The E-pistle of Sunday, September 3rd, 2023
The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Holy Eucharist, Rite II
7:30AM in Emmanuel Chapel
Holy Eucharist, Rite II
10:00AM in the Nave & Livestreamed
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Celebrating the Season of Creation | |
The Cathedral Church of St. Luke
in the
City of Portland
and the
Episcopal Diocese of Maine
Whoever you are,
and wherever you may be on the journey of the spirit,
The Episcopal Church welcomes you.
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Welcome to St. Luke’s Cathedral
We are a community of faith with ancient worship and modern thought, catholic traditions and progressive theology. We proclaim a Biblical perspective for thinking people, a respect for reason, science, and a diversity of perspective. This empowers compassion and care for both the wider community and one another. Our commitment to welcome and inclusion is central to our mission modeled on the Kingdom of God and proclaimed by Jesus Christ.
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Sunday Morning Service Participants
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Preacher Celebrant
The Rev. Anne C. Fowler, Assisting Clergy
Celebrant
The Rev. Christopher Worthley, Assisting Clergy
Assisting
The Rev. Rebecca A. Grant, Deacon
Music Leader & Organist
Christian M. Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music
Musicians
Nan White, flute; Steve White, baritone
Lector
Marlene Cordes
Prayers Leader
Ruth Roemer
Ushers
Peter Bingham, Chester Bishop, Mary Linneman, MJ Northrop
Head Verger
Eleanor Roberts
Live Streaming
Jack Swanton, Sam Allen
Contributing Ministries
Acolytes, Vergers, The Flower Guild, The Altar Guild, The Kneeler Guild
Music copyrights granted under OneLicense.net #A-713087. Sources: The Hymnal 1982, Lift Every Voice and Sing II, Wonder, Love, and Praise, Voices Found, My Heart Sings Out, The Saint Helena Psalter, The Book of Common Prayer,, Enriching our Worship, The Holy Bible (NRSV).
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Hearing Assistance Devices Available
St. Luke’s has 10 new headsets for those who need hearing assistance and most people who use them find them very helpful. Each week, five will be out on benches in the nave near our two entrances. The headsets will already be turned on and the volume turned up to about 70%. The only adjustment that may be necessary is for volume which can be raised and lowered using two silver buttons on the front of the unit. After using the devices, please return them to one of the benches near the exits. If you need assistance, please ask one of the ushers. For additional information, please ask Senior Warden Sam Allen.
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Thank you in advance for your offering today. You can donate to St. Luke’s through our new and secure “Give and Text” feature. Please TEXT “TEXTCSL” to 73256. Our 2023 Pledge Campaign is ongoing. Pledge materials and information are available here.
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Happening at the Cathedral Today | |
Roots of Jesus Study Group |
Sunday Mornings|8:45-9:45AM
Location: The Chapter Room
Contact: The Rev. Dr. Bob Hanson at 207-405-8250.
Join us in the Chapter Room from 8:45–9:45 AM on Sunday mornings. Bob Hanson, Biblical scholar, linguist and theologian, leads our group. For more information call Bob at (207) 405- 8250. Activity units are distributed for each session. Assigned readings are from the Biblical books under consideration. The journey is a joyous one.
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Startup Sunday is next week September 10th!
Join us on Sunday, September 10th as we welcome the return of the Cathedral Choir, Sunday School, and as we welcome our new Interim Dean, The Rev. George Stevens!
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Parish Breakfast to Be Held Next Sunday, September 10th!
Join us for a parish breakfast in the Lower Hall from 8:30-9:30AM on September 10th, to celebrate startup-Sunday and to welcome The Rev. George Stevens to
St. Luke’s.
This parish gathering will be a wonderful opportunity for the cathedral community to come together in between the 7:30AM and 10:00AM services.
Name tags will be available to fill out. This will assist The Rev. Stevens as he meets community members.
Please note that gluten free options will be available.
Volunteers are needed to help in several areas:
1) set-up and prep work
2)cooking
3)cleaning
If you are able to help in any of the following areas please email Sarah Dowling
or contact the parish office.
The menu for the breakfast is as follows:
Pancakes, blueberry and plain
Gluten free and vegan, too!
Maple syrup
Scrambled eggs
Blueberry muffins
Sausage links
Vegan sausage links
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Season of Creation 2023
Let Justice and Peace Flow. Through October 3rd, CSL is weaving ecumenical Season of Creation resources into our liturgy and formation offerings. The World Council of Churches provides many materials on the Season of Creation website.
