TOMORROW -> Socially Responsible Investing with Our Trustees

Wednesday, October 19

3:30 – 4:15 p.m. ET 

Click here for the Zoom link

Meeting ID: 845 8505 8252 Passcode: 551387

The Trustees of Diocesan Funds are hosting a virtual gathering to share their approach to socially responsible investing (ESG – Environmental, Social, Governance) within the context of their overall investment process. 

This session will also give parishes that invest with the Diocese, as well as those who invest funds on their own, greater insight into the function of the trustees. 

The Trustees have invited AllianceBernstein, one of the three money managers of the Diocesan Funds, to present on their ESG investment process and how it relates to their overall approach to the financial markets. AllianceBernstein and the Trustees will respond to questions at the end of the presentation. 

Share Your Thoughts Regarding the Next Presiding Bishop  

The Episcopal Church Joint Nominating Committee for the Election of the Presiding Bishop invites all Episcopalians to participate in a survey.

The responses will help the committee develop a profile of the skills, qualities, and gifts the church seeks in its next presiding bishop, considering what the church and world may look like in the next decade.

The deadline for completing the survey—which can be found online here—is October 31.

Please share this information and link with your church community. 

Apply for Grants 

The Grants Committee of Diocesan Council is now accepting applications for Domestic and International Poverty and the New Initiative Fund grant programs.  The deadline for either application is noon on Thursday, 10 November. Completed applications should be emailed to Canon Barbara Martin. With regret, late applications cannot be accepted.  

For more information, contact Canon Barbara Martin.  

Town Hall Meeting Tonight

We look forward to seeing you at Town Hall meeting tonight! 

Remember that Town Hall meetings take the place of pre-Convention hearings.

Tonight's Town Hall will have updates and worship, and discussions on resolutions.  

Then, we have a final post-convention Town Hall briefing on Tuesday the 25th. 

All Town Hall meetings will run from 7pm to 8pm (with an optional Q&A at 6:30 for the October meetings) and the link to the meeting will be sent out the Saturday morning before the Tuesday meeting.

See you tonight!

Set Your Clocks!

On convention day, Saturday, October 22nd, delegates and clergy will assemble on Zoom. The meeting room opens at 8:00 a.m.!

Convention will convene promptly at 9:00 a.m.

Alternate delegates and guests will watch via a YouTube livestream broadcast starting at 9:00 a.m. 

Important Convention Deadline Information

There are still lay and clergy delegates who have NOT YET REGISTERED for Convention.

The registration 'window' will close at 12 noon tomorrow, October 19.  

Once this new window closes, no additional registrations can be accepted.

If you have not yet registered, click here . Please do so quicker than ASAP.

If you are a clergyperson or senior warden, please check in with your delegation to make sure they are registered as we cannot accept registrations after 12 noon tomorrow.  

Your help is appreciated. If you need help, please email us! 

Northern New England Sacred Ground Circles this Fall – a few more spaces left

This fall there are three Sacred Ground circles meeting on Zoom with participants and facilitators drawn from the dioceses of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.  There are still spaces available in the Circles meeting Wednesday afternoon (which will begin October 26) and Thursday evening (which will begin in November).  The circles are sponsored by the Diocese of Vermont's Anti-Racism Action Group, the Diocese of New Hampshire's Reconciliation Commission and the Diocese of Maine's Racial Justice Council.

Please contact Franci Farnsworth right away if you would like to join one of the Circles that still has openings.  

Learn more about Sacred Ground, and watch an invitational video.

Racialized Trauma and Healing, with Dr. Catherine Meeks

Thursday, November 3

Online

Hosted by the Clergy Formation Committee

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Catherine Meeks, Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing, for an online event on November 3rd.

• 9:30 a.m. - Clergy sign on, pre-event conversation and coffee 
• 10:00 a.m. - Noon - Dr. Meeks' keynote address (streamed to YouTube)   
• Noon -12:45 p.m. - Time for individual reflection and lunch
•  12:45 p.m. - 2 p.m. - Gathering of clergy for discussion (on Zoom) 
•  1:45 p.m. - Closing prayer and dismissal (by 2:00 pm)

The entire diocesan community is invited to watch Dr. Meeks' keynote livestreamed on the Episcopal Maine YouTube channel at 10:00 a.m., and the clergy of the diocese will have time with Dr. Meeks for discussion. 

Active and retired clergy, please register in advance for this meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. 

The focus of our session will be asking, "What does healing look like for oppressed people who have experienced racialized trauma?" This question will apply for the Wabanaki as well as for Latinx populations, for asylum seekers as well as African American populations, and Dr. Meeks' discussion of this topic will be broad and inclusive.

