
heal our divided selves.
Building on last year's adult focus of dreams, Tom Cushman is back and offering several small dream groups.
Interpreting Your Own Dreams
Introduction: Doing Dreams at Home
continues
10/26 at
6:30pm
An open class for everyone curious about dreams. We'll investigate...
- making sense of our own dreams
- methods of dream recall and
- how dreams relate to myth and ritual
- how dreams and religion end up in a
common pursuit of paradox
- how dreams astonishingly, eventually
reveal our own wisdom to be "God at
work in us."
No sign-up necessary.
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Did you know there are 5 dreams in the first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew
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Dear Fellow Parishioners,
St. Alban's matters. It is a place of consequence in our lives. Let's think about that a little. Each of us is here at St. Alban's for reasons of our own. We have asked many of our parishioners in recent years to speak briefly about what St. Alban's means to them. Each answer to that query has been uniquely personal. Each has spoken compellingly about his or her reasons for being part of our parish family. Hearing their sacred stories....and they are sacred...has prompted many of us to reflect upon our own experiences here. We are each here because St. Alban's matters to us, and we've learned, too, that we matter to St. Alban's.(see more)
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Don't miss this NEW short video.
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From your neighbors
in the pews...
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Stewardship Packets have been fully distributed, if you have not received yours please contact us and we would be pleased to send it out.
We also invite you to read through some additional information on stewardship and pledging which you may find helpful in considering how, and how much, you will want to pledge for the coming year. Just visit our website by clicking here.
We are continuing our tradition of
Dedication Sunday, November 6th
during our All Saints' Day celebration
We will all bring our pledge cards, reflecting our stewardship offerings, to the altar at Communion. We celebrate the gifts God has given us to help create the miracles he is making in this world! If you won't be present on Dedication
Sunday, you can drop your pledge card in the collection plate at any other service, deliver it to the parish office, or mail it.
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Maine Inside Out presents
"Do You See Me? All Who Struggle, Salute,"
an evening of performance and community dialogue at
USM's Hannaford Hall in Portland,
Thursday November 10 at 7:30pm.
The evening will feature original theater created by Maine Inside Out's youth community artists , and will also include a short original film from Smooth Feather and dramatic pieces by youth involved with the current Maine Inside Out theater program at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland.
Portland-based nonprofit Maine Inside Out offers ongoing theater workshops at Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland. Youth create and perform original theater in the facility and also travel to share that work in communities around the state. Maine Inside Out theater pieces are brief, powerful youth-created works of art exploring topics chosen by the participants and relevant to their lives.
In the past three years, Maine Inside Out participants have created more than 20 original plays and performed for more than 5,000 people in towns from Rangeley and Mexico to Biddeford and Waldoboro.
The November 10th event at USM's Hannaford Hall is open to the public, and tickets can be reserved online at
www.maineinsideout.org
. Doors open at 7pm.
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FAMILY FALL CLEAN UP NOVEMBER 12
The Buildings a
 nd Grounds Committee will host the Fall Cleanup on Saturday, November 12th. There will be beverages and snacks for your sustenance. If you have smaller rakes and tools for younger helpers please bring them. Be saintly and donate some of your precious weekend time to sprucing up our campus.
And... a second day of Fall Cleanup is scheduled
for December 3rd
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Help keep our neighbors warm.
The St. Eliza
beth Jubilee Center has begun handing out coats, boots, sweaters, warm mittens, gloves, hats, socks, and scarves to people in need. Many guests come from countries that never have cold weather or snow. Please consider donating gently used clothing for adults, children, and babies now.
Clothing for men and boys would be particularly welcome.
Please drop off your donations at St. Alban's in the baskets in Bonoff Hall.
Thank you.
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Inspirational
afternoon of music
Join us on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2 p.m. for Harvest Song,
an afternoon of fellowship with the community through the inspiration of music. This special event, hosted by our church, will be held at the historic
Spurwink Church on Route 77.
Seating is limited, so please plan to arrive early.
The Spurwink Church gathering will include a traditional Hymn Sing along with vocal and instrumental performances. Steve Hill will provide a history of the Spurwink Church while asking those in attendance to share their own memories of events in the church.
The public is invited to join us. Invite family and friends!
A goodwill offering will be taken for Judy's Pantry. A member of the congregation donated money to pay for rental fees at the church, so all money collected during the offering will go directly to Judy's Pantry, which supports 30-35 families in Cape Elizabeth each week with fresh produce and an assortment of non-perishable items.
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Coffee Hour Volunteers Welcomed
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Thank You to those who have already signed up to help with coffee hour in the coming weeks!
For others of you, this is just a reminder that Saint Alban's could use your help with this important hospitality ministry! It's easy and fun!
Lots of love, Julie Merriam
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