The E-pistle of Sunday, September 3rd, 2023

The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Holy Eucharist, Rite II

7:30AM in Emmanuel Chapel

Holy Eucharist, Rite II

10:00AM in the Nave & Livestreamed

Celebrating the Season of Creation

The Cathedral Church of St. Luke

in the

City of Portland

and the

Episcopal Diocese of Maine

Whoever you are,

and wherever you may be on the journey of the spirit, 

The Episcopal Church welcomes you.

Welcome to St. Luke’s Cathedral



We are a community of faith with ancient worship and modern thought, catholic traditions and progressive theology. We proclaim a Biblical perspective for thinking people, a respect for reason, science, and a diversity of perspective. This empowers compassion and care for both the wider community and one another. Our commitment to welcome and inclusion is central to our mission modeled on the Kingdom of God and proclaimed by Jesus Christ. 

Sunday Morning Service Participants

Preacher Celebrant

The Rev. Anne C. Fowler, Assisting Clergy

Celebrant

The Rev. Christopher Worthley, Assisting Clergy

Assisting

The Rev. Rebecca A. Grant, Deacon

Music Leader & Organist

Christian M. Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music

Musicians

Nan White, flute; Steve White, baritone

Lector

Marlene Cordes

Prayers Leader

Ruth Roemer

Ushers

Peter Bingham, Chester Bishop, Mary Linneman, MJ Northrop

Head Verger

Eleanor Roberts

Live Streaming

Jack Swanton, Sam Allen

Contributing Ministries

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

Music copyrights granted under OneLicense.net #A-713087. Sources: The Hymnal 1982, Lift Every Voice and Sing II, Wonder, Love, and Praise, Voices Found, My Heart Sings Out, The Saint Helena Psalter, The Book of Common Prayer,, Enriching our Worship, The Holy Bible (NRSV). 

Hearing Assistance Devices Available

St. Luke’s has 10 new headsets for those who need hearing assistance and most people who use them find them very helpful. Each week, five will be out on benches in the nave near our two entrances. The headsets will already be turned on and the volume turned up to about 70%. The only adjustment that may be necessary is for volume which can be raised and lowered using two silver buttons on the front of the unit. After using the devices, please return them to one of the benches near the exits. If you need assistance, please ask one of the ushers. For additional information, please ask Senior Warden Sam Allen.

Happening at the Cathedral Today

Sunday Mornings|8:45-9:45AM

Location: The Chapter Room

Contact: The Rev. Dr. Bob Hanson at 207-405-8250. 

Join us in the Chapter Room from 8:45–9:45 AM on Sunday mornings. Bob Hanson, Biblical scholar, linguist and theologian, leads our group. For more information call Bob at (207) 405- 8250. Activity units are distributed for each session. Assigned readings are from the Biblical books under consideration. The journey is a joyous one.

Community Announcements

Parish Breakfast to Be Held Next Sunday, September 10th!

Join us for a parish breakfast in the Lower Hall from 8:30-9:30AM on September 10th, to celebrate startup-Sunday and to welcome The Rev. George Stevens to

St. Luke’s.  

This parish gathering will be a wonderful opportunity for the cathedral community to come together in between the 7:30AM and 10:00AM services.

Name tags will be available to fill out. This will assist The Rev. Stevens as he meets community members.

Please note that gluten free options will be available. 

Volunteers are needed to help in several areas:

1) set-up and prep work 

2)cooking

3)cleaning

If you are able to help in any of the following areas please email Sarah Dowling

or contact the parish office.

The menu for the breakfast is as follows:

Pancakes, blueberry and plain

Gluten free and vegan, too!

Maple syrup

Scrambled eggs

Blueberry muffins

Sausage links

Vegan sausage links

Save the Date:

Season of Creation events



Save the date: Season of Creation events

The annual Season of Creation begins September 1. Please mark your calendars for the following events:



• Contemplative Fall Walk at Pleasant Hill Preserve Sunday, September 10th

1:30-3:30pm

“A celebration of trees in fall, this walk balances naturalist knowledge with gratitude and reflection. Learn about the Elm tree that lives next to the Pleasant Hill Preserve parking lot, listen to the whispers of the wisdom of the forest, and practice pausing to appreciate fall wonders. This walk will be led by Nicole Diroff, a Maine Master Naturalist, United Church of Christ minister, and Program Director at The BTS Center, focused on spiritual leadership in a climate-changed world."

Please join us in honoring the Season of Creation out of doors. Families with children age 8 and older are welcome to attend. Please dress for the weather as we will be outside for the entire time. Sunscreen and tick preventatives are recommended. Directions are available here.

Please note: The parking lot is small. Carpooling is recommended.

Contact Sarah Braik if you need a ride or can provide a ride to others. 

• Community Harvest Supper Thursday Sept. 21, 5-7PM

(N.B., this is a corrected date and time) (see announcement below)

• Presentation by Curtis Bohlen, Director, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership on the Casco Bay Watershed Sunday Sept. 24, 11:45AM 

• Book discussion group facilitated by St. Alban’s, Cape Elizabeth, September 11-October 30

The St. Luke's Public Policy and

Environmental Action Team Meeting

Tuesday September 12 from 6-7 PM. 

