St. Paul’s Family Worship Weekly Postcard 4-29-21

Blessings to St. Paul’s Beloved Family Eucharist Congregation!
Join us for Worship

Join us this Sunday, May 2

Fifth Sunday of Easter9:30 a.m. 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 on St. Paul’s Facebook Live
11:30 a.m.  Explore the Sermon over Coffee. Here is the Zoom link


 
Family Ministries Sunday Schedule

9:30-10:10 am: Family Worship via Zoom 
1:00-2:00 pm on 2nd & 4th Sundays: Middle & High School Youth Group in the Garden
2:30-3:30 pm: Family Group in the Garden

A Prayer

“To build up spiritual resilience, we offer this series of prayers”
from the Corrymeela Community


God of the places
we know and love best,
God of the places
we’ve yet to discover:
so much of what we think
derives from what we see;
and so much of what we see
derives from where we sit.
Give us courage to move
from well-worn cushions
and dug-in positions.
Give us foresight to believe
that the view from there is
just as illuminating as the one here:
a sacred spot where we will see
more in this world. Amen.
www.corrymeela.org

All Things Youth


Hello St. Paul’s Middle & High School Youth!
2nd & 4th Sundays from 1-2 p.m. in the Garden. 
Please wear a mask, practice physical distance, and bring your own water and snack should you need them.


Gather with Youth from Around the Diocese

Let’s Talk About It: Compline + Conversation for 9th-12th graders
Fourth Sundays from 7:00-8:30 PM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88633651492

Pray, Play, Connect: A Fun and Prayerful Space for 6th-12th graders
Third Mondays from 7:00-8:30 PM
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81625716888



Connect on Instagram Follow us @maineyouth_episcopals! 

Family Groups


Family Group continues to meet in the Garden at 2:30 – 3:30 pm each Sunday.
If you are interested in joining a Family Group please reach out to Rev. Katie.
Please note: Wear a mask and practice physical distance.

Faith at Home


Here are some helpful resources to keep you and your family faithfully connecting.  
Holy Troublemakers and Unconventional Saints. An illustrated children’s storybook about people of diverse faiths who rocked the religious boat on behalf of love and justice.
Common Prayer for Children and Families. Whimsical, simple illustrations and prayers drawn from Episcopal prayer resources Common Prayer for Children and Families is a collection of prayers and liturgies written for kids and the adults or communities who pray with them. 
Faith at Home, lectionary based family devotions.
Enjoy some Bible Stories brought us by Godly Play. Well suited for the youngest among us.

 Parents and teens, are you looking for a way to deepen your daily prayer practice?

Order of Saint Helena offers a free Daily Office “App” for smartphones and tablets. Check out these inclusive language daily office prayers. Visit their website by clicking the link above to learn more about this community of women in the Episcopal Church. 

Pray As You Go. Here is a helpful website, also available as an app for your smartphone or tablet, that offers you a daily practice of readings, prayers and even musically Psalms!

Justice Resources



Check out the new children’s book Netflix show:  Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices
The Center for Racial Justice in Education has some great resources to help families in the work of racial justice.
Family Sermon by Rev. Dr. Mark Bozzuti-Jones about the sin of racism.
list of resources from some Episcopal friends in North Carolina.
short family guide to supporting racial justice now.
Book Lists: (various social justice topics, including racial justice)
Social Justice Books; A Teaching for Change Project
Act for Social Justice
Embrace Race: “Diverse” Books for Children
Anti-Racism Books for Elementary Students
Indigo Arts Alliance Book list

21 Anti-Racism Videos To Share With Kids: These helpful videos cover a variety of topics to help us talk together about race and racial justice.
 
They’re Not Too Young to Talk About Race: This helpful chart breaks down concepts of race that children can engage with based upon age. 

Justice Book Bags! We have a beautiful collection of justice-oriented and inclