In This Issue
Annoucements
October 30
   Harvest Dinner
○ November 1 -
    Feast of All Saint's
○ November 2 -
    Feast of All Souls' &      Remembering Loved      Ones
○ November 5 -
    Fall Cleanup
○ November 6 -
    "Faithful Engagement"     Speaker & Potluck
○ November 9 & 13 -
   Dinner Initiative 
○ November 29 -
    Women's Book Group
Quick Links
To the Glory of God and for the Common Good, we make God's love known now and for generations to come through worship and service to all.
October Newsletter
Rector's Letter
Mother Rita

Dear Friends in Christ,
 
The brilliant colors of fall are fading.  This year we had oranges and reds in every hue.  Walking and driving every chance to be outside was a visual feast.  Apples were plentiful.  Pumpkins too.  Now, just a few weeks later and the trees and fields are turning to brown.  It is late fall, late harvest time.  It is late in the season after Pentecost. 
 
There was a movement some years ago in the church to highlight late Pentecost by making it a separate season of Harvest and using orange vestments and prayers focused on the goodness of creation.  I suspect the orange vestments killed the movement.  And perhaps there were other problems with it too, but the focus on harvest is worthy and already present in our common life and in our liturgical season.  The season after Pentecost, the long green season, does follow a cycle of growth.  With Pentecost, the seeds of Easter and the Spirit given are planted in our hearts.  We're challenged to let God's transforming love grab hold of our hearts and souls in new and deeper ways.  Summer, when seeds blossom and show fruit, our Sunday readings always place us in the middle of the Gospel.  We hear Jesus' teachings and his call to discipleship, and his repeated urging to let our faith show in our actions - how we treat each other, how we treat the stranger, how we care for the poor, how we forgive and seek forgiveness.  He calls this fruit.  As the season moves on, he heads closer to Jerusalem, to a harvest of his life and ministry, to his own passion and resurrection.  Our readings grow more urgent in their tenor, and lead us to the last Sunday of Pentecost, which we celebrate as the Feast of Christ the King, when we look to the day when Jesus is all in all - and is Lord of all.  It is a day when our own lives will be before him, as a harvest offering, and joined with him in his ultimate and eternal Kingdom.
 
Our celebration of that ultimate harvest, leads us back to our current season and harvest.  This year, this season, what are the things God is growing in you?  God is always working for growth, always growing us from within.  When you reflect on this year, on the days, weeks, months, since Easter, how do you see God's hand moving?  Are there personal lessons he's been offering?  Is there healing he's been accomplishing?  How have you been cooperating with his work, knowingly or unknowingly?  Is there growth he still wishes to bring to fruition, this season?  I was recently at a conference where all these questions were asked with a single question: How is Jesus saving you now?
 
As the last weeks of fall and of the Season after Pentecost continue just a little longer, perhaps we'll find time to reflect on God's fruit and harvest in our lives.  I suspect that pondering the questions will open for us new wellsprings of gratitude and some joyful happiness - all of which we offer back to God as his truest harvest.
 
As a church family we also will gather to offer thanks and to celebrate God's goodness with our Annual Harvest Dinner after the 10am service on October 30th, the final Sunday of our Stewardship Month.  Stewardship is about giving thanks, and honoring our relationship with gifts to God from the gifts we have received.  It is about offering our lives and asking God to bless them for his purposes, that they may be a part of his blessing in this world.  In this issue I invite you to read Faith Erhardt's wonderful reflection on Stewardship with her article, "The White Shirt".  May it encourage your own reflections.  And may we share together in God's abundant love known so well at Harvest time.
 
Yours faithfully,
Mo. Rita+
Poet's Corner: Echoes of Nature
Inez Toothaker

The cure of clustered crystals on the pane
And feathery tapers of the bracken fern
Are all a part of nature's faint refrain
As patterns of life's fragile forms return.

