News & Events in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine
Volume 24, Number 4
February 17, 2022
Around The Diocese
Forum on Wabanaki sovereignty this Sunday
The Racial Justice Council and Committee on Indian Relations of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine invite you, on February 20 at 2:00 pm, to a public forum in support of “An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act" (LD 1626).

Maulian Dana, Ambassador of the Penobscot Nation, will be the keynote speaker. Bishop Thomas Brown will offer the opening prayer. The forum will take place via a Zoom Webinar, hosted by Christ Church, Gardiner. 
Nominations open for Executive Council Lay Rep
Nominations for Executive Council Lay Representative are open. This representative will serve on Executive Council of the General Convention for a term of 5 years. All lay members in good standing of a diocese in Province 1 are invited to consider if they are called to this role in church governance. The election will be held at the Province 1 virtual conference on May 7.

The first step is to submit the Nominees Information Form by Monday, February 28, for submission to the General Convention Office for canonically required background checks.

The next step is to begin filling out the nomination information in the Position Description and Nomination Requirements and consult with Bishop Brown and a delegate of the Province 1 Conference for their approval of your qualifications.

Finally, fully completed nominations should be submitted to Province 1 Coordinator Will Harron by March 31, 2022. Only nominees who have completed and submitted the above Nominees Information Form and the additional nominee information will be considered.

Nominee information will be distributed to delegates in advance of the Province 1 Conference on May 7.
Seeking youth participants for online Holy Week service
This is a call for children and youth volunteers to participate in an upcoming diocese-wide Holy Week online worship service. The service will be broadcast on YouTube and Facebook. We are seeking youth and young people who would be interested in sharing their gifts as readers or members of a virtual choir.

Participating is easy: attend a volunteer meeting to learn more about the process and the service, and then record your part and send it in. Don't worry if you don't have any fancy equipment - all you need is a phone or computer.

If you know a child or youth who might be interested in participating in this service, please email Canon for Youth Ministry Sara D'Angio White by Friday, March 4.
News From Our Congregations
Coffee by Design, owned by Cathedral of St. Luke's member Mary Allen Lindemann, has commissioned a special set of cookies in celebration of Black History Month. The cookies are produced by Lila Bean Bakery, the first renters of St. Luke's Kitchen, and feature the likenesses of Harriet Tubman, Desmond Tutu, Maya Angelou, and Amanda Gorman. Along with Lindemann, the mother and daughter duo chose to create likenesses of these four leaders because they have personally inspired them. $1 from every cookie sold goes to support the production of the Black Owned Maine podcast.
St. Augustine's, Dover Foxcroft is in good hands! Here's a picture from the Commissioning of the Bishop's Committee on February 6.
On Friday, February 18 at 4:00 pm, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Rangeley will offer candlelit Choral Evensong, one of the most beloved services in the Anglican tradition. Many find Evensong, which only lasts a little over a half hour, to be a service of mystical beauty as the day comes to an end.

Evensong at Good Shepherd is an especially lovely service, as the ancient prayers and chants combine with the candlelight inside and the gradual coming of evening viewed through the lakeside windows. It is called “choral” evensong because many parts are prepared by the choir and clergy, while the congregation joins in singing or saying other parts of the service or simply participates by being present. The Episcopal Church welcomes all, wherever they are in their personal spiritual journey, to attend and participate in services at 2614 Main Street, Rangeley. Masks and social distancing are required.
Bishop Brown and Archdeacon Perkins enjoyed a wonderful visit to St. Luke's, Wilton, led by the Rev. Sue Cole, last weekend.
St. Alban’s, Cape Elizabeth is pleased to announce that the Rev. Claudia Wyatt Smith has joined the leadership team as part-time Priest Associate. Claudia will begin assisting the Rev. Joshua Hill, rector, in leading worship, preaching, pastoral care, and teaching -effective today! Claudia served as the Interim Priest-in-Charge during the final months of St. Alban’s search process before Joshua was called.
St. George’s in York Harbor is hiring a part-time Parish Administrator. This position is partly office administration, and strong candidates will manage lots of details effectively. They're excited to work with someone creative and curious about connecting people and telling their story through digital engagement. Read the full job description here. To apply, email a cover letter and resume to the Rev. Ryan Mails.
Voices Among Us
A second public hearing for LD 1626 - An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Task Force on Changes to the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Implementing Act was held Tuesday, February 15. More than seven hours of testimony via Zoom and 1,500 +/- written testimonies were offered in support of tribal sovereignty! Watch recorded proceedings here on YouTube. The Rev. Ted Kanellakis was the final of about 100 people to speak - hear his moving speech at 8:27:23. Below is some of the written testimony provided by the diocese:
Legislative hearings are being held online in advance of General Convention in July, and you can attend! The public can sign up to observe the meetings, and even testify. Find the schedule and register here. Read more in ENS "General Convention committees to welcome public to first-ever online legislative hearings".
Maine Compass: Rectifying a grievous injustice against...

