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The Dio Log
news & events in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine since 1999
Volume 22, Number 5
March 5, 2020
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News for the Episcopal Church in Maine
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Smiles from the
Rev. Ryan Mails
, rector of
St. George's Episcopal Church, York Harbor
and the
Rev. Effie McAvoy
, pastor of
York Ogunquit United Methodist Church
as they make pancakes for their congregations' mutual celebration on Shrove Tuesday. See Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday pictures from other parishes in Maine
here
.
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Bishop Steve Lane
and family and friends of
Gretchen Lane
, who died on February 28. Her life will be remembered at a memorial service at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Rochester, NY at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 21. Read more
here
in this letter from Bishop Brown to the diocese.
all those who have been affected by the tragic shooting in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
the people of
Christ Church, Norway
, the Community of Deacons and friends and family saying goodbye to the
Rev. Deacon Lanny Wenthe
with a requiem Eucharist on Saturday, March 14 at 11:00 am at Christ Church, Norway.
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- REACH Middle School Youth Event - March 20-22, Christ Church, Gardiner
- CANCELLED Spring Training - March 21 (please read more here)
- Called to Serve for Grades 9-12 - March 27-29, St. Mark's, Waterville
- Clergy (Plus One) Evangelism Training - May 1, St. John's, Bangor
- Presiding Bishop's Visit - May 2, University of Maine, Orono
- Presiding Bishop's Visit Overnight for Youth - May 2-3, Bangor & Portland
- Save-the-Date: Parish Administrators Collaboration Gathering - May 28
- Adult Retreat: Turning Aside to Meet God - June 5-7, Camp Bishopswood
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Bicentennial Celebration with Bishop Curry
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University of Maine, Orono
May 2, 2020
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Get ready for the first weekend in May when Presiding Bishop Michael Curry joins us in Orono to help mark our 200th anniversary! We'll use our time with Bishop Curry to:
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- Proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in the language of the people of Maine;
- Share faith and open space for others' stories about God;
- Organize people to embody good news through reconciling action and justice;
- Gather a diverse body that crosses lines of age, race, culture and class;
- Equip and invite people to share, celebrate and embody the good news in our daily life.
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Prepare for a day full of music, fellowship, and learning. The space at the Memorial Gym at UMO is large enough so that we have plenty of room to welcome Episcopalians, Christians of all faiths and people who may be looking to hear the author of the book,
Crazy Christians
live and in person. We'll distribute more details and registration soon.
If you have questions or ideas, please be in touch with
John Hennessy
, Director of Advocacy and Networks. Read more
here
.
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Minimizing risk from contagious diseases in churches
Federal health officials have warned that the COVID-19 (coronavirus) is anticipated to spread more widely in the United States. It has been recommended that churches, businesses, schools, and hospitals begin making preparations.
There are basic steps each of our communities within the Episcopal Church in Maine can follow to minimize risk for our parishes and people, and the ministries to which they contribute or by which they are served. Bishop Brown and diocesan staff, working with leaders in neighboring dioceses and the Episcopal Relief and Development, have compiled information and resources for you regarding appropriate responses to potential widespread illnesses.
Please read through the suggestions for preventing the spread of disease posted
here
on our website. These are guidelines and final decisions should be made in collaboration with your congregation’s leadership and health authorities.
For a good example of how to communicate your decisions to your church, please read what the Rev. Suzanne Roberts, MD sent to the parishioners of the Cathedral of Saint Luke here:
https://conta.cc/388ihlI.
Additional information is available at the CDC:
https://emergency.cdc.gov
. If you have any concerns of information to share, please contact us at
info@episcopalmaine.org
.
