The Weekly E-Pistle

Wednesday, November 27th, 2024

A Reflection from the Reverend George Stevens

Dear Friends-

When I was growing up, I knew we were nearing the end the church service when we got to ‘The General Thanksgiving.’ It’s a beautiful prayer that I share here:

Almighty God, Father of all mercies,

we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks

for all your goodness and loving-kindness

to us and to all whom you have made.

We bless you for our creation, preservation,

and all the blessings of this life;

but above all for your immeasurable love

in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ;

for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies,

that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise,

not only with our lips, but in our lives,

by giving up our selves to your service,

and by walking before you

in holiness and righteousness all our days;

through Jesus Christ our Lord,

to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,

be honor and glory throughout all ages. Amen.

This prayer was composed by Edward Reynolds (1599-1676) Bishop of Norwich. It was possibly inspired by a private prayer of Queen Elizabeth that was issued in 1596.

Prior to the 1604 revision of the Prayer Book, Puritans complained that there were not enough prayers of thanksgiving in the Prayer Book. This prayer was added to the Prayer Book in 1662 under the heading, “A General Thanksgiving.”

The first American Prayer Book (1789) required use of this prayer at every Daily Office (which is why it was said at the end of our Morning Prayer service).

But this is not the only, 'General Thanksgiving' in our Book of Common Prayer. The 1979 Prayer book also includes ‘A General Thanksgiving’ among the Prayers and Thanksgivings found near the end of the Book of Common Prayer. It is also worth sharing:

Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love.

We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side.

We thank you for setting us at tasks which demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments which satisfy and delight us.

We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.

Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his Word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.

Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

This new occasional prayer of thanksgiving was composed by the Rev. Charles P. Price.

Why am I sharing these prayers? In honor of Thanksgiving, of course! I wish you have a wonderful day filled with gratitude.

Blessings-

George

Happy Thanksgiving

On behalf of the Cathedral staff and community,

We wish you a healthy, safe, and joyous

Thanksgiving Holiday!

The cathedral offices will be closed Wednesday-Sunday, re-opening in person on Tuesday. Staff are remote Monday but can be reached via email.

In case of a pastoral emergency please contact the Rev. George Stevens at 978-578-8084.

UPCOMING

Thanksgiving Day Service at the Cathedral

Tomorrow, November 28th

10:00AM

Emmanuel Chapel

Please join us tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, November 28th, 2024 at 10:00 AM in Emmanuel Chapel for a service of Holy Eucharist with The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown, The Bishop of Maine, presiding. All are welcome!

Thanksgiving Day Service Participants

Preacher & Celebrant

The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown, Bishop of Maine

Music Leader & Organist

Terry Foster, Guest Cathedral Musician

Lector & Prayers Leader

Susan McCuller

Ushers

Susan McCuller, Stan Kuziel

Eucharistic Minister

Philip Hamilton

Contributing Ministries

The Flower Guild, The Altar Guild, The Kneeler Guild

Stewardship Celebration and Dedication Sunday

(Ingathering)

This Sunday, December 1

during the 10:00AM Eucharist

The Cathedral Nave

This Sunday, we will bring forward and bless all of the pledge commitments we’ve received. Together, we’ll celebrate the generosity of this community and dedicate these gifts to God’s work in the coming year.

We invite this experience to inspire us to walk boldly in love, answering God’s call to share our time, talent, and treasures.

Additional Pledge forms are available in the cathedral office or by clicking the link to download here.

You can make your pledge online by clicking the link here.

With any questions you may have please contact Stewardship Chair & Treasurer, Randi Hogan.

Young and the Restless Friendsgiving

This Sunday, December 1

6:00PM

Lower Hall

Join the Young and the Restless this Sunday, December 1st, for our annual Friendsgiving! We will meet at 6:00PM in the Lower Hall.

Rotisserie chicken, rolls, beverages and paper goods will be provided.

Please bring a veggie side dish and/or dessert to share.

Please reach out to Phoebe Blume via email with any questions.

Newsletter Available from the Haiti-Maine Partnership

The Haiti Partnership has produced a newsletter which is available with updates from the St. Simon/St. Jude Episcopal School in Haiti.

To read the newsletter, please click the link here or pick up a printed copy on Sunday morning, which are available at both entrances of the Nave.

The committee is in touch with the school director on a regular basis about all of his hard work to make sure the children in Duny have a meal and an education.

The quarters you put in the plate on a weekly basis help to fund a lunch program for 201 students, this is especially important given the conflict and violence in that country right now. The school committee in Duny expresses deep gratitude for our support.

