Volume I | January 2018
What's New at St. Elizabeth's

Upcoming Events

January blanket drive

From Dick Rozene, St. Ann's, Windham and Housewares

Our current weather certainly reinforces the fact that warm bedding is desperately needed by our neighbors.

It would be greatly appreciated if you could request your rectors or parish administrators to insert a "blurb" in your parish bulletins or newsletters citing the need for gently used woolen or cotton blankets or comforters. 

They can be dropped off at St. E's/St. Luke's on Monday or Tuesday morning or in a collection area if your parish has one. Please no lightweight throws.

We will be giving out blankets all month and into February or as long as our supply lasts.

FAITH IN ACTION

Two sessions of Asset-Based Community Development training for St. Elizabeth's volunteers

Saturday, February 3, 9 a.m. to noon

Tuesday, February 13, 1 to 4 p.m.

An asset-based approach to engaging church and community is centered around the belief that individuals, groups, and communities have the gifts they need to address the needs they see around them. 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that each of us are given different gifts to serve the community and we are all a part of the body of Christ working together.

Join Dan Riggall, John Hennessy of the Maine Episcopal Network for Justice, and the Rev. Maria Hoecker of St. Columba's, Boothbay Harbor for an introduction to Asset-Based Community Development or ABCD. Each presenter has participated in a four day training co-sponsored by the Episcopal Church's Office of Domestic Poverty and Episcopal Relief & Development to learn how to share the principles of ABCD in a ministry setting. The identical three-hour sessions will include an introduction to ABCD and many practical exercises to see how this new way of approaching ministry in a neighborhood context might shape the future of St. Elizabeth's and other ministries in Maine.

Email Heidi Shott at hshott@episcopalmaine.org to indicate your interest in attending. Refreshments and snack will be served but participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag lunch to the Tuesday session.


Save the Date: St. Elizabeth's volunteer lunch on Tuesday, February 20

Stay-tuned for details
From the Director
by the Rev. Dan Riggall, Volunteer Director

Dear friends,

Welcome to this first edition of St. Elizabeth’s Jubilee Center’s e-newsletter! We hope that this will further strengthen communications amongst all our volunteers, and the sponsoring churches of the greater Portland area and their clergy. 

As you know, I became volunteer director when Dick Rasner retired in June after ten years of strong leadership. These past six months afforded an exciting learning curve for me which I’m sure will continue into the next six months as I complete my first full year as director. 

Over the years of Dick Rasner’s leadership, St. Elizabeth’s has grown enormously. Last month on December 5, we served 230 people. That was a high point, but indicative of the growth we continually experience. We serve an average of 175 people every week and receive generous donations that often overwhelm our storage space. Additionally, we offer special projects throughout the year like the winter coats/boots distribution and the long-john distribution sponsored and coordinated by the faithful volunteers from St. Alban’s. All of this growth tests not only our space usage, but, at times, our ability to serve all of our neighbors efficiently and lovingly. 

In short, we need to envision new ways of growing and organizing the mission of St. Elizabeth’s to stride into the future with confidence.

For me, the starting point was organizing St. Elizabeth’s so that leadership becomes more collaborative and our communication strengthened. In September, with the Bishop’s guidance and support, a transitional board of directors was formed to approve by-laws that will establish a permanent Board of Directors. The Bishop appointed Martha Parshley as transitional chair and Heidi Shott as diocesan liaison.

I’m glad to say that the transitional board has completed its work and, once the diocesan chancellor has reviewed them, it will approve the new by-laws for St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center when it meets again at the end of January. One of the first tasks of the new board is to envision and put into words the mission of St. Elizabeth’s. With that vision to guide us, we will engage with the challenges before us, both those of immediate concern and longer term issues for future growth.

My hope is that within the next few months I will meet with the rectors and volunteers of all our sponsoring churches because St. Elizabeth’s is your ministry. According to our new by-laws, we literally do not exist without our sponsoring churches. 

So, until the time when I can meet with you, thank you for your continued support of St. Elizabeth’s. And, more importantly than all the wonderful gifts of time and resources, thank you for your on-going support of prayer as we continue in pursuing God’s mission of reconciliation and love with our neighbors.

Peace,

Dan Riggall
One teen volunteer's perspective
[excerpt from an email shared by long-time volunteer and Falmouth Public Schools' Service Learning Coordinator Holly MacEwan]

Hey Holly!

The pantry is somewhere where I can escape from all the stress of my life and be at a place where there is so much love and joy. After every Tuesday, I come back to school feeling refreshed and happy for the day. It truly has changed my mentality of life and has let me become more inspired than ever before.

The environment is filled with happiness- with Becky telling us stories and greeting us each morning, or the kids who jump up and down if you give them a backpack, a book, or new shoes, or putting on new boots for someone with tears of joy after the relief of not having to wear flip-flops for the winter, or Esther putting on a mini fashion show.

There are so many memories and things I look forward to that I already have experienced after volunteering for only a month or two (I can't imagine how many memories you have-- which I love hearing about during our car rides : ). Every piece of the pantry has really shown me all the good in our community and how content you can be with so little.

Creating this community for clients and volunteers to enjoy is such an amazing experience I get to be a part of. Personally, the pantry is seen to be care-free, social, respectful, accepting and a kind environment. These factors are what I see to be the most important. 

Sorry for such a long email but I wanted to tell you what it's like in a student's perspective :)

-Abbie 

Do you have a story to share with other volunteers and members our sponsoring churches? Please send it to Dan at djr.riggall@gmail.com.
January and February volunteer schedule

From Gretchen Lane

Happy New Year. Here is the schedule for January:

1/9/2018 St. Alban's FES
1/16/2018 St. David's
1/23/2018 St. Luke's
1/30/2018 St. Bart's

​We'll start next week with a diaper day and perhaps a new arrangement of tables to ease the flow through the room. Hopefully everyone will have thawed out a bit in time to come next week.

Looking ahead to February, here are the dates:
2/6/2018 St. Ann's/Trinity
2/13/2018 St. Mary's/St. Nick's FES
2/20/2018 St. Alban's
2/27/2018 St. David's
St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center | Episcopal Diocese of Maine | djr.riggall@gmail.com