eClare from St. Francis by the Sea

eClare

St. Francis by the Sea Episcopal Church

Blue Hill ~ Maine

April 6, 2022

The Seasons of Lent and Easter

“It’s a warm wind, the west wind, full of birds’ cries; I never hear the west wind but tears are in my eyes. For it comes from the west lands, the old brown hills, and April’s in the West wind, and daffodils.” – John Masefield

A Message from Fr. Brent

"My friends in Christ,

Windy has been hanging all of the cards people are sending on the wall next to our bed. I’m not bedridden, but I do spend a lot of time lying down so I see those cards hanging there throughout my days.

In some of those cards there is just a name signed, or “Praying for you” under the droopy eye’d puppy, a watercolor of a chickadee or a detail of some 2^nd century fresco and accompanying bible verse. In some of those cards there are touching letters about how much we are missed, or how a friend’s cousin had the same thing, though they eventually died of lung cancer, but the head thing got fixed first (ok, only one of those). And sometimes the notes are just a few thoughts about life on a given day from a fellow traveler on the Way, words of wisdom and love.

I am feeling about the same, which is not so good, but we have some encouraging news. Through a contact here in Brooksville, we are heading down to the comprehensive neurology department at Mass General on Wednesday. It is the first stop at MGH when the local neurologists are stumped. We’ll stay a couple of days in Boston for testing; maybe we can get dim sum between lumbar punctures. We couldn’t be more grateful for access to the best medical care available. Thank you for all the leads. They make a difference.

And so do those cards. And so do those short posts on Facebook. The knowledge in my heart that my family and I are being prayed for and cooked for and cared about and loved by so many people from all over the place, a lot of whom we really haven’t known for very long, makes hard days like yesterday a lot easier to get through. Knowing all of that makes thinking beyond today a little less anxiety producing. Knowing that it comes from you gives a face to the love of God in Christ. That is so important when so many things in my life are so demonstrably out of my control. Thank you for everything.

Windy and the girls are real troopers. It is hard but your support (and cooking for the meal train) has made a world of difference to them. Extra special thanks to Sarah who keeps in such close contact with Windy. Her support and love has been essential.

We’ll let you know what we learn in Boston.

In Christ,"

*There will be a follow-up eClare message from the Was family following their time in Boston this week. They are all in our hearts and prayers.

From our Senior Warden-

Spring is in the air and better things are on the horizon!!

I know how many prayers are accompanying Brent and Windy as they travel to Boston for medical answers and I feel confident that God will keep them safe and give them relief. Thank you all for those prayers and for so many loving kindnesses you have offered and given.

I want to give special thanks to Sarah Everdell for her tremendous work over the last five weeks while I was away. No one could have handled as much, as well and with as much grace and caring as she did. Thank you on behalf of us all.

Easter is coming and May we all keep our eye on the miracles around us.

Stay tuned for updates and have a blessed week.

Fondly,

Milissa

The Calendar

*****

Morning Prayer

Tuesday-Friday

8:45 am

Contemplative Prayer

Fridays at 9:15 am.

Join us on Zoom.

(The Sunday Service Bulletin will be sent separately from the church office)

Easter Flower forms are available in the Narthex. Please complete the forms and leave them in the church office or drop them in the collection plate. The deadline for inclusion in the church bulletin is April 12th.

Palm Sunday - April 10th - 10:00 AM - The Rev. Donna Downs

Maundy Thursday - April 14th - 7:00 PM - The Rev. Donna Downs

Stations of the Cross - April 15th - noon - behind the Congregational Church with Rev. Lisa Durkee, inside the Congregational Church if raining

Good Friday - April 15th - 7:00 PM -The Rev. Elaine Hewes

Easter Vigil - April 16th - 7:00 PM - The Rev. Jenny Reece, presiding, The Rev. Regina Christianson, homily

Easter Sunday - April 17th - 10:00 AM - The Rev. Steve Hayward

Regarding Masking

(A Message from St. Frances' Vestry)

As Hancock County is now in the “green” level, Maine CDC advises that parishioners may wear masks based on their personal preference.

From the Episcopal Diocese of Maine: “Some of our community will choose to wear masks, others will feel safe not wearing masks. We honor this diversity in our congregation.”

At St. Francis, we will continue to provide sufficient space to maintain social distancing and will continue to use window fans.

If you have questions, be in touch with Sarah Everdell, our Jr. Warden

(359-8562)

Carla Rosensweig and her daughter, Greta, visiting from the Washington D. C area, were at St. Francis Church last week. They were able to visit the Salt Bowl which Carla has donated to the church. An artist at heart, look at the "pick-up sticks" in the left photo. And from Carla's quote, "The Maryland Farm I grew up on yielded the rich sources that gave me my vision. This vision continues with the use of mud, sand, dirt and clay in my paintings and sculpture."

Thank you for so much for your generosity, St. Francis Church!

This is the final week for our Lenten Project of gifting food to the residents of the Emmaus Shelter in Ellsworth.

Barbara is helping to pack up some of the hundreds of items have been brought to the overflowing basket in the sanctuary. Another delivery to the Emmaus Shelter will be made this Friday, April 8.

Every item you have brought has met the CDC packaging guidelines!

Here is a message from the Director of the Emmaus Shelter, Stacey Herrick: "Good afternoon. I just want to send a thank you for all the soups, pancakes and individual items for our residents to enjoy. There were residents helping us unpack and put stuff away. One resident brought me q-tips and was so excited about them! We keep them in the office and give them out to people who need them. This is a luxury item. It was so exciting and appreciated." -Stacey Herrick, Director

We Pray for:

Amelia, Andrea, Art, Christina, Harry and Marie Bissell, Mary Boyd, Bill Casale, Edward Dufresne, Diane Dumond,Giffy Full, Brinley Hall, Bethany Hill, Jill, Justin, Kayla, Keagan, Jo-Anne Krestan, Alix Kirkpatrick, Kira and John Klinger, Michelle Liberty, Lisa Looke, Michelle Liberty, Fred Marston, Sophia Partridge, Diana Robson, Rolande, Ronan, Rya, Carla Rosenzweig, Donny Smith, Peter Smith, Marshall Smith, Peggy Smith, Fred Stine, Carolyn Taylor, Judy Thomas, Fr. Brent Was, Holly Whelan, and Persis Williams

Those with April Birthdays

Lucy Bowick, Jim Briggs, Richard Brown, Lee Buck, Lindsay Decrow, Sue Grindle, Tony Everdell, Maynard Gretchen-Forbes, Heather Ford, Kathleen Hayward, Brenda Higgins, Jack Joyce, Merry Newton, Tony Newton, Nancy Peers, Carolyn Van Cise, Persis Williams,

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

Those who have lost their lives and many others who continue to be injured and in harms way in Ukraine