The Weekly E-Pistle

Thursday, June 13th, 2024

A Reflection from the Reverend George Stevens, Interim Dean

Dear Friends-

The Gospel appointed for this Sunday includes Jesus’ ‘Parable of the Mustard Seed’.

Jesus said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32

With the ‘Parable of the Mustard Seed’ Jesus tells us about the power of the ‘small things’.

Jesus often uses the illustration of something tiny and unassuming to demonstrate the power of God (yeast and granules of salt). In Sunday’s Gospel, we hear about the mustard seed in the context of the Kingdom, or Vision, of God.

When the Parable is joined with Jesus teaching about the power of ‘faith the size of a mustard seed’, it’s easy to see why the image of the mustard seed has been so cherished over the years.

For me, the Mustard Seed invites reflection on the power of the small. Whether it’s the Kingdom of God or our faith, it doesn’t take much for it to be transformational.

Pope Benedict XVI said, “I have a mustard seed and I'm not afraid to use it.” I hope you are not afraid to use your mustard seed either!

See you Sunday-

George

UPCOMING

March in the Portland Pride Parade

with Luke’s Garden

This Saturday, June 15th

The Portland Pride Parade is this Saturday!

Luke's Garden members will meet at St. Luke’s at 11:30AM by the portico entrance (Park Street Lot).

We will then walk together to Monument Square to gather with other Episcopal churches for the parade which begins at 1:00PM.

With questions about participating contact Orion Williams.

About Luke's Garden

Luke's Garden is the cathedral's LGBTQIA+ group which meets every 2nd Sunday of the month following coffee hour. All are welcome!

Building and Grounds Work Day

This Saturday, June 15th

8:00AM-12:00PM

Join the Building and Grounds committee this Saturday for a workday on the cathedral campus.

The weather forecast looks wonderful.

Doors will open at 8:00AM and generally we will finish by noon.

Please join us for all or a portion of the morning. All are welcome with no previous skills required. We hope to enjoy a time of fellowship and service together whilst caring for the cathedral.

Interested in participating? Contact Jamie Cough, Junior Warden, via email.

Soul Talk

Next Meeting: June 18th at 10:00AM

Soul Talk is a monthly conversation about our spirituality and relationship with God.

The group will be meeting on Tuesday, June 18 at 10:00 to watch the Oscar-winning movie Soul at Linda Carleton’s house.

Please contact Linda Carleton if you’d like to join us for coffee and conversation.

Performances June 19-25

The Bach Virtuosi Festival, founded by violinist Lewis Kaplan, offers residents and visitors of southern Maine a world-class concert series for lovers of the baroque repertoire. BVF has been well-received by the public, the press, and the artists themselves from its outset in 2016.

The artists are world renowned musicians, musicologists, and professors who play Bach and his contemporaries with brilliance, love and integrity.

To learn more about this year’s festival, to see times and locations of concerts, to purchase tickets, and to learn about the artists visit their website.

Want to support the Bach Virtuosi Festival?

The festival is looking for housing for visiting vocalists. Hosting an award-winning artist is a wonderful way to support the arts in Portland.

In turn, the festival offers complimentary tickets to all those who host.

Dates: June 16 - June 21.

An artist host provides:

1) A clean place to sleep

2) A restroom

3) Light refreshments such as coffee in the morning.

The artists are gone for rehearsals and concerts most of the day and night.

If you are interesting in hosting an artist please contact the festival administrator via email.

A Conversation with Emily Keniston,

Director of Faith Formation

Sunday June 23rd

Upper Hall

Following the 10:00AM Service

Please join us for a conversation with Emily Keniston, Director of Faith Formation from the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.

Emily will talk with us about the work of life-long Christian Formation and how it connects with the mission of the Cathedral.

Phase II Educational Sessions and Phase III Small Groups

Beginning on June 24th

Sign-Ups Available

All cathedral community members are invited and encouraged to sign up for Phase II Educational sessions and Phase III Small groups on Zoom with Susan Czolgosz of WorkLife Consulting.

Times and sign-up links are available in the email which was sent on June 7th. Click here to read the email.

If you are unable to sign-up for sessions at home, we will have access to the sign-up pages for both Phase II and III available at coffee hours via the cathedral laptop. A member of our team would be glad to assist you.

If you need help or clarification with this process, please contact our parish administrator Avery Levesque-Schott for assistance via email or phone (207)-772-5434.

Phase II

The Phase II Educational Sessions will commence on Monday June 24th.

