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St. Bartholomew's
Episcopal Church
E-News
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Sunday, March 22 at 9:30 am
Healing Service with Holy Communion & Music
led by the Rev. Dr. Vicki Smith
Wednesday, March 25 at 5:30 pm
Lenten Midweek Evening Prayer Service
led by the Rev. Amanda Gerken-Nelson
Nursery Care will be available at the Sunday morning service, and little ones are also very welcome to enjoy our Quiet Play Area in the sanctuary during services.
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To view bulletins for upcoming services,
and recordings and bulletins for previous services,
CLICK HERE for the Services page of our website.
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Need hearing assistance? We have earpieces that receive audio from the sound system. You can find them in charging stations in the entryway. Simply slip the earpiece over your ear, turn it on with the volume switch, and adjust volume. Please return to the charging stations when you are done.
Want to access the bulletin on your notebook/iPad/phone? Scan the QR code posted in the Sanctuary to get to the Services page of our website. Click on the link "Click here for the bulletin" toward the top of the page.
Want a copy of a sermon from this or previous Sundays? Go to the sermon page of our website HERE and click on the date of the service. If you would like a hard copy, please contact the office at 207-846-9244 and ask Teri to print you a copy.
5th Sunday of the month Offering. All cash in the offering plate, and checks so designated, will go to the Rector's Discretionary Fund on 5th Sundays.
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Pastoral Care
In Need of Our Prayers:
For all who have commended themselves to our prayers; for our families, friends, and neighbors; that being freed from anxiety, they may live in joy, peace, and health, we pray to you O Lord. (BCP, Prayers of the People, Form V, 391)
We pray for:
Virginia & Jamil; Jenny & Matt; Sasha; Paige; Nathaniel; Haskell; Don; Gregory; Andy; Molly; Nova; Steven; Jenn; Vance; Ted; Matt & Shannon; Lem; Carol; Beverly; Ben; Morgan; Benson; Hana; Celeste; Hans; Pam; Hurshell; Melanie; Susan; Sue; Brooke; Elizabeth; Danny; Peter; Nate; and Lin.
For those who have died, receive them into the arms of your mercy.
Click HERE to go directly to the Pastoral Care section of our website. We have information about Healing Prayers, our Words of Comfort booklet and how to contact us via email.
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Wednesdays in Lent - Join Us!
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
- Psalm 91:1-2
Our theme for Lent this year is "shelter" and this theme reminds us of the psalmist's lyrics above. What does it mean to live in the shelter of the Most High? How is God our refuge and our fortress? When we lean into the shelter of the one in whom we trust, what do we learn about ourselves and each other?
Join us on Wednesday evenings in Lent to dwell in the shelter of the Most High in worship and in study!
Midweek Lenten Evening Prayer -- using the liturgies of the Iona Community of Scotland, our Midweek Lenten Evening Prayer service is a time of prayer, holy reading, repentance, and peace. As we gather in the shadow of the Almighty, how is hope, faithfulness, and mercy revealed to us and through us? The service starts at 5:30 pm.
Adult Education Forum -- "Living Water: Baptism as a way of life"
Lewiston native, Klara Tammany, has created a wonderful resource that helps the faithful dive into the waters of Baptism and see the promises made in this sacrament as a holy way of living -- another word for a holy way of living is Discipleship. In the Episcopal Church, the Baptismal liturgy includes six covenants which are made with those who are baptized and each one calls us into a holy way of living in rather specific ways: "Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?" "Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?"...just to name a few. How do these promises shape our lives as faithful followers of Christ, as disciples? What do these covenants mean to us today? Come and join the dialog with Rev. Amanda and Elizabeth Ring.
A reminder to bring a brown bag dinner to munch on when we gather.
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"Diplomacy on Ice" Video Now Available
On Sunday, March 8 Dr. Susana Hancock offered a wonderful and informative talk about "Diplomacy on Ice, Climate Science, Glaciers, and Effecting Change on the Global Level." In case you missed it, her talk was recorded and can be accessed HERE. (It is also available on the Events Page of our website.) Thanks so much, Susana!
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United Thank Offering 2026: Grant Focus
The focus of UTO Grants for the 2026-2029 triennium is inspired by scripture: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.” (Amos 5:24) and tradition: “In love we escape from our self into one another. In the moral sphere, every act of justice or charity involves putting ourselves in the other person’s place and thus transcending our own competitive particularity. In coming to understand anything we are rejecting the facts as they are for us in favor of the facts as they are. The primary impulse of each is to maintain and aggrandize himself. The secondary impulse is to go out of the self, to correct its provincialism and heal its loneliness.” (C.S. Lewis, An Experiment in Criticism)
Therefore the UTO Board seeks applications in 2026 that move beyond dialogue across lines of difference to action undertaken together by those who are different. UTO will fund projects focused on justice and bridging divides.
