eClare


St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church
Blue Hill ~ Maine
January 24, 2018

(a beautiful winter sunrise photo by Joe Lendvai)

Light precedes every transition. Whether at the end of a tunnel, through a crack in the door or the flash of an idea, it is always there, heralding a new beginning. 
- Teresa Tsalaky    

St. Francis is Moving into Transition

If you are an eClare friend of St. Francis, you may not know that Rev. Claudia will be retiring from St. Francis Church in a few short weeks.

March 3rd will be Rev. Claudia's last Sunday as our rector. There will be sad farewells but so many wishes for her happiness as she moves forward.

Stay tuned for celebration announcements and a fun send off for our priest; she has given us so much of her time and talent through her ministry these eleven-plus years.

***
The Vestry is working diligently with the Diocese as the process of the selection of a new Rector begins. This will be an open, transparent process in every way possible as St. Francis transitions with joy and optimism for the future of our church.
St. Francis Church
The Calendar

Sunday Services
10 am
***
Choir Practice


***
Adult Forum
-this Sunday, following Coffee Hour-
The discussion will concern the recent "Walkabouts" with the five candidates who are being considered to be the tenth bishop of Maine
(see right)

We Pray for

Ruth Allen
Mary Belanger
Daniel
David Decrow
Dianne 
Edward Dufresne
Hèrve Galy  
Kira Hartley
Dorrine Harris
Jennifer Hulsey
Sam Hulsey
Joseph
Kaden
Ray Ann Kliener
Lee
Joseph
Rayanne Kleiner
Sarah Mathews  
Steve Merek
Julie Nicholson
Corinne Pert
John Remick
Diana Robson
Ronan
Carla Rosensweig
Ed Rosensweig
Donny Smith
Terri Stephens Smith
Carolyn Taylor
Scott West
David Witter
and for the Swazey Family
(Michelle, Janet, Cheryl, Roxanne, Julia, and Lyn)

We pray for the Soul of

Will Rosborough and for Maren and all of their family and friends

and Ron Mathews , brother of Donny Smith and for all of his family and friends

and Jim Denny and his family and friends

Those in the Armed Services    
James Crowe III
Andy Dittmer
Brian Haley
Sean Haley
Kyler Hall
Peter McGuyer
Kyle Carino Mings
Eric Partridge
Henry Shepley
Ben Stubbs


Those with January Birthdays

Anna Brown
Taggart Chung
Carroll Connard
Peter deVries
Gene Grindle
Scott Grindle
Mary Hartley
Elizabeth LaStaiti
Ethan Nesbitt
Cal Peters
Derek Rosborough
Cathy Thompson
Bob Tobin

An eClare
"Thank you"
to our
"Away Parishioners"

At a time when both our church and The Diocese of Maine are in transition, the connection between our year-round and summer parishioners becomes even more important to all of us.

Your willingness to participate (whether as contributors or readers) holds us together in meaningful ways; and you went to a lot of trouble last December-especially those families and friends who sent in photos of the military who are on our prayer list. It is great to put faces to those names!

This has become a special tradition these past few years and is a wonderful Christmas gift from all of you-so many cute photos and real news.

It was wonderful to have contributions from some of our local parishioners, too.

Constant Contact reported that we have had more than 500 opens to that email...and counting.

Thank you, everyone, for being a real family! I hope it continues well into the future.
Judy

Thinking of last Christmas, here are some wonderful late additions...
Sean Haley, John's second grandson who is on our servicemen's prayer list-having fun with a friend
Why make a gingerbread house when you can make a gingerbread volcano?!

Rumor has it Nora donated it to the chickens for a special Christmas treat!

And, Transition in the Diocese!


The Selection of the Tenth Bishop of Maine .

This past weekend hundreds of us watched with much interest the "Walk-Abouts" of five impressive candidates which were broadcast live from Augusta, Bangor and Portland. It was a fascinating process! You might find your "ranked choice" changing from day to day.

Don't miss this opportunity...the complete hearings remain available here:

There will be an Adult Forum this Sunday at 11:45 following Coffee Hour.  Come and share your thoughts on the candidates for the 10 th Bishop of Maine. 

Rev. Claudia, and lay delegates Marcia Fenn, Bob Publicover, and Maurine Tobin want to hear from you before the election on February 9. 

  You may also send your thoughts to

Maurine mmtobin38@gmail.com

Marcia ( mbfenn4@gmail.com )



Next Steps!
If everyone is willing to freeze one quart of soup.....
"Souper Saints" cranked up in a big way in December...filling the freezer of Peter and Donny Smith with nearly thirty quarts of soup. Peter says they are really enjoying these much needed gifts. You all make great soup! Thank you!!

*****

Moving Forward

With colds and flu and all kinds of "who-z-whats-its"
this new program of St Francis is a easy way to connect, to let each other know that we care, and provide a simple meal of a quart of homemade soup.

Step One:
One-quart freezer containers will be available- with labeled lids- at the church on Sundays and during the weekday mornings when the church is open. Please take one (or more if you have extra freezer space) and sign the book with your name and expected contents. It could be soup, chowder, stew, etc.

Step Two:
It doesn't take much to want some hot soup...either for you or someone else.. call for a list of available soups and we will bring it to you!
Just be in touch and let us know.

That's it!

And...Step Three:
Who to call for soup?
Judy Rountree
(374-2636)
or
Chris Ramsay
(812-1995)

***
A question that has been asked several times: What if the person needing soup is a neighbor who doesn't attend St. Francis?
Well, of course!
We just need everyone who can participate- to find a space to tuck a quart of soup into your freezer.









From Sue Grindle-

Need #1: Diapers and Dental items for the Tree of Life. 

The Outreach Committee thanks you for your attention and generosity dealing with this continuous need of our challenged community members.

Need #2: The Outreach committee would like to welcome some new members.

 We are a friendly group which meets on the second Thursday of the month at 1:30 at St. Francis Church.

We are charged with the responsibility of distributing funds and also with some hands on work to worthy organizations which meet the various needs of our community. 

If interested, please come to the next meeting on February 14th, contact Sue Grindle (susangrindle8@gmail.com) or speak to any committee member. 


Links to Websites of
 Special Interest: 

St Francis by the Sea  (website)


From our church office: We have a St. Francis Facebook Page. Link below... "LIKE" our page and keep up to date on all the news and happenings!!!



NAMI Maine
A stunning photo taken in Sedgwick (with only an iPhone) by Paige Swanson, granddaughter of Peter and Donny Smith