With thanks, Meredith Cough - chair of the Haiti Partnership Committee

The St. Luke's Altar Guild December Polishing Party

Saturday, December 14

10:00AM-12:00PM

The Upper Hall

The St. Luke’s Altar guild is having a silver and gold polishing party to get ready for the holidays!

Join us 10AM–12noon Saturday 14 December in the Upper Hall.

Everyone is welcome! You don’t need to be part of the altar guild to participate.

Coffee and goodies will be provided. Contact Kate Leschey with any questions.

Christmas With Renaissance Voices

Saturday, December 14

7:30PM

Sunday, December 15

2:00PM

The Cathedral Nave

Join Renaissance Voices and maestro Harold Stover, for their Christmas Concerts at the Cathedral.

Concerts will be held at 7:30PM on Saturday December 14 and at 2:00PM on Sunday December 15.

The program features music of Juan Esquivel, Sally Herman, Celia McDowell, and more!

Tickets are available for purchase on the Renaissance Voices Website here.

The Cathedral Choir Presents a Service of Lessons and Carols

Sunday, December 22

4:00PM

The Cathedral Nave

Join the Cathedral Choir on December 22nd at 4:00PM for a service of Christmas Lessons and Carols.

This service will serve as our first liturgical celebration of Christmas.

Please invite friends, neighbors, and family!

This offering provides an excellent opportunity to welcome in the wider community to our beautiful space and to experience a moving worship experience.

With questions please contact Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music

COMMUNITY NOTES

Most Recent Minutes from the Lesser Chapter

& Finance Committee

To read the most recent draft minutes from the Lesser Chapter Meeting held on November 20 please click here.

To read the most recent approved minutes of the Lesser Chapter Meeting held on October 15 please click here.

To read past minutes of the Lesser Chapter visit the vestry resource page on our website here.

To read the most recent draft minutes from the Finance Committee Meeting held on November 19 please click here.

Ad Hoc Preparedness Committee

At its November meeting the vestry unanimously approved the formation of an ad hoc Preparedness Committee. Chaired by Linda and Peter Carleton and Ruth Roemer, the purpose of the committee is to help St. Luke’s address for the threatened mass deportations and the growing number of transgender people fleeing from hostile states.

In the coming days, the Committee will gather information as to what ideas and actions are being considered by the State of Maine, the City of Portland, the Maine Council of Churches, the Episcopal Diocese of Maine, and local immigrant and transgender rights groups. The committee will then present findings to the vestry and the Cathedral and will give suggestions as to ways St. Luke’s and its members might participate in these efforts.

Please contact Linda Carleton via email with any questions or to join the effort.

Eco Tips, Announcements, & Meeting Minutes

from the St. Luke's Public Policy

and Environmental Action Team

Check out the November update of “Maine Won't Wait,” the four year plan for climate action released by the Maine Climate Council on November 21.

To read the plan, click here.

See the goals of the plan below:

Reduce Maine’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions While Maine has made meaningful progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we must reduce these emissions at a faster pace to ensure that we meet the state’s 2030 and 2050 targets and do our part to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius this century.
Strengthen Resilience to Climate Impacts Maine must take action to ensure that our people, environment, economy, and society are more resilient to the impacts of climate change that are now occurring. While mitigating the causes of climate change and better preparing Maine for its impacts requires significant public and private investment, inaction will cost Maine substantially more, and those costs will accelerate over time.
Create Jobs and Economic Prosperity Many of the strategies in this climate action plan will grow the economy, protect key economic sectors most at risk from climate change, and foster innovation in new business sectors that will drive climate solutions.
Bring Climate Action to All Maine People Some Maine people and communities experience climate-change impacts more acutely than others, including rural, older, and lower-income residents, as well as people and places with economies tied to natural resources. As we move forward from climate-action planning to implementation, this plan outlines new and updated strategies and targets to ensure that the benefits of climate investments reach all Maine people.

To read the most recent minutes from the PPEAT Meeting held on November 12, click here.

To read past minutes from PPEAT meetings, visit their page on the St. Luke's Website here.

PPEAT Announcement: Seeking a volunteer!

The Public Policy and Environmental Action Team is in need of a co-Chair for the committee as of December 11, 2024.

Please contact Ruth Roemer by email or by phone at 973-901-0345 if you would like more information or would like to volunteer.

