An Appeal from the Bishop

Advent is a special time for Province 1 Bishops. From November 27 through December 1, I join the Bishops of Province One (New England) for our annual Advent retreat. Some years we have taken the classical “get away and be still” experience. Other years, we have joined together on a service project (I framed windows during our last Habitat for Humanity project). This year, we go to New Orleans to work in the relief effort. We will live in dorms, cooking our own food, working long days in the still-devastated areas, sliding into sleeping bags for a night’s rest. I need your help in two ways: 1) Most importantly, support your bishops with prayer. 2) Secondly, purchase a gift card from Wal-Mart (amounts from $10 up are available) and mail it to me directly (143 State Street, Portland 04101). Gift cards help urgent needs for clothing, food and household items. I want to carry gift cards with me, to pass out as seems most helpful and prudent; I’ll put a small sticker on each card reading “With prayers from your sisters and brothers in the Diocese of Maine”. If you’d prefer, a donation to the Bishop’s Discretionary Fund (memo line: New Orleans) will be added to the check I plan to give them as we leave. Yours in Christ, + Chilton

Celebrating our Baptism: Ministering Christ’s Love in the World

The Seventh Annual Diocesan Ministry Fair from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm Saturday September 30 at Redeemer Lutheran Church at 540 Essex Street in Bangor

Volunteer for Diocesan Convention

Another Opportunity for Youth in Grades 6-12: Volunteer for Diocesan Convention at the Spectacular Event Center in Bangor on Friday, October 27 from 8:30 am! Collect ballots; listen to the Bishop; help with the store; and otherwise assist with this all-day meeting. You’ll be doing good work to help others. Some teens will leave convention early to serve at the benefit dinner for the International Mission Project. This is a great service opportunity for home schoolers or people who can miss a day of school. Call Jane Hartwell at 1-800-244-6062, ext. 29, for more information.

Les Petits Chanteurs

Les Petits Chanteurs, a 30-voice boy’s choir and string quintet from Holy Trinity School of Music in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, will be performing on Wednesday, September 27, at 7 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Bangor (among other places in our fair state). There are significant travel costs involved in bringing this group to Maine. If you would like to offer financial support to help fund this endeavor, checks should be payable to “The Diocese of Maine” and mailed to 143 State Street, Portland 04101 – Attn: Canon Vicki Wiederkehr, with “Les Petits Chanteurs” on the memo line.

Safe Church Training

Nearby Safe Church Training is being offered on Saturday, October 7, at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Brewer. The two distinct sessions are: “Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Church Settings” from 9:30 to 11:30 am, followed by “Adult Sexual Misconduct Prevention” from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Please feel free to bring your lunch with you to this training. To register, contact Pam McLellan at 1-800-244-6062 x21 or by e-mail at pmclelln [at] episcopalmaine.org. If you have specific questions about the Diocese of Maine’s Safe Church program, please contact Canon Vicki Wiederkehr at 1-800-244-6062 x23.

Volunteer for Believe It or Not Camp

Youth Ministries’ BION (Believe It Or Not) Camp is looking for an adult willing to help teens August 21-26. You would be part of a 20-person adult team, ranging in age from 18 to 70, helping teenagers in grades 6-12 at BION Camp, held at beautiful Bishopswood Camp on the shores of Lake Megunticook. No medical training is necessary; you would be responsible for managing the first aid kit and handing out medications for any camper that has them. (Due to illness, the person who was going to give out bandaids and otherwise help with meds at BION Camp cannot come.) It would help immensely if someone would volunteer to fill this position. For more info, contact Jane Hartwell at youth [at] episcopalmaine.org or 800-244-6062 x29.

Reminder!

The Bishop Search Committee wants to hear from you, this Saturday, July 8, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at St. John’s Church.Please attend if you possibly can and share your thoughts about:

What special gifts do we bring to the diocese?

What’s great about the Diocese of Maine?

What might make the Diocese perfect?

Diocesan Convention: Call for Nominations and Resolutions.

The 187th Convention of the Diocese of Maine will be held October 27-28 in Bangor. This year’s Convention will elect the Secretary and Treasurer of the Diocese (one-year terms); one clerical and one lay member of the Standing Committee (three-year terms); one clergy and one lay member of the Diocesan Review Committee (three-year terms); and one lay deputy and one clerical alternate to Province 1 Synod. Resolutions, nominations, or appointments originating from the Church of Our Father, and requiring endorsement by your local Vestry, should be brought to a Vestry Meeting. Consult the clergy or any Vestry member for more information or guidelines on submitting nominations or resolutions.

