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The E-Pistle of Thursday
April 4th, 2024
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‘Alleluia! Christ is Risen!’
Dear Friends-
It was so wonderful to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus with you all last week. Easter is the highlight of our church year and transforms our understanding of who God is.
Writer Clarence Hall says, “The resurrection of Jesus changes the face of death for all His people. Death is no longer a prison, but a passage into God’s presence. Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.” Hall’s words invite us to move beyond the grave and into the life that has been transformed by Jesus.
Throughout this Easter season, we will continue to see Jesus in these ‘post-resurrection appearances’ that assure his disciples (and us!) of Hall’s words.
See you Sunday!
-George
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The Cathedral Welcomes Bishop Brown
To Services this Sunday
| This Sunday, we will welcome The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown to the cathedral as he will preach and celebrate at the 7:30AM, 10:00AM, and 5:15PM services. We look forward to being in community with the Bishop. | |
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Thank You To All Volunteers Who Participated in Last Week’s Holy Week Services
Last week’s Holy Week services were made possible thanks to the dedicated work of countless volunteers who gave their time and talents to make the cathedral a welcoming space of worship for all. Thank you for all that you do in the life of the cathedral.
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Spring Eco Tips from the
Public Policy and Environmental
Action Team (PPEAT)
1. Purge unused and unwanted items and donate or sell them if usable
2. When air temperature permits, open the windows to let in fresh air which will enhance circulation and reduce air pollution in the home.
3. Plant a vegetable and/or pollinator garden.
4. Walk or bike to do errands or visit friends.
5. Consider making your own non-toxic house cleaners -this will eliminate plastic containers which commercial cleaning products come in and keep toxicity from the environment.
6. Consider planting trees for shade.
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Be on the Lookout for Phishing Emails | |
It has come to our attention that a scam email has been sent to several individuals claiming to be The Reverend George Stevens.
Please do not answer or reply to these emails. These are from scammers phishing for data. They are not from St. Luke's. Please delete them.
Phishing messages can look sophisticated and unfortunately target kind-hearted individuals such as the members of the cathedral community.
All emails from a cathedral staff member have the ending address of "@cathedralofstluke.org"
If you have questions about the legitimacy of an email, check the email address or call the parish office at (207)-772-5434 so we can assist you by connecting you to a member of our team.
Thank you for your understanding as we aspire to keep everyone safe.
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Public Policy and Environmental Action Team Meeting
"The St. Luke's Public Policy and Environmental Action Team will
meet Tuesday April 9 from 6-7 PM. All are welcome. Join us via Zoom.
For more information email Ruth Roemer.
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Green Energy at the Cathedral
We have for the past several months been receiving a credit on our CMP bill thanks to 171 solar panels from the South Thomaston solar farm owned by NextAmp. The credit varies month to month depending on the amount of sun that month. During the summer, if our credit exceeds our CMP bill we will bank the unused amount for a future electric bill.
We pay NextAmp 85% of our credit for a net savings of 15%. Our CMP electricity supplier is Smart Energy whose goal is to provide 100% renewable energy and is currently at 74% renewable. Any questions please contact Tim Wilkins.
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The Biblical Study Group
What do Christians know, or think they know, about God’s being? What roles do faith and/or belief play in this system? What role does thinking or reason play? What role does feeling or emotion play? What Biblical references are essential to coming to conclusions about who or what God is?
Biblical references open doors to new understandings by tracing the major prophets, the Pauline letters, and the Gospels. These many voices sing God’s praises as they trace the evolution of God’s character over time.
An essential clue to God’s being is given to us by tracing the 25 names God is assigned by the prophets and apostles. Join us to discover what God has told us about who he is, and therefore who we are.
We meet in the Oratory Room from 12:00 until 1:30PM every Sunday. Bring your questions and your hopes. There are handouts and suggested readings for each session. Contact: Dr. Bob Hanson (207) 405-8250.
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Looking For Individuals to serve as Treasurer and
Junior Warden
The cathedral is looking for individuals interested in serving in the positions of treasurer and junior warden.
If you are interested in serving as treasurer please contact The Rev. George Stevens or Tim Wilkins, with any questions.
If you have interest in either of these positions please email The Rev. George Stevens or Senior Warden Sam Allen.
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Christian Education at the Cathedral
Interested in Christian Education? In the coming weeks the vestry will be beginning work on creating a fresh job description for the Interim Director of Religious Education at the Cathedral of St. Luke.
If you’re interested in helping shape this new position, please contact Interim Dean the Rev. George Stevens.
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Diocesan Climate Justice Council Publishes Article With Contributions from St. Luke's Parishioner
The Diocesan Justice Council recently published an article titled "Advancing Creation Care and Climate Justice with Earth Keepers". This article featured contributions from St. Luke's parishioner, Sarah Braik.
To read the full article, click here.
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Events and Resources in the Wider Community | |
Portland Rossini Club Concert on April 28th | |
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Join the Portland Rossini Club for their concert on April 28th at 3:00PM.
The concert will feature students of Laura Kargul, Director of Keyboard Studies at the University of Southern Maine's Osher School of Music.
To learn more about this event and the Rossini Club, visit their website here.
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Harmony Unveiled:
Nurturing Nicaragua's Future Together
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Date of Event: Tuesday, May 7
Location: St. Nicholas Church, 350 Rt. 1, Scarborough, ME 04074
Time: 7:00PM
| We hear and read about Central America and think we know something about the people, and about immigration, in specific, and yet oftentimes what we’ve been told turns out to be questionable. Come hear firsthand experience from someone who has been living and working in Nicaragua for over 35 years. Sarah Woodard has extensive experience working among those less advantaged in support of economic development, food security, and access to affordable healthcare. | |
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Ongoing Opportunities &
Community Resources
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Coffee Hour
Coffee Hour - Please join us after the service for a time of fellowship in the upper hall through the doors to the left of the altar. All are welcome.
Interested in hosting? It is an important part of our parish life and provides us with a time for connection. Hosting is fun and easy, it requires bringing in a baked good and brewing coffee the Sunday of your choosing. Please consider signing up, a lot of gratitude comes with the job. Thank you!
Check the hosting schedule by visiting the link here.
Please email Meredith Cough with your date.
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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!
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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.
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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
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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.
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Weekly Ministries
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The Food Pantry is open from 8 am to 11 am every Thursday.
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The Tuesday 12:10 Eucharist is offered every week in Emmanuel Chapel in-person and on Zoom.
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Noon prayer is offered every Wednesday via Zoom.
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Compline is offered weekly on Friday from 8-8:30pm on Zoom.
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Click on the Episcopal Maine Logo above to learn about all that is happening in the wider Diocese.
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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
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