In preparation for this online presentation and discussion, clergy are asked to read two books:

1) The Gatherings: Reimagining Indigenous-Settler Relations by Shirley N, Hager and Mawopiyane, which the Committee on Indian Relations recently sent to all congregations in the diocese

2)  Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome: America's Legacy of Enduring Injury and Healing by Joy DeGruy's work.  

Dr. Meeks will come to Maine in person in the spring to lead the annual spring clergy conference, which will be held April 30-May 2, 2023, at the Schoodic Institute. 

Q&A Session for Iona Collaborative's "Thriving Bi-Vocational Congregations"

Wednesday, October 19

7:30-8:30 p.m. ET  

Offered by the Iona Collaborative 

The Iona Collaborative believes small communities can reflect God’s vision for a flourishing world.

Today’s culture of rapid change presents an ideal learning opportunity for bi-vocational churches to gain greater clarity about their unique callings. The Iona Collaborative encourages discernment by facilitating theological reflection on reimagined spiritual practices that lead to new life, both in the congregation and beyond the walls. Their five-year initiative, Thriving Bi-Vocational Congregations: Envisioning New Life in a Changing World, a three-phase program, will support congregations willing to identify and respond to their changing circumstances.

This program is about spiritual growth, not ASA.

Ideal participants for this program:

• Desire to grow spiritually as a congregation
• Dream about answering God’s call for their church and community
• Dare to be vulnerable and creative together

To learn more about this program, click here.

To register for the Q&A session for prospective participants, click here. 

Accepting a Call in a Time of Transition: New Rectors Reflect

Wednesday, October 19th

3:00 p.m. ET

Offered by the the Episcopal Parish Network 

When COVID hit, the Church was already in a period of transition. Clergy retirements were increasing year-over-year. Some churches with years of stable clergy leadership were faced with finding new clergy persons. Then an unprecedented disruption to the system hit and our entire common life was turned upside down. As with other professions, clergy, even those not at retirement age, began evaluating whether or not they are still in a calling that is right for them.

In short, the church has not been immune from the "Great Resignation.” As the pandemic wore on increasing numbers of rectors retired or moved into new jobs not involving running a church. While this is a challenge for parishes seeking new clergy leaders, it is an opportunity as well. Anecdotal evidence suggests congregations are venturing outside their traditional hiring profiles and calling younger and more diverse clergy leaders. Join a group of these recently called rectors for a discussion of how they are redefining the role and what inspired them to answer the call. The panel will reflect on how, after existing through these last few curious years, we can reimagine parish ministry and strengthen our congregations while engaging our communities.

Panelists include:

• Claire Brown - Rector, St. Paul’s; Athens, Tennessee
• Andrew Kryzak - Rector, St. John’s; Stamford, Connecticut
• Peggy Lo - Rector, St. Alban’s Church; Austin, Texas (moderator)
• Noah Van Neil - Rector, Christ & St. Luke’s; Norfolk, Virginia
• Pauline Samuel - Rector, St. Paul’s; Atlanta, Georgia

Learn more and register here.

The Center for Career Development and Ministry is offering a five-week online workshop on Family Systems Theory as it applies to the church, led by Dr. Ken Reeves, author of The Whole Church: Congregational Leadership Guided by Systems Theory.  

Class Topics: 

• October 19: What Is Systems Theory and Why Does it Matter?
• October 26: Systemic Anxiety in Your Congregation and Strategies for Bringing Calm
• November 2: Understanding The Stages of Conflict
• November 9: Handling Complaint and Criticism
• November 16: Strategies for Supporting Change

To register, please contact Sylvia Lake, Office Manager at (603) 943-7611 or via email.

Conversations with Noted Speakers: Priscilla Nason Shartle

Thursday, October 20

7 - 8:30 p.m. ET 

Hosted by Province 1

The Province 1 Christian Formation Network is hosting a series of online monthly “Conversations with Noted Speakers”. This month's speaker is Priscilla Nason Shartle. Shartle is a published writer with many years of experience in Christian Formation. She is a member of Nativity Episcopal Church in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA where she created the Way of Love VBS.

She will be speaking on Way of Love VBS - how it came to be and its success and effect on all those who participated and the whole parish. 

For more information and to register, click here. 

