St. Mary of the Harbor
Wood End from the Water looking North

OUTERMOST VOICE 
 March  2019

Grounded
 

Today is one of those winters days on Cape Cod when anything that isn't tied down risks being blown away.  When you are chasing newly emptied trash cans down Commercial Street in 18 degree weather, the only source of heat to be found are some choice comments directed at the wind. Mother Nature gleefully answers my protestations with another bone chilling wind gust in our lively little game of catch the can.  

After all these years, I am still awed that anything can survive in the harshness of a Cape winter.  And yet this morning the green shoots of tiny crocuses have finally begun to appear, albeit a little later than usual.  As a precursor to Spring, their appearance announces that winter will eventually give way to warmth and a new season of growth.  

Winter on the Cape is more than just a season though. Not only is it a test of endurance, it is also a test of faith. For those with the vision to see beyond the present season,  there is a wisdom to be found in   the tiniest of churchyard flowers. The untethered risk being swept away while those who are grounded in that which is life giving go on to thrive and bring beauty into the world.  For crocuses, it is the nurturing soil of earth that grounds them.  For Jesus' people, it is love.

Terry+


Ash Wednesday

Wednesday 12:15 p.m.
March 6

Imposition of Ashes 
and 
Holy Communion


Saturdays in Lent

9:00 a.m.
March 9, 16, 23, 30

Conversations on following Jesus,
articulating one's faith,
and 
being a person of faith in today's world.


  Financial Update


Mike Sutila, Treasurer


By all measures, 2018 was solid year financially for St. Mary of the Harbor.  With a record $154,000 in pledges and a number of parishioners prepaying their pledges, we ended the fiscal year with a net income of $13,223.  Out of the generosity of parishioners, needed repairs were made to the property and 100% of the Christmas and Thanksgiving offerings were designated for outreach.  And while St. Mary's ended 2018 with a surplus, the valuation of the church's investment accounts declined by $32,967 due to the volatility of the stock market, with no appreciable difference reported as of January 31, 2019.

January 2019 saw a contraction in revenues, declining by $8648 when compared to January 2018.  This was not unexpected.  Compared to 2018, pledges for the current year are about $20,000 less.  In addition, 2019 pledges that were prepaid in 2018 created a healthy surplus for much of the prior fiscal year.  The same scenario has yet to materialize in 2019 but only two months into 2019, it is still early in the year.  

As of January 2019, St. Mary's closed the ledger with a net income $2,685.  This is $13,377 less than what we say in January 2018, reflecting the same pledge and plate factors mentioned above.  With cash flow tighter than last year, we will continue to closely monitor the financial health of the church. In the meantime, we would like to hear from you if you haven't yet made your pledge.  


Mike



Will It Hold?
 


A few months ago, engineering firms specializing in seawalls were asked to evaluate the church's seawall   The question was, can the height of the seawall be raised?  "Yes, but" was the answer.  Raising the current seawall will not prevent the sea from breaching the top during a record setting high tidal surge, even if every one of our east end neighbors with beachfront property constructed a wall of similar height on their property.  

That does not mean that we can  ignore the reality of  higher than usual tides we have been experiencing on the Outer Cape.  Since 1978, when the height of the church's seawall was increased, St. Mary of the Harbor and much of our neighborhood has been spared the kind of flooding we saw last winter in downtown Provincetown and on the West End. 

Over the years the seawall's concrete has developed hairline fissures in numerous places where seawater get in, freezes, and then creates visible openings, which in turn allow more water to penetrate into the seawall.  In addition to this, the buttresses have deteriorated significantly in places, losing chunks of concrete and exposing rusted rebar. 

At the January meeting, your Vestry voted to contract with A Concrete Answer, Inc. of Marston Mills to repair the seawall.  The repairs will involve injecting a liquid polymer into damaged areas of the seawall.  After being injected, the solution hardens to stabilize and reinforce the concrete.  In addition, the buttresses will be reinforced and the seawall recoated along the areas where the repairs are to be made.

The total cost of the project will be $25,450 and work is scheduled to begin near the end of April.  The Finance Committee has recommended applying for a Stokes Loan to fund the project, with the goal of retiring the debt as quickly as possible through capital donations and seasonal offerings.  



Faith Communities Environmental Network


photo used with permission

Several years ago, St. Mary of the Harbor made the commitment to become more environmentally responsible as caretakers of God's creation.  Taking small steps, we instituted recycling and switched to more eco-friendly cleaning products.  And in November, solar panels were installed with the goal of further reducing our carbon footprint by reducing our use of heating oil. 

In addition to these efforts, the church will use our voice to help shape future policy decisions regarding climate change affecting the Cape and Islands. At the January meeting, your vestry voted to approve St. Mary's membership in the Faith Communities Environmental Network, a subgroup of the    Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative. The mission of CCCC is "to unite the varied expertise and experience of Cape Cod organizations to address the impacts of climate change."  

The  following  link will take you to the website for CCCC where you can learn more about this organization.  The website also contains several interactive pages including sea level rise maps and carbon footprint calculators


Please contact Terry at ptownvicar50@gmail.com if you would like to become more involved in caring for God's creation.

