Tonight is our Community Supper!

Where: Lower Parish Hall

When: October 13th, 5:30- 7:30 pm

Admission: $5.00 per adult

Please note: Seating is limited

First Come, First Serve!

About the Chefs

Tonight's entree will be provided by the culinary talents of John Bancroft and parishioners who graciously volunteered to make sides.

Menu

Entree

Dinner Meatloaf

Sides

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans Almondine

Tossed Salads

Dessert

Homemade Apple Pie

(Gluten Free Available) Vanilla Ice Cream

A note from Community Kitchen Manager Dawn Brennan-Daly

"Our community suppers are an opportunity to gather as a St. Luke's family and break bread together! This is our first opportunity to resume Community Suppers since the Covid-19 Pandemic. We look forward to you joining us!"

St. Luke's Day This Sunday

October 16 is our celebration of St. Luke’s Day. The scriptures mention Luke as a traveling companionof Paul, who referred to him as “my beloved Physician” and today’s letter from Timothy suggests that Luke stayed with Paul to care for him at the end of his life. Tradition says that Luke was also a physician for Mary in her old age, and that it was from Mary that Luke received many of the favorite stories of our faith, such as those of the shepherds going to the manger in Bethlehem and the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son – stories which the other gospel writers did not know.

Read Full Article Here

St. Teresa of Avila

At our Tuesday service this week, we remembered St Teresa of Avila, in whose memory the Howard Gift was given and the Labyrinth was dedicated. Born in 1515, Teresa was a Carmelite nun, a mystic and author of spiritual classics, and the first woman to be declared a doctor of the church.

Read Full Article Here

Stewardship Campaign 2023

Greetings from your Stewardship Committee!

 It’s fall, St. Luke’s has had its Start Up Sunday, and a new school year has begun. That means we look ahead to the beginning of a new annual Stewardship Campaign for St. Luke’s Cathedral for 2023. This Campaign is an essential part of maintaining St. Luke’s financial health and enables it to carry out its worship, missions and ministries.

The Campaign will get underway by mailing stewardship packages to each St. Luke’s member around the middle of October. The packages will contain a letter, pledge card and information about Stewardship at St. Luke’s 2023. It will be easier than ever to make your pledge, on paper or online.

Due to rising costs, our goal for 2023 is $490,000, about a 5% increase from our goal for 2022. We ask that after you carefully consider what St. Luke’s means to you and the wider community, you complete your pledge cards and return them to St. Luke’s on or before All Saints Day, Sunday November 6. More information will follow.

Faithfully,

Dan McDonald, Stewardship Chair

Brandan Robertson and Marpheen Chann

An Afternoon of Conversation at Saint Ansgar's

Join author, activist, and public theologian Rev. Brandan Robertson (a.k.a. “The TikTok Preacher”) and Maine’s own Marpheen Chann (author of Moon in Full: A Modern Day Coming of Age Story) on Saturday, October 15, as they discuss Robertson’s vision of “True Inclusion,” that invites communities to move from mere welcome to radical embrace, to become places where people of every race, gender identity, sexual orientation, political affiliation, disability, ability, and socioeconomic status are included, seen, heard, and valued as worthy.

Read More About This Event

Join us this Sunday to Hear

Rev. Robertson Preach at St. Luke's!

St. Luke's is delighted to welcome the Rev. Brandan Robertson on Oct. 16th as a Guest Preacher!

Please read more about Rev. Robertson and his visit to St. Luke's on our events page.

State of the Budget for Fiscal Year 2023 Big Picture Meeting

This Sunday, October 16th, Following the 10:30 am service, Tim Wilkins and Jamie Cough will lead a BIG PICTURE discussion on the current state of budgets for FY 2023 and beyond. The goal will be to have a candid discussion on the fiscal health of the parish.  We will then take any suggestions to explore, adding to our Budget Gap Team list which will be acted upon by the Vestry in the coming months. There is a serious fiscal shortfall coming that will take the entire congregation’s efforts to remedy.