The barks of trees which vary in their tone
From ridge of black to dappled plate of white
Each bears the skin its species call its own
Yet no two show a pattern just alike.

As snowflakes crafted by the hand of fate
Will each possess design of form unique
Each man has traits that none can duplicate
And gifts that other men must come to seek.

For all are but a part of greater whole
United by the echoes of the soul.
Mozart Requiem on All Souls' Day
Nancy Ludwig

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church defines Requiem as a Mass offered for the dead. It bears much resemblance to a typical Sunday Eucharist.
The Introit on Sunday morning is a hymn, sung as the clergy, servers and choir enter and is soon followed by the Kyrie (Lord, have mercy) and/or the Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory be to God on high). In a Requiem Mass, the Introit text is Requiem aeterna dona eis (Grant them eternal rest) and is followed by the Kyrie. In the Eucharist, as in a Requiem, the Sanctus and Benedictus (Holy, Holy, Holy and Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord) are sung before the Prayer of Consecration (blessing of the bread and wine), Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) is sung before the distribution and the Communion (a hymn and/or anthem) is sung during the distribution.
In addition, there is a Sequence (usually a hymn) between the Epistle and Gospel readings, and an Offertory (often sung by the choir) when the elements are brought forward. In a Requiem Mass, the Sequence and Offertory are texts dealing largely with the Day of Judgement, when we will all come before the Lord and be held accountable for our lives. These are the texts that present the composer with a vast array of drama and emotion: Day of Wrath, Day of Anger; the Trumpet of Judgement; Lord of majesty, yet merciful; Jesus Savior and Redeemer; Flames of Judgement; Liberation of Faithful Souls from Eternal Fire. The text for the Communion is a petition for eternal light to shine on those being remembered and is typically the most ethereal composition in the Requiem.
Many composers have written Requiem Masses, dating from before the 16th century. More recently, Hector Berlioz (1837), Johannes Brahms (1868), Giuseppe Verdi (1874), Gabriel Fauré (1890), Maurice Duruflé (1947), Benjamin Britten (1962), Andrew Lloyd Webber (1985) and John Rutter (1985). The setting you will hear at St John's Episcopal Church, Bangor on November 2 at the Mass for All Souls, 7PM was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1791, as he was dying. It is incomplete, lacking Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei and Communion; the Choir will sing plainsong settings of those missing parts from the Roman Liber usualis.
United Thank Offering Ingathering
Christ the King Sunday - 20 November
  Ann McAlhany 

Reme mber those Blue Boxes?  
The blue UTO boxes are an opportunity to give thanks for our blessings. Each coin or bill dropped into your box in thanksgiving is gathered up and given to God's mission in the world. The Blue Boxes sitting in our homes are a reminder, a call to a spiritual practice of gratitude, and to share our blessings with others. So if you don't have a Blue Box, get one from the church or office. Fill it with coins, bills, or make an offering reminder for later.

Then bring your box to church on Sunday, 20 November, Christ the King Sunday, and our gifts of coins and prayers will be gathered up to be joined with others from across the Episcopal Church through the United Thank Offering.

Let your Blessings become Blessings for Others
Looking at Liturgy
Parish Presentation: Rite I 
Bruce Mallonee

Following is the text from the first presentation of our Adult Education series on Rite I, given by Bruce Mallonee on September 29th.  He discusses the heart of liturgy and advocates for the strange otherness of language as a means to encounter the otherness of God.  If you missed Bruce's talk, please read on.  A link to the full article can be found here.

Introduction:
 
Thank you for coming to discuss our historical liturgy.  As I thought about today's talk, I began with a question:  for what do we rely on liturgy?  I'm reminded that, unlike many of our Protestant brothers and sisters, we do not go to church primarily to hear a lot of scripture and a lot of preaching about it.  We do hear scripture, and we do hear preaching about it, but all of it is in the context of an encounter with Christ.
 
