Congratulations to four recent recipients of New Initiative Fund grants
On Saturday, March 17, at their meeting at Trinity Church, Saco, Diocesan Council members awarded four New Initiative Grants during the first round of 2018 funding.
St. David's, Kennebunk - Laundry Love - $2,300
Laundry Love will build community by providing laundry services to those who need it in the Biddeford community. We will provide free loads of laundry and soap on a monthly basis at Booms, a local laundromat. This will meet a critical need for those living in poverty, while also building a community around caring for one another. As this community grows, we hope to learn of new ways that we can serve each other.
St. Patrick's, Brewer - Faith Linking In Action, Holyoke Neighborhood Garden - $15,000
The purpose of the Holyoke Neighborhood Garden is to demonstrate the love and mercy of God and encourage transforming change in the low-income neighborhood around St. Patrick's through organizing a group of residents to collaboratively plant, harvest, and manage a community garden. The group will be a vehicle to build relationships and find and support the development of leaders, who we will also support to do education and advocacy on issues affecting them - including public transportation, child care, food security, and jobs - through connecting to the broader organizing of FLIA for a community of justice and dignity.
Arise Portland - Young Adult Ministry - $8,000
Arise Portland is in its third year as a joint venture of the ELCA New England Synod and the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. As an experimental/non-traditional ministry that serves younger adults and others who are often uncomfortable in traditional church settings, we work to build community and spiritual practice, honoring the wholeness of each participant. As we begin our fourth year, we are undergoing a not-unexpected leadership transition, and seek to use the next two years to solidify new leadership and leadership patterns, to ensure sustainability of Arise going forward.
Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church, Augusta - Bridging the Gap - $10,000
Bridging the Gap (BTG) is comprised of three services: the Augusta Community Warming Center and the church's long-time ministries, Addie's Attic Clothing Bank and Everyday Basic Essentials Pantry. The mission of BTG is to help people become the healthiest version of themselves by connecting them to basic needs and community resources and by providing opportunities for meaningful volunteerism and social connection. BTG functions as a low-barrier community resource center and safe place that assists individuals seeking to move beyond their current circumstances.
Congratulations!
Faith in Maine, a new podcast from the Episcopal Church in Maine
While brainstorming various ways to share the good news of our diocese during the search for our next bishop, the idea of hosting a podcast to highlight ministries in Maine surfaced as a possibility.
Episode 1 - Mudseason is now available for download or streaming at
www.faithinmaine.org. Subsequent episodes will soon be available on iTunes, Google Play, and - once we have at least five episodes posted - Spotify.
We hope to produce about twelve short episodes to accompany the diocesan profile that will be released in early May.
You can listen to
Mudseason right now, right
here:
Thanks from the Compensation Committee
Members of the Clergy and Lay Comprehension Committee wish to thank all who participated in our recent survey regarding lay compensation and its impact on congregations. Your answers and heartfelt comments will be very helpful as we address the lay compensation resolution for this year's diocesan convention.
Peter Bickford Chair