Young and the Restless Get Together: Join us this month for another one of our famous Y&R get togethers! This month we will be meeting on Sunday, October 16th, at 2 pm, at the Shambaughs' house, 147 Clinton Street, Portland. Dean and Mrs. Shambaugh have graciously offered to make vegan chili for us but feel free to bring other snacks and drinks. Kate will lead us in a scavenger hunt at Evergreen Cemetery which is right down the street from their house. Afterwards, there will be a fire and hot cider at the Shambaughs'.

Please contact Shana Rose for more details at 610-568-8907.

Youth Group: Service Corps

The Portland area youth group (with St. Luke’s, Trinity, State Street, Woodford’s, Immanuel Baptist and Hope Gateway churches) is up and running using a Service Corps model, with youth involved in a community service/outreach project each month. 

The next Service Corp event is scheduled for Sunday, October 23rd at 11:30 am. We will gather at Trinity Church on Forest Ave. We will then head out to carpool to Mardens to purchase winter hats, socks, and gloves to help stock the shelves at Maine Needs. We will then head to Maine Needs on Forest Ave to stock these items, pack up a few orders under the guidance of Maine Needs board member Kaleigh Anderson, and have lunch together. We will wrap up our time together by 1:30pm.

St. Luke’s is a proud sponsor of this group, and we encourage all of St. Luke’s youth and their friends to join us. Trinity needs numbers in advance. We need adults to drive and help with transporting not only youth but the supplies we will be purchasing. If St. Luke’s kids participate, we need St Luke’s adults to participate as well. Please RSVP to Dean Shambaugh 772-5434.

St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center Winter Coat & Boot Drive

Coats! Coats! Coats! We will be collecting adult winter coats for the next four weeks to give to anyone that needs a warm coat for the winter ahead. Coats should be suitable for the coldest months, clean, and readily usable - no missing buttons or broken zippers, please! You may drop off coats during pantry hours on Tuesday mornings between 8:30 and 11 am at the Park Street entrance ... or coats can be left in the blue box next to the stairs, at the Park Street entrance to the Cathedral. If you have questions please contact Martha Parshley. 

Partner church leaders please note: Our adult winter coat and boot drive is in full swing! We'd like to increase our supply of coats in the next 3 weeks in order to start distribution on October 11th. Our greatest need is for men & women's Large and Extra-large coats and boots of all sizes.

Similar to last year, we hope to offer coats multiple times over the cold winter months and boots at least twice. All will be dependent on our supplies.

Extra help will be needed on an on-going basis to sort, size and hang coats as they come in. Please be in touch if this is a project for you!

Public Policy and Environmental Action Team and Maine Leage of Women Voters

Are you concerned about our state, our country, the world today? November 8th, Election Day, is your opportunity to make a difference by making your voice heard.

Find non-partisan information about voting (supplied by the League of Women Voters) in the church entrance near the upper hall. Learn how you can find out about your local candidates and their positions on issues on your ballot on vote411.org

Pick up a bookmark or postcard or a booklet entitled "Making Your Vote Count." Please vote on November 8th!

Our Haiti Partnership is Doing Incredible Work!

Our Haiti Partnership recently held a meetting regarding 

• Updates from the school director in Duny
• Kitchen and Solar Campaign Updates
• International Poverty Grant Opportunity
• Financial Reports

The picture to the left shows the construction of the new kitchen being built in Duny!

To learn how you can get involved in future work please contact Meredith Cough

A Christian Life of Faith:

Signs and Thresholds Along the Way

So much of what we do at St. Luke’s is designed to help others. What about nurturing and exploring our own spiritual lives? What about our questions and struggles of faith, our relationship (or not) with God? 

Dean Shambaugh is leading a Sunday morning class called “A Christian Life of Faith: Signs and Thresholds Along the Way.” 

Gather with us at 9 am in the chapter room, all are welcome.

Diocesan Convention October 22nd

Please pray for your St. Luke’s delegates:

Fred Fowler 

Samuel Miller Allen

Sarah Braik

Larry Roadman 

James Cabot 

Alternates

Madeleine Nowak

Anna Christie 

Paula Atkinson

All are welcome to attend the convention and convention worship. Learn more here. 