Preaching Conference for Episcopal Deacons 

Friday, Oct. 21 - Sunday, Oct. 23 

Online (Zoom)

Registration fee: $25

Hosted by the Episcopal Preaching Foundation and the Association of Episcopal Deacons

The central focus of this conference will be the unique voice of the deacon as a reflection of the diaconate’s mission to represent the Church to the community and the world to the Church. In addition to preaching to peer feedback in small, moderated preaching groups, the participants will hear from highly-respected guest faculty:

• Bishop “Chip” Stokes offers poignant examples of successful diaconate ministry
• Stephen Smith will present an opening refresher workshop on exegesis and sermon preparation
• Ryan Bonfiglio, Ph.D. of Candler School of Theology will present The Bible and Poverty, a reminder that the alleviation of poverty is one of the most dominant themes in both Old and New Testaments.
• A panel discussion will explore the need for a clear understanding of the deacon’s role, both within the Church as well as in our communities, as a precondition of effective diaconate ministry.

To learn more and to register, click here.

Diocese of New Hampshire: Eucharist and Panel Discussion with Presiding Bishop Michael Curry 

Saturday, November 5, 10 am - 12:30 pm

Capitol Center for the Arts, 44 South Main Street, Concord, New Hampshire

You're cordially invited by the Diocese of New Hampshire to attend a Eucharist and Panel Discussion with the Most Rev. Michael Curry, Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church and Bishop Rob Hirschfeld.  

Event agenda: 

•   8:30 am - 10 am: Check-in at the Capitol Center for the Arts

•   9 am - 10 am: Coffee Hour for Attendees

•   10 am - 11:30 am: Eucharist Service with Bishop Rob presiding and Presiding Bishop Curry preaching

•   11:45 am - 12:30 pm: Panel Discussion with Presiding Bishop Curry and Bishop Rob

Registration for this in-person event closes this Friday, October 21.

Click here for more information and to register.

Communications Office Hours

Are you interested in a working session regarding technology, social media, or how to communicate your message?

These are all topics for discussion at CommsChat - aka Communications Office Hours. The discussion each week is guided by the questions of those who attend. This is a non-mandatory, come-if-you'd-like open discussion session with Canon for Communications, Katie Clark.

This week's CommsChat is on Thursday, October 20 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Click on the "Register Here" button below if you'd like to attend.

Tech Tip: How to Change Your Name on Zoom

As we prepare for Convention, several of you have asked for a refresher on how to change your screen name in Zoom meetings. Watch the video below for a tutorial!

Remember that for convention, you will want to have your Zoom name set as your name (that you registered with) and your church name. 

Tech Tip: How to Raise Hand on Zoom

If you need a refresher on how to use the "raise hand" function on Zoom, there's a brief video for that too! 

St. Bart’s in Yarmouth is seeking an organized, energetic, and creative part-time Youth Religious Education Leader to coordinate their youth ministry program. The leader will work 12-16 hours/week during the school calendar year with a salary ranging from $14,000-18,000 based on qualifications and experience. Click here for the complete job description. Please use this email address to apply.

Christ Church in Gardiner has an opening for a part-time, salaried Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator. The Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and implementing spiritual formation for children, youth, and their families. This is a salaried staff position for approximately 10 hours per week for 10 months a year. Read the full job description here. Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2022. Please include in the application: a current resume, 3 references with contact information, and a letter of interest for this position and email to the Rev. Kerry Mansir.

Love making music to glorify God and inspire worshippers? St. Philip's in Wiscasset is looking for a Music Director to play organ/piano and direct its choir. If interested, send your resume to the Rev. Tom Junkert or call 218-205-0420. The job description can be viewed here.

St. George’s, York Harbor is hiring a part-time communications-focused Administrative Assistant. Use your creative gifts to help them connect people and build community through print and digital media.They are excited to work with someone creative and curious about how to build greater connections in the community and tell their story through digital engagement. Click here for a full job description. To apply, email a cover letter and resume to the Rev. Ryan Mails.

St. David's in Kennebunk is seeking an experienced, technically-minded individual to contract to run their audio and video system to livestream and prerecord their worship services and other events. For more information, and to apply, please email  Cathy Zub, Parish Administrator.

Is your church hiring? Would you like us to share out the job description in the CLL (this email), the Dio Log, and/or the diocesan LinkedIn page? If so, let us know!

As a reminder, churches that are in the search process for a new clergyperson are listed on the diocesan website here.

Save these dates below! For the full events calendar, click here.

OCTOBER

18 Town Hall: Pre-Convention

19 Diocesan Convention Registration Deadline

19 Socially Responsible Investing with our Trustees

22 Diocesan Convention

25 Town Hall: Convention Debrief and Thanksgivings for the Town Hall Program

NOVEMBER

3 Dr. Meeks "Racialized Trauma and Healing" Event 

20 Diocese-wide, Belated Bicentennial Celebration

27 Advent Begins