St. Brendan the Navigator Episcopal Church
Our Mission: "To Love, Praise, Welcome and Serve"
| | Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost | | | |
|
Worship this Sunday:
10:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist
The Rev. Andrew Stoessel, presiding
| | |
Celtic Eventide
Sunday at 5 p.m. in the Parish Hall
Join us for this service of poetry, silence, music, prayer, and reflection.
Our reflector will be Ron Stegall.
| |
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) | | | | |
10:00 a.m. In-person Meditation
10:30 a.m. Bible Study - Joan Maxwell will lead a two- week discussion on Lectio Divina (more information below)
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
| | | | 7:00 p.m. "Courage is Contagious" - An evening with Bishop Mariann Budde, Merrill Auditorium in Portland | | | | 5:30 p.m. Legacy Evening & Potluck (more information below) | | Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost | | |
God as the great beekeeper who is always and forever coming to us to make white combs and sweet honey from our old and very present failures… Transforming us and setting us free to be Beevnagelists… singing “Praised Bee” in both word and in deed…
Sermon given by Pastor Elaine Hewes on September 6th.
Click below for the video recording. A text copy is available here.
| | |
Women's Retreat 2026
Carolyn Mor - I am incredibly grateful for this time and place of refreshment for body and soul.
Cindy Beyer - I am very grateful to be with this vibrant community of wise, strong, talented, wonderful women.
Emily Hawkins - Wonderful, relaxing and fun to learn more about everyone.
| | Giving our Priorities Shape (GPS) Action Item | | |
Every September into October, Christians worldwide celebrate our call to care for God's Creation through prayer, praise, and advocacy. This year, we unite around the theme of "Living Water." We are called to take the initiative to promote environmental justice, to be aware of and to advocate for environmental actions that do not take water for granted but rather understand the need to protect and conserve water as essential to the existence of humanity and all life on our planet.
For starters, our GPS Action Invitation is to consider how we use water at home.
- Could you install a rain barrel at the corner of your house to provide for your garden's needs?
- Can you remember to turn off faucets or showerheads whenever possible to reduce water use?
- Reflect on the simplicity, satisfaction, and good health of drinking at least several glasses of water a day. Realize that in many parts of the world, all the above uses are increasingly not possible, and the scarcity of water is causing life-threatening situations.
| | |
|
If you did not receive a stewardship letter and wish to pledge, stewardship letters and pledge forms will be on the table in the entryway. You can also pledge online by clicking the button below and scrolling down to the pledge form.
The goal is to have all pledge forms received by the end of September so that the Finance Committee can develop a budget for the Vestry to approve for 2027.
Thank you for your continuing support of our church.
| | Education & Spiritual Development Ministry | | |
Bible Study
Wednesdays, September 16 and 23
10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
A two-part series on Lectio Divina (Holy Reading) offered by Joan Maxwell.
Lectio Divina is an ancient spiritual practice common in monasteries to this day. First described in The Ladder of Monks by Guigo II in the 12th Century, the author described it as being “a ladder for monks by which they are lifted up from earth to heaven.” It is a four-part approach to reading a passage of Scripture, moving from reading to praying, meditating, and contemplating. It sounds complicated, but once you learn the sequence of the practice, it is not very complicated and can result in a remarkable experience.
This week, we will introduce the component parts and practice them on a specific Scripture distributed to all participants, doing so individually but in a group.
Joan offered this experiential workshop at the end of last summer, but the group got so involved that there wasn’t time to finish before she had to leave. This intense involvement is gratifying for a leader but frustrating for a participant, and Joan promised she would offer the workshop again this summer. She is doing so now, and all are welcome, whether or not you participated last summer. If you have any questions, please ask Joan.
| | |
Legacy Evening & Potluck
Wow! Many of us have been on Planet Earth for over six decades, fulfilling goals and dealing with challenges. We have seen how individuals, friends, families, communities, schools and churches, companies, political parties, countries – do or don’t work well over time.