To make that encounter real, it seems to me it has to have two dimensions.  First, we have to feel near enough to God so that God will seem real to us.  We accomplish that by meeting Him at a meal--the most elemental of human encounters.
 
But closeness itself is not enough.  I'm reminded of a book I read, The Jew and the Lotus, which recounts, among other things, the experiences of a number of Jews who left Judaism behind and adopted Buddhism as their religion.  When I discussed this with a Jewish friend, he told me, "One of the great losses of the Holocaust--beyond the sheer numbers of people murdered--was the loss of almost all Jewish mystics."  No Jewish mystics means no Jewish mysticism, and with that loss came the loss of the second dimension of our liturgy:  the sense of God as not only near but also distant, unfathomable, unutterably strange.  We don't have to go to an Eastern religion to find God outside our everyday lives. Christianity, taken seriously, is strange and unearthly.
 
Rites I and II accomplish this near-and-far in similar but different ways.  Rite II, I understand, returned us to the earliest church sources, knocking off medieval accretions and retrieving earlier understandings.  Rite I's approach is different.  We'll discuss that...
Formation News
Patricia Sprague

November is Anglicanism Month in the Library!

In thanksgiving for our Anglican forbears, in November the library will be promoting books relating to Anglicanism.  At each coffee hour in November there will be texts on our history, polity, and theology.  Some of these will be quite weighty, while most will be accessible to anyone with an interest in what sets Anglicanism apart from other denominations.  There will be some biographies and perhaps even some sermons.  All good stuff.

Adult Christian Education and Formation: Coming Up in November

EMBRACING THE PROPHETS IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
It's not too late to join us for the Walter Brueggemann dvd series in the chapel on Sundays at 11:30.  On Nov 6th we'll be viewing the session entitled Moral Coherence in a World of Power. Money and Violence.  The remaining sessions will be The Shrill Rhetoric that Breaks Denial on Nov 13th; The Grief of Loss as Divine Judgmen on Nov 27th; and The Promissory Language that Breaks Despair on Dec 4th. 
In this dvd series, Walter gives a 10-15 minute presentation to a panel of people on an aspect of how the prophets (Jeremiah, Isaiah, et al) relate to our present day culture.  The panel members then offers their own reactions and ideas, to which he responds.  The discussions are fascinating and thought-provoking, and will easily stimulate our own discussion of the topics addressed. 

Youth Programs

SUNDAY SCHOOL
During the month of November all classes will be learning about Ruth and Naomi, David, Daniel, and Jonah.  Advent begins on the last Sunday of November. 
November 6 will be the second of our Youth Sundays.  Children will be processing into the church, behind the choir.  Children will need to be in the chapel by 9:45.  Parents, please remember to bring a contribution (e.g. cookies, cheese, etc) for coffee hour after the service.
JR/SR YES
A number of our JR YES students went to Treworgy's Orchard on October 16th; reports indicate that they all had a good time, even the adults.
Both JR & SR YES groups will have class on November 13th.  They will start by sharing pizza together in the undercroft at 11:30.  Lessons begin at 12:00 in the parish office building, and conclude at 1:30.  The topic for the SR YES class in November will be Scripture: The Bible by Heart.  Mentors will be attending, as well.
The next service day (Bangor Humane Society and Bangor Area Homeless Shelter) will be November 27th.
Formation: There's a Prayer for That

THE EXAMEN PRAYER (by Scott Burgess)
 
Socrates, the great Greek philosopher, at his trial in Athens is reputed to have said, "the unexamined life is not worth living."  In saying this, Socrates chose the death penalty over exile, so committed was he to leading a life that valued truth to oneself above all else.  Nearly two-thousand years later, Saint Ignatius Loyola took this dictum to heart and created a very powerful prayer called the Examen.  This prayer, found in his Spiritual Exercises first published in 1535, is a method of looking at one's life in light of God's presence and in a grateful and graceful manner.  In all ages, the examination of conscience has been a daily practice of spiritual persons, be they among the laity, monastics or the clergy.  The Examen Prayer gives us a structured and spirit-filled way to go about this, through exploration of our daily thoughts, words and actions.
 
