The Dio Log - October 12, 2023

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News & Events in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

Volume 25, Number 19

October 12, 2023

Around The Diocese

Join us for Convocation at the Cathedral

It's right around the corner! Register now for Diocesan Convocation on Saturday, October 21 at the Cathedral of St. Luke in Portland. The entire diocese is invited to join us! It will be a time for face-to-face fellowship and in-person worship, which we haven't experienced together as a diocese since 2019.

The morning will begin with refreshments and an opportunity to learn more about our diocesan ministries. Convention Eucharist will feature a diocesan choir, and Bishop Brown will offer his annual address, sharing information gleaned from the Listening Sessions held in the spring. Child care is available.

Find event details including parking information here.

Click on the image above or on this link for a video message from Bishop Thomas Brown.

Blessing of the Animals held in Churches around Maine

Many of our churches celebrated "Blessing of the Animals" ceremonies the week of October 1st.

Events like these are held in honor of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment. Take a look here.

Elect Clergy Area Reps to Diocesan Council on Tuesday

On Tuesday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m., there will be a meeting on Zoom for Areas to elect clergy representatives to Diocesan Council. All are welcome to attend!

Diocesan Council is a decision-making body of the Diocese of Maine that is comprised of two elected members from each of the diocesan Areas.

We'll vote in Zoom breakout rooms by Area. Do you know your Area? Click here to view a map and list. You'll need to know this information when you join the meeting.

Click here for information on how to join the meeting.

Click here to read about the nominees.

Questions? Contact Teresa.

Canon for Communications Katie Clark to depart in October

Katie Clark, the diocesan Canon for Communications, will be leaving the Bishop’s staff in late October. Her last day with the diocesan team will be Convocation on October 21 at St. Luke’s Cathedral.

She says, “I adore working with Bishop Brown and the diocesan staff, and with the amazing and hard-working Episcopal churches and organizations across the state! I received a senior leadership offer that blends my management skills and deep passion for history and digital preservation - it was an offer I couldn’t refuse.”

Katie will be joining the staff at HistoryIT as their Chief Operating Officer in late October. She and her family remain active members of St. Mary’s in Falmouth.

We will thank Katie for her ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of Maine at Convocation on October 21. As we prepare for Katie’s departure, please start using communications@episcopalmaine.org for any communications-related questions. View diocesan job openings here.

St. Martin's in Palmyra hosted Clergy Day 2023

Clergy of the diocese met for their annual fall gathering at St. Martin's in Palmyra on September 28. Their discussion included speaking about concerns with the disciplinary process for bishops, getting an update from Bishop Brown from the recent House of Bishops, and diocesan staff changes happening at Loring House.

They received a preview of the results of our recently-completed listening sessions, that will define our purpose and direction as we start this year.

Clergy were able to spend time with each other visiting and connecting in the love of Jesus Christ through worship and in prayer groups. And wish Bishop Brown a happy birthday! More photos here.

Pictured here:

Sister deacons together at Clergy Day 2023 in Palmyra! The Revs Heather Sylvester (Trinity, Portland), Andree Appel (St. Paul's, Brunswick), and Lisle Blind (St. Ann's, Windham).

St. Elizabeth's Annual Coat & Boot Drive underway

As we gear up for colder temperatures, St. Elizabeth’s Jubilee Center is launching its Annual Coat & Boot Drive. Many of our neighbors come from warmer climates and don’t have the necessary clothing for fall and winter in Maine. We can join together to help them keep warm and feel welcome.

Large and extra large sized coats for both men and women are most needed, but coats and boots of all sizes are welcome. Items should be in clean, good condition. Items can be dropped off at St.Luke’s Cathedral or at any of their 8 partner churches through December 31.

St. Alban’s: Cape Elizabeth
St. Bartholomew’s: Yarmouth
St. David’s: Kennebunk
St. Luke’s Cathedral: Portland
St. Mary’s: Falmouth
St. Nicholas: Scarborough
St. Peter’s: Portland
Trinity: Portland

Monetary donations may also be made for the purchase of new coats and boots for our neighbors. Financial contributions can be mailed to: St. Elizabeth’s Jubilee Center, PO Box 4036, Portland, ME 04101 or online here.

