The Dio Log

news & events in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine since 1999

Volume 22, Number 4
February 21, 2020

207.772.1953 I www.episcopalmaine.org
News for the Episcopal Church in Maine
Lent 2020: A Call to Prayer, Fasting, and Repentance Leading to Action
An Invitation from Presiding Bishop Curry to Turn and Pray on Behalf our Nation

Almighty God … We humbly pray that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of your favor and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to your law, we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. 
Amen.
 
Your brother,
 
The Most Rev. Michael B. Curry
Presiding Bishop and Primate

Read Bishop Curry's full letter of invitation and the “Reclaiming Jesus” document and answer the call here .
Prayers
for the Rev. Kerry Mansir and family upon the loss of Kerry's stepmother, Martha Sumner Rhoads on January 13.

for the friends and family of the Rev. James R. Bocchino who recently died. Fr. Jim's 35 years in ministry included serving as Rector of St. Peter's, Rockland. Read Jim's obituary here .

for the Rev. Cn. Nancy Moore and family upon the death of Nancy's father, George "Larry" Moore , who died last week. He was a parishioner of St. Paul's, Brunswick where a funeral service will be held at 1 pm on Saturday, February 22. Read his obituary here .

for the Rev. Dr. Suzanne Roberts and family. Suzanne's mother, Virginia "Ginny" Marie Grondin , died on January 19.

for the loved ones of the Rev. Lanny Wenthe who died on February 19. Lanny served as a deacon at Christ Church, Norway. A requiem Eucharist at Christ Church in Norway will be held. Details to follow.
of thanksgiving for the Very Rev. Dr. Ben Shambaugh who has been appointed as a United States Coast Guard ACS Chaplain. Thank you for continuing to find new ways to share your gifts. Congratulations!
of thanksgiving for the Rev. Jane White-Hassler of St. James, Old Town who offered the opening prayer at the Maine State Senate this week.
Upcoming events
Around the diocese
Maine welcomes the Rev. Jay Sidebotham this March
The Rev. Jay Sidebotham will be the featured speaker at our own adult formation event, Spring Training , next month. He is the Director of RenewalWorks and also now serves as associate rector at St. James’ Parish in Wilmington, NC. Sidebotham comes to this work out of his experience as rector of Church of the Holy Spirit in Lake Forest, IL, where he led the congregation through a period of sustained focus on spiritual growth and renewal. He is well known for his cartoons about church life and his animation work on the television series Schoolhouse Rock!
Sidebotham points to a study that indicates twenty-one percent of our folks are in churches that are described as “complacent,” which is basically saying that they don’t expect any transformation to happen at all. He says, “the expectation of change has to be one of our core values in the Episcopal Church, and it hasn’t traditionally been. Probably for centuries, the Episcopal Church functioned by just being the church of power and the place to go if you wanted to connect and network. That has all dissipated, which I think is probably just fine. We are trying to help churches find their own pathways for growth and transformation.”

Rev. Sidebotham says that “part of our work is trying to get lay leaders to understand that they’re spiritual leaders. That’s one way we’re going to enable some of these communities to keep going, by spreading that sense that the clergy aren’t the only spiritual leaders in the community, there’s a broader sense of ministry to all the people in the church, so how do you equip people to do that?”

We hope you will join us for this compelling conversation and follow up workshops at Spring Training. Find sign-up details below. ( Excerpts from an interview with Kirk Petersen )
Spring Training: You are the light of the world
Join us for Spring Training on Saturday, March 21 at  South Parish Church , 9 Church St., Augusta, where we'll welcome the  Rev. Jay Sidebotham to speak about  RenewalWorks , the growing movement in the Episcopal Church equipping congregations (and now also individuals!) to assess and grow their spiritual health.
Registration and Morning Refreshments 8:30 am

RenewalWorks Presentation 9:30 am
The Rev. Jay Sidebotham will talk about his own experience as a parish priest, and how RenewalWorks can shift the focus of parishes so that we center our common life on discipleship and our desire for spiritual growth. Following the presentation, we'll meet in smaller groups to discuss what we've learned and what tools we can each take back to our congregations.

Lunch 12:15 pm

Choice of One Workshop 1:00 pm

Eucharist 2:15 pm
Come together for closing worship led by Bishop Thomas Brown

All are encouraged to attend!
Download a flyer or bulletin insert here.
Attend a church finance workshop this weekend
Sat. Feb. 22  - 10 am to 2 pm - Cathedral of St. Luke, Portland (143 State St.)
Canon for Finance and Stewardship, Terry Reimer, will be presenting his second Church Finances Workshop for Treasurers and Wardens this Saturday. No registration is required. Bring your own brown bag lunch. If you have questions, please contact Terry at treimer@episcopalmaine.org . 
Keeping track of first quarter reports
Parochial Reports for 2019 are due March 1, 2020. Guidelines are available here:  https://episcopalchurch.org/research/forms-and-instructions . If you need help, contact Terry Reimer . Please also c onsider attending the  Church Finance Workshop  (details above) this Saturday in Portland. Need help tracking links and reports? We've compiled a list with their due dates. Download it  here . 
Youth invited to an online info and planning meeting
Maine Episcopal Youth has many exciting events coming up this year and we want young people to learn more and maybe even help plan them! We'll talk about our March events, as well as the upcoming summer trips.

