St. Brendan the Navigator Episcopal Church
Our Mission: "To Love, Praise, Welcome and Serve"
| | First Sunday after the Epiphany | | | |
Worship this Sunday:
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
The Rev. Donna Downs, presiding
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3:00 p.m. "Walking the Camino de Santiago"
In-person Talk by Jane LaChance
Click HERE to join the Zoom
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All services and meetings will be held both in-person and via Zoom unless otherwise designated.
| | | | 9:00 a.m. Women's Breakfast at Stonecutters Kitchen | | | | 4:30 p.m. Meditation/Silent Prayer (Zoom) | | | | |
11:00 a.m. Worship & Music Ministry meeting (Zoom)
4:00 - 5:30 p.m. Bible Study 101 (Zoom only)
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10:00 a.m. In-person Meditation
10:30 a.m. Phil Retberg reflecting on Wendell Berry
4:00 p.m. Choir rehearsal
| | | | 8:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast | | | | |
9:30 a.m. Gathering at the Meditation Garden
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Pastor Elaine Hewes presiding
| | | | 6:00 p.m. Feast of the Presentation at the Meditation Garden followed by soup in the Parish Hall | | | | Annual Mardi Gras Gathering at the Dane's | | The Feast of the Epiphany | | |
Sermon given by Pastor Elaine Hewes on January 4th.
Click below for the video recording. A text copy is available here.
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Dan and Del Bright had to say goodbye to their dear dog Millie, who was approaching 15 years old. Del wrote: "Dan and I are so grateful for the unconditional love she showed us throughout her life, and we want to recognize the importance of our animal companions."
Millie was the best dog. She filled our lives with love and constant companionship. I can’t believe we have to come home each day without her. I know some people don’t understand how a dog is truly a member of the family, so I write this to honor her. We are family.
I had a conversation with my brother the other day. I was telling him about Millie and how we didn’t want her to suffer now that her organs were failing. He said, “I know we don’t know what heaven is, but I’m sure if there is one, our dear dogs will be there waiting for us.” And then he paused and added, “I don’t think it could be heaven without them.”
Read Del and Dan's full remembrance here.
| | Curtis Flowers: I am grateful for George's faithful offering of time, technical skill and untiring effort to bring us Zoom church and events. It is a wonderful gift to all of us, expecially to us who are away. | | |
Gathering Words from January 4th
A number of people asked for copies of the words I spoke at the beginning of worship on January 4, and so I share them here…
We gather for worship this morning, the first Sunday of the New Year, to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany and to ponder what it means to say that the fullness of God’s presence and glory is most profoundly and deeply seen in the person of Jesus, who was born in a stable on the margins of the Roman Empire, and who spent his life living the way of compassion, healing, reconciliation, peace and love…
We come this morning, as we always do, pondering what it might mean for our lives if we were to follow Jesus in the ways he modeled for us…
And we do this as so many images of the past week flash before our eyes…
The image of the horrific fire that took so many young lives in the Swiss Ski resort…
The image of humanitarian aid trucks being denied access once again to the people of Gaza…
The images from around the world that speak to the rise of antisemitism…
The image of an attack on Venezuela by our country, in our name…
It kind of feels like too much to bear. But we come anyway, trusting that Jesus meets us in our sorrow and rage and despair… Trusting that God’s love is stronger than hatred and death… Trusting that if we are open to the power of God’s Spirit, we too can find ways of living in the name and in the way of Jesus…
We take a moment of silence now to open ourselves to the Spirit’s leading, even as we remember before God all those who weep and watch and mourn…
I offer this prayer from the Lutheran Book of Worship:
O God, where hearts are fearful and constricted, grant courage and hope. Where anxiety is infectious and widening, grant peace and reassurance. Where impossibilities close every door and window, grant imagination and resistance. Where distrust twists our thinking, grant healing and illumination. Where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings and strengthened dreams. All these things we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord… Amen.
(And I might add on this Epiphany Sunday) In the name of our bright morning star, the light no darkness can overcome, who even now is showing us the way…
Pastor Elaine
| | Giving our Priorities Shape (GPS) Action Item | | |
Faith in Action
A reflection on “going home by a different road” as the Wise Men chose to do in the Epiphany story of Matthew’s Gospel.
What is a revelation or Epiphany for us today as we reflect in faith on the birth and life of Jesus that happened more than 2000 years ago? Are we called to “go home by a different road”?
Our presiding Bishop Sean Rowe wrote in July 2025:
“...God calls us to place the most vulnerable and marginalized at the center of our common life, and we must follow that command regardless of the dictates of any political party or earthly power. We are now being faced with a series of choices between the demands of the federal government and the teachings of Jesus, and that is no choice at all.”
Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe said the Episcopal Church is being called to a different kind of patriotism. You are encouraged to read his opinion piece (click below) and consider how you might respond to Jesus’ call to work on behalf of justice in the way of love.
| | Walking the Camino de Santiago | | |
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Please join us for an engaging presentation, "Walking the Camino de Santiago" this Sunday, January 11,
at 3 pm. The presentation will also be available via Zoom. The link is here.