All are welcome.

Join us via Zoom 

For more information email Sarah Braik

St Elizabeth’s Essentials Drive in September

St E’s serves 280+ neighbors Tuesday mornings from 8:30 to 11 am. Essential items include toilet paper, bars of soap, feminine products, etc. Diapers, tooth paste, blankets, towels and sheets, and pots, pans and cookware are provided monthly.  

We are having an Essentials Drive throughout September to help with rising costs and an increasing number of neighbors being served. You can participate by contributing bars of soap, rolls of toilet paper, packages of diapers, donating cash or by writing a check payable to "St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center".

All essential items will be blessed during the service on September 24th and then delivered to St Elizabeth’s. Any contribution that you can make is very much appreciated.

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!

PPEAT Community Supper

The Public Policy and Environmental Action Team is hosting the first Community Supper of the year on Thursday Sept. 21 from 5-7 PM on the theme of sustainable eating.

Please use this form: https://tinyurl.com/mr2f7pw2 to RSVP by Sept. 7 so we know how much food to prepare.

Please also indicate dietary preferences and if you can volunteer to help with cooking, set up/clean up and or bring side dishes/dessert (apple crisp).

We will have vegan and gluten free lasagna and apple crisp.

During dessert we will show a brief video about Good News Gardens and have a conversation about it. As there is no budget for Community Suppers, you will be asked for $5 at the door to cover our costs, We look forward to seeing you!

Ongoing Opportunities & Announcements

Availability of the St. Luke’s Community Kitchen

We are completing a 2023-2024 school year calendar (Sept. - June) for the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall. These two calendars when completed will be posted downstairs on the door to the Lower Hall, and the door to the Community Kitchen.

Any St. Luke's parishioner or ministry interested in scheduling time in the Community Kitchen, or the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall should contact Dawn Brennan-Daly.

Dawn will contact you to schedule a brief meeting and training, and place your event, date and time (recurring or one-time) on the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall Google Calendars (part of the cathedral Google calendar.) Scheduling is based on availability.

A Note of Thanks from the Endowment Committee

We recently received several gifts to the endowment account from the estates of Anne Schink and Andrew Cadot. This is a wonderful way to remember St. Luke’s for posterity and to support our long term financial stability. You can also support the endowment account now with a regular or one time contribution via Realm/Vanco.

 If you have any questions or need more information please reach out to Treasurer Tim Wilkins or any member of the Endowment or Finance Committees or anyone on the Vestry.  

Donate to the Dean's Discretionary Fund

With the upcoming arrival of The Rev. George Stevens, our St. Luke's financial team invites you to make a donation to the Dean's discretionary fund if you are able.

This will ensure that the Rev. Stevens has access to a sufficient amount of funds for neighbors needing assistance.

Donations are able to be made online on Realm and by selecting (The Dean's Discretionary Fund) on the drop-down menu or by mail to P.O. Box 4141, Portland, ME 04101.

Thank you!

The Finance Committee Update

The church finances for 2023 continue to look good (A copy of our July balance sheet and treasurer's report is on the bulletin board in the hallway). 

A few positive highlights for 2023 include: 1) Successful software conversion from Church Windows to Realm, 2) We paid off the loan we had with our bank, 3) We are getting over 4% interest from our excess cash in our checking accounts, 4) Rental revenue has improved significantly post Covid and 5) We estimate we will end 2023 with excess cash on hand. Our building expenses for this year have been higher than the last few years but overall we have kept up with repairs and maintenance. 

However, 2024 will be a different story. Although we haven’t roughed out the 2024 budget yet, we do expect that it will be a more difficult year financially than 2023 for a variety of reasons which means that our 2024 Stewardship Campaign will be particularly important. At this point, we anticipate we will not have a balanced budget in 2024 but our excess cash should allow us to end 2024 in a positive cash flow position. If you have any questions please contact Tim Wilkins.

July 2023 Balance Sheet

July 2023 Treasurers Report

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 the second Tuesday of each month at Rising Tide, 6-8 PM in Portland. Other events happen sporadically throughout the month, however second Tuesdays at Rising Tide is a great place 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

Volunteers Needed for This Year's Holiday Fair

Although it is only August, the preparation for the St. Luke’s Holiday Fair has begun! We are pleased to announce that the date of this year’s holiday fair will be Saturday, November 11th in the Cathedral Nave.



If you are interested in volunteering for this year’s fair please contact the parish office.

Weekly Ministries

• The Food Pantry is open from 8 am to 11 am every Thursday.



• St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center is offered every Tuesday from 8:30 am to 11 am.

• Noon prayer is offered every Wednesday via Zoom.

• Compline is offered weekly on Friday from 8-8:30pm on Zoom. For additional details contact Ray Murdoch Curry

stlukesportland.org

(207)-772-5434

Physical Address:

143 State Street, Portland, ME 04101

Parking Available at:

134 Park Street, Portland, ME 04101

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 4141, Portland, ME 04101