St. Brendan the Navigator Episcopal Church
Our Mission: "To Love, Praise, Welcome and Serve"
| | Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost | | | |
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Worship this Sunday:
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
The Rev. Emily Blair Stribling, presiding
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12:00 p.m.
A Celebration of Life for Anne Williams
There is a possibility that we will Zoom this service.
You can stay on after the morning worship service or
join with the link above.
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All services and meetings will be held both in-person and via Zoom unless otherwise designated.
| | | | 8:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast | | | | |
8:30 a.m. Simmering Pot
4:30 p.m. Meditation/Silent Prayer (Zoom)
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10:00 a.m. In-person Meditation
10:30 a.m. Bible Study with The Rev. Jenny Reece
3:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal (new time this week only)
| | | | 10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist and Healing Service with Pastor Elaine Hewes, Celebrant and Coleen Barbeau, reflector | | | | 17th Annual St. Brendan Women's Retreat | | | | 7:00 p.m. "Courage is Contagious" - An evening with Bishop Mariann Budde, Merrill Auditorium in Portland | | Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost | | | | |
Turn these walls into tables
Forgive us more than we are able
Don't let the past define what we could be
There's no easy road ahead,
There's nothing sure, except
We're all welcome at your table, Lord.
Chelsea Davis
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Sermon given by Pastor Elaine Hewes on August 16th.
Click below for the video recording. A text copy is available here.
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For there is a language of flowers.
For the flowers are peculiarly the poetry of Christ.
Christopher Smart
What poetry! What arrangements we've enjoyed by Ann Tarlton these past several weeks! Thank you so much, Ann, for sharing your flower arranging talents with us.
Judy Miller: I am grateful for the many years I have spent on Deer Isle and all the members of St Brendan’s past and present from St. Mary’s Church to the present place of worship. You have all been my source of personal and spiritual growth. Thank each of you for giving me strength as I have grown through these years. Bless everyone and many thanks and blessings to each of you. I will miss you all.
300 Began Way, Apt 4207
Woburn, MA 01801
617-645-1711
We are grateful that Barbara Wright is being well cared for at
New England Rehabilitation Hospital of Portland
335 Brighton Avenue #201, Room 209A
Portland, ME 04102
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Moral Courage
In this time of global and national crises, many of us wonder how we might respond to the suffering and injustices that seem to be everywhere we turn. Last week, I came across an article that looked at the question “What can we do?” through the lens of “moral courage” and “moral cowardice.” And while I found the article to be challenging, I also found it to be helpful in its understanding of what it required of human beings in order for justice to prevail.
The article was written by Professor Mazim Qumsiyeh, who teaches at Bethlehem University in the West Bank. You can find a biographical sketch of him provided by Bethlehem University below, followed by a link to his article on moral courage. One of the things I appreciate most about this article is his insight that moral courage can be found among Palestinians, Israelis and international observers alike (as well as its opposite, moral cowardice). As he writes, “The willingness to act ethically despite fear, inconvenience, social pressure, or personal cost transcends nationality, religion, ethnicity, and political affiliation.”
Every once in a while someone is able to distill the essence of things into a well-written piece that looks at the “whole picture” rather than just a small (oftentimes one-sided) view of the complex situation. Professor Mazin Qumsiyeh’s essay does just that. I am grateful for his insights and now must ask myself what moral courage would look like in my context and in my life. Perhaps we might have a conversation in the community of faith that is St. Brendan about this question. As we often remind ourselves, none of us can do this work alone.
Prof. Mazin Qumsiyeh is a distinguished Palestinian academic, researcher, and advocate for social justice, currently serving as a Professor of Biology at Bethlehem University. He is the founder and volunteer director of the Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability (PIBS), a leading organization in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development in Palestine. Prof. Qumsiyeh has authored 250 scientific papers, over 30 book chapters, and several books on topics ranging from biodiversity conservation to genetics and human rights. He has won numerous awards for his work and was recently nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his contributions to science and human rights. His career spans teaching, research, and activism, using his platform to raise awareness about Palestinian rights and environmental issues. Prof. Qumsiyeh has established international collaborations and is committed to fostering scientific knowledge, peace, and justice. For more information, visit qumsiyeh.org and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazin_Qumsiyeh
| | Giving our Priorities Shape (GPS) Action Item | | |
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) set a historic high in July 2026, making roughly 51,000 administrative arrests. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has officially ended following a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing the termination to proceed. The Department of Homeland Security's cancellation has gone into effect, stripping roughly 300,000 to 350,000 Haitians of their legal deportation protections and work permits.
We ask you to continue to keep in mind and to support, however you can, the legal and human rights of immigrants, some of whom have lived in this country for decades under protection but who are now endangered by orders of the current administration.
Some organizations are accompanying immigrants through this life-threatening time. Click below to learn more.
| | A Thank-you from Chelsea Davis | | |
Thank you to everyone who joined us at St. Brendan’s for our intimate evening of music and conversation celebrating ONE VOICE, the new musical inspired by the life and legacy of Marian Anderson.