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Liturgical Task Force survey for Maine
Lend your voice to creating new resources for the church’s new day! Bishop Brown appointed a
Liturgical Task Force
in response to 2018 General Convention's determination to begin the process of prayer book revision. The Task Force is gathering samples of the liturgies currently in use in parishes across our diocese. Please have the people who are responsidble for making liturgical decisions in your church, complete this survey (the first of two) by Monday, March 16:
https://forms.gle/Dxsd8uQqckozDmcE9
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Yarmouth Compassionate Housing Initiative
Since 2015, the
Yarmouth Compassionate Housing Initiative (YCHI), a
collaborative of 3 Yarmouth churches (First Universalist Church, St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with the participation of First Parish Church of Yarmouth) has supported over 40 families in Greater Yarmouth through partnerships with the Chestnut Street Family Shelter, Maine Medical Center and Family Promise. The group hosts families in members’ homes for up to 4 weeks until housing becomes available at the family shelter, helps families move into their own homes from the family shelter, encourages and mentors them as they seek employment. The group is offering English language learning classes to the community of new arrivals living in Yarmouth hailing from Iraq, Congo, China, Spain, India, Japan and Burundi at Merrill Memorial Library. More than 100 Yarmouth residents have been involved in hosting, connecting, mentoring, befriending and providing material support to our new neighbors through this initiative. To learn more, contact co-coordinators Carla Hunt and Deborah Keefe at
ychiyarmouth@gmail.com.
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Talking faith and climate
The Episcopal Church has collaborated with
ecoAmerica's Blessed Tomorrow
which is a program by people of faith, for people of faith, offering ideas, tools and language to address the impacts to our climate to offer us resources. These resources provide tested messaging to deepen engagement within The Episcopal Church on the environment as part of our moral imperative to care for creation.
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Update on the Director of Communications search
The application period has closed, and the nation-wide search to welcome a Director of Communications is proceeding. Bishop Brown hopes to introduce this new staff person in April, following the advice of a small group comprising members of the Diocesan Council, the Standing Committee, and Trustees. Meet the rest of your diocesan staff in this
memo.
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Wilson Center Interfaith Luncheon
The Wilson Center for Spirituality Exploration and Multifaith Dialogue, 67 College Avenue in Orono, is holding an interfaith luncheon on March 12th at 11:30 co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Endowment Associates. The topic for the panel is "Feeding our Community Through Service and Devotion". Panelists will be talking about their thoughts on how we feed our community, including time, food, fasting, and the impacts on their faith. If you would like to attend please RSVP (noting any dietary restrictions for the free luncheon) by visiting
https://marchluncheon.app.rsvpify.com.
If you have questions, please contact
wilsoncenterorono@gmail.com
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Lenten resources and observances
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"Women of the Passion: A Journey to the Cross" in Belfast
Women from four of Belfast’s churches (
First Church, St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, First Baptist Church and St. Francis of Assisi Church)
will be participating in a dramatic Holy Week event: a retelling of the crucifixion story titled “
Women of the Passion: A Journey to the Cross
" on Wednesday, April 8 at 5:30 pm at St. Margaret's, Belfast. Organized much like traditional “Stations of the Cross,” this version features narration of each station by a woman mentioned in the Bible whose life was transformed by Jesus.
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Special Holy Week activities for children
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Reflections on Stations of the Cross
Episcopal Migration Ministries invites you to join them to journey the Stations of the Cross this Lent.
Sign up
to receive Reflections on the Stations of the Cross via email. A digital download booklet and compilation of audio meditations will be released on March 12 followed by individual written and audio reflections on each station of the cross weekly on Wednesdays, Ash Wednesday through April 1, then shifting to a daily release through Good Friday. Each reflection calls us back to our essential identity as beloved children of God and asks us to prayerfully reflect on the meaning of the Cross in a world being transformed by migration.
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Pray-as-You-Go
Pray As You Go
is a daily prayer session, designed to go with you wherever you go, to help you pray whenever you find time, but particularly whilst travelling to and from work, study, etc. It is not a 'Thought for the Day', a sermon or a bible-study, but rather a framework for your own prayer. Lasting between ten and thirteen minutes, it combines music, scripture and some questions for reflection. Download the
app
here.
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Find more resources and observances
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