News & Events in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine since 1999
Volume 23, Number 6
March 25, 2021
Around The Diocese
Bishop Brown offers Lenten Message
Please watch this Lenten message from Bishop Brown in which he invites us all to join together online on YouTube this Tuesday of Holy Week, March 30 at 11:00 am for a service of prayer. He also announces an outdoor, in-person and online diocesan service being planned for Sunday, May 18 with a renewal of vows, blessing of oils, and prayers for each of our churches. Find this message, a diocesan video of the Reading of the Passion, and more Lenten resources here on episcopalmaine.org.
Camp Bishopswood registration is open
Campers need camp more than ever this summer! Things will look different (from this video created a few years ago) to keep everyone safe, but Camp Bishopswood is committed to give campers the best Bishopswood experience. It will still be lots of fun, and the chance to be outside and grow. Register here.
Join us for a diocesan stewardship webinar on March 27
The Diocese of Maine has partnered with The Episcopal Network for Stewardship (TENS) to create free webinars just for our clergy, lay leadership, and stewardship volunteers! Join us for the next session "Recruiting & Training a Stewardship Team" this Saturday, March 27 from 10:00 to 11:30 am. Find more information and register here.
Save-the-date for "Day of Abundant Hope" in Windham
Join St. Ann's, Windham and other members of the religious community for messages of hope and resiliency followed by a community outdoor event for health resources, mindfulness, yoga, food and more! Are you an organization that provides support prevention for substance use or services for the recovery community? Sign up for a table at the event here.
Attend info session for 2022 Holy Land pilgrimage
The Rev. Thomas Mousin, priest in charge at St. Peter’s, Portland, will be leading a pilgrimage to the Holy Land from February 14-22, 2022. The co-leader of the pilgrimage will be the Rev. Jeffrey Mello, rector of St. Paul’s. Brookline, MA. Tom and Jeff led a pilgrimage in 2020, which included a number of pilgrims from parishes in Maine. If you are interested in learning more, join an info session on Monday, April 19 at 7:00 pm. Register for the session here and a Zoom link with password will be emailed to you prior to the event.
News From Our Congregations
St. Peter’, Rockland is offering a free, public Community Conversation: "Helping You Cope with Care for One with Dementia" on Sunday, April 11 at 2:00 pm via Zoom. Presenter, Cheri Blouin, LSW, is the director of social services for Knox Center and Quarry Hill and has worked in specialized units for those with dementia and conducted support groups for care givers of dementia patients. Get the link to join by visiting "St. Peter's Latest News".
Members of St. Bartholomew's, Yarmouth completed The Episcopal Church's Sacred Ground program and were left wanting to learn and do more! They are exploring the new offering, Conversations Across Difference, beginning with attending a series of webinars. Are you interested in diving deeper, too? “From Many, One” is designed to be simple and transformative. It is geared toward individual people talking to other individuals, although congregations may join as well. Learn more here.
Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston knows that too many people in our community are struggling with hunger and homelessness. Knowing that at the same time restaurants in the community are on the brink of closing their doors forever, Trinity has launched Operation Take Out Hunger to support the soup kitchen and help local restaurants survive the pandemic. (St. Luke's, Wilton's Sunday School Lenten Study has a goal of raising $550 for this program!) Find out how you can contribute here.
Project GRACE (Granting Resources and Assistance through Community Effort) in Scarborough, Maine thanked all of the churches, including the congregation of St. Nicholas, Scarborough, for donations to their fuel fund and successful ($30,000!) annual rally. A St. Nick's member also stopped by the rally with a bundle of beautiful, hand sewn masks that were most welcome.
St. David's, Kennebunk welcomed Bishop Brown to both their PJ Church on Zoom and an in-person service of "Drive-In" Holy Communion on a gorgeous day. See some photos of the visit on March 21 below.
Voices Among Us
Hear the voices of the diocese in this recorded reading of the Passion which is available to diocesan churches for Palm Sunday services. Find the reading and video to download here on episcopalmaine.org.
A year of pandemic marked with church bells

St. John Baptist, Thomaston and other churches began ringing their bells each night at 8:00 pm in prayer and support last year on March 15. They held a special ringing of the bells to mark the one year anniversary this year.

Read more
www.newscentermaine.com
The Rev. Al Niese, retired priest who attends St. Paul’s Brunswick has recently authored, Soren's Story: A Parable about Bullies and the Peaceable Kingdom, a children's book about bullying, dealing with vengefulness, reconciliation, and the peaceable kingdom. Visit http://alfredniese.com/ where you can download a sample and a teacher's guide and purchase the book. 
Pandemic has forced religious institutions to adapt

The Portland Phoenix spoke to church leaders, including Janet Bowne, Senior Warden and the Rev. Nathan Ferrell, Rector, of Saint Mary's, Falmouth, about the operational changes they've had to make during the pandemic.

Read more
portlandphoenix.me
The Rev. Shirley Bowen, director of Seeds of Hope in Biddeford, engaged in a gathering process spanning several years, made up of indigenous and non-indigenous people committed to sit, listen, and be willing to be changed as a result of this coming together. She says, "There were tears, laughter, anger, deep listening, hugs and silence - much silence as we digested the learning. " The path they followed has been documented in the book, The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations by Shirley N. Haeger and Mawopiyane. Purchase a copy here.
Sophia's House survives, thrives in pandemic

Klara Tammany spoke with the Sun Journal about Sophia’s House, a women's residential home in Lewiston, upon the home's first year anniversary celebration.

Read more
www.sunjournal.com
Listen to the latest episode of the Way of Love series podcast on Faith in Maine! In "The Way of Love: TURN. An Interview with Bishop Brown" we speak to Bishop Thomas Brown about how he finds time each day to focus on Jesus, and what the practice of turning means to him. Listen by dialing 207-223-6402 or find the Faith in Maine podcast on any platform where podcasts are found, including iTunes, Spotify, Pocket Casts and more.
Prayers
Please join us in praying for the family and friends of the Rev. Elizabeth O'Donnell, retired deacon of the diocese, who died suddenly on March 14 in Dallas, TX. During her time in Maine, Liz served at St. John's, Bangor. Read more her obituary here.
We grieve for all those lost to gun violence. We pray for their loved ones, first responders, and all survivors. Read about the Church's response to the second mass shooting in 7 days here.
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for our newly formed diocesan Climate Justice Council. We ask for God to bless the council members and guide their work. Members include the Rev. Dr. Jenny Reese, Chair, Rev. Peter Jenks, Patricia Sprague, Steve Ward, Rev. Elaine Hewes, Sarah Braik, Marianne Pinkham, and Rev. Eleanor Prior. 
Resources
Tune in to Evangelism Matters beginning April 12
This spring’s Evangelism Matters conference "The Discipline of Hope" invites participants to turn off the Zoom screen and “tune in” for an audioconference featuring podcast-style talks on the opportunity and challenge of evangelism today. Episodes will feature speakers including Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Bishop Robert Wright of Atlanta, and Dr. Lisa Kimball of Virginia Theological Seminary, and many more. The free conference starts April 12, 2021. Get details and register today.