Questions? Please email Sarah Coburn Borgeson.

News From Our Congregations

"Adjustment Sunday" was what the Rev. Lev Sherman called the day that St. Patrick’s, Brewer had to hold their Sunday Communion Service downstairs in the Shamrock Room while the work of replacing the church’s decades-old vinyl tiles with carpet tiles continues.

Congratulations to the Rev. Paul Briggs and St. Thomas', Camden. Paul has joined them in ministry as their Interim Rector.

Workers were on the roof of Episcopal Church of St. John Baptist in Thomaston to remove the outer glass to the stained glass windows last month. The windows were shipped to Minnesota for restoration at the stained glass company’s studio. The Rev. Peter Jenks said the workers replaced the windows with plexiglass panes and transparency photographs of the window designs.

Photo by Freyja Grey for The Courier Gazette.

The Rev. Vicki Smith, is the new rector at St. Martin's in Palmyra!Vicki and her husband live in Oakland, and she will become canonically resident in Maine (from Kansas) later this month. A celebration of this new ministry will be announced soon.

Fun, fellowship and food while making cider at All Saints in Skowhegan! This was included as part of their Season of Creation celebration.

A service dog came to St. Michael's, Auburn on October 8 for worship! The beautiful dog, Doug, demonstrated how to act appropriately in a church. Parishioners had a chance to learn from Christy of Working Mission Dogs in Lewiston spoke about how the dogs serve military personnel and others with special needs.

Bishop Brown recently spent time with the congregations of Christ Church, Eastport and St. Aidan's, Machias.

These individual churches share a new rector, the Rev. John Lein. Bishop Brown celebrated John's new ministry, took part in Blessings of the Animals, and particpated in the reception of Anne McGhie at St. Aidan's into the Community of the Gospel.

St. Margaret’s, Belfast is seeking a Part-time Organist for Sundays at 9:45 a.m. This position includes four paid Sundays off. Experience with Episcopal liturgy and music is preferred, but not required. This is a ten-hour per week salaried position. Apply by email to the Rev. Barbara Briggs by November 30.

See all employment listings here

To mark the close of their celebration of the Season of Creation with its theme this year of "Let Justice and Peace Flow: A Mighty River," Good Shepherd, Rangeley, planted a Peace Pole on the grounds of the church. Working with the International Peace Pole Project, and after polling the congregation, it was decided that the pole's message should read "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in English, Hebrew, French, and Ukrainian. The Peace Pole inspired the church's worship over four weeks during the Season of Creation, a different language facing the congregation each week. The Peace Pole was then installed in the lakeside memorial garden and formally dedicated on October 1 including prayers for peace composed by members of the congregation. Good Shepherd's Peace Pole joins tens of thousands of others planted in every country around the globe!

Voices Among Us

Maine Council of Churches Executive Director, the Rev. Jane Field and Episcopal Diocese of Maine’s Director of Public Policy, John Hennessy (who also co-chairs the MCC Public Policy Committee) were guests of Saint Mary’s in Falmouth recently. Does your congregation want to be more involved in social justice issues? John would love the opportunity to speak to your church! Email John to arrange a date.

The Outreach Committee of St. David's, Kennebunk has in the past couple of years supported a community college student. When the student needed to take time off from her studies, the Committee began to look for other opportunities to support Wabanaki education and identified the Indian Island School in Old Town, Maine. Rather than selecting a particular student, they purchased two gift certificates to school supply companies so teachers could buy supplies for the classrooms. Read more here from the Rev. Kris Conley on the Episcopal Maine blog.

The Racial Justice Council invites you to kick-off a historical audit of the diocesan archives on October 17 at 1 p.m. in Portland. After tea and an informational session with Bishop Brown, the group will head into the archives where this work will happen. The RJC hopes to uncover stories that help us better understand the foundation on which the Episcopal Diocese of Maine is built. Find event details here.

If you wish to volunteer or have any questions, please email the Rev. Katie Holicky.

