eClare
St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church
Blue Hill ~ Maine
May 14, 2021
(photo by Joe Lendvai)
"The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also."
-Harriet Ann Jacobs
From Fr Brent

The times, they are a changing!

It has been an eventful 24 hours in the life of the COVID-19 pandemic, or at least in our collective response to it. As of yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control lifted many (if not most) pandemic restrictions on those who have been fully vaccinated. Changes in mask protocols for fully vaccinated people and the state’s removal of limits to the size of indoor gatherings will impact our lives in countless ways, not least our common life at St. Francis by the Sea. 
   
Your vestry and key liturgical leaders will confer over the next few days to determine what our reopening will look like in light of these changes. Rest assured we will be careful and cautious in our decision making. That said, it sure does look like our regathering process be a lot easier than it might have been. Hallelujah! Stay tuned. 

In the meantime, if you have been vaccinated, on behalf of a grateful community, THANK YOU! And if you haven’t, from both a public health and a moral, Christian-concern-for-neighbor perspective, please join the ranks of those doing the right thing and get your shot. 

In Christ,

Fr. Brent











The Calendar


Sunday Worship Service
May 16
Zoom
9 AM
*****
Zoom- plus!
In-person worship
Sunday, May 23
10 AM
(see below)
*****
Morning Prayer
 Wednesday - Saturday 
8:45 AM
We Pray for:
Andrea
Art
Arthur
Harry and Marie Bissell
Jim Casper
Russel Dischinger
Edward Dufresne
Brinley Hall
Katie Holland
Justin
Jenni
Kayla
Keagan
JoAnn Krestan
Alix Kirkpatrick
Kira and John Klinger
Victor L Lopez
Fred Marston
Diana Robson
Dennis Robertson
Ronan
Carla Rosenzweig
Mary Semler
Linda Slaven
Cathy Smith
Donny Smith
Marshall Smith
Peggy Smith
Terri Stephens Smith
Fred Stine
Janet and Julia Swayze
Lyn Swayze
Karen Swoboda
Judy Thomas
Gerald Wheeler
Holly Whelan
Nell Whiting
Persis Williams

Those with May Birthdays
Jim Caggaino
Dixie Chapman
Dennis DeSilvey
Sarah Everdell
Marilyn Heinemann
John Paul LaLonde
Elaine MacLean
Abby Martin
Jane Nesbitt
Carla Rosensweig
Susan Schneider
Donny Smith
Mary Ann Taylor
Nell Whiting
Angela Yardy


Those in the Armed Services  
Abigail
James Crowe III
Andy Dittmer
Brian Haley
Sean Haley
Douglas Hamilton
Kyler Hall
Peter McGuyer
Kyle Carino Mings
Eric Partridge
Congratulations
Marshall Smith!

The Outreach Committee voted yesterday to send $300.00 to The Ellsworth Free Medical Clinic in honor of Marshall and his 65 year medical school reunion. Marshall is an active member of St. Francis Outreach Committee.

From Marshall:
We had 19 out of 34 classmates on Zoom. There were a total of 125 in our class, of whom 34 are still living.

After medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, I did a 2 year internship in Hartford, CT, then a 2 year residency in Internal Medicine at Presbyterian Hospital in Philadelphia. I was in private practice of Internal Medicine in New Brunswick, New Jersey (the 3rd generation doctor in my family) and then moved to Bangor, Maine, to be head of the Pulmonary Section at Eastern Maine Medical Center. I started work in the Ellsworth Free Medical Clinic after I retired from active practice.
A Gift for the children in our community!

Thank you for answering the call!
St.Francis Church and the Deetjen Campership Scholarship will be funding 3 children to Camp Bishopswood and 1 child to Nichols Day Camps.
All are going for one week.
Eagles Nest Clubhouse

From a Thank you Note to St. Francis-

"I can't begin to tell you how much we appreciate the generous donation on behlf of Brenda Swayze. She was a very dedicated member of the Clubhouse and has been missed. She was also our biggest advocate for fundraising needs and we really appreciate once again all you have done for us".
-Alice


A donation has been made from St. Francis' Outreach funds to NAMI Maine.

Sarah Everdell reported at a recent meeting on the extraordinary work being done in the field of mental health during these difficult times of social isolation.

Below is a gift to NAMI from a well known business!

Many thanks to Sarah and Tony for their dedication to NAMI.

Look at the gift below:
Regarding in-person Worship Service:

Sunday, May 23, 10 AM

Seating capacity: The limit will be 50. Because many volunteers will be needed, St. Francis is currently able to offer only 32 seats.

However....stay tuned as very recent information coming from the CDC means this could change and more seating will then be allowed.

There will be additional information coming to all in the next few days.

According to Greg Marley of NAMI Maine,

if you weren't already aware, May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And in an effort to help support the cause, Hannaford Supermarkets has made an incredibly generous donation of $75,000 to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Maine Chapter.
“As we come to the end of this very long pandemic year, I think we’re going on 14 months plus, I think people are tired, and one thing that has suffered a lot is peoples’ mental health. Anxiety and depression are way up as is substance use and eating disorders. People are struggling. We need to build hope, and we need to build help. That’s what NAMI Maine will be using this foundational money for.”

Links to Websites of
 Special Interest: droppable-1619627234904

bwas@riseup.net (Fr. Brent Was)

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
Who is that doctor standing next to Nick Everdell??? It has to be a cardboard cut-out.
Actually, it is!
There will be a Memorial Day eClare coming out in two weeks. eClare has already begun to receive input and you are invited to do the same. It is a time to honor those whose lives are dedicated to the freedoms we all cherish.
Please send along your photos and material to acknowledge to our heroes. Thanks much!