St. Brendan the Navigator Episcopal Church
Our Mission: "To Love, Praise, Welcome and Serve"
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Worship this Sunday:
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
Pastor Elaine Hewes, preaching
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Scripture readings for this Sunday (Notes are below)
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The bulletin can be found here.
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Join us in-person or online. Click below for the Zoom link. |
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All services and meetings will be held both in-person and via Zoom unless otherwise designated.
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10:00 a.m. Pastor Edward Dufresne's Service of Burial at St. Francis
4:30 p.m. Meditation/Silent Prayer (Zoom)
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10:30 a.m. Lenten Bible Study (Zoom)
5:00 p.m. Vespers service – Ron Dahlen, reflector
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10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist with The Rev. Andrew Stoessel preaching |
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5:00 - 7:00 p.m. Empty Bowl Supper at St. Brendan (see below) |
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Visitation and Service for Pastor Edward Dufresne |
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As we mourn the passing of Pastor Edward Dufresne, we give thanks for the many gifts he shared with us. His guidance during a challenging time kept the St. Brendan boat on an even keel. His wisdom blessed us in countless ways.
A time of visitation has been set aside at St. Francis from 1:00-3:00 pm this coming Sunday, March 5th. The community is invited to come by the church to pay their respects and to greet the family.
The Service of Burial, with Holy Eucharist, will be Monday at 10:00 am, also at St. Francis. The Rt. Rev. Thomas Brown, Bishop of Maine, will preside and Pastor Elaine will preach.
The service will be live-streamed and can be viewed on St. Francis' Facebook page. You do not need to have a Facebook account to watch.
You can read Pastor Edward's obituary here. Please keep Elizabeth and Edward's family in your prayers. |
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"The Angels"
Sermon given by The Rev. Jenny Reece on February 26th.
Click below to view the video recording.
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At some point in life the world's beauty becomes enough.
Toni Morrison
In thankfulness for snow-caked trees, snowflakes falling from the sky like manna,
the stillness of nature.
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Pastor Edward Dufresne, who passed into the fullness of God's love on Monday February 27th, died on the day the Episcopal Church honors poet, priest, and mystic George Herbert. What a perfect day for Edward to join this "Saint in light" who blessed the world with poetry, music, and spiritual wisdom; some of the very gifts Edward shared with us in so many ways.
During a period of about three years (2017-2020), Edward was part of a writing group that included the Rev. Gary Vencill (presently the pastor of Penobscot United Methodist Church and Brooksville United Methodist Church), the Rev. Emily Blair Stribling (an Episcopal priest now wonderfully connected to St. Brendan), and me. Both Gary and Emily have written poems that I have found to be very helpful during the season of Lent. And it occurred to me that it would be lovely to share them with you in honor of Edward, of George Herbert, and of all those whose poetic and creative Spirits enhance and deepen our spiritual lives.
Thank you, Edward, for being such a person for us.
Pastor Elaine
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Breathing Ritual
Take a deep breath, hold it, let it out slowly.
Imagine the first breath you ever took. Be thankful.
Remember when you have been breathless with happiness.
Remember when sorrow nearly took your breath away.
Remember when after a difficult time in life, you were able to breathe fully and freely again.
Imagine a post-pandemic time when breathing will not be an act of courage.
Imagine a time beyond this new war in Europe when the whole world can breathe without fear.
Embrace the gift of breath God has given you, and remember, our lives are in God while we still breathe, and when we breathe no longer.
Take a deep breath, hold it, let it out slowly.
~ Gary Vencill
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Not Quite Spring
So many things are changing
I say,
green appears and disappears
snow arrives and departs,
the sun is reckless, glaring
one minute, invisible the next,
me so easily derailed by each shift
which you don’t seem to notice
as you stand, arms outstretched
embracing every new arrival,
a roving cloud or a redwing blackbird,
the chitter of new buds, a single noisy crow.
Last night I watched you bask
in the full Worm moon
its silvery light streaming down
the worn grooves of your bark
a thaw signaling spring
as it has all of your eighty plus years.
Uneasy with uncertainty
I flinch at the unexpected
while you persist, trusting your roots
to the tender mercy of wind and rain.
The song sparrows are back, the wren
has returned and I heard a hummer
just above the snowdrops ringing
your bright green mossy lap
where I settle down, leaning against
your rough trunk
to know what you have to teach me
about faith.
~ Emily Blair Stribling
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GoFundMe page for Linda Shepard
Anyone who knows Linda Shepard knows what a gift she is to both the island community and to St. Brendan. Her passion for caring for others and for helping those who need assistance in a difficult time is a model for us all and a wonderful example of what it means to follow Jesus for the sake of others. In many ways, Linda is one of the best teachers we have in learning what it means to be a Christian, and we are so fortunate that she is part of the St. Brendan family and a member of the Vestry.
Linda has had some medical issues lately that have required her to step away from her paying jobs and have caused her to incur some extra expenses. And so, a GoFundMe page has been set up to help her financially. Linda has given us permission to share her challenging situation and the GoFundMe link so the St. Brendan community can participate in the effort to help Linda, just as she has helped so many others. To donate, click the button below.
Please keep Linda in your prayers. She also loves cards and visitors. Her address is 112 W. Main Street, Stonington, Maine 04681
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Join us for prayer, music, and a reflection on Wednesday, March 8 at 5:00 p.m. in-person or Zoom.
