Watching, as the youth allowed their feet to be washed and then washed the feet of others, felt like participating in an induction ceremony.  Most years, those who are preparing to be Confirmed or Received, and who lead us in this service, are adults.  Often they are coming into the Anglican Communion and the Episcopal Church after years of Christian faith and life in another denomination, another branch of the Church.  Their leadership is meaningful and moving, and represents an important commitment to their faith and to this community, but it does not often signify a new decision for Christian faith and practice.  The teens, however, were in the midst of deciding definitively whether to be Confirmed, whether to make for themselves the Vows that were made on their behalf as infants and children.  With them, the foot washing seemed more like an initiation into a whole way of life.  As a community we upheld this ideal way of being together, of loving each other and receiving love and forgiveness from God and one another.  The physical act of getting on hands and knees and humbling washing feet became a symbol of the life we are inviting these students to adopt.  And because with them it was clearly a choice for a way of life, they seemed to distill and reflect that way of life back to us by their service.  They articulated the essence of our life together following Christ, and so their service allowed us in the congregation to understand better our life together and presented us the opportunity to be renewed in a life with Christ lived in service. 

 

And now this past Sunday, May 7th, was their day of Confirmation.  A wonderful collection of mentors, youth leaders, and parents and parishioners gathered in St. Luke's Cathedral, to witness their claiming this way of life for themselves before our Bishop.  Along with members of other congregations from across the Diocese, we joined with them in renewing our Baptismal Vows and we laid hands on them with the Bishop, praying for them and representing also the larger community of St. John's to which they are committing themselves.  The Spirit renews the Church.

 

The Spirit is always at work for the renewal of the Church.  On Saturday we were reminded of this as many gathered at St. John Baptist, Thomaston, for the ordination to the priesthood of our former seminarian, Sheila Seekins.  She was presented and vested in a priest's stole, a gift from our parish.  Several parishioners were able to join in her ordination service, representing St. John's and giving thanks for Sheila's ministry among us and for the opportunity to be an integral part of her formation.

Hopefully, Sheila will be able to join us one Sunday before too long, and lead our worship as a priest of the Diocese.  

 

The Spirit is at work for our renewal through our recent cottage meetings and the conversations we had about our church and ministry and the ways we feel God calling us to serve him in the years ahead.  On behalf of the Vestry and myself, much thanks to all those who took part in the conversations.  Over eighty people offered their time and thought to take part in the process.  A special thanks also to all those who hosted the meetings, and especially to those who facilitated the conversations.  The conversations were interesting and engaging and gave opportunities for new connections across the parish.  Our Senior Warden, Sarah Danser, is compiling the notes from the 11 meetings and will be presenting a synthesis of them to the Vestry to help it consider further the future and ministry to which God is calling us.

 

Renewal is further at work through the Living Local Team and their initiative of interviewing parishioners and also observing people in public places in our neighborhood and ultimately asking them to share their reflections and observations of St. John's.  They will be sharing all that they learn with the Vestry at the end of May or early June.  Their sense of how God is calling us through the people of our neighborhood will be important to this same work of discernment for our future.  If you are willing to be interviewed, or in interviewing others, or in any other way participating in Living Local, please speak to Andy Hamilton or other Team members, or call the parish office.

 

Our life in Christ and his call to follow him through humble service leads to a way of life shaped by the cross.  It is an invitation to adventure - unpredictable and illumined by grace.  Like at the Maundy Thursday foot washing, God is renewing our sense of identity and call as a community.  With the youth, we are to live it boldly into God's future with hope and enthusiasm - as Easter men and women. 

 

The Lord is Risen Indeed, Alleluia!

Yours in Christ,

Our next ingathering will be on Ascension Sunday, May 28th.

 

The United THANK offering of the Episcopal Church is a personal spiritual discipline of thanksgiving that supports God's mission throughout the world. The Blue Box was created as a receptacle for coins to remind the user to give thanks daily and for all things.

 

Our Blue Boxes will again be collected and blessed at an ingathering on Sunday, May 28th.  All blessings, big or small, are gifts from God and all offerings, big or small, are used for the glory of God and the building of God's Kingdom. When everyone participates, many coins make great sums when joined together. This is the "United" in the Thank Offering. The collected sums are given as grants for mission throughout the Anglican Communion.

After Holy Week with a variety of services and emotions, Easter Day is special for many reasons.

It starts with unpacking the yearly tub of Easter centerpieces and decorating the tables at 6:30 AM for the choir, clergy, and acolyte breakfast.  The men get busy with cooking in the kitchen.  It's breathtaking to see the church so full at both services with the choir singing music they've practiced for months, organ music, saying/singing Alleluia again, sneaking jelly beans, smelling the array of Easter lilies around the altar, watching the teens laugh and enjoy fellowship hiding the Easter eggs around the church, then the faces of awe as the toddlers and children see The Easter Bunny (give him a hug or high-five) and find their treasures.  People leave the church with message from Mo. Rita in their hearts, full belly from breakfast, pictures of children with Mr. Bunny, and lilies to take to shut-ins.

Formation News

Patricia Sprague

There is a definitive book, "a small history", of the figures, illustrations, buildings, stained glass windows and other gifts, rectors, and the people of St. John's. This book, edited by Deborah Thompson, was published in limited edition by St. John's Episcopal Church of Bangor Maine in 1985, in celebration of our church's sesquicentennial. It is with great thanks to Deborah Thompson and to all the members who provided this information that I take you on a newsletter tour of our windows. In following newsletters the virtual tour will include information about Charles J. Connick Associates, who made all the stained glass windows in the church proper.

The Windows in the Church

"A tour of the windows in the church proper begins at the window in the southwest wall, to the right as one enters the church from the Narthex. This is the St. Luke window (1962), given by the Rowe family in memory of Mary Louise Rowe. St. Luke, the physician, is seen holding a caduceus. As in the case of all the windows with saints in the church walls, the figure is enclosed in a pointed oval medallion at the top of the central glass panels; below and above is a repeating decorative pattern consisting of a foliated geometric framework, with small additional symbols in the tracery window heads and boarders. In the St. Luke's window, flames of divine love are represented in the lancet heads and tracery quatrefoil, with stars of heavenly steadfastness in the boarders and fields. The colors of the different medallions and decorative field patterns in each window were chosen in relation to each other and are very brilliant."