Thanksgiving Day Service at the Cathedral at 10:00AM in Emmanuel Chapel

The E-Pistle of Wednesday

November 22nd, 2023

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Events

Happy Thanksgiving from the Cathedral Community

On behalf of the Cathedral staff and community,

We wish you a healthy, safe, and joyous Thanksgiving Holiday!

Thanksgiving Day Service at the Cathedral

Please join us tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd, 2023 at 10:00 AM in Emmanuel Chapel for a service of Holy Eucharist with The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown, The Bishop of Maine, presiding.

All are welcome!

Thanksgiving Day Service Bulletin

Youtube Live

Link

Thanksgiving Day Service Participants

Preacher & Celebrant

The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown, Bishop of Maine

Music Leader & Organist

Terry Foster, Guest Cathedral Musician

Lector & Prayers Leader

Susan McCuller

Verger & Eucharistic Minister

Randi Hogan

Contributing Ministries

Acolytes, Vergers, The Flower Guild, The Altar Guild, The Kneeler Guild

Contemplative Prayer Group To Take Off Thanksgiving Day

In observance of the Thanksgiving Day Holiday, The Contemplative Prayer group will not meet.

Please contact Sarah Braik with any questions that you may have.

Cathedral Offices to be Closed This Wednesday through Friday

This week the cathedral offices will be closed beginning on Wednesday, November 22nd through Friday, November 24th in observance of the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Community Announcements

Healing Team Schedule

The Healing Team offers prayers of healing during or after communion. The following team members will be offering prayers on the following Sundays:

November 26, 2023

Peter Carleton, Judd Hume

December 3, 2023.

Betsey Deleuse, Oscar Mokeme

If you have any questions, please contact any of the Healing Team Members or email Judd Hume. Judd can also be reached by phone at (207) 773 - 5611.

Altar Guild Polishing Party

December 2nd, 2023

9:00AM-12:00PM

The Upper Hall

RSVP to Rita Siavelis

Please join the Altar Guild for our upcoming polishing party on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 between 9 am and noon. We'll enjoy treats, holiday conversation, and merry company and conversation while we polish the silver and brass to shine for the Christmas season. All you need to bring is yourself and a little elbow grease! RSVP to Rita Siavelis or just show up the day of the event. We look forward to seeing you!

Eco tips for the holidays from

the Public Police and Environmental Action Team

With the Season of Advent and the Christmas approaching, here are some tips that will help the Earth:

1. Think green: Buy from local shops or artisans for gifts. This helps the earth in reducing fossil fuel use when items are shipped over distances.

2. Ditch the single use plastic:as plastic is a major source of harm to the earth -it is made from fossil fuels and also does not break down easily.

3.Try to find gifts and decorations made from natural or recycled sources.

4..Give batter-free gifts as discarded batteries are a hazard to the environment.

5.. Gift memories rather than things. For example tickets to an event.,

6.. Connect with nature, perhaps join an Audubon bird walk or bird count event.

7. Choose LED lighting when decorating with lights.

St. Elizabeth's Pantry Coat Drive

As we gear up for colder temperatures, St. Elizabeth’s is launching its annual coat and boot drive. Many of our neighbors come from warmer climates and don’t have the necessary clothing for fall and winter in Maine.

Large and Extra-Large sized coats for both men and women are most needed, but coats and boots of all sizes are welcome. Items should be in clean, good condition.

Monetary donations may also be made for the purchase of new coats and boots for our neighbors.

Financial contributions can be mailed to: St. Elizabeth’s Jubilee Center PO Box 4036 Portland, ME 04101 or visit here.

St. Luke's Food Pantry in Need of Contributions

The Food Pantry welcomes your contributions of oil, flour, and dried beans!

These continue to be the most wanted items and and the most difficult for us to keep in stock.

Donations can be dropped off at any service or at the Cathedral's rear entrance. Thank you! Both neighbors and volunteers are grateful for your support!

With any questions please contact Mary Brighthaupt.

Visit Hannaford over the Bridge

and Support Our Food Pantry in November

During November, St. Luke's Food Pantry will receive $1 from every $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag sold during the month of November at the Hannaford on 50 Cottage Road in South Portland.

Plus, our pantry will receive $0.25 from every Hannaford Snack Pals Plate sold there.

Christmas Serving Opportunity

St. Luke's is seeking additional helpers in the Christmas Eve Vigil and the Christmas Day service. Interested in participating in the service?

Please contact Head Verger Eleanor Roberts for more information. All ages welcome

Advent wreath making

The season of Advent begins on December 3; the first Sunday in December. Advent wreath making will be after the 10 am service in the lower Parish Hall on December 3.

Greens, wreath rings and floral wire will be available. There will be some packs of candles available for $5.

A simple lunch of beef chili or vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwiches will be provided. Gluten free/vegan/vegetarian options will be included.

Come get ready for Advent and share a meal with your fellow parishioners!

The St. Luke’s Christmas Pageant

Christmas is fast approaching and it’s time to think of the Christmas Pageant! The pageant is part of the 5 pm Christmas eve service. All children and teens are invited to participate.

Children’s friends or cousins are invited participate; grandchildren are invited to participate too! Rehearsals are on December 10, 17 at 11:30 and Dec 24 (before the service) at 4 pm. While it would be good to have everyone at all the rehearsals; we are very flexible around rehearsal attendances.

Please let the pageant director know if your children and teens want to participate.

For more information email Sarah Dowling or contact her by phone at 207-653-1017.