Our reflectors/preachers for each evening will speak of a time in their lives when they have experienced a “blessing” during a time of challenge or difficulty. Our speaker this Wednesday is Ron Dahlen.
The bulletin for this service can be found here.
The recording of the March 1 Vespers service (The Rev. Emily Blair Stribling, reflector) can be found here.
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2022 Year-end Financials
Although the Annual Meeting is not until July, we thought we would give you an overview of our 2022 year-end financials. Attached is a “nutshell” report which shows that our receipts were slightly higher than budgeted and our expenses were slightly lower than expected. The Vestry agreed to send the surplus of $1331 to the Episcopal Relief and Development fund for Turkey/Syria relief. We were able again to contribute $10,000 to the Building Replacement Reserve Fund to provide funds for future building issues. To summarize the report, due to the contributions of time, money and talent, St. Brendan's is financially healthy.
If you have any questions about the report or financial issues, please contact either Dan Reardon or me.
Judy Miller, Chair of Finance Committee (617-734-1730)
Dan Reardon, Treasurer (401-465 -0314)
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Education & Spiritual Development Ministry |
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"My soul waits for the Lord,
more than watchmen for the morning. . ."
Psalm 139:5 (NRSV)
Join us for Meditation/Silent Prayer
every Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Readings, poems, and prayers are shared before a
period of sitting together in silence. All are welcome.
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Bible Study
This Wednesday, March 8, at 10:30 a.m. will be the second session of "Seeing Jesus," our Lenten Bible Study with The Reverend Tim Ensworth. The Bible Study will be Zoom only. Click below for the link.
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Colleen Spangler – 3
Pete Dane – 11
Stephen Hayward – 11
Marge Anderson – 12
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Billy Love – 14
Seth Wrightington – 14
Marjorie Haley – 20
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We hold in prayer the family of Pastor Edward Dufresne as they grieve their loss.
May God's strong love be a comfort at this time.
We pray for those in special need:
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Diane Greenlaw
Dom
Hewit
Mary Ann and Terry
Brent Oliver
Nishah
David Morrish
Corbin
Rebecca
Pam B.
Elaine Taggart
Little Eagle
Pam Getto
Susan Wade
Jase
Jaxson
Rachel Richmond
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Pat and Dave
Diana
Brian Turner and family
Peter Brown
Sheena
Brent Was
Heather Corey
Bill Scaife
Gary and Wellesley
Mary Blanco
Mary Lawrence Hicks and family
Max
Bob Budd and family
Mary Ann Shaw
Seth
Roger
Stephen Gill
Julie and Tom
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Claire
Skip Greenlaw
Heather Callister
Linda Shepard and Family
Nick
Julie
Stewart
Marcia Scott
Phoibe DeJesus
Lindsay Bowker
Pastor Edward Dufresne
Nancy Boothby
Ana
Nancy Stearns
Isabelle H.
Tony Stoneburner
Carol Stoneburner
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We pray, also, for those who love and care for them. |
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We continue to hold in prayer those in our community who have recently lost loved ones; among them are the Donahue, Haskell, Tarlton, Scaife, Walkling, Reece, Hines, Hutchinson, Adams and Jacob 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 Justin, Archbishop of Canterbury; Suheil, Bishop of Jerusalem; Michael, our Presiding Bishop; Thomas, our Bishop; for the members of our Vestry; and for all our members, whose ministries are varied and far-reaching.
In the Diocesan Cycle of Prayer, we pray for St. Matthew’s, Lisbon; Christ Church, Norway and for the Diocese of Vermont and Diocese of New Hampshire as we continue to explore collaboration.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for The Church of the Province of South East Asia.
On the Island and Peninsula, we pray for Soul’s Outreach Church, Sedgwick.
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Second Sunday in Lent
Today’s readings focus on the theme of journey. Whenever we
travel, we undergo the pain of leaving behind familiar things and the uncertainty of a new future. In Lent, Christians remember that they are life-long “pilgrims in a strange land,” people on a journey into the future that God has prepared for us.
The Old Testament reading tells of the story of Abraham’s calling by God, and the beginning of his journey into the Promised Land. In this new and unknown place, God opened up new rivers of grace for Abraham and Sarah.
In the second reading, Paul expounds on Abraham as the father of faith and as our ancestor in the faith. The journey begun by Abraham and Sarah is a journey that continues in our lives and a journey begun this Lent by all those among us who seek baptism at Easter.
Nicodemus is also interested in a journey -- the journey into God’s Kingdom. Here a leading rabbi comes to discuss God’s Word with Jesus, whom he recognizes as a fellow rabbi. John tells us this was Passover season and it was accounted especially blessed for rabbis to discuss God’s Word through the night during that season. Jesus reveals the way into God’s Kingdom to be a new birth, a birth from heaven (the original text means both) through water and the Holy Spirit.
We gather to support each other in our journey, and to be nourished by Christ in his Word and Sacraments -- they are our food for the journey.
The Rite Light: Reflections 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
Emergency Contacts:
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Allen Downs, Warden
(207) 348-2560
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George Pazuniak, Warden
Tel: 207-359-8576
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Dan Reardon-Treasurer
Mickey Jacoba-Clerk
Meg Graham
Linda Shepard
Jane LaChance
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ST. BRENDAN THE NAVIGATOR EPISCOPAL CHURCH, P.O. Box 305, 627 NORTH DEER ISLE ROAD, DEER ISLE, ME 04627
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