The Weekly E-Pistle

Thursday, June 20th, 2024

A Reflection from the Reverend George Stevens, Interim Dean

Dear Friends-

This Sunday I invite you to a conversation with Emily Keniston, the Director of Faith Formation at the Diocese of Maine at 11:30 a.m. in the Upper Hall. The invitation to Emily resulted from the parish’s ‘Holy Cow’ survey that identified ‘Christian Formation & Education’ as a top priority. 

At last month’s meeting of the Lesser Chapter, Emily led a thoughtful and inspirational discussion about what Christian Formation means in 2024. We learned about the role of life long formation, the challenges with the ‘Sunday School’ model of youth education and the difference between ‘formation’ and ‘information’. It was a hopeful and challenging conversation. 

It is my hope that this weekend’s dialogue will provide a first step in inspiring and encouraging our community as we take on this essential work of redefining our approach to Christian Education. 

Please join us. For those unable to join us in person, there is a Zoom link available here. 

I look forward to seeing you on Sunday,

George

UPCOMING

A Conversation with Emily Keniston,

Director of Faith Formation

This Sunday June 23rd

Upper Hall

Following the 10:00AM Service

Livestream Available on Zoom

Please join us for a conversation with Emily Keniston, Director of Faith Formation from the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.  

Emily will talk with us about the work of life-long Christian Formation and how it connects with the mission of the Cathedral. 

Phase II Educational Sessions and Phase III Small Groups

Beginning on June 24th

Sign-Ups Available

All cathedral community members are invited and encouraged to sign up for Phase II Educational sessions and Phase III Small groups on Zoom with Susan Czolgosz of WorkLife Consulting.

Times and sign-up links are available in the email which was sent on June 7th. Click here to read the email.

If you are unable to sign-up for sessions at home, we will have access to the sign-up pages for both Phase II and III available at coffee hours via the cathedral laptop. A member of our team would be glad to assist you.

If you need help or clarification with this process, please contact our parish administrator Avery Levesque-Schott for assistance via email or phone (207)-772-5434.

Phase II

The Phase II Educational Sessions will commence on Monday June 24th.

The Educational Sessions are additional times to the initial meetings held in May. 

Phase II workshops are designed to equip members in conflict mediation, caring communication skills and structured dialogue. They will introduce the idea of interest-based conflict, address the root causes of our congregational conflict, and will teach us how to avoid pitfalls in the future. This phase of our conflict transformation process seeks to build rapport and trust within our community.

If you attended one of the earlier Phase II Educational Sessions in May and would like to participate again, you are welcome to do so. We ask that you please be courteous and allow all members of the community an opportunity to participate.

Phase II Sign-up

Phase III

Phase III of the conflict transformation process is the small group experience.

Phase III will commence on Monday June 24th. 

It is a two-hour commitment. Groups of no larger than 8 individuals will gather to create an intentional listening community. The pre-requisite for participation in the small groups is attendance in the Phase II workshops. This is mandatory.

If you have not yet participated in a Phase II Education Session, there are sign-ups available here.

The small group experience at its core is an opportunity for healing and reconciliation.

Phase III Sign-up

‘In Person’ Sessions

For both Phase II and Phase III sessions, we will offer specific sessions which are ‘in person only’. For these meetings participants will gather in the Chapter Room at the cathedral, and join a singular Zoom call to connect with Susan. If you sign-up for this type of meeting, you must attend in person.

Performances Running Until June 25 

The Bach Virtuosi Festival, founded by violinist Lewis Kaplan, offers residents and visitors of southern Maine a world-class concert series for lovers of the baroque repertoire. BVF has been well-received by the public, the press, and the artists themselves from its outset in 2016.

The artists are world renowned musicians, musicologists, and professors who play Bach and his contemporaries with brilliance, love and integrity.

To learn more about this year’s festival, to see times and locations of concerts, to purchase tickets, and to learn about the artists visit their website.

Pick-Up Choir—Sing for One, Two or Three!

June 30th, July 28th, & August 25th

On the last Sundays of June (30th), July (28th), and August (25th), music director Christian Clough will offer one-off choir opportunities for anyone interested.

Please gather in the choir room at 8:45 AM to learn a very simple anthem to be sung during that morning’s 10 AM liturgy.

Come as you are—ALL ages welcome, no prior singing experience necessary, no robes required, no processions to worry about—to enrich our summer worship.

Questions? Contact: Christian Clough.

In Memoriam: Nancy Allen

A Service in Celebration of Life

Saturday, June 29

11:00AM to 2:00PM

Gilsland Farm: Maine Audubon Society

20 Gilsland Farm Road Falmouth, ME 04105

Rain or shine, casual attire

All are welcome to attend and bring along a memory or story about Nancy to share.

The service will be livestreamed and a link will be shared at a later time closer to the service.

Space still available

for a Variety of Camps this Summer!