People you see in church 
but may not yet know


John Carroll (L) and John Loftin (R)

John and John moved to Provincetown last October from Memphis, Tennessee.  John Carroll retired after a management career in the not-for-profit sector.  After a career as a community banker, John Loftin made the move to entrepreneur as owner of Hedge Farm Candles, a manufacturer and wholesaler of candles. They live at the Residences at Seashore Point.



David Burke and Mike Shepherd

Dave and Mike live in Eliot, Maine but spend as much time as they can at their home in Provincetown. Dave is originally from Grand Forks, North Dakota and works for a software company. Mike is originally from Alexandria, Virginia and works in Human Resources consulting. They met in Boston in 2010 and have been married since 2014. 

Mary Oliver Commemoration 



June 28, 2019 is the tentative date that has been set to commemorate Mary Oliver, Pulitzer Prize winning poet, long time Provincetown resident and St. Mary's parishioner.  Mary died last month but her legacy of words lives on through her poetry.   With planning still in progress, details will be published online once complete.

 Vestry Update

Vestry Actions for November 2018 through January 2019:
  • Appointed Deidre Malloy to fill the remainder of the term of a vacant vestry position
  • Accepted the recommendation of the Outreach Committee to designate the Thanksgiving Offering to go to Habitat for Humanity
  • Approved salary adjustments for rector and staff employees
  • Approved contracting with A Concrete Answer, Inc. to repair the church's seawall
  • Voted to designate 100% of the recent Christmas Offering for the Guatemalan Medical Resource Partnership, as recommended by the Outreach Committee
  • Voted to donate $500 to fund the LGBTQ Welcome Center in Provincetown
  • Voted to renew St. Mary's membership in the Provincetown Chamber of Commerce
  • Approved application to join the Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative via the Faith Communities Environmental Network.
The church's financials and minutes from vestry meetings are posted on the church's website.  They can be located by linking on the following link under "Events, News and Reports" menu bar at the top of the webpage.  Here is the link:


     
 SCAM ALERT


At a recent Dean's Council meeting in Boston, I learned that a  number  of parishioners in the Boston area have received fake emails from their clergy requesting financial assistance by "adding funds to gift cards".  

From what we can tell, clergy email addresses were lifted from websites and online newsletters and were modified slightly using a newly created email address to give the appearance of being legitimate.  

Any email address other than ptownvicar50@gmail.com should be considered suspect and reported immediately to me.  We never email people directly requesting money, gift cards or credit card or checking information.  Under no circumstances, should you provide financial information or send money to a suspicious looking email address.   

Terry+
     
Don't Forget

 

Daylight Savings Time begins March 10th.
     
Ministry of All Believers

You don't have to be ordained by a bishop to be a minister. Every baptized person is a minister of the gospel. That doesn't mean you have to be able to preach a sermon. There are many opportunities at St. Mary of the Harbor where you can exercise a ministry.  Here are just a few:

Healing Ministry at Saturday or Sunday services
Serving on the Altar Guild
Singing in the choir 
Leading the Prayers of the People on Sunday 
Reading the lessons at a worship service
Serving as a usher 
Hospitality and Fellowship
Garden care
Leading a bible discussion group
Volunteering for St. Mary's Community Luncheons
Serving on the  Art & Spirit, Summer Fair, Finance, or Outreach         Committees
Writing / editing articles for the OuterMost Voice
Photographing important events at the church
Volunteering at the Summer Fair or for the Art & Spirit Auction

Every Christian has God given talents.  Please talk with Terry to explore how best to use yours.  

diomass logo

Stay in touch. Get the latest diocesan wide news at this link:


 
Parishioner Directory

Due to the nefarious behavior of unscrupulous individuals fishing for parishioner information, we have removed the link to the parish directory and are working to create password protected access to the directory that will be available only to parishioners.  

In the meantime, if you need an updated directory sent to you, please contact Penny at smothoffice@gmail.com or call the office at 508-487-2622 or contact Terry at ptownvicar50@gmail.com  


Paypal

Online giving is now available for people who are interested in making pledge payments or one time gifts electronically.  Access it through the church's website at www.stmaryoftheharbor.org  where you will  find a "Donate" button on the menu bar at the top of the page and to the right.  Click and it will take you to Paypal where you can make your donation.  Contact Mike Sutila at msutila@chasemachine if you have questions.

 

episcopal shield

 

   The Episcopal Church
               people graced by God
         and being transformed through love
                         since 1789
 
            
The Vestry at St. Mary's

Mark Weinress, Senior Warden
Harry Ellsworth, Junior Warden
Michael Sutila, Treasurer
Gerri Spinella, Clerk of the Vestry
Ollie Ahmuty
Bruce Cagwin
Sharon Inger
Simonne Ketchum
Deidre Malloy
Julia Perry



Church Office Hours
517 Commercial St.
Provincetown, MA 02657
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Wednesday & Friday
Phone (508) 487-2622 
 
 
Contact St. Mary's
mary window

St. Mary of the Harbor
517 Commercial Street
Provincetown, MA 02657

 

Office Hours
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Tuesdays & Thursdays

 

Phone (508) 487-2622 
Email: office@stmaryoftheharbor.org

In This Issue


Upcoming Events


Ash Wednesday

Imposition of Ashes
and
Holy Communion 
March 6
12:15 p.m.


Saturdays in Lent

March 9,16, 23 & 30
9:00 a.m. in the library


Important Links