The Educational Sessions are additional times to the initial meetings held in May.

Phase II workshops are designed to equip members in conflict mediation, caring communication skills and structured dialogue. They will introduce the idea of interest-based conflict, address the root causes of our congregational conflict, and will teach us how to avoid pitfalls in the future. This phase of our conflict transformation process seeks to build rapport and trust within our community.

If you attended one of the earlier Phase II Educational Sessions in May and would like to participate again, you are welcome to do so. We ask that you please be courteous and allow all members of the community an opportunity to participate.

Phase II Sign-up

Phase III

Phase III of the conflict transformation process is the small group experience.

Phase III will commence on Monday June 24th.

It is a two-hour commitment. Groups of no larger than 8 individuals will gather to create an intentional listening community. The pre-requisite for participation in the small groups is attendance in the Phase II workshops. This is mandatory.

If you have not yet participated in a Phase II Education Session, there are sign-ups available here.

The small group experience at its core is an opportunity for healing and reconciliation.

Phase III Sign-up

‘In Person’ Sessions

For both Phase II and Phase III sessions, we will offer specific sessions which are ‘in person only’. For these meetings participants will gather in the Chapter Room at the cathedral, and join a singular Zoom call to connect with Susan. If you sign-up for this type of meeting, you must attend in person.

Pick-Up Choir—Sing for One, Two or Three!

June 30th, July 28th, & August 25th

On the last Sundays of June (30th), July (28th), and August (25th), music director Christian Clough will offer one-off choir opportunities for anyone interested.

Please gather in the choir room at 8:45 AM to learn a very simple anthem to be sung during that morning’s 10 AM liturgy.

Come as you are—ALL ages welcome, no prior singing experience necessary, no robes required, no processions to worry about—to enrich our summer worship.

Questions? Contact: Christian Clough.

In Memoriam: Nancy Allen

A Service in Celebration of Life

Saturday, June 29

11:00AM to 2:00PM

Gilsland Farm: Maine Audubon Society

20 Gilsland Farm Road Falmouth, ME 04105

Rain or shine, casual attire

All are welcome to attend and bring along a memory or story about Nancy to share.

The service will be livestreamed and a link will be shared at a later time closer to the service.

COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE NEWS

Hope Rovelto, Wife of Julia McDonald,

Daughter of Joan and Dan McDonald,

Highlighted in Press Herald Ahead of Portland Pride

Photo included in Publication by the Portland Press Herald

Hope Rovelto, owner of Little Chair Printing, squeegees ink through a screen while creating T-shirts in her Portland studio. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Published by the Portland Press Herald

"June is Little Chair Printing's busiest month – because of all the T-shirts owner Hope Rovelto prints for the growing number of Pride celebrations across Maine."

"In her narrow shop on Congress Street, nestled between walls plastered with colorful posters, Hope Rovelto hunched over the spiderlike screen-printing press, the word VOTE dyed in orange on the shaved back of her head. Using a squeegee, she smoothly guided thick black ink into the gaps in the screen, putting a logo on a previously blank green T-shirt. She lifted up the screen, inspected her work and placed it on a small conveyor belt to dry.

Behind her, a pile of blank green and yellow tees awaited her attention.

Rovelto, who is 4 feet, 10 inches tall, is the founder and owner of Little Chair Printing, and the month of June is her busiest time of the year. Since she moved to Portland in 2018, she says, she has printed T-shirts for local Pride events and organizations.

“I’m in the community,” said Rovelto, who uses she/they pronouns. “I really print for my values. Printing for Pride organizations – the small ones, the big ones – is me helping.”

To read the full article, click here.

Parishioner Linda Carleton

Among Recipients of Nonprofit Volunteer Awards for

Hope House English Language Program (HHELP)

Photo included in Publication by Amjambo Africa

St. Luke's Parishioner, Linda Carleton, (front right) is recognized for her work with HHELP.

Published by Amjambo Africa (Maine's Only Multilingual Publication)

"On Sunday, May 5, Hope Acts of Portland and Tree Street Youth (TSY) of Lewiston received the Governor’s Awards for Service and Volunteerism, which have celebrated and recognized the role of citizen volunteers in the success and vitality of Maine communities since 1987. Hope Acts was honored with the Outstanding Volunteer Team Award for its Hope House English Language Program (HHELP), founded by Linda Carleton.

