What’s Happening at St. Paul’s 1-15
 What’s Happening at St. Paul’s |
I want to share with you that in the midst of our national upheaval, the people, clergy, and staff of St. Paul’s continue to work and pray to call God’s people to love, hope, and live justly. Not only that, we are actively tending to the administrative functions that help our parish run smoothly, even in the midst of a pandemic. The leaders of our parish ministries have written their reports for 2020, and you will be able to access the 2020 Annual Report by next Friday on line before we convene for our Zoom Annual Meeting at Noon on Sunday, January 24, 2021. (Contact the parish office if you need a hard copy.) The Annual Report is a wonderful reflection of our strong faith, an energizing spirit, and compassionate generosity during 2020. The Nominating Committee has been at work to recruit and offer a slate of leaders, which the Vestry accepted at our December meeting. Thank you outgoing Junior Warden, Johanna Wigg, and retiring Vestry members Bill Edman, Susan Martens, and Abigail Manny Patterson, for serving on this committee. They are submitting an excellent slate of leaders for our election on the 24th. Johanna Wigg has served wisely and faithfully two terms (four years) as Junior Warden. These terms are two years apiece and are concluding this year. The Vestry members who are retiring have served three years, the standard length of a term. Our bylaws state that they are not eligible to serve another term in the subsequent year. This provides for a rest for our leaders and offers new members an opportunity to share their gifts and voices. Delegates for diocesan convention serve one-year terms. One of my favorite activities of the Church is to gather and share in the business of the Church. Our tasks at the Annual Meeting is to elect new leaders, review the past year, financial and ministries, and present the 2021 budget that the Vestry approved in December. We will also share in the joy that you, the members, God’s beloved have created in your faith, hope, joy, and generosity this year and every year. Thank you all for sharing of yourself with the body of Christ, St. Paul’s. With hope and much love in Christ, Carolyn+= |
| Sunday, January 17 The Second Sunday after the Epiphany  9:30 a.m. Family Worship Rev. Katie Holicky and musician Susan Brown will lead us in a time of song, prayer, story, and sharing with our friends! Here is the link for the Zoom gathering. Click here for the 9:30 Family Worship Booklet  10:30 a.m. Spiritual Eucharist from the Diocese of Maine Click on the links below: To watch for the Worship Booklet for the St. Paul’s Announcements Readings 1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20) 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 John 1:43-51 Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17 Lectionary Page  Explore the sermon over coffee on Zoom Sunday, 11:30 am Join in for a facilitated virtual gathering to check in with each other and explore the morning’s sermon.  Small Group Soup and Scripture chat on Zoom Sunday, 4:00 pm Join us to eat your warm soup and to chat over the Scripture passage: Mark 1:14-20, the call of Simon and Andrew. After John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him. Parish Announcements Daily Morning Prayer and Compline — Join us every morning and evening on St. Paul’s Facebook Live for Morning Prayer and Compline, 7:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Next Sunday—Don’t Forget the Annual Meeting at noon on Zoom! 9:30 a.m. Family Worship 10:30 a.m. Spiritual Eucharist on Facebook (no Zoom Coffee Hour afterward) Noon All-Parish Annual Meeting on ZoomThe Vestry has accepted with thanks to the Nominating Committee the following slate for annual elections to be held in a Zoom Annual Meeting, January 24, 2021 at Noon. Junior Warden (two-year term), Jan DeBlieu Vestry (three-year term), Deborah Goodwin, Ellen Hall, Ellen Ranen Diocesan Delegates: Andree Appel, Charlie Priest, Pat Ryan, Charla Spann Alternates to Diocesan Convention: John Ott, Lili Ott, Susan Brown We thank the Nominating Committee: Johanna Wigg, Chair, Bill Edman, Susan Martens, Abigail Manny Patterson. Faith Filled Generosity — If you haven’t already made your pledge, there are two easy ways to complete the form. Just go to St. Paul’s website, there you can download and print out a form or chose a link below. Then just fill it out and mail it back to the church at St. Paul’s, PO Box 195, Brunswick, ME 04011. If you prefer you can fill out the online form also found on the Giving page of our website. Thank you! Find a pledge form here: Online pledge form here. Click here to download and print a pledge form, then complete and mail to St. Paul’s PO Box 195 Brunswick, ME 04011. Parishioners who would like giving envelopes please contact the church office to arrange delivery or pick up. Looking Ahead Monday, January 18—Martin Luther King Jr. Day Noon—1:00 p.m. — Pray on MLK hosted by Civil Righteousness-Maine on the Brunswick Town Mall. FMI, http://tiny.cc/ryt7tz 9:00 a.m.