We will celebrate with the Easter Vigil at 7:00pm Saturday night, when we will baptize and welcome into our fellowship Jaxon Stearns and Quinten Henry.  The service begins in darkness when the new fire is lit and the Light of Christ is proclaimed.  At Baptism, the meaning and joy of Jesus' Resurrection is revealed, and the sanctuary is bathed in light and filled with joyous sounds and ringing of bells.  It is the most beautiful and ancient of services in our tradition.  If you have not come before, I heartily encourage you to come this year.  Easter Day, we will continue to celebrate and we will greet the morning with joy at 8am and 10am, with full choir at both services. 

 

As we prepare our hearts to rejoice, I encourage you to take part in the special liturgies of Holy Week.  During Holy Week, we enter into the Passion of our Lord and the events that led to his crucifixion.  The proper liturgies of this week are unique and help us to enter more deeply and fully into the mystery and meaning of Christ's death and passion.  Our liturgies of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are profoundly moving, beautiful with full choir, and begin at 7pm with child care provided.  Come take part.  Other services are designed especially for children and families, and are held earlier in the evening (5:30 Maundy Thursday and 5:00 Good Friday).  Additional opportunities for prayer and worship in this week ahead are invaluable for the widening of our hearts, minds, and spirits to receive the joy of Easter.  A full listing of services is provided in this newsletter.

 

Again this year, we are much blessed by the excellent musicianship of Robert and Nancy Ludwig in all our services.  Again, it is worth highlighting our special noon service on Good Friday.  During the three hours that Christ hung upon the cross, the Ludwigs will present the profound and moving organ meditations of "Le Chemin de la Croix" by Marcel Dupré in the context of the actual Stations of the Cross.  Come for as little or as much of the three hours as you are able.  People are welcome to come and go throughout the service.

 

As Christ gives us his life that we might be freed from fear, sin, and death, we also make offerings of thanksgiving to God and for the sake of his Church.  Together by our worship and going forth from our celebrations may we share God's Easter life and eternal love with others. There is great need in our Bangor community for God's Good News, his healing grace, and the experience of his presence found in worship and in a faith community, and St. John's is blessed to be a messenger and instrument of God's love.

 

With prayers that the joy of Easter may fill our hearts and transform our lives -

Yours in Christ,

As we enter into the solemn observance of Holy Week, you are invited to join Cn Michael
Ambler for a time of quiet, prayer and contemplation focusing on the Prayer of Humble
Access and the issues of shame and worthiness. Join us and make a faithful and hopeful start to your Holy Week observations.  Sunday April 9th, 4-6pm .  Please plan on joining us. Supper to follow for those who can stay, provided by the clergy of St. Patrick's and St. John's. Please RSVP.

This is the 4th in our Rite I series, with the 5th installment being held on May 14th with  The Rev. Cn. Anne Mallonee.

Formation News

Patricia Sprague

• Both Youth groups (JRs & SRs) continue through May to hold class on the second Sunday of the month (11:30) and to serve at the Humane Society or Homeless Shelter on the fourth Sunday.
• Maundy Thursday, April 13 - all SRs attend evening service & participate in foot washing
• Easter Vigil, April 15 - all SRs attend
• Pre-Confirmation Retreat aboard the Maine Seacoast Mission's Sunbeam, April 18-20
• Confirmation - the sacrament of confirmation will take place on Sunday, May 7th, at St Luke's Cathedral in Portland.
• Vestry Presentation of proposed SR YES service project, June 20
• Mission trip to Boston for JR & SR YES, June 21-26

Our next Ingathering will be on Ascension Sunday, 28 May.

 

The United THANK offering of the Episcopal Church is a personal spiritual discipline of thanksgiving that supports God's mission throughout the world.

 

The Blue Box was created as a receptacle for coins to remind the user to give thanks daily and for all things. The box is designed for use in the home or anywhere it can serve as a visual reminder to offer blessings large and small. It represents the heart of the United Thank Offering ministry and is a pathway between our prayers and the mission of The Episcopal Church. It is a symbol that allows us, during the week, to be linked to our Christian tradition of praying, recognizing that blessings come from God (and in this case making a thank offering when we encounter those blessings) and being present to Christ in the world by helping others in need.

 

Our Blue Boxes will again be collected and blessed at an Ingathering on Sunday, 29 May. The size of the box is a reminder that all blessings, big or small, are gifts from God and that all offerings, big or small, are used for the glory of God and the building of God's Kingdom. When everyone participates, many coins make great sums when joined together. This is the "United" in the Thank Offering. It is a ministry that expands the community of The Episcopal Church, as the collected sums then are given as grants for mission throughout the Anglican Communion.

Our Living Local team is shaping up and getting engaged with Living Local: Joining God. 

 

We were assigned a coach,  John Gregory, and are excited to have him on board. Greg is a parishioner at St. James parish in Old Town. We will have our second full committee meeting in April at the home of Roger and Shirley George. Other team members include Andy & Patty Hamilton, Roger and Shirley George, Lynn Brubaker, Lee Souweine, Ann McAlhany and Pat Sprague. We have been sharing a verse from Luke (10:1-12) with various church groups and will soon begin interviews with as many parishioners as possible. Much like the living local verse we are sharing, the team is planning to go out in pairs to observe our 'community' and in the fourth stage, we will talk with strangers to find where God is at work in the in the world.

We hope you will join us! if you are interested please reach out to Andy & Patty at 990-0889.

Last April I was very pleased when 150 Maine Episcopalians from 36 congregations participated in our diocesan education day, Spring Training. This year I hope the good word has spread and many of you and your fellow members will attend Spring Training 2017 on Saturday, April 29th. Registration is now open and all members of the Diocese of Maine are invited to attend. We are grateful to St. Paul's in Brunswick for again hosting the day which will run from 9 am to 3:15 pm.

Participants are offered the choice of 21 workshops in areas such as spiritual growth, formation, music, communication, church leadership, outreach and more. We'll pause at mid-day to gather, worship, sing, and hear more about change in our wider culture and the role the church may play in our communities.

My hope is that Spring Training 2017 will help to prepare us to take our place in The Jesus Movement.