Citizens of Maine, you have a unique opportunity to rectify a grievous injustice perpetrated on Wabanaki tribes residing here. The Legislature will soon deliberate a bill, L.D. 1626, "An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the Task Force on...

Read more
www.centralmaine.com
Attend the next World Too Beautiful (WTB) service on Wednesday, March 2 (6:15 pm) where the Rev. Ash Temin from the BTS Center, a spiritual director who offers contemplative grief accompaniment through her independent practice in Portland, will offer a reflection on "Trusting in the Darkness: Lent and Ecological Grief". WTB is a service that uses prayer, scripture, poetry, contemplative silence, and music to celebrate the beauty of the natural world and inspire us to care for God’s creation. Please join the service in person at Emmanuel Chapel, Cathedral of St. Luke, 143 State St., Portland or here via Zoom.
In We Cry Justice, Reading the Bible with the Poor People's Campaign, Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival, is joined by pastors, community organizers, scholars, low-wage workers, lay leaders, and people in poverty to interpret sacred stories about the poor seeking healing, equity, and freedom. The book reminds us all that in a world roiled by poverty and injustice, Scripture still speaks. The book includes reflection questions and a short prayer at the end of each chapter and is available for purchase here.
Terry Reimer, Canon for Finance and Stewardship, offered this online training session to churches in the Diocese of Maine with tips for filing the 2021 Parochial Report, on February 5. If you have further questions before the March 1 filing deadline, please be in touch with Cn. Reimer.
Prayers
We pray for the ministry of Seeds of Hope in Biddeford. The neighborhood center is regularly open as a warming center any night (or day) where the temperature is 20 degrees or below 7:00 pm - 7:00 am, but when the extreme cold continues over several days, they stay open 24 hrs.
We offer prayers of thanksgiving for the service of the Very Rev. Dr. Benjamin Shambaugh, ACS Chaplain, Flotilla 2-1, SNNE. He has been recognized for his work in the Auxiliary Chaplain Support (ACS) Program which plays a vital role in support of overall mission execution of the Coast Guard which two awards - The Achievement Medal and Annual Service Award.
Let us pray for the Rev. David Matson (pictured here with his family) and the congregation of St. Matthew's, Lisbon Falls. Bishop Brown recently visited them for a Celebration of New Ministry - with cake! May God bless their ministry together.
We offer prayers for the repose of the soul of Kenneth E. Barrett who passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 12, at his home in Kittery Point surrounded by family members who loved him. Ken was a parishioner at St. George's, York Harbor where he served on the vestry, and he served on the Trustees of Diocesan Funds for the Episcopal Diocese of Maine. A public service of remembrance will be arranged at a later date. Read Ken's obituary here.
Please pray for leaders stepping into new diocesan appointments this year. Congratulations to Rev. Carolyn Eklund, rector at St. Paul's in Brunswick, who is the new chair of the Commission on Ministry, to Rev. Ryan Mails, rector at St. George's in York Harbor, who is the new chair of the Compensation Committee, and Rev. Ginny Urbanek, retired and living in Houlton, who has joined Rev. Larry Estey and Elizabeth Estey as a chaplain to the retired clergy.
Resources
New, free course on understanding systemic racism
ChurchNext just launched Becoming Beloved Community: Understanding Systemic Racism For Individuals and For Groups. This curriculum is offered for free to any individual, congregation, or other group looking for deeper understanding of how systemic racism operates in our country and in our church, and for suggestions about what to do next in the process of Becoming Beloved Community.

In this course, Dr. Ivy Forsythe-Brown and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Ferguson take learners through six sessions of material. At the end of the course, each participant will have learned more about the racism inherent to our nation’s social, political, and economic structures; the far-reaching effects of the racist policies white people have implemented into these structures; the participation of The Episcopal Church in creating and sustaining systemic racism; the need to change those structures and repair their negative effects; barriers to changing those structures to make them truly egalitarian (and how to overcome them); the next steps we should take as congregations and individuals in Becoming Beloved Community; and the many resources for learning more about systemic racism and about taking effective action.

The course is funded by the grants from Episcopal Church’s Presiding Officers’ Advisory Council on Becoming Beloved Community and the Diocese of Michigan and by Forward Movement.