Rather than a particular set of words to say, the Examen is a method of directing one's own prayer.  There are five steps to this practice:
 
1. Enter into God's presence and give thanks.
 
Finding a place of prayer and a comfortable posture, become aware of God's constant presence.  Give thanks for the infinite love of God and for all the good things that you have been given. 
 
2. Ask for God's grace. 
 
As you set out to examine your day, ask God for the grace to look at your life with clarity, honesty and understanding.
 
3. Review your day with gratitude.
 
Starting with your waking, go hour by hour through the day, remembering the events that happened to you.  Examine your thoughts, your words and your acts.  Whom did you encounter?  What did you do at work or at home?  What did you say to others?  What did they say to you?  What were your reactions?  Pay special attention to the emotions surrounding the day's events.  St. Ignatius taught that these are often guides to God's stirrings in our lives.  As you walk through your day, keep a grateful heart, looking for particular joys and gifts received throughout the day.  Focus upon particular things: what you ate, who you saw, what was said, what was done.  God is often to be found in the details.
 
4. Reflect and enter into prayer.
 
Having examined the events of the day, reflect upon them.   Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.  How was God acting in your day?  What good things did you do, give or receive?  How did you share your own gifts with others?  In what ways did you fall short?  Did you draw closer to God or did you drift farther away?  As you reflect on all these things, ask God to direct you towards the particular event, situation or emotion that was of special importance to him today.  Think on this and allow yourself to slip into prayer about it.  Allow the prayer to enter into your heart spontaneously.  The prayer may be of any sort: adoration, praise, intercession, thanksgiving, repentance, oblation, or petition.  Ask for forgiveness of any sins God may have revealed to you.
 
5. Look toward tomorrow.
 
Ask for God's help as you look forward to tomorrow with hope and faith.  Resolve to trust in the guidance of the God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as you strive to do God's will in all things.  Know that God will help you through tomorrow's difficulties, never giving you more than you can handle.  Express gratitude for God's action in your life.  End your prayer session with the Lord's Prayer.
 
Regular use of the Examen can lead to important changes in your life.  For one, it allows you to see recurring patterns in your thoughts, words and deeds, both positive and otherwise, that you can then consciously choose to address.  It will make you aware of your emotions and your reactions to people, places and things.  Use of the Examen can help you daily to grow in discipleship and love of our Lord.  Most importantly, it is a prayer that can help you develop an ever more grateful heart. 
 
Further information on the Examen can be found at www.ignatianspirtuality.com and at www.jesuits.org, looking under the Ignatian Spirituality tab.  There are also apps for your iPhone or Android phone that lead you through a daily Examen.  You can find the apps at the iTunes store or at Google Play.  Just do a search for "Examen Prayer."
Stewardship: The White Shirt
Faith Erhardt

A reflection on Stewardship given by Faith Erhardt on Sunday morning at St. John's.

It was around 11pm when I remembered that Noah didn't have a white shirt that fit him properly. He had to have it for a formal photo for the BACC. I had meant to go shopping, of course, but had forgotten in the business of my life. Thank goodness for Amazon. I sifted through all of my choices and ordered a couple to be sure that I had one that fit. I paid extra for fast shipping so it would get to me fast.

On the day of the photo, the package hadn't arrived. I was tracking it on my phone, and saw that it would probably arrive at my house an hour or two after we would need to leave for the photo. Made a call to UPS in Brewer, had them hold the package, picked my kids up from school, and dashed home.  Noah is getting antsy; he's missing a flag football practice for this event and he's getting anxious. He says he doesn't even want to go. I ignore him, plug in the iron, rip open the package, press the shirt and hang  it in the van.  I grabbed my pot luck dish, dropped one child at my brothers house, and got the Noah tidied up for the photo.  I hovered a couple of miles over the speed limit as we traveled down route 2 toward downtown Bangor. We parked, I quickly buttoned that white perfectly pressed shirt and we joined the other children and parents.