UTO recognizes that there is historic and ongoing harm to marginalized people of all kinds. The trauma is broad and deep and contributes to the deep divisions of our world today. UTO seeks to fund projects that build bridges in the pursuit of a more just world.
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Diaper Drive
St. Elizabeth's Essentials Pantry
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Clean diapers are a basic necessity for every baby and toddler. Without them babies are more likely to deal with rashes and urinary tract infections requiring trips to the doctor. Affording diapers is a challenge for many families; that is why St. Elizabeth’s is holding a Diaper Drive. The goal is to increase the number of diapers distributed from 18 to 24 to each neighbor requesting them.
Donations of diapers are most welcome, with sizes 4, 5 and 6 the most popular. A bin for the diapers is out in the Narthex.
Financial support would also be gratefully received. Checks can be made payable to St. Elizabeth’s Essential’s Pantry with “Diaper Drive” in the memo.
For more information, visit St. Elizabeth’s Essentials Pantry ~ www.stelizabethsmaine.org or contact Linda Draper.
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Save the Date - 4th Annual St. Bart's Day of Service
Please SAVE THE DATE for our 4th Annual St. Bart’s Day of Service! It will take place this year on Saturday, May 2nd. Volunteering will occur in the morning, and then we will gather back at St. Bart’s for a cookout/luncheon together. This is a collaborative way of expanding our outreach and generating interest and momentum for serving our communities via local organizations. Details about the site options for where you can volunteer that day will be forthcoming. If you plan to participate and don’t yet have a Day of Service t-shirt, please contact Pal Covie with your t-shirt size by March 19th so an order can be placed. If you have any questions, please reach out to Pal. We look forward to having you join this special day with us!
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"Faithful Conversations"
These are challenging times. You are invited to join us for Faithful Conversations with Rev. Vicki Smith and Dennis Fitzgibbons on Tuesdays from 5-6 PM on ZOOM. We will meet weekly for 6 weeks and reevaluate over Holy Week and Easter.
This reflection series will use the book “For Such a Time as This: An Emergency Devotional.” It is not necessary to purchase the book. Each week, a link to the ZOOM call and a link to excerpts from the book will be in the E-News.
Please note that each week’s reflection excerpt stands alone. Missing one or more sessions is alright.
We look forward to seeing you.
For Tuesday, March 17:
Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85290114552?pwd=UkN91v5grNKiz3Q6uyAcG8OQOzmhBi.1
Excerpts From the Book:
Click Here
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Good Friday Offering
St. Bart's will once again designate our Good Friday offering to the Bishop's Good Friday Appeal for our siblings in the Middle East. Please read Presiding Bishop Rowe's letter about this offering below ...
From Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe: Support Holy Land ministries through Good Friday Offering
Dear people of God in The Episcopal Church:
For more than a century, Episcopalians have given generously to the Good Friday Offering, which supports the vital work and ministries of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East. Today, the need of the church in the Holy Land is greater than ever, particularly given the recent escalation of war in the Middle East, and I hope you will join me in making a generous gift today at iam.ec/goodfridayoffering.
I am in frequent touch with Archbishop Hosam Naoum, who leads the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East, and I know how urgently he and his people need our support as they alleviate suffering and provide hope to God’s people of all faiths. The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey recently gave the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem $1 million to support medical and trauma care for children, youth, and families in Gaza and the Palestinian territories, and I am hoping that we can build on that extraordinary gift with this year’s Good Friday Offering.
Your gift will support:
- al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, which has continued serving patients during the Israel-Hamas War amid bombardment, devastating shortages of food, water, and medicine, and extended power outages.
- St. George’s Church in Baghdad, Iraq, and its medical center.
- An eye clinic at Christ Church in Yemen.
- All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Damascus, Syria.
- All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Beirut, Lebanon.
The Episcopal Church supports just and sustainable peace in the Holy Land and around the world. While we pray and work for peace, our siblings in the Holy Land will continue to serve God’s people with hospitals, schools, orphanages, and humanitarian aid programs. These ministries serve people of all faiths without distinction, bearing witness to the power of hope and healing across divides.
Together, we can support the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East as it turns despair into hope for God’s people in the land where our faith was born.
The Most Rev. Sean Rowe
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church
To make your gift today:
- Send a check with “Good Friday Appeal” in the memo line to:
The Episcopal Church (DFMS)
P.O. Box 958983
St. Louis, MO 63195-8983
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You are invited to...
Community Forum:
“Showing Up for Our Trans Siblings”
March 21, 2026 – 12:30 pm
First Parish Church, Portland
In Partnership with Democracy Maine, Equality Community Center, EqualityMaine, MaineTransNet, Maine Women’s Lobby, Multifaith Justice Maine & PFLAG
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
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Sign Ups & Resources for Volunteers
To learn more about opportunities to volunteer in the community through St. Bart's (St. Elizabeth's, Friendship House, etc.), go to the COMMUNITY OUTREACH page on our website.
To volunteer for a Sunday Coffee Hour, CLICK HERE.
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