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Save the Date:
Season of Creation events
Save the date: Season of Creation events
The annual Season of Creation begins September 1. Please mark your calendars for the following events:
- Contemplative Fall Walk at Pleasant Hill Preserve Sunday, September 10th
1:30-3:30pm
“A celebration of trees in fall, this walk balances naturalist knowledge with gratitude and reflection. Learn about the Elm tree that lives next to the Pleasant Hill Preserve parking lot, listen to the whispers of the wisdom of the forest, and practice pausing to appreciate fall wonders. This walk will be led by Nicole Diroff, a Maine Master Naturalist, United Church of Christ minister, and Program Director at The BTS Center, focused on spiritual leadership in a climate-changed world."
Please join us in honoring the Season of Creation out of doors. Families with children age 8 and older are welcome to attend. Please dress for the weather as we will be outside for the entire time. Sunscreen and tick preventatives are recommended. Directions are available here.
Please note: The parking lot is small. Carpooling is recommended.
Contact Sarah Braik if you need a ride or can provide a ride to others.
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Community Harvest Supper Thursday Sept. 21, 5-7PM
(N.B., this is a corrected date and time) (see announcement below)
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Presentation by Curtis Bohlen, Director, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership on the Casco Bay Watershed Sunday Sept. 24, 11:45AM
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Book discussion group facilitated by St. Alban’s, Cape Elizabeth, September 11-October 30
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The St. Luke's Public Policy and
Environmental Action Team Meeting
Tuesday September 12 from 6-7 PM.
All are welcome.
Join us via Zoom
For more information email Sarah Braik
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Linda Carleton Book Discussion
In response to several requests, Linda Carleton is hosting a discussion of the issues (both personal and theological) raised by her recent memoir, ALL GOD, IF GOD THERE BE on Sunday, September 24 at 11:45 in the Chapter Room. If you’d like to read it, Linda has placed two copies in the Cathedral’s library (or you may buy it from Amazon or Linda directly.
To learn more about resources related to Linda's book please contact her via email.
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St. Luke's Zoom Book Group
Saint Luke’s Monday Zoom Book Group will resume on Monday, September 18 by reading Why Religion Matters by Huston Smith, the author of the classic bestseller The World’s Religions.
In it he delivers a passionate, timely message: the human spirit is being suffocated by the dominant materialistic worldview of our times. Smith champions a society in which religion is once again treasured and authentically practiced as the vital source of human wisdom. The group meets first and third Mondays from 6-7. You can attend by following this link.
For the first meeting we’ll read the the introduction, preface and Chapter 1. For more information, contact Linda Carleton.
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St Elizabeth’s Essentials Drive in September
St E’s serves 280+ neighbors Tuesday mornings from 8:30 to 11 am. Essential items include toilet paper, bars of soap, feminine products, etc. Diapers, tooth paste, blankets, towels and sheets, and pots, pans and cookware are provided monthly.
We are having an Essentials Drive throughout September to help with rising costs and an increasing number of neighbors being served. You can participate by contributing bars of soap, rolls of toilet paper, packages of diapers, donating cash or by writing a check payable to "St. Elizabeth's Jubilee Center".
All essential items will be blessed during the service on September 24th and then delivered to St Elizabeth’s. Any contribution that you can make is very much appreciated.
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St. Luke's Food Pantry in Need of Contributions
The Food Pantry welcomes your contributions of oil, flour, and dried beans!
These continue to be the most wanted items and and the most difficult for us to keep in stock.
Donations can be dropped off at any service or at the Cathedral's rear entrance. Thank you! Both neighbors and volunteers are grateful for your support!
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PPEAT Community Supper
The Public Policy and Environmental Action Team is hosting the first Community Supper of the year on Thursday Sept. 21 from 5-7 PM on the theme of sustainable eating.
Please use this form: https://tinyurl.com/mr2f7pw2 to RSVP by Sept. 7 so we know how much food to prepare.
Please also indicate dietary preferences and if you can volunteer to help with cooking, set up/clean up and or bring side dishes/dessert (apple crisp).
We will have vegan and gluten free lasagna and apple crisp.
During dessert we will show a brief video about Good News Gardens and have a conversation about it. As there is no budget for Community Suppers, you will be asked for $5 at the door to cover our costs, We look forward to seeing you!
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Tuesday 12:10 Service to Resume September 12th
Join us in Emmanuel Chapel as the 12:10 service resumes from its summer break.