Additional “Snapshop of the Diocese” Meetings

If you cannot make it to the “Snapshot of the Diocese” Meeting on July 8 at St. John in Southwest Harbor, here is a complete listing of alternative meetings.  Please try to fit one into your schedule.  We elect our Bishop Coadjutor at Diocesan Convention in October 2007.

Sunday, July 9, St. Mark’s, Augusta, 2:00-4:00 pm

Tuesday, July 11, St. Paul’s, Brunswick, 7:00-9:00 pm

Wednesday, July 12, St. Barnabas, Rumford, 5:30-7:30 pm

Sunday, July 16, Christ Church, Eastport, 2:00-4:00 pm

Trinity, Portland, Noon-2:00 pm

Thursday, July 20, St. Michael’s, Auburn, 6:30-8:30 pm

Saturday, July 22, Christ Church, Biddeford, 10:00 am-noon

Sunday, July 23, St. Francis, Blue Hill, 2:00-4:00 pm or St. David’s, Kennebunk, 3-5:00 pm

Monday, July 24, St. Thomas, Camden, 7:00-9:00 pm or St. Mark’s, Waterville, 7:00-9:00 pm

Tuesday, July 25, St. Thomas, Winn, 7:00-9:00 pm

Saturday, July 29, Good Shepherd, Houlton, 10:00 am-Noon

Sunday, July 30, St. Patrick’s, Brewer, 1:30-3:30 pm or St. Mary’s, Falmouth, 2:00-4:00 pm

The Bishop Search Committee Wants to Hear from YOU!

At Diocesan Convention in October of 2007, we will elect the 9th bishop of Maine, to succeed Chilton Knudsen. The first step in the process that will culminate in that election is to “take a snapshot” of the diocese as it is at present, so that a diocesan profile that accurately reflects who we are can be given to potential candidates.

To make this “snapshot” as detailed and accurate as possible, the Bishop Search Committee is holding a series of meetings around the diocese during the month of July. One such meeting will be held at St. John's, Southwest Harbor, on Saturday, July 8, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

The committee would like to hear from every member of the diocese, and you are strongly encouraged to attend the meeting at St. John's – or one of the others (a complete schedule will be available by the beginning of July). Some thoughts to ponder before the meeting: what are the special gifts that your congregation contributes to the life of the diocese as a whole? What do you treasure about the diocese, that you would not like to see changed when the new bishop comes? What might be changed to make the diocese “perfect”?

If you cannot attend a meeting, perhaps you could share your thoughts with someone who can. The more information the committee has, the more accurate the profile will be.

Vesta Kowalski
For the Bishop Search Committee

Windsor Report

At Diocesan Convention 2005, we passed a Resolution that included the request that congregations study the Windsor Report and report their findings electronically. To do this, please go to http://www.diomaine.org/windsorreport.shtml. Your reports will be collated by Heidi Shott and can be read at http://www.diomaine.org/windsorresults.shtml

Bishopswood

It’s time again to register for summer camp session at our own Camp Bishopswood. All materials are available on line a www.bishopswood.org or by calling Georgia at 772-1953 x 27. Don’t let your children miss this wonderful opportunity.

Marriage Conference

ALPHA NEW ENGLAND is offering The Marriage Course and The Marriage Preparation Course at its Marriage Conference on Wednesday, June 21, in Greenland, NH, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Early Bird registration deadline is May 31. More information is available from the Parish Office.

Eucharist for Ascension Day

"God has gone up with a shout…  Sing praises to God, sing praises…"  (Psalm 47:5, 6) 
The celebration of the Eucharist for Ascension Day — a sadly under-celebrated holiday in the Church Year — will be at 6 pm on Thursday, May 25, at St. Dunstan's in Ellsworth.  The regional PRE-GENERAL CONVENTION HEARING will follow at 7 pm.  It would be a mistake not to attend, if you are able.

An Update on St. Martin’s, Palmyra, from Bishop Knudsen

Please continue to hold the people of St. Martin's in your prayers. And, if you are driving by the site of the church, please join a growing tradition and stop for a moment to pray there. I want you to know how grateful the people of St. Martin are for your support. We have established a line in our Diocesan accounting for donations to St. Martin's. If you wish to contribute to St. Martin's, please make your check payable to the Diocese of Maine and note "For St. Martin's, Palmyra" on the memo line. Mail it to Diocese of Maine, Attention Pam McLellan, 143 State St., Portland, ME 04101-3799. As they reach an insurance settlement (still pending) and their needs become known, we will disperse these donated funds to them promptly.