This newsletter sent to Churches, Priests and Deacons (active), Diocesan Council, Standing Committee and Chancellor, Wardens, Treasurers, Parish Administrators, Jubilee Center and Camp Leadership, Trustees, Summer Chapel Leadership, and Diocesan Staff | |
Updates and Announcements | |
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Day of Prayer and Action in Augusta December 7
Please click below for an important message from the Bishop.
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Diocese of Maine Musical Advent Calendar Now Live
Thanks to your submissions, the musical Advent calendar is now live, and counting down to Christmas! A new door opens each day, sharing the story of a favorite hymn or carol and providing a link for you to listen.
You can access the calendar directly by clicking here or on the image below. You can also follow along on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter social media accounts.
Please feel free to share with your church community.
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Cycle of Prayer is Now Available
The new Cycle of Prayer is now available in the Resources area of our website. You can download it by clicking here or on the image below.
The Cycle of Prayer is also available as a Google Calendar or via iCal.
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The Clergy Formation Committee Seeks New Members
The Clergy Formation Committee seeks four new members (presbyters and deacons) to join them in their work of offering opportunities to enrich the ongoing formation, education, collegiality, and spirituality of the Diocese of Maine’s clergy community. They determine theme and content, find facilitators, and coordinate all the details of their events.
All members serve for three years. The committee meets on the second Thursday of the month at 12:30 pm for approximately one hour (via Zoom), with subcommittees meeting at other times when needed. New members will begin their service on the committee at the January 12, 2023 meeting.
The committee plans and executes three annual events:
- A clergy retreat of 1-2 days, to sustain and enrich prayer life and spirituality.
- Two (2) clergy days, one in the autumn and one in late spring, to worship, learn, and nourish collegiality.
If you would like to nominate yourself or someone you know (with their permission, of course!) for this committee, please send an e-mail to Holly Hoffmann and/or Suzannah Rohman, the co-chairs of the committee, by Wednesday, December 7. The committee will consider all nominations at their December 8 meeting. Holly and Suzannah are also happy to answer any questions you might have about the committee.
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United Thank Offering Invites 2023 Annual Grants
The United Thank Offering (UTO) Board announces the availability of its 2023 UTO Annual Grants, with a focus on the worldwide incarceration crisis. These grants are awarded for projects in The Episcopal Church and throughout the Anglican Communion, each year with a different focus.
The grant application deadline is 5 p.m. ET March 10 for dioceses of The Episcopal Church.
More information—including criteria for applicants, sample budgets and timelines, and helpful hints—as well as application and other forms are available online.
There are two upcoming webinars to learn more:
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Partnering with Vulnerable Communities: Episcopal Relief & Development's Ministry
Tuesday, December 6th
3:00pm EST
Online
Offered by the Episcopal Parish Network
The news is filled with stories of natural and human-created disasters every day. When tragedy and loss hit a community, there are many who face the compounding effects of the disaster and their personal circumstances. Often, income, age, residency status, disability, and other factors amplify the effects of a bad situation created by the natural- or human-made disaster. Episcopal Relief & Development recognizes that it isn’t just the immediate aftermath of a storm, flood, or other negative event that impacts people - it is the totality of circumstances that make recovery hard and, often, life unbearable.
Join the Episcopal Parish Network for this digital workshop where they will share how congregations can partner with communities that tend to be overlooked by the usual disaster services. Join Episcopal Relief & Development's Program Officer Tamara Plummer as she shares tools to better connect congregational efforts to those who need them most.
Panelists include:
- Tamara Plummer - Program Officer, US Disaster Program, Episcopal Relief & Development; New York, New York
- Nathan Ives - Rector, St. Peter's Episcopal Church / La Iglesia Episcopal de San Pedro; Salem, Massachusetts
Register here.
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Participate in Virtual Book Launch with Dr. Catherine Meeks
Thursday, December 8
6:30 p.m. ET
Online
We were delighted to recently have Dr. Catherine Meeks, Executive Director of The Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing, lead our online clergy "Racialized Trauma and Healing" event earlier this month, and we look forward to welcoming her back (this time in person!) in ths spring, to lead the annual spring clergy conference April 30-May 2, 2023 at the Schoodic Institute.