Reintroduction of the Common Communion Cup

Barring another coronavirus outbreak, St. Luke’s Cathedral is offering the common cup again at Communion. We ask that you follow a few guidelines if you wish to drink from the cup: We understand that not everyone is comfortable sharing the cup; please feel free to refuse. You may walk away from the communion rail after receiving the host or cross your arms across your chest if you do not want to share the cup at this time. 

1)You may not “dip” (intinct) your host as this practice is actually more likely than drinking from the cup to spread germs to other parishioners. For this reason, our clergy and Eucharistic ministers will be instructed to refuse to allow anyone to intinct.

2)If you are not feeling well or if you are recovering from an illness that may be contagious to others please do not drink from the common communion cup. 

3) If the CDC declares Cumberland County to be in the yellow or red Covid transmission zones, we will suspend the use of the cup until we return to the green zone.

Questions? Contact the Rev. Dr. Suzanne Roberts.

Altar Guild Polishing Party

Please join the Altar Guild's upcoming polishing party on Saturday, November 19th, between 9am to 12pm.

 It has been over two years since we have been able to invite the parish to join us in making the church sparkle at Christmas! There is much work to do and it will be a wonderful opportunity to gather as a community. No prior experience is needed. All are invited!

Light refreshments will be provided so just bring yourself and a little elbow grease. RSVP to Rita Siavelis or just show up the day of the event. We look forward to seeing you!

Greater Portland Family Promise Seeking Volunteers

St. Luke's is proud to be part of Greater Portland Family Promise and we need your help!

In 2017, COVID necessitated a change from the Family Promise rotational shelter model to a system of family sponsorship within our interfaith community. Since that time, St. Luke's has sponsored two families, assisting them with a variety of needs as they acclimate to life in their new homes. 

GPFP is planning to move more than a dozen families into Avesta housing next month and has asked each congregation to partner with a family as they move into their new home. This entails collecting and storing specific furniture items and household goods such as dining room sets, couches, chairs, end tables, linens, pots and pans etc., as well as help on moving day. Before we commit, we would like to know if we have adequate volunteers to collect these items as well as storage space to utilize until moving day. 

If you can help or have specific questions, please contact one of St Luke's Family Promise coordinators below. Thank you!

-Lynne England

-Connie Bingham

-Mary Linneman

Dr. Catherine Meeks to Speak on Nov. 3rd

Mark your calendars for Thursday, Nov 3 for an online day with Dr. Catherine Meeks and the Diocese of Maine. The morning zoom session from 10-12 will be open to all the people of the diocese. The afternoon session will be for diocesan clergy. Dr. Meeks will come to Maine in person next spring to lead the annual clergy retreat.  

Catherine Meeks is Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing. Prior to the center's opening she chaired its precursor, Beloved Community: Commission for Dismantling Racism for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. A sought-after teacher and workshop leader, Catherine brings four decades of experience to the work of transforming the dismantling racism work in Atlanta. The core of her work has been with people who have been marginalized because of economic status, race, gender or physical ability as they pursue liberation, justice and access to resources that can help lead them to health, wellness and a more abundant life. This work grows out of her understanding of her call to the vocation of teacher as well as her realization that all of humanity is one family which God desires to unite.

Equality Community Center Block Party and Grand Opening: Sunday, October 16 12-4pm 15 Casco Street, Portland.  Join us to celebrate the grand opening of our new home! Festivities include live performances & DJ, BBQ, bar garden, kids activities, giveaways and the kick-off of the public phase of our capital campaign: Building and Supporting Community. Free and open to all! Performances by: DJ Foxy Janae Sound, Random Ideas, Maine Gay Men’s Chorus, Portland Player’s cast of RENT, Madame Sheena Lichen, and more to be announced! Food provided by: BBQ by USM Dining Services, Empanada Club Fred’s Fried Dough, Bar Service donated by: Sagamore Hill Kid’s Activities provided by: Queer Craft Maine For more info, email chris@eccmaine.org or call 207-613-9633. https://eccmaine.org/party