Jane LaChance will share unusual stories and striking slides from her three pilgrimages, highlighting the essence of each walk.
Refreshments will follow the talk.
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Bible Study 101 will resume next Tuesday, January 13 and will continue
to meet on Tuesdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm on Zoom only
for the next 5 weeks.
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Wednesday Bible Study will continue to meet from 10:30 am - Noon
On Wednesday, January 14th, Phil Retberg will reflect on Wendell Berry.
On Wednesdays, January 21, 28 and February 4, the class will be led by
Dr. Pam Shellberg.
| | Education & Spiritual Development Ministry | | |
"Be still before the Lord . . ."
Psalm 37:7
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's
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Bible Study on Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
January 14th - Phil Retberg from Quill's End Farm will talk about
Wendell Berry and his poetry and wisdom.
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Emily Blair Stribling - 9
Martha Dane - 14
George Pazuniak - 15
Mickey Jacoba - 21
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Agnes Love - 23
Patricia Donahue - 24
Lis Ingoldsby - 24
Dan Bright - 31
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Celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Monday, January 19, 2:00 p.m.
Reversing Falls Sanctuary
Please join us as we honor the memory and life of Martin Luther King, Jr. and explore his concept of the “Beloved Community.” Dr. King taught that the Beloved Community is a society built on love, justice, and nonviolence, where people overcome hatred and conflict to recognize the inherent worth in everyone, creating a reconciled, interconnected world.
We ground these ideals in real-world courage by connecting Dr. King’s vision to Robert Shetterly’s Americans Who Tell the Truth portraits. The program will examine the lives of six prophetic Americans who exemplify this teaching:
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William Barber, II: A leader in moral fusion politics, bringing people together across racial and economic lines to fight systemic poverty.
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Cesar Chavez: Co-founder of the United Farm Workers; he proved that nonviolent labor organizing restores dignity to the exploited.
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Deqa Dhalac: The first Somali-American mayor in the U.S., showing how immigrant leadership strengthens our local communities.
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John Lewis: A titan of the Civil Rights Movement who lived by the creed of "good trouble" and unwavering nonviolence.
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Aldo Leopold: Author of the "Land Ethic," he expanded the community to include soil, water, plants, and animals.
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Kathy Kelly: A peace activist who practices radical empathy for those in war zones, challenging us to reject the violence of war.
“During this time of increased violence in our society and around the world, let us come together to learn from prophetic Americans how to choose a different path.”
| | We pray for those in special need: | | |
Peter McKee
Caroline Dane
Mike S.
Jennifer Hutchinson
Meredydd Cooper
Henna Torrey Roy
Liz Leuthner
Jerry
Helen and Gibbie Nauman
Agnes and Billy
Barbara K.
Julie and Tom
Gwyn Murray
Sally
Beth Kyzer
David
Preston Henderson
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Mollie Ann Meserve
Tammie and Jason Cox
Tyler Goss
Kate Hallen & Bob Blum
Judith Jerome
Mimi Maslan
Semantha
Judy Miller
Megan
Bishop Thomas Brown
Naomi
Anne Burton
Hewit
Mary Ann and Terry
Nishah
David Morrish
Corbin
Rebecca
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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
Lindsay Bowker
Marcia Scott
Tony Stoneburner
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 Sherman, Hewes, Putnam, Wright, Clauson/Hewes, Pierson, Wade/Scaife, Dahlen, Stoessel, and Miller/Budd families.
We pray for those struggling with addiction and mental illness and their caregivers.
We pray for all those receiving care through Neighbor Care and for all the relocated residents of the Island Nursing Home and their families.
We pray for the victims of gun violence -- in our cities and towns, in our schools, in our places of worship, and in our homes.
We pray for the victims of the violence of armed conflicts around the world. We pray for those made refugees by the violence of armed conflicts. We pray for the victims of terrorist attacks everywhere.
We pray for all who suffer the effects of domestic violence and the violence of bullying in our schools and workplaces.
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 St. Luke's, Wilton, St. John's, Bangor, for new members of the church, penitents, and seekers.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central
de America.
On the Island and Peninsula, we pray for Eggemoggin Baptist Church, Sedgwick.
| | | The Baptism of Our Lord
On this First Sunday after the Epiphany, we celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord. Jesus’ baptism was for all the Gospel writers and in the apostolic preaching of the Gospel, the event that initiated the redemptive ministry of the Messiah. It was in that event that Jesus was revealed as Messiah (Christ). God designated him as the beloved son and he was anointed by the Holy Spirit. We administer Holy Baptism today in the context of this theme.
In Holy Baptism, each Christian is adopted as the child of God. Each Christian becomes a “messianic” person, anointed by the Holy Spirit. We do not simply become passive recipients of the benefits of Christ; we are “christed” or christened. We become sharers in his life and in his redemptive ministry.
Those baptized today and anointed with Chrism are received “into the household of God.” They join with that household in confessing “the faith of Christ crucified,” proclaiming his resurrection and sharing in his eternal priesthood -- the priesthood that is enacted sacramentally in Eucharist and daily in lives of self-giving love toward one another and toward the world.
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
Beth Carter
Kassie Grey
George Pazuniak
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