Advent Choral Liturgies at St. Luke’s

Please join us for our next Choral Evensong 4PM Sunday 3 December,

and for A Service Lessons & Carols for Advent & Christmastide at 4PM Sunday 17 December.

For additional information contact Christian M. Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music with any questions you may have.

Contribute to CSL’s music ministry

Recently, several longtime choir members have retired from or taken breaks from the Cathedral Choir, and we could use your vocal talents to rebuild our membership. If you fit the bill (or aren’t sure), please drop in on a choir rehearsal (Thursday 7PM or Sunday 8:45AM) and check it out.

Or, offer to play an instrument or sing. We invite you to share your musical talents with our worshiping community in our praise of God. Or, do you know someone with talents to share? For more information or to discuss your interests, please contact Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music.

Clarification Regarding Pledging Using Realm

Thank you to all of our community members who have made a pledge gift using Realm.

Treasurer Tim Wilkins and Financial Administrator Nina Andersen wish to clarify the process of setting up a pledge through Realm.

In order for our team to have a record of your pledge for the year please complete and submit a pledge form. This informs us of your total amount to be pledged for the year before using Realm to enter a payment plan in Vanco for your 2024 pledge. We appreciate your understanding and are happy to answer any questions you may have.

Please contact Tim Wilkins or Nina Andersen with any questions you may have.

Last Week's Service

Click the attached link to view last week's Bulletin.

To watch the livestream of last Sunday's service, click here

To watch the sermon offered by The Reverend George Stevens, visit the corresponding links.

To View past services visit our Youtube Page or visit the archive page on our website to read past bulletins, sermons, and newsletters.

Events in the Wider Community

Portland Rossini Club Performance

November 26th, 2023 at 3:00PM

Join the Portland Rossini Club for their upcoming performance at the cathedral on Sunday, November 26th at 3:00PM.

This concert will feature Mark Braun, pianist, Seth Blank, horn, and Steve Schiffman, clarinet, who will perform two movements of Gustav Jenner’s Trio in E-flat for Clarinet, Horn, and Piano.

New member, pianist Ryan Slocum and guest violinist, Jenelle Westerbeck, will perform two of Ryan Slocum’s original compositions, as well as the F-A-E Sonata by Johannes Brahms

Torrey Gimpel, soprano, will perform selections from musicals by Lionel Bart, Lin Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Frank Wildhorn, Alan Menken, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.

To learn more about the Rossini Club and to buy tickets, visit their website here

Renaissance Voices Concerts at the Cathedral

Join Music Director Harold Stover, (St. Luke's Parishioner) and Renaissance voices for their Christmas Concerts, December 9th and 10th at the cathedral.

This program will feature works by Heinrich Isaac, Igor Stravinski, Franz Biebl, a new work by Harold Stover, and more.

To learn more about Renaissance Voices and to buy tickets online visit their website here

St. Mary Schola presents A Neapolitan Christmas

Join St. Mary Schola and Guest Conductor Christian Clough (Canon for Liturgy and Music) as they present a program entitled 'A Neapolitan Christmas' featuring a moteto by Francesco Durante, and six voice setting of the Magnificat by Michael Praetorius.

To learn more about St. Mary Schola and to buy tickets online visit their website here

Ongoing Opportunities &

Community Resources

Help with Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour needs hosts. It's fun and easy! No commitment required— you can do it once and that's a help. Please check out the schedule and if there is a date you can serve, contact Gail Kesich or Liz Griffin.

Help the Cathedral With Recycling

As Portland does not pick-up recycling for businesses we are looking for volunteers to take home the paper we gather in blue bins and add them to parishioner's recycling bins at their homes (We do however recycle cardboard and compost both of which have been a very successful campaigns).

If you would like to help please contact Sarah Braik or Tim Wilkins. Thanks for your help.

Access Your Realm Profile

The Cathedral’s new online database, Realm, is a useful tool for parishioners to manage their contact and pledging information.

Realm helps our community by improving our record keeping in a more streamlined fashion.

When joining Realm you can sign-up to be a part of the online directory in the database.

To activate your Realm profile please contact our financial administrator Nina Andersen.

Nina will assist you with the few steps necessary to access your profile.

We look forward to sharing this exciting new technology with you!

Join the Young and The Restless

We are St. Luke’s 20s-30s-year-old ministry. We are an active group at the cathedral which also gets together outside of the church.

Join us as we go hiking, ice skating, play trivia, or just enjoy each other’s company! If you are new to us, welcome! We meet each Tuesday at Maine Beer Company in Freeport, 6-8 PM for Trivia.

Other events happen sporadically throughout the month, however trivia is a wonderful opportunity to meet us if you’re joining us for the first time. Contact Shana Rose to stay up to date with group activities and information.

Join Luke's Garden

LGBTQIA+ Group

Luke's Garden is the cathedral's LGBTQIA+ group which meets every 2nd Sunday of the month following coffee hour.

All are welcome!

For additional information contact Orion Williams

The Kneeler Guild and

Prayer Shawl Knitters

Tuesday

2:30PM

The Upper Hall.

For additional information contact Jeri Edgar 207-303-8447 or Nancy MaWhinney 207-775-7500

Everyone is welcome, whether you are curious or want to begin. Kneeler kits cost $75, which include directions, yarn, needles & canvas. Novices are welcome; we will teach you as needed. Prayer Shawls: 26-29” by 60”; select your yarn & needles. Coffee & Tea available.