— 7:00 p.m.—- 40th Anniversary Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Observance: A virtual teach-in and call to action honoring Dr. King’s memory To register and FMI: https://www.facebook.com/pg/maineinitiatives/events/ Sunday, January 24, Annual Meeting 9:30 a.m. Family Worship 10:30 a.m. Spiritual Eucharist on Facebook (no Zoom Coffee Hour afterward) Noon All-Parish Annual Meeting on Zoom Presentation of Ministry Reports, Pledging and Financial Reports, 2021 Budget and Parish Election. Zoom Meeting ID: 96617111762, Passcode: church Sunday, January 31—Candle Lighting Vigil 3:30 p.m. – St. Paul’s parking lot in-person gathering outdoors, candle lighting vigil to renew our baptismal covenant and pray for peace. February 20 (back-up date February 21) – Ice Fishing Drop-in 11:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.—Ice Fishing Outing at Pleasant Pond. Contact katieholicky@stpaulsmaine.org for information and to sign up. Participate in an Upcoming Dio-Wide Online Service The Diocese is looking for volunteer readers for the upcoming diocesan-wide online worship services! If you would like to share your gifts with the diocese in this way, please contact Director of Communications Katie Clark at kclark@episcopalmaine.org. Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program Thank you to all of you who have been contributing to MCHPP during this COVID-19 pandemic. For those of you who have not contributed, here are some facts as to why you should.COVID-19 is overtaking our country. There are new strains that are appearing to complicate this pandemic. But there are vaccines that give us hope that we can get this under control. The number of infections and deaths are ever-increasing. As I write this, there are over 20 million Americans infected. We are losing over 3,000 people a day to this virus. In December, the job market lost 140,000 jobs. Most of these jobs were from people who provide necessary jobs for us. Families are in danger of losing their homes, paying for heating, putting food on the table, and paying for needed medicine. These costs have not contracted, while income has been lost.MCHPP must pay for most of the non-perishable food they provide for their clients. Your donation in any amount will help them fulfill this important mission. One dollar will provide 3 meals to a family in need. St. Paul’s has supported MCHPP since its inception. We are our brother’s keeper. In Mathew 25, Jesus said “When I was hungry, you gave me food”. The righteous asked him, “when did we do this”? He answered them: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to the least of these who are my family, you did it to me”. A final thought: Do a little kindness this week, as David Treadwell urged in his Times Record opinion column last week. Please mail your contribution to Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Project, 12 Tenney Way, Brunswick, ME 04011. Thank you, Bill Edman. Prayer Requests Pray for St. George’s in York Harbor and St. Augustine’s in Dover-Foxcroft Pray for the needy and the hungry For parishes in transition Pray for Anderson, Andrew, Cedric, Jason, Michael, Richard, and all in the military. We pray for the Rev. Richard N. Ottaway, a friend of the Rev. Al and Bronda Niese, who died in March of COVID-19. We pray also for Geoff and Betsy Gattis who died this week. Rest eternal, grant to them, and let light perpetual shine upon them. We pray for: Christy, Ryan & family, Ray, John, David, Judi, Nick, Bob, Kathy, Skip, the Blackburn family, Willow, Ann, Jim, Lollie, James, Nia, Linda, Dave, Caroline, Jeffrey, Carol, Roger W, Harlan, and Shirley Jennifer, John, Reeve, Victor, Travis & family, Ben, Diane, Nate, Priscilla, Garrett, Elliot, Marcia, Lynn, Bill, Bob, Paul, Sue, Nan, Clare, Cameron, Barbara, Carol, Chris+, Christy, Michael, Ryan, and Jacob Matthew, Herb, Gair, baby Thomas, Jason, Annie, Terry, Mark, Donelda, Sudie, Pat, Marie, Michael, Debbie, Carol, Robbie, Ron, Hope, Therese, Lois, Bob, and Virginia Call or email the parish office if you would like a name to be placed on the prayer list. The names will be removed after three months unless otherwise notified. Click here for this week’s calendar |
Celebrating the Season of Creation