Join other youth for an online/call-in meeting
High school youth:  Wed., March 4 @ 7:30 pm
Middle school youth:  Thur., March 5 @ 7:30 pm
Click  https://zoom.us/j/749180067  to join either meeting, or call (646) 558-8656, Meeting ID: 749 180 067.

Please email Sara at sdangiowhite@episcopalmaine.org to let her know you’ll join. For a calendar of events, visit maineyouth.org .
Are you caring for a family member with dementia?
The Community Center of the Southern Maine Agency on Aging is offering a 12-hour training for family caregivers of people with dementia. This training, the Savvy Caregiver, provides:

  • Knowledge - Learn what dementia is and how it affects personality and behavior.
  • Skills - Communicate more effectively with the person you are caring for, making each day better for you both.
  • Attitudes - Learn how to take care of yourself to reduce stress.

Trainings will take place at the Sam L. Cohen Center, 30 Barra Road, Biddeford on Wednesays from 1:30 - 3:30 pm beginning March 11 and continuing through April 15.
Call 1-800-427-7411 x541 or 396-6541 by 3/6/20 to register. Download a flyer and find other resources here .
In our congregations
Taize Service Thursdays at St. Patrick's, Brewer
A meditation/prayer service in the style of Taize, songs of Taize and Iona included, will be held at 6:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, 21 Holyoke St. Brewer.

Trinity Concert Series: Travis James Humphrey
Travis James Humphrey will perform original songs along with well known favorites on Saturday, March 21 at 7 pm at Trinity Episcopal Church, 580 Forest Ave., Portland. Tickets available at the door for $15. FMI call 772-7421 or visit  trinitychurchportland.org .

St. Paul's, Brunswick seeks full-time assistant rector
 St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Brunswick seeks a full time assistant rector for children and youth for a three-year fellowship. The position includes development of Church school, youth and parent programs, engagement with the Diocese of Maine Christian Formation programs as well as celebrating the Eucharist, preaching and pastoral care. Download the full job description here .
Lent observances and resources
Lenten Book Study: Entering the Passion of Jesus: A Beginner's Guide to Holy Week by Amy-Jill Levine
Sundays during Lent
St. Saviour's, Bar Harbor
To order the book (donation of $8.50), please email the office at  info@stsaviours.me .
Lenten Study: Book of Job new translation by Edward Greenstein
Sundays 10:45 am beginning March 1
St. Margaret's, Belfast
The biblical Book of Job may have found a place in our consciousness more than the other books of the Bible, except perhaps for the gospels. A new translation of the Book of Job by Edward Greenstein upends our traditional understanding of what Job is all about. Deirdre Good and Julian Sheffield will be our primary guides in this Lenten series focusing on a fresh look at the meaning of Job that emerges in this new and exciting translation. Participants are encouraged to purchase the book, described here . Please email questions to office@stmargaretsbelfast.org .
Lenten Book Study: Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor
Tuesdays 10:30 am March 3 through April 7
Trinity Episcopal Church, Castine
Join us as we explore why we believe what we believe, and the beliefs of other religions. If you are searching, questioning, exploring or wondering about your faith and that of others, please join us. The Rev. Donna Downs and Dixie Gray will lead the group discussions. For the first session, please read the introduction and the first two chapters. Please email the church office at trinitycastine@gmail.com if you are interested or have questions.
Lenten Prayer Workshop: Introduction to Centering Prayer
Sat., March 7 from 9 am to 3 pm 
Emmanuel Lutheran Episcopal Church, Augusta
Centering Prayer Augusta welcomes Deacon Darrell Blackwell of  Contemplative Outreach of Boston on March 7 to lead a six hour workshop presenting the teachings of  Fr. Thomas Keating  on the contemplative Christian practice of Centering Prayer. Cost is $20 per person, includes lunch. Find more info and sign up here .
Lenten Study: Penitence as Pilgrimage
Sat., April 4 through Mon., April 13th
Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Portland
T o enter Holy Week and carry into Easter, Bob Hansen will be leading Penitence as Pilgrimage based on Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan's book  The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus' Final Days in Jerusalem. Bob will lead a session each day from Saturday April 4 through Easter Monday, April 13th. The times are dependent on whether the gospels depicted the events in the morning or evening and more information on the exact times will follow.
Life Transformed: The Way of Love in Lent and Easter
The journey through Lent into Easter is a journey with Jesus. We are baptized into his life, self-giving, and death, then we rise in hope to life transformed. This Lent, faith communities will be invited to walk with Jesus in his Way of Love and into the experience of transformed life. Updated and expanded Way of Love resources for Lent and Easter are available  here  and include: Adult Forum - a set of seven Adult Forums, suitable to diverse settings, ties the Easter Vigil readings to the seven practices of the Way of Love, Quiet Day - the Quiet Day curriculum condenses the forums into a single-day journey, and Daily Calendar- based on Mary Bea Sullivan’s Living the Way of Love offers a daily practice and scriptural reference.
Share how your congregation or group is observing Lent
Please share your resources and Lenten practices with others in the diocese. Quiet days and prayer opportunities, book studies, retreats, Ashes-to-Go? Send details, photos and links to  diolog@episcopalmaine.org and upload to the diocesan web calendar here at episcopalmaine.org .