HHELP is a volunteer team of English teachers and tutors who contribute thousands of hours each year, helping asylum seekers and other new Mainers learn English. HHELP teachers make lesson plans and teach a two-hour class at least once each week, which equals about four hours of volunteer time weekly, or about 172 volunteer hours per teacher per year."

To read the full publication from Amjambo Africa, please open the link here and proceed to page 6.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Cathedral Hosts Film Crew in Parking Lot

This Wednesday and Thursday we were grateful to provide parking to the crew of Chuck Martin Productions for a photoshoot on Park Street.

The company was working on a catalogue for DXL, a clothing store which promotes comfortable clothing made for individuals of all sizes.

Their producer and location manager, Holly Sharpe, grew up attending St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Camden. In looking for parking in Portland, it was important for the company to support the local community.

Holly Sharpe and Colin Boyd of Chuck Martin Productions

New Solar Panels Positively Impacting

St. Luke's Efforts to be Eco-Friendly & Cost Effective

The cathedral financial team received our first CMP bill with an amount due of $0 thanks to our 171 solar panels via NexAmp. Based on the info provided by CMP our next several bills will also be zero.

While we will still owe Nexamp 85% of the credit generated from the solar bills

(A net savings of 15%), we will also be able to carry forward any balance on the CMP bill to the next bill cycle.

Go solar energy and going green!

With any questions please contact Tim Wilkins.

Canon Clough Away for Two Weeks

Christian M. Clough, St. Luke’s Canon for Liturgy & Music, is traveling to Europe for two weeks.

The primary purpose of his travels is to sing in the second-ever amateur international chorus sponsored by BachFest Leipzig (Germany).

The choir will be composed of singers from at least 20 different countries. Christian sang in the first iteration of this choir in 2022, postponed from 2020 by COVID).

This year, the choir will sing Bach’s Cantata 131 ”Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir” and his motet “Jesu, meine Freude” on Sunday 16 June during the morning liturgy “in the order of Bach’s time” in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche, where Johann Sebastian Bach spent the last 27 years of his life composing, performing, teaching and conducting.

The performance will be led by Ton Koopman, renowned Baroque specialist and accompanied by the Leipzig Baroque Orchestra.

Prior to the start of rehearsals, Christian plans to spend a few days in the Alto Adige (Süd Tyrol) region in the north of Italy, hiking and sightseeing in the shadow of the Dolomite Mountains.

He will be back on Sunday 30 June.

Last Week's Service

To view last week's bulletin click here.

To view last week's service livestream click here.

To listen to last week's sermon preached by The Right Reverend Thomas J. Brown, Bishop of Maine, click here

To View past services visit our Youtube Page or visit the archive page on our website to read past bulletins, sermons, and newsletters.

OPPORTUNITIES & RESOURCES

The First-Ever Major Retrospective of a Wabanaki Artist

in a Fine Art Museum in the United States

Currently on Display at the Portland Museum of Art

May 24 though September 15, 2024

Published by the Portland Museum of Art

"As the first-ever major retrospective of a Wabanaki artist in a fine art museum in the United States, Jeremy Frey: Woven is a groundbreaking exhibition in contemporary and Indigenous art. Featuring more than 50 baskets, made from natural materials like black ash and sweetgrass, Woven presents a comprehensive collection that spans a career of more than two decades. These works are intricate, mesmerizing, and expressive, emphasizing Frey’s prodigious skill and prolific creative output that honors and transforms one of the oldest art forms in the northeast. "

To learn more about the collection, the artist, and to purchase tickets, visit the link here.

Cultivating Climate Resilience: An Inclusive Discussion

June 27, July 11, July 18

9:00-10:00AM

The South Portland Library

Published by the South Portland Land Trust

The South Portland Land Trust, in partnership with the South Portland Library, invites you to a three-session discussion of ALL WE CAN SAVE (One World, 2021), an anthology of essays and poems by women regarding "Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis."

The discussions will be led by Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder, a writer and editor based in Northern New England and the author of the forthcoming book, MOTHER, CREATURE, KIN (Broadleaf Books, 2025). The sessions will be held in the Main Library from 9:00 to 10:00 AM (or a bit longer) on June 27, July 11, and July 18 (all Thursdays). Please save these dates and plan to attend all three sessions.

Paperback copies of the book can be purchased from various outlets for around $12, and the Library will have a number of both physical and electronic copies available at the Main Library or though the Library System.

To register for the All We Can Save discussion group, please click on the link here to go to the Library page where you can sign up.