Dr. Meeks has written a new book, and you are invited to attend a virtual book launch in early December! Join together to celebrate Dr. Meeks' latest publication, The Night is Long but Light Comes in the Morning: Meditations for Racial Healing (Church Publishing, 2022). The event will feature prolific leaders from across the Church as we come together to look inward and reflect on the meaning of social justice and what it means to love one another.
Register for the event here.
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Province 1 Winter Conference and Budget Meeting: Coming Together in Hope and Healing
Saturday, December 17
12 noon - 4:00 p.m.
Online
Offered by Province 1
Join Episcopalians from across New England on Saturday, December 17 on Zoom for the Province 1 Winter Conference and Budget Meeting. The theme reflects the inspiration experienced seeing new seeds of ministry crop up across New England, and featured speakers at the 12-2 p.m. program session will include provincial grant recipients, leaders whose ministries cross diocesan lines, and Episcopalians taking leaps of faith in their life and work. Looking ahead, Province 1 will be announcing new grants to support Episcopalians across New England in coming together in hope and healing in 2023.
The voting session, from 2:30-4, will be for Provincial Conference Delegates and Bishops to meet and vote on the 2023 Province 1 Budget as well as a slate of ordinance revisions.
For more information and to register, click here.
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Communications Office Hours
Are you interested in a working session regarding technology, social media, or how to communicate your message?
These are all topics for discussion at CommsChat - aka Communications Office Hours. The discussion each week is guided by the questions of those who attend. This is a non-mandatory, come-if-you'd-like open discussion session with Assistant Director of Communications, Teresa Pinney.
This week's CommsChat is on Thursday, December 1 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Click on the "Register Here" button below if you'd like to attend.
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The three parishes of the MDI Episcopal Partnership (Church of Our Father, Hulls Cove; St. Saviour’s, Bar Harbor; and St. Andrew’s and St. John’s, Southwest Harbor) seek a full-time Administrative Assistant to work alongside their priest, parish leaders, and volunteers. This personable, highly organized, detail-oriented person with effective communications and management skills will be responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of the parish office; creating worship bulletins, newsletters, and digital communications for the congregation; promoting events to the wider community; maintaining office records and building use schedules; and facilitating the creation of parish annual reports by lay volunteers and other staff. See the full job description here. Please send a letter of interest and resume to the Rev. Holly Hoffmann to explore this exciting opportunity within an innovative, growing community of faith.
St. Bart’s in Yarmouth is seeking an organized, energetic, and creative part-time Youth Religious Education Leader to coordinate their youth ministry program. The leader will work 12-16 hours/week during the school calendar year with a salary ranging from $14,000-18,000 based on qualifications and experience. Click here for the complete job description. Please use this email address to apply.
Christ Church in Gardiner has an opening for a part-time, salaried Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator. The Children and Youth Ministries Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and implementing spiritual formation for children, youth, and their families. This is a salaried staff position for approximately 10 hours per week for 10 months a year. Read the full job description here. Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2022. Please include in the application: a current resume, 3 references with contact information, and a letter of interest for this position and email to the Rev. Kerry Mansir.
Love making music to glorify God and inspire worshippers? St. Philip's in Wiscasset is looking for a Music Director to play organ/piano and direct its choir. If interested, send your resume to the Rev. Tom Junkert or call 218-205-0420. The job description can be viewed here.
St. David's in Kennebunk is seeking an experienced, technically-minded individual to contract to run their audio and video system to livestream and prerecord their worship services and other events. For more information, and to apply, please email Cathy Zub, Parish Administrator.
Is your church hiring? Would you like us to share out the job description in the CLL (this email), the Dio Log, and/or the diocesan LinkedIn page? If so, let us know!
As a reminder, churches that are in the search process for a new clergyperson are listed on the diocesan website here.
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Save these dates below! For the full events calendar, click here.
DECEMBER
7 Day of Prayer and Action in Augusta
8 Virtual Book Launch with Dr. Catherine Meeks
17 Province 1 Winter Conference and Budget Meeting
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