"Camp Bishopswood has been owned and operated as an arm of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine since the early 1960’s. Located on the shores of Lake Megunticook near Camden, Maine, Bishopswood is a beautiful, picture-perfect slice of God’s creation – ideal for a children’s summer camp!"

Opportunities This Summer Include:

• Youth Camp for children 8-16: Campers can do 1 week or multiple week sessions

• Mini-Camp for ages 6-8

• Summer Finale: September 13-15. A weekend multigenerational summer camp experience for people of all ages.

To view dates, camp offerings, register for camp, and to learn more visit Bishopswood's webpage here.

To support Camp Bishopswood, visit their giving page here.

Watch the video above to learn more about Camp Bishopswood

COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

HIGHLIGHTS FROM LAST WEEK

Luke's Garden Represents the Cathedral at Portland Pride

Last Saturday (June 15) friends and members of St. Luke’s LGBTQ+ Group, Luke’s Garden, joined alongside participants from across the Diocese of Maine to march in the Portland Pride parade.

Thank you to all who participated to represent the cathedral whilst celebrating members of LGBTQ+ community at St. Luke’s, in Maine, and around the world!

To join Luke’s Garden in their impactful work or to learn more please contact Orion Williams or visit their page on our website here

Building and Grounds Work Day A Success

Last Saturday (June 15) members of the building and grounds committee volunteered their time and efforts for a cathedral work day.

The entire St. Luke's community is appreciative of all of their work to help care for the cathedral campus.

Thank you building and grounds volunteers!

To participate in future work days, contact Jamie Cough, Junior Warden.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

An Update from St. Elizabeth’s Essentials Pantry

Diaper supplies are getting low at St. Elizabeth Essentials Pantry, especially size 3. Please consider adding diapers to your grocery list this week and leave in the blue box at the Park Street entrance. We are very appreciative of your continuing donations of kitchen ware and linens.

Questions?  Contact Byrd Wood

New Solar Panels Positively Impacting

St. Luke's Efforts to be Eco-Friendly & Cost Effective

The cathedral financial team received our first CMP bill with an amount due of $0 thanks to our 171 solar panels via NexAmp. Based on the info provided by CMP our next several bills will also be zero. 

While we will still owe Nexamp 85% of the credit generated from the solar bills (A net savings of 15%), we will also be able to carry forward any balance on the CMP bill to the next bill cycle. 

Go solar energy and going green! 

With any questions please contact Tim Wilkins.

Canon Clough Away for Two Weeks

Christian M. Clough, St. Luke’s Canon for Liturgy & Music, is traveling to Europe for two weeks.

The primary purpose of his travels is to sing in the second-ever amateur international chorus sponsored by BachFest Leipzig (Germany).

The choir will be composed of singers from at least 20 different countries. Christian sang in the first iteration of this choir in 2022, postponed from 2020 by COVID).

This year, the choir will sing Bach’s Cantata 131 ”Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir” and his motet “Jesu, meine Freude” on Sunday 16 June during the morning liturgy “in the order of Bach’s time” in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, where Johann Sebastian Bach spent the last 27 years of his life composing, performing, teaching and conducting.

The performance will be led by Ton Koopman, renowned Baroque specialist and accompanied by the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra.

He will be back on Sunday 30 June.

LAST WEEK'S SERVICE

To view last week's bulletin click here.

To view last week's service livestream click here.

To listen to last week's sermon preached by The Reverend George Stevens, click here.

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

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

"The Philadelphia Eleven" Panel Discussion

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"In case you missed the screening of "The Philadelphia Eleven" on May 14 in Portland, or want to revisit the excellent panel discussion afterwards, we captured it on video. Listen to the Rev. Merrill Bittner, the Rev. Sukie Curtis, the Rev. Portia Hirschman, the Rev, Nancy Moore, and the Rev. Vicki Smith discuss women's ordination and the evolving role of women in The Episcopal Church."

The First-Ever Major Retrospective of a Wabanaki Artist

in a Fine Art Museum in the United States

Currently on Display at the Portland Museum of Art

May 24 though September 15, 2024

Published by the Portland Museum of Art

"As the first-ever major retrospective of a Wabanaki artist in a fine art museum in the United States, Jeremy Frey: Woven is a groundbreaking exhibition in contemporary and Indigenous art. Featuring more than 50 baskets, made from natural materials like black ash and sweetgrass, Woven presents a comprehensive collection that spans a career of more than two decades. These works are intricate, mesmerizing, and expressive, emphasizing Frey’s prodigious skill and prolific creative output that honors and transforms one of the oldest art forms in the northeast. "

To learn more about the collection, the artist, and to purchase tickets, visit the link here.

Cultivating Climate Resilience: An Inclusive Discussion

June 27, July 11, July 18

9:00-10:00AM

The South Portland Library

Published by the South Portland Land Trust

The South Portland Land Trust, in partnership with the South Portland Library, invites you to a three-session discussion of ALL WE CAN SAVE (One World, 2021), an anthology of essays and poems by women regarding "Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis." 