We arrived on time! Yes! I tell myself - I'd sort of won another one of my daily Mom marathons.

Except Noah was a wreck. His anxiety had now skyrocketed. When he is uncomfortable and nervous, he does things to distance himself from other people. He refused to stand with the group, he wouldn't say hello to friends who reached out. He was miserable, I was miserable.

I started walking away. I needed some distance.  After a few feet, I glanced back and saw that he had walked toward the children and was now talking the Director. I saw a conversation between Noah, the Director, and another boy. Oh no, I thought, what is he saying? I couldn't hear what was said, but watched from where I was. I saw nodding, and then Noah starts walking toward me, taking his shirt off as he walked.

Oh no, I thought again.  The Director caught my eye and started walking behind Noah in my direction. What has he done, I thought?

Here is what I found out: a young man who is a regular singer in the choir had forgotten his shirt. Noah had a t-shirt under his white shirt; he gave his shirt to the other boy so they all had white shirts in the photo. As the boys got ready for the photo, I watched my kid transform.  In that moment, he was beaming. He was part of the group, the anxiety gone.

By watching him, I was transformed as well.  In that moment, I got some clarity about that white shirt.  It became a symbol for me of my privilege, my resources, and the busyness of my life that gets in the way.  Giving away that white shirt was our real gift that day.

Stephen Kid wrote an essay in 2001 called "What You Pass On" It reminds us that we have this gift of life on loan from God.

"Giving isn't about the receiver or the gift but the giver. It's For the giver. One doesn't open one's wallet to improve the world, although it's nice when that happens; one does it to improve one's self. I give because it's the only concrete way I have of saying that I'm glad to be alive and I can earn my daily bread doing what I love. Giving is a way of taking the focus off the money we make and putting it back where it belongs - on the lives we lead, the families we raise, the communities that nurture us."

You - our community of St. John's - are my community and it nurtures me. It nurtures my family.
I was married here.
My babies were baptized here.
I have felt transcendent moments here in the pews as the music washed over me.
I have been shaped and moved by words and thoughts and ancient stories here.
Here, My boys are in Sunday School, and learning how to connect the stories of God's people to their own experience with God.
Christmas. Advent Tea, the beautiful teacups that have been used, carefully packed up and used again for year. Easter.
Here, with you, feeling the presence of God I this beautiful building where generations of people have prayed.
But not just here.
In the hazy days after giving birth, I had St. John's appearing on my doorstep with meals.  
The needlepoint of each child's baptism in my home,
In the hospital in dark and uncertain times,
At Mt. Hope Cemetery.
In Wellman Commons as we've enjoyed a glass of wine together and ate cake together.

Stewardship is about being grateful, responsible stewards of the gifts we receive from God.  This is why I fill out my stewardship pledge card every year.

Letter from the House of Bishops
A Word to the Church for the World

The House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church met from September 14 to September 20, 2016 in Detroit Michigan.  From their meeting they sent a letter to the whole church encouraging us to be reconcilers in a world and culture sharply divided.