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Ongoing Opportunities & Announcements | |
Availability of the St. Luke’s Community Kitchen
We are completing a 2023-2024 school year calendar (Sept. - June) for the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall. These two calendars when completed will be posted downstairs on the door to the Lower Hall, and the door to the Community Kitchen.
Any St. Luke's parishioner or ministry interested in scheduling time in the Community Kitchen, or the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall should contact Dawn Brennan-Daly.
Dawn will contact you to schedule a brief meeting and training, and place your event, date and time (recurring or one-time) on the Community Kitchen and Lower Hall Google Calendars (part of the cathedral Google calendar.) Scheduling is based on availability.
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A Note of Thanks from the Endowment Committee
We recently received several gifts to the endowment account from the estates of Anne Schink and Andrew Cadot. This is a wonderful way to remember St. Luke’s for posterity and to support our long term financial stability. You can also support the endowment account now with a regular or one time contribution via Realm/Vanco.
If you have any questions or need more information please reach out to Treasurer Tim Wilkins or any member of the Endowment or Finance Committees or anyone on the Vestry.
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Donate to the Dean's Discretionary Fund
With the upcoming arrival of The Rev. George Stevens, our St. Luke's financial team invites you to make a donation to the Dean's discretionary fund if you are able.
This will ensure that the Rev. Stevens has access to a sufficient amount of funds for neighbors needing assistance.
Donations are able to be made online on Realm and by selecting (The Dean's Discretionary Fund) on the drop-down menu or by mail to P.O. Box 4141, Portland, ME 04101.
Thank you!
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The Finance Committee Update
The church finances for 2023 continue to look good (A copy of our July balance sheet and treasurer's report is on the bulletin board in the hallway).
A few positive highlights for 2023 include: 1) Successful software conversion from Church Windows to Realm, 2) We paid off the loan we had with our bank, 3) We are getting over 4% interest from our excess cash in our checking accounts, 4) Rental revenue has improved significantly post Covid and 5) We estimate we will end 2023 with excess cash on hand. Our building expenses for this year have been higher than the last few years but overall we have kept up with repairs and maintenance.
However, 2024 will be a different story. Although we haven’t roughed out the 2024 budget yet, we do expect that it will be a more difficult year financially than 2023 for a variety of reasons which means that our 2024 Stewardship Campaign will be particularly important. At this point, we anticipate we will not have a balanced budget in 2024 but our excess cash should allow us to end 2024 in a positive cash flow position. If you have any questions please contact Tim Wilkins.
July 2023 Balance Sheet
July 2023 Treasurers Report
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Join the Young and The Restless
We are St. Luke’s 20s-30s-year-old ministry. We are an active group at the cathedral which also gets together outside of the church.
Join us as we go hiking, ice skating, play trivia, or just enjoy each other’s company! If you are new to us, welcome! We meet the second Tuesday of each month at Rising Tide, 6-8 PM in Portland. Other events happen sporadically throughout the month, however second Tuesdays at Rising Tide is a great place to meet us if you’re joining us for the first time. Contact Shana Rose to stay up to date with group activities and information.
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Join Luke's Garden
LGBTQIA+ Group
Luke's Garden is the cathedral's LGBTQIA+ group which meets every 2nd Sunday of the month following coffee hour.
All are welcome!
For additional information contact Orion Williams
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Access Your Realm Profile
The Cathedral’s new online database, Realm, is a useful tool for parishioners to manage their contact and pledging information.
Realm helps our community by improving our record keeping in a more streamlined fashion.
When joining Realm you can sign-up to be a part of the online directory in the database.
To activate your Realm profile please contact our financial administrator Nina Andersen.
Nina will assist you with the few steps necessary to access your profile.
We look forward to sharing this exciting new technology with you!
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Volunteers Needed for This Year's Holiday Fair
Although it is only August, the preparation for the St. Luke’s Holiday Fair has begun! We are pleased to announce that the date of this year’s holiday fair will be Saturday, November 11th in the Cathedral Nave.
If you are interested in volunteering for this year’s fair please contact the parish office.
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Weekly Ministries
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The Food Pantry is open from 8 am to 11 am every Thursday.
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Noon prayer is offered every Wednesday via Zoom.
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Compline is offered weekly on Friday from 8-8:30pm on Zoom. For additional details contact Ray Murdoch Curry
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stlukesportland.org
(207)-772-5434
Physical Address:
143 State Street, Portland, ME 04101
Parking Available at:
134 Park Street, Portland, ME 04101
Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 4141, Portland, ME 04101
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