Taizé Service at Saint Andrews Lutheran Church, Ellsworth

—– TAIZÉ  —–

ECUMENICAL PRAYER SERVICE

    Friday, March 30th — 7:00 p.m.    

St. Andrew Lutheran Church

175 Downeast Hwy., Ellsworth  (667-7641)

  

Taizé prayer song had its origins in an ecumenical monastic community in Taizé, France, and focuses on cultivating peace through prayer. This worship style bridges denominational and cultural barriers; it centers around a lyrical form of modern chant, traditional prayer, scripture and meditative silence.  Prayers of petition and intercession are also invited; all of which are woven together amid candlelight, emulating the beloved tradition of Taizé.  Taizé prayer services are open to everyone and last approximately 45 minutes to one hour.

 

“Singing is one of the most important forms of prayer. A few words sung over and over again reinforce the meditative quality of the prayer. They express a basic reality of faith that can quickly be grasped by the intellect, and that gradually penetrates the heart and the whole being.”   Brother Roger

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P.S. Thinking about holding a Taizé prayer service at your church?  There is a support team ready and willing to help with the planning and details. Materials are provided: candles, fabrics, song books and icons.  Reply by e-mail to AcadiaTaize@aol.com and someone will contact you.

Choral Evening Prayer

On Tuesday, August 15th, St. Mary’s- by- the-Sea will be offering a choral evening prayer service at 6:00 PM. at the church on South Shore Drive to celebrate the Feast of St. Mary the Virgin, our patron saint. The service will be followed by an informal wine and cheese reception at the rectory, which is 3 Kimball Road, just back up the street a bit. Please join us!

Test Post

This is a test post. I’m testing the ability of mdiepiscopalians.wordpress.com to have multiple contributors. I’m making this post logged in as talkabout, not as I normally do, logged in as mdiepsicopalians.

Some thoughts on this web site

I sent this out yesterday:

Hello everyone-

(I’m sending this to eveyone who expressed interest in an island-wide
web site at the Epiphany meeting at St. John, and to a few other
people suggested at that time. Please let me know if you wish *not* to
hear any more on this topic.)

http://mdiepiscopalians.wordpress.com/ is up.

I have been posting items that I think will be of Episcopal islandwide
interest. Thus far my sources have been
* St. John (where I am a member and am webmaster),
* the Church of Our Father Friday email which I’m now receiving (Thanks!)
* The Dio Log email newsletter from the Diocese

Where from here?

My thoughts:
* It would be good to put a link to
http://mdiepiscopalians.wordpress.com/ on each of the individual
church web sites. I think it would be good to put it on the front page
of each of the sites in the lists of links.
* The individual church web sites could incorporate the island-wide
posts directly into their web sites. I’ve done this at
http://saintsmdi.org/ (on the left side – scroll down a screen or two)
* The web site can be set up so that other people people can make
posts. Ideally there would be one person at each of the four churches
who would make posts.

Each of these items would make the site more truely represenative of
the whole island Episcopal community and increase mutual awareness and
interaction.

For now, I’ll keep doing what I’m doing. I can assist with the steps
I’ve suggested. But we should move forward from this point.

-Michael Shook

Healing Services at Church of Our Father

There will be a healing service at Church of Our Father this Wednesday Thursday, February 9, at 6:30 p.m., and another at the same time on March 9.

Four Way Talks Open

Getting four Episcopal parishes to talk about common goals and visions can be as difficult as getting four hostile nations to negotiate, but the climate is right on Mount Desert Island, and a truly significant conversation began on Friday, January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany.The event took place at St. John’s, and began with a Service of Light and Eucharist. Nearly 80 people remained for an excellent pot-luck supper and a substantive discussion, ably facilitated by Sarah Flynn.

Some major themes emerged, and the “elephant in the tent,” the high cost of four full-time priests for four geographically close congregations, was named and discussed. Future steps include continuing conversations about: whether we might all save if we purchase our oil together; how we might develop an Island-wide ministry to our Island youth; how we might do outreach and communication together; and the “elephant,” the possibility of some day sharing clergy (a largish committee with representatives from all four congregations has agreed to continue this conversation).

The mood of the evening was upbeat, frank, open and caring. We already know one another because our paths cross in so many ways. Engaging one another as Episcopalians helps us deepen our connections, and may accomplish the goal of many: beginning to see ourselves as the Episcopal church on Mount Desert Island, worshiping in our four different places.

One result of the evening was the following prayer for our clergy, written by Andrew McMullan:

Dear Lord, please look with special favor upon Thy servants and our shepherds. For those who have answered Thy call and given themselves unselfishly and completely to Thy service are indeed special souls. As they lead us on our path to becoming closer to You and closer to our Brothers and Sisters in Christ, please keep them from all harm and strengthen them in all goodness. In a sometimes dark and broken world, fraught by doubt and human frailty, please comfort and embolden them in the knowledge of our respect, gratitude, great need, and above all, unfathomable love for them. Godspeed our clergy on our journey together, as they guide us to fulfill Thy will for us on earth. AMEN

Vesta Kowalski

Diocesan Stewardship School

The Diocesan Stewardship School is presenting a free conference at St. Mark’s in Waterville on Saturday, March 4, from 9 am to 4 pm.  Workshop topics include the “tool box” for parish stewardship leaders; financial planning; generational differences; capital campaigns; and the stewardship of time.  Larry Johnston is one of the workshop leaders.  Register on or before February 14.  For more information, contact Jim Bowditch at 236-2272.

The Northeast February edition available

The February 2006 edition of The Northeast is available on-line at here.

Photos from the MDI Service of Christian Unity

More here.

Transcription Of Notes On Newsprint From Epiphany Meeting Of MDI Episcopal Parishes

Outreach – how to do it and what to do?

Bringing in new people

(How) Can we help each other
Mutual oil Purchase? (Ted Bromage)

Other Joint purchases, services and supplies,

frees money for other things

Participation in other Island ministries + organizations

e.g. Services to parents raising kids alone – brainstorm ideas

Movie Nights

Provide safe after school place

Joint programs for kids

Mother’s day out
Committee to Discuss Outreach Efforts

Marilyn

Ann B

Charlene

Kathy

Beth B.

Common Website – common e-mail

Welcome Wagon participation – (Dorothy Clunan)

Distribute brocures – (Louisa Kennedy)

Young family oriented service

Will (do) we need 4 churches?

How about 4 deacons and 2 priests

If not now, when? How long can we wait?

How do we raise up more deacons?

*Build on successful models – Diocese as resource
Start incrementally – small + simple

Pastoral Care?

Communication

Summer Communities (with retired priests)

*Aroostock Cluster

Can we be both 4 and 1?

“Common Membership?”
Use Common Website to promote programs, education, etc.
Rotate contingents
Small group participation one aspect of pastoral care
Help Parish Administrators get together
Central Location for study
Committee to Discuss Shared Clergy
Bob Stanwood Jim Kitler

Spencer Ervin Jim Kelly

Don Sawyer Joanne Sousa

Tony Sousa Charlene Choban

Kathy Suminsby

Committee to Discuss Shared Lay Ministry

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