Greetings from Detroit, a city determined to be revived.  Greetings also from the city of Flint, where we are reminded that the gift of water has for many of our brothers and sisters become contaminated.
Here we have been exhorted to set our sights beyond ourselves and to minister to the several nations where we serve and the wider world.
We lament the stark joylessness that marks our present time.  We decry angry political rhetoric which rages while fissures widen within society along racial, economic, educational, religious, cultural and generational lines.  We refuse to look away as poverty, cruelty and war force families to become migrants enduring statelessness and demonization.  We renounce the gun violence and drug addiction that steal lives and crush souls while others succumb to fear and cynicism, abandoning any sense of neighborliness.
Yet, in all this, "we do not despair" (2 Cor. 4:8.). We remember that God in Christ entered our earthly neighborhood during a time of political volatility and economic inequality.  To this current crisis we bring our faith in Jesus.  By God's grace, we choose to see in this moment an urgent opportunity to follow Jesus into our fractured neighborhoods, the nation and the world. 
Every member of the church has been "called for a time such as this." (Esther 4:14) Let prophets tell the truth in love.  Let reconcilers move boldly into places of division and disagreement. Let evangelists inspire us to tell the story of Jesus in new and compelling ways.  Let leaders lead with courage and joy.
In the hope of the Resurrection let us all pray for God to work through our struggle and confusion to accomplish God's purposes on earth.
2016 Choir School #1 at St. John's
Robert Ludwig

This year's choir program for children at St. John's includes five Saturday Choir Schools, where the young singers work on singing skills, music literacy, and prepare a brief concert for their parents. Our first Choir School was on October 22, and we had twelve eager young singers participating. In addition to learning Soli Deo Gloria by 16th century composer Michael Praetorius and an African-American Spiritual, Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, they also sang a jazz setting of Irving Berlin's Blue Skies - highly appropriate for the rainy day! In between singing sessions they also learned about and tried playing the piano, harpsichord and pipe organ and took a break from music to help box up the leftover items from the church's rummage sale so they could be transported to the Animal Shelter and Salvation Army. Our next Choir School is scheduled for Saturday, November 12 from 9:30 am-2:30 and is open to any interested child or young person (aged 7-18). Please email choirmaster@stjohnsbangor.org to register in advance, so we can be certain to have enough materials for everyone.
Outreach Fundraisers:
Fall Rummage SaleFall
Claudia Blanchette
 
Thank you to all who made the fall rummage sale so successful .  We made over $1700.00  The donations were much appreciated, as was all the hard work from the volunteers who set-up, worked sale day, and cleaned up.  The jewelry table was a big hit and the children loved the goodies in the kids corner.  Many shoppers gave a few dollars above their totals and said "keep the difference"...we love your sales and get such great bargains and know it help your church.  Due to the overcast and damp day our turn-out was excellent and thanks to the choir camp children lending a hand after the sale closed, clean-up was very quick.  A large carload of bedding and towels were taken to area animal shelters and the rest of the items not sold went to Salvation Army Thrift Shop in Bangor.
Poinsettia SalePoinsettia

The annual poinsettia sale is now underway.  
Poinsettias will be available in the large size for $25 and small for $15.  The colors are red, white, pink and marble.  Last year's flowers were absolutely beautiful and received rave reviews.  Payment is due when placing your order.  Vanessa Young will be in the Undercroft after the 10 am service and will accept payments including credit card payments for your convenience or click here to order and someone will contact you for payment by phone.. They will be delivered to the church the first weekend of December. Thank you for your support of this program. 
Christmas Basketsx-mas
Cassy Palmer

St. John's has a special project that we do at Christmas.  We provide toys and a couple of boxes of food, including a turkey, to needy families in the area that are serviced by Penquis Cap.  The project is funded solely by donations from St John's parishioners.  This year there are two ways that you can help
  1. Buy a $20 gift for a child - On November 20 we will have the names and ages of 30 kids from Penquis Cap.    You can choose one child or more than one and buy a gift for them that costs around $20.  Please wrap and label the gifts then return them to the church office.
  2. Donate money to help pay for the cost of the food in the Christmas Baskets - St. John's tries to donate a turkey and enough food to make a Christmas dinner to the Penquis Cap families of the children that we buy presents for.  We will deliver the food and presents to these families on December 18th.  It costs about $50 for each basket of food.  If we help 15 families this year that will cost $750.
You can start to give now to help pay for the Christmas Baskets.  If you write a check be sure to put Christmas Basket Project in the memo line.  For further information contact Cassy Palmer, 223-4122.
Announcements & Looking Ahead
Upcoming
Please RSVP and save the date for our All Parish Harvest Dinner on October 30th following the 10 am service. Our youth (with a wonderful team of support) are preparing a turkey dinner with all the fixings.  Knowing how many will attend would be a huge help in their preparations.  Please RSVP to the parish office at 947-0156 or office@stjohnsbangor.org.  Please also consider helping them by volunteering to bring a pie for dessert or by making donations to support their confirmation pilgrimage.
 