Eco Tips from the Public Policy and Environmental Action Team

The Maine Episcopal Public Policy Network (MEPPN) invites Episcopalians and all others who are committed to working toward justice and peace for all people and public policies that respect the dignity of every human being, both in the State of Maine, the United States, and the world. Members of this group work, with God’s help, affirm the essential relationship between what we believe and how we live.

The Network will work with ecumenical, Interfaith, and community partners on common concerns through the legislative process. It will work to implement social and environmental policy teachings and commitments of the Episcopal Church at the statewide and local levels through engaging grassroots leadership in the 57 congregations across Maine through training and information sessions.

Go to the MEPPN website to learn more and to receive alerts.

The Healing Team

The Healing Team offers prayers weekly on Sunday during and after communion in All Saint's Chapel (the small chapel to the right of the communion rail).

The following team members will be serving in the coming weeks:

June 16, 2024 Mary Strnad, Elise Magnuson

June 23, 2024 Sara Schmalz, Peter Carleton

June 30, 2024 Mary Strnad, Peter Carleton

July 7, 2024 Sara Schmalz, Judd Hume

Contribute to St. Luke’s Summer Music Ministry

The Cathedral Choir will be in recess from 9 June through Labor Day, and summer is a great time to make a musical contribution to our worship as a singer or instrumentalist. Help us to keep our music well-supported with your offerings.

Please email Christian Clough, Canon for Liturgy & Music.

Access Your Realm Profile

The Cathedral’s new 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 Luke's Garden

LGBTQIA+ Group

Luke's Garden is the cathedral's LGBTQIA+ group which meets every 2nd Sunday of the month following coffee hour.

All are welcome!

For additional information contact Orion Williams

The Biblical Study Group

Summer Learning Resources

The Biblical Study Group will be on vacation until 1 September.

When we resume, we will meet Sundays 8:00-10:00AM.

Our ongoing theme is discovering the nature and meaning of “being created in the image of God.” To stimulate spiritual growth over the summer months, we invite you to read the following recommended resources:

1) God: A Biography by Jack Miles. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, The New York Times calls this text “a tour de force.” Published by Vintage Books, Random House Publishing, New York, 1996

2) Jung’s Thoughts on God: Religious Depths of the Psyche by Donald Dyer, PH.D. Published by Nicholas Hays, 2000 P.O. Box 2039, York Beach, ME 03910.

“It is only through the psyche that we can establish that God acts upon you.”

3) Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction and In Support of Jung’s Extensive and Intensive Thought by Murray Stein.

Published by Open Court Publishing Co., P.O. Box 300, Peru, Illinois 61354. To order call 1-800-815-2280.

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.

Resources from the Diocese &

the Wider Church

To read about stories, resources, and events from around the Diocese of Maine, read their newsletter, The DioLog, by clicking the link here, or by clicking on the Episcopal Maine Shield in the bottom of this email.

A General Convention Primer from Bishop Brown

Published by the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"General Convention is our church’s means for setting a strategic direction, for responding to how we hear God calling us, and for equipping every one of our faith communities for the work of ministry.”

— The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown

In this short video, Bishop Brown shares his thoughts about some of the most important aspects of the 81st General Convention, including the election of a new presiding bishop. Read the transcript on the Diocesan website here.

Youth Called to Join Bishops United Against Gun Violence at General Convention

June 25-27

published by The Episcopal Diocese of Maine

"High school students who are called to be advocates and witnesses against gun violence are invited to join the Episcopal Diocese of Maine at the 81st General Convention of the Episcopal Church in Louisville, KY. Youth will learn from experienced community organizers in the gun violence prevention movement, spend time with participants in Bishops United Against Gun Violence, and experience the convention. Lodging and most activities will be at Christ Church Cathedral in Louisville. The deadline to register is May 8. Those interested in participating, are urged to contact Director of Faith Formation, Emily Keniston, as soon as possible. All registration materials must be received by May 8."

Province 1 Conference Recap

Published by the Episcopal Province of New England

"Provincial Delegates, Bishops, Deputies to General Convention, and guests gathered on Zoom on May 29 for the summer 2024 meeting of Province 1 Conference.

The gathering of over 90 registered attendees met from 5-7 p.m. to discuss the upcoming 81st General Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. President of the House of Deputies Julia Ayala Harris joined the gathering and gave an address on the upcoming General Convention before engaging in a spirited question and answer session."

To read more resources from the Episcopal Province of New England, visit their website here.