We were overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of the Deer Isle community. Your generosity helped raise $125,000 in support for the musical’s upcoming world premiere. We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended, contributed, and became part of ONE VOICE’s journey. We are so much closer to reaching our goal thanks to this community! We hope to see you in February 2027 in Montgomery, Alabama!
Want to follow the journey? Sign up for ONE VOICE updates and newsletter. Click here and scroll to the bottom of the page to "Follow Our Journey."
Missed the evening—or want to experience it again? Watch the concert and conversation from St. Brendan’s here.
If you’d still like to contribute, you can donate online by clicking below. Or a check can be mailed to: Liquid Theatre Collective, 66 Deepwood Rd., Easton, CT 06612. Please write "ONE VOICE premiere" in the memo line.
Thank you for helping bring this powerful original musical to the stage.
Chelsea Marie Davis
| | Education & Spiritual Development Ministry | | | | | |
"O Lord, your love endures forever"
Psalm 138:9
Zoom Meditation/Silent Prayer at 4:30 p.m.
Readings, poems, and prayers are shared before a period of silence.
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10:00 a.m. Wednesdays
In-Person Meditation/Silent Prayer at St. Brendan
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Bible Study
Wednesday 10:30 a.m.
We continue our study of the mystics in preparation for the Season of Creation with The Rev. Jenny Reece.
Session Two: Two Medieval Master Mystics
The well-known Francis of Assisi (1181-1286) and less familiar Meister Eckhart (1260-1328) each contributed greatly to the mystical tradition that put God’s creation as the center of everything. We will explore their writings, especially as they speak of water.
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Richard Mallory – 8
Bringier McConnell – 8
Dan Reardon – 10
Fay Beaudoin – 11
Nancy Allison – 12
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Diane Greenlaw – 13
Woody Osborne – 20
Jim White – 22
Lori Parkhurst – 26
| | We pray for those in special need: | | |
Barbara Wright
Debra Carter
baby Charles
Harry Vickerson
Julie M.
Danny Judkins
Cathy Johnson
Meg Graham
Charlie Putnam
Mike S.
Meredydd Cooper
Henna Torrey Roy
Jerry
Agnes and Billy
Gwyn Murray
Sally
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Beth Kyser
David
Preston Henderson
Tammie Cox
Tyler Goss
Kate Hallen & Bob Blum
Judith Jerome
Mimi Maslan
Judy Miller
Megan
Bishop Thomas Brown
Naomi
Anne Burton
Hewit
Mary Ann and Terry
Nishah
Corbin
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Rebecca
Pam B
Jaxson
Heather Corey
Stephen Gill
Bill Scaife
Brent Was
Gary and Wellesley
Mary Lawrence Hicks and family
Nancy Greene
Peter Brown
Seth
Linda Shepard and family
Marcia Scott
Carol Stoneburner
| | We pray, also, for those who love and care for them. | | |
We continue to hold in prayer those in our community who have recently lost loved ones; among them are the Williams, Stoneburner, Sherman, and Hewes families.
We pray for our nation, our president and vice-president, and all elected and appointed leaders.
We pray for all peacemakers and all those who work for justice; may we be found in their ranks.
We pray for all those serving in the armed forces of our country.
We pray for Sarah Mullally, Archbishop of Canterbury; Hosam, Bishop of Jerusalem; Sean, our Presiding Bishop; and Thomas, our Bishop.
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for Our Lady of the Evergreens, Harborside, and for students and educators as they begin a new school year.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for The Church of the Province of
West Africa.
On the Island and Peninsula, we pray for Deer Isle/Sunset Congregational Church, Deer Isle.
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Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Today we reach a watershed moment in Jesus’ ministry as recounted by Matthew. Jesus asks his disciples who the people and they believe he is. It is Simon Peter who replies, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus affirms Peter’s leadership of the church even though Peter will show lack of certainty in this confession later.
Just as Simon was called “the Rock” (in Greek, Petros), so in the Hebrew scriptures Abraham and Sarah are the rock from which the people of God are hewn. From them comes a people for whom God provides a joyous salvation.
We continue to read from the Epistle to the Romans in the second lesson. The final section, which we begin today, deals with the way God’s people are to live in relationship to each other and to the world. Today Paul focuses on the varied ministries of all members of the Church given to us in baptism.
All our attempts to explain our faith—from Peter’s faltering faith to Paul’s complex theology— rest upon the encounter we have as a people with God. That encounter leads always into the symbolic, the metaphorical and sacramental expressions of Christian worship and that always leads us into the various ministries to which God has called us. Our most profound theological expression is this action of Word and Sacrament, of story, song, meal, and bath, which is at the center of our worship.
Notes on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. Copyright © 2009 by Michael W. Merriman. Church Publishing Incorporated, New York
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Office Hours: Tuesday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Pastor Elaine Hewes
Tel: 207-479-5651
elaine.hewes@gmail.com
Emergency Contacts:
| | Warden - John Arrison, 207-505-2474 arrison17@gmail.com | | Warden - Allen Downs 207-348-2560 agdowns53@gmail.com | | |
Emily Hawkins - Treasurer
Cindy Beyer - Clerk
Nina Dayton
Kassie Grey
Skip Greenlaw
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