The discussions will be led by Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder, a writer and editor based in Northern New England and the author of the forthcoming book, MOTHER, CREATURE, KIN (Broadleaf Books, 2025). The sessions will be held in the Main Library from 9:00 to 10:00 AM (or a bit longer) on June 27, July 11, and July 18 (all Thursdays). Please save these dates and plan to attend all three sessions. 

Paperback copies of the book can be purchased from various outlets for around $12, and the Library will have a number of both physical and electronic copies available at the Main Library or though the Library System.

To register for the All We Can Save discussion group, please click on the link here to go to the Library page where you can sign up. 

Eco Tips from the Public Policy and Environmental Action Team

With the beginning of summer following the solstice on Thursday, PPEAT offers the following eco tips to “green” your summer activities:

1.Plan a "staycation" by finding interesting and enjoyable activities in your local area. This activity will support local organizations and diminish the use of fossil fuels used in cars or planes.

2. Have  “green “ picnics by packing food in reusable containers. Bring cloth napkins as well as reusable plates and utensils. Remember the reusable water bottle! These steps will help reduce waste and protect the environment.

3. Plan sustainable reading through e-books or audio books. If you prefer a physical book, borrow from your local library or swap books with friends.

4. Harvest rainwater by investing in a rain barrel and use the stored water on plants.

5. This is a wonderful time to frequent farmer’s markets where you can find delicious fresh produce and support local farmers.

To learn more about PPPEAT click here

The Healing Team

The Healing Team offers prayers weekly on Sunday during and after communion in All Saint's Chapel (the small chapel to the right of the communion rail).

The following team members will be serving in the coming weeks:



June 23, 2024 Sara Schmalz, Peter Carleton

June 30, 2024 Mary Strnad, Peter Carleton

July 7, 2024   Sara Schmalz, Judd Hume

Contribute to St. Luke’s Summer Music Ministry

The Cathedral Choir will be in recess from 9 June through Labor Day, and summer is a great time to make a musical contribution to our worship as a singer or instrumentalist. Help us to keep our music well-supported with your offerings.

Please email Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music.

The Biblical Study Group

Summer Learning Resources

The Biblical Study Group will be on vacation until 1 September.

When we resume, we will meet Sundays 8:00-10:00AM.

Our ongoing theme is discovering the nature and meaning of “being created in the image of God.” To stimulate spiritual growth over the summer months, we invite you to read the following recommended resources:

1) God: A Biography by Jack Miles. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The New York Times calls this text “a tour de force.” Published by Vintage Books, Random House Publishing, New York, 1996

2) Jung’s Thoughts on God: Religious Depths of the Psyche by Donald Dyer, PH.D. Published by Nicholas Hays, 2000 P.O. Box 2039, York Beach, ME 03910.

“It is only through the psyche that we can establish that God acts upon you.”

3) Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction and In Support of Jung’s Extensive and Intensive Thought by Murray Stein.

Published by Open Court Publishing Co., P.O. Box 300, Peru, Illinois 61354. To order call 1-800-815-2280.

RESOURCES FROM

THE DIOCESE & WIDER CHURCH

To read about stories, resources, and events from around the Diocese of Maine, read their newsletter, The DioLog, by clicking the link here, or by clicking on the Episcopal Maine Shield in the bottom of this email.

 A General Convention Primer from Bishop Brown

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"General Convention is our church’s means for setting a strategic direction, for responding to how we hear God calling us, and for equipping every one of our faith communities for the work of ministry.”

— The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown

In this short video, Bishop Brown shares his thoughts about some of the most important aspects of the 81st General Convention, including the election of a new presiding bishop. Read the transcript on the Diocesan website here.

Youth Called to Join Bishops United Against Gun Violence at General Convention

June 25-27

published by The Episcopal Diocese of Maine



"High school students who are called to be advocates and witnesses against gun violence are invited to join the Episcopal Diocese of Maine at the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Louisville, KY. Youth will learn from experienced community organizers in the gun violence prevention movement, spend time with participants in Bishops United Against Gun Violence, and experience the convention. Lodging and most activities will be at Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville. The deadline to register is May 8. Those interested in participating, are urged to contact Director of Faith Formation, Emily Keniston, as soon as possible. All registration materials must be received by May 8."

Province 1 Conference Recap

Published by the Episcopal Province of New England

"Provincial Delegates, Bishops, Deputies to General Convention, and guests gathered on Zoom on May 29 for the summer 2024 meeting of Province 1 Conference.

The gathering of over 90 registered attendees met from 5-7 p.m. to discuss the upcoming 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. President of the House of Deputies Julia Ayala Harris joined the gathering and gave an address on the upcoming General Convention before engaging in a spirited question and answer session."

To read more resources from the Episcopal Province of New England, visit their website here.

Click on the Episcopal Maine Logo above to learn about all that is happening in the wider Diocese.

https://episcopalmaine.org/

stlukesportland.org

(207)-772-5434

Email

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