Since we made it this far, we know the rhythms of daily light, warmth, nourishment and spirit. We might think about the deeper meanings in our lives, relationships and aspects for which we are most grateful, lessons learned to celebrate and errors to avoid, and beliefs, values and practices that turned out to be essential. And we might want to pass some of these reflections on to future generations of family members, friends, and communities.
St. Brendan will offer an opportunity to share such individual Legacy Ideas on Tuesday, October 13th at 5:30 p.m. To help “organize” your sharing, perhaps consider these categories and add your own:
- Guideposts for living: kindness, collaboration, listening, learning
- Cherished times, events, relationships, places, turning points
- Building sustainable communities, common good, giving back
- Sources of wonder, faith, creativity, hopefulness
We hope that you will join us and discover how many thoughts and feelings we share in common with others at St. Brendan, and help to deepen our community bonds!
| | | | | |
Lord, your immortal spirit is in all things.
Wisdom 12:1
Zoom Meditation/Silent Prayer at 4:30 p.m.
Readings, poems, and prayers are shared before a period of silence.
| | |
10:00 a.m. Wednesdays
In-Person Meditation/Silent Prayer at St. Brendan
| | |
Janet Arrison – 1
Elaine Hewes – 1
Vesta Kowalski – 1
Jack Beaudoin – 2
Donna Downs – 8
Sawyer Hawkins – 10
Jo Jacob – 11
Curtis Flowers – 17
Joe Grey – 17
| | | |
Preston Carter – 19
Pam Mallory – 19
Catherine Hicks – 20
Allen Downs – 24
Bruce Downs – 24
Alan Flowers – 24
Miriam Antich – 25
Barb Putnam – 27
Barbara Kourajian – 28
| | |
Bishop Mariann Budde (Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC) is a nationally respected faith leader, author, and advocate for justice, known for her courageous and faithful public witness. On October 8th in Portland, she will reflect on the role of faith in shaping moral leadership and building a more just and compassionate society.
This gathering is an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to come together and learn how to be brave, stand for justice, speak truth to power, and seek mercy for our most vulnerable and marginalized neighbors. Tickets can be purchased here. All proceeds to benefit the Maine Council of Churches.
| | We pray for those in special need: | | |
Fran Liberatore
Abby Peters
Barbara Wright
Debra & Baby Carter
Harry Vickerson
Julie M
Cathy Johnson
Meg Graham
Charlie Putnam
Mike S.
Meredydd Cooper
Henna Torrey Roy
Jerry
Agnes and Billy
Gwyn Murray
Sally
| | |
Beth Kyser
Preston Henderson
Tammie Cox
Tyler Goss
Judith Jerome
Mimi Maslan
Judy Miller
Megan
Bishop Thomas Brown
Naomi
Anne Burton
Hewit
Mary Ann and Terry
Nishah
Corbin
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, and Sherman 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 Christ Church, Gardiner, and for all those suffering ill health in body or in mind.
In the Anglican Cycle of Prayer, we pray for The Anglican Church in Aotearoa,
New Zealand and Polynesia.
.On the Island and Peninsula, we pray for United Methodist Church, Brooksville.
| | |
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
We continue to read from the section of Matthew’s Gospel, which deals with God’s forgiveness and our role in extending His forgiveness to all people. Peter asks Jesus how many times he is to forgive someone who wrongs him. In a parable, Jesus
explains that God’s forgiveness of us lays on us the obligation to forgive our brothers and sisters unconditionally.
The first reading brings us to the most important event in the story of God and the people of Israel. God saved them from the Egyptian army at the sea. The people were led to safety and freedom. Jesus spoke of his own death and resurrection as his Exodus. We join him in that Exodus as God leads us to salvation through the waters of baptism.
We are a community marked by faith and obedience to God’s Word. Our life reflects our relationship with God and our relationships with each other. We are to be a community marked by acceptance of all and by forgiveness. Not a gathering of perfected saints – we are, rather, a gathering of sinners who have known God’s love and forgiveness and who in turn extend that love and forgiveness to all people.
Notes on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. Copyright © 2009 by Michael W. Merriman. Church Publishing Incorporated, New York
| | |
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
| | | | |