John Dieffenbacher-Krall, Executive Director of the Wabanaki Alliance, recently preached at St. Andrew's, Newcastle. He shared a message of justice and solidarity with the Wabanaki people. Read his sermon here on the Doctrine of Discovery website.

The Committee on Indian Relations requests your consideration of the Wabanaki Alliance's call for a "yes" vote on Question 6 on the November election ballot. Absentee and early voting will begin in October. Question 6 would require the printing of the entire Constitution of Maine, including sections relating to the transition to statehood from Massachusetts in 1820 that have not been printed since 1875 (although they are still part of the Constitution). These sections include provisions regarding the transfer from Massachusetts to Maine of obligations to the Wabanaki tribes. For more information on Question 6, please click here.

Emily Keniston, Director of Formation for the Diocese, preached at St. Peter’s in Portland, the congregation where generations of her family have worshiped and from whom she first caught faith.

On July 29, 1974, 11 women were ordained to the priesthood. On Saturday, September 30, at the very church in Philadelphia where the ordinations occurred, over 150 people gathered to watch the premiere of the film, "The Philadelphia Eleven". In this recent article, Episcopal News Service quoted the Rev. Merrill Bittner, one of the women ordained that day, who said, “We did do that, and I believe that it transformed the church. But our objective and that of the brave bishops who ordained us was not entirely about The Episcopal Church. Even more, we were participants in changing the world for the better.”

Prayers

We offer prayers of thanksgiving for the ministry of the Rev. Carolyn Eklund upon her retirement. St. Paul's, Brunswick held a farewell reception on September 30 attended by Bishop Brown. Her last service with the congregation was October 1. We wish her much joy in her next adventure!

Please pray for the repose of the soul of the Rev. David Glendinning, 87, died peacefully on September 25 in Vermont. David was ordained as an Episcopal priest in 1960. He led parishes in Southwest Harbor, Waterville, and Concord, N.H.; and successfully shepherded St. Mark’s in Waterville and St. Paul’s in Concord through the building of new churches. He served as the Chaplain at Colby College in Waterville during the 1970s and 80s. Donations in David’s honor can be made to Episcopal Relief and Development. A funeral service is planned for David on Friday, October 20, at 4 p.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul, 2 Cherry St., Burlington, VT. Obituary here.

Bishop Brown shared this prayer for the Holy Land in his email to the diocese yesterday, October 11.

A Prayer from the Archbishop of Jerusalem: Hosam Naoum

O God of all justice and peace we cry out to you in the midst of the pain and trauma of violence and fear which prevails in the Holy Land.

Be with those who need you in these days of suffering; we pray for people of all faiths - Jews, Muslims and Christians and for all people of the land.

While we pray to you, O Lord, for an end to violence and the establishment of peace, we also call for you to bring justice and equity to the peoples. Guide us into your kingdom where all people are treated with dignity and honour as your children for, to all of us, you are our Heavenly Father.

In Jesus’ name we pray.

Amen.

We pray for the family and friends of Hester Stuhlman, wife of the Rev. Byron Stuhlman, who died in hospice care on October 9. The Stuhlmans have summered in Maine since 1969, and they retired to Round Pond in 2007. Hester has sung in church choirs since she was a child and served as a member of the vestry of St. Andrew’s Church in Newcastle. A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew’s on Sunday, October 15 at 2:00 p.m. It will also be livestreamed on their Facebook page.

Resources

Festival Thursdays held online October through May

Join a monthly Zoom for the best presentations you missed at "It’s All About Love".

At 3 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month from October 12 through May 9, join a free, 60-minute offering for the whole church to keep the revival flames going in Evangelism, Racial Reconciliation, and Creation Care.

By registering here, you will get access to the Zoom link which will be used for each session. You can attend once, monthly, or as you are able!

New Toolkits for Ministry available from ECF

Episcopal Church Foundation (ECF) is launching a new way to access their best resources on a given ministry topic in one place. Toolkits for Ministry are a curated collection of top-tier resources on the most-searched topics, all consolidated on one accessible and comprehensive platform. Whether you're exploring the basics of communications, improving community engagement, or seeking insights into congregational development, ECF's Toolkits for Ministry are a great place to start. Click here to access their inaugural set.