We give thanks for the many gift given in honor of loved ones.  At our All Saints' Holy Eucharist we will present and dedicate gifts given, including anthem books in honor of Fred Jones, Easter banner in memory of Dick Mitchell, Censor in honor of Ralph Whedon, Sunday School renovations and appointments in honor of Robert Nangle, Landscaping and fencing in honor of Dick Mitchell and others, Chapel sign in honor of Teile Benson.  Please join us at 7:30 am, Tuesday November 1st in the Bethlehem Chapel. 
 
On Wednesday, November 2nd at 7 pm, Bangor's St. John's Episcopal Church Choir will sing W.A. Mozart's historic setting of the Requiem in the context of a Solemn Eucharist for All Souls' Day at the church, 225 French Street in Bangor. Requiem was Mozart's final composition and was, in fact, unfinished at the time of the great composer's death in 1791. The additional liturgical texts of the service not set by Mozart will be sung to traditional Gregorian chant.   We are excited to have the Reverend James Haddix, Pastor of All Souls Congregational Church preaching at the service

All Souls' Day is a particularly appropriate day for us to remember our own loved ones who have passed away. You are invited to submit names to be remembered during the service - either by mailing them to the parish office or emailing them to admin@stjohnsbangor.org. Those attending are also invited to bring photographs or mementos of passed loved ones to be kept on special tables in the church during the service. The public is invited to the service, and there is no admission charge. Donations received at the service will benefit the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter. Child care is provided during the service.

The Annual Fall Clean-up is coming up on Saturday November 5 th from 8:30 am to 12 pm.   We hope that you can join in on this fun and gratifying day as we rake, paint and do minor repairs to both the Church and Parish House.  For more information, please contact the church office.

On Sunday, Nov 6th John Hennessy, Director, Maine Episcopal Network for Justice will discuss "Faithful Engagement".  Our nation will be determining a number of consequential ballot initiatives and elections on Nov. 8th, 2016.  Episcopal policy recognizes voting and political participation as acts of Christian stewardship along with our Baptismal Covenant's promise to "strive for justice and peace and respect the dignity of every human being".  Beyond voting, what should our participation include?  Please join us at 4 pm, Nov 6th in the undercroft at St John's Episcopal Church, 234 French St, Bangor, ME for the discussion followed by a potluck dinner and opportunity for fellowship.  Please RSVP to the office at 947-0156.

The Vestry's Dinner Initiative is on again.  Please come to dinner for an evening of hospitality and fellowship, getting to know others in your parish and letting yourself be known.  Whether you've come to St. John's for generations or for a week, please sign up this year for one of the dinners.  The next two dinners will be November 9th at 6 pm or November 13th at 5:30 pm, both at the rectory.  Please contact the office to sign up by phone or at   office@stjohnsbangor.org

The Women's Book Group will meet next on Tuesday, November 29th, at 7 pm at the home of Marisue Pickering, located at 6 Longwood Court (Dirigo Pines), Orono, 866-2606.  (Please note that this is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.)  November's Book is Celtic Way of Prayer by Esther De Waal -- an older book.  There are two copies at the library, but a number of used copies are on Amazon. It is also available new and on Kindle. Marisue will lead the discussion.
St. John's Episcopal Church | office@stjohnsbangor.org | http://www.stjohnsbangor.org  | 207.947.0156