The Healing Team

Prayers of Healing are offered at the 10AM service each Sunday, during or after communion and to the end of the postlude. Two members of the Healing Team offer these healing prayers in All Saints’ Chapel (the small chapel to the right of the communion rail.) The following team members will offer healing prayers:

December 1, 2024 Sara Schmalz, Judd Hume

December 8, 2024 Elise Magnuson, Peter Carleton

December 15, 2024 Gail Kesich, Sara Schmalz

December 22, 2024 Gail Kesich, Elise Magnuson

December 24, 2024 Sara Schmalz, Judd. Hume

The Healing Team will not be offering prayers on December 30

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

Sunday 5:15PM Service of Holy Eucharist

The 5:15PM Service is a lay-lead worship service of Holy Eucharist and meditation which gathers each Sunday in Emmanuel Chapel. Each week we welcome a member of the clergy to celebrate the Holy Eucharist.

The service invites all in attendance into a space of quiet and stillness with music, scripture, and reflections.

With questions about the service please contact Liz Parsons.

We look forward to welcoming you to future services. Please join us!

Access Your Realm Profile

The Cathedral’s online database, Realm, is a useful tool for parishioners to manage their contact and pledging information.

Realm helps our community by improving our record keeping in a more streamlined fashion.

When joining Realm you can sign-up to be a part of the online directory in the database.

To activate your Realm profile please contact our financial administrator Nina Andersen.

Nina will assist you with the few steps necessary to access your profile.

We look forward to sharing this exciting new technology with you!

Coffee Hour

Coffee Hour - Please join us after the service for a time of fellowship in the upper hall through the doors to the left of the altar. All are welcome.

Interested in hosting? It is an important part of our parish life and provides us with a time for connection. Hosting is fun and easy, it requires bringing in a baked good and brewing coffee the Sunday of your choosing. Please consider signing up, a lot of gratitude comes with the job. Thank you!

Check the hosting schedule by visiting the link here.

Please email Meredith Cough with your date.

Join the Young and The Restless

We are St. Luke’s 20s-30s-year-old ministry. We are an active group at the cathedral which also gets together outside of the church.

Join us as we go hiking, ice skating, play trivia, or just enjoy each other’s company! If you are new to us, welcome! We meet each Tuesday at Maine Beer Company in Freeport, 6-8 PM for Trivia.

Other events happen sporadically throughout the month, however trivia is a wonderful opportunity to meet us if you’re joining us for the first time. Contact Shana Rose to stay up to date with group activities and information.

The Kneeler Guild and

Prayer Shawl Knitters

Tuesday

2:30PM

The Upper Hall

For additional information contact Jeri Edgar 207-303-8447 or Nancy Mawhinney 207-775-7500

Everyone is welcome, whether you are curious or want to begin. Kneeler kits cost $75, which include directions, yarn, needles & canvas. Novices are welcome; we will teach you as needed. Prayer Shawls: 26-29” by 60”; select your yarn & needles. Coffee & Tea available.

Contemplative Prayer

Contemplative prayer meets every Thursday at 4:30 PM on Zoom.

Please join us for a half hour of silent meditation followed by a brief conversation about our experience. All are welcome. No experience is necessary.

For more information email Sarah Braik.

Sing with the Cathedral Choir

The Cathedral Choir welcomes new members throughout the season; we hope you’ll join us for fun, learning, fellowship, and the joy of music-making in community!

Previous singing experience is not required.

Short-term commitments are possible.

Rehearsals are most Thursdays 7-9PM, and the choir sings most Sunday 10AM liturgies & for several additional services throughout the year.

With questions contact Christian Clough.

The Biblical Study Group

The Biblical Study Group meets in the Chapter Room at 8:30AM.

The topic for our sessions is the search for the one and only God, Elohim or Adonai, within ourselves.

This topic asks us to reflect on several large questions. How is this possible? When did we begin our search? Why do we know so little about this concept? God invites us to call him “father.” Who then is our mother? What other divine presences do we need to meet? What then is our relationship to the Christ figure?

We will further discuss the concept of the Imago Dei. This is the icon or banner of the all powerful and creative maker of all universes, all space and time, and of us, humankind, as being “very good.”

Join us for our study of the search of becoming “who we were meant to be.”

We are led by Bob Hanson, retired university professor, Episcopal priest, author, peace activist, and Jungian analyst. With questions, contact Bob at (207)-405-8250.

The Parish Prayer List

Names remain on the prayer list for 3 consecutive weeks unless otherwise requested. If you wish for a name to be added, contact Avery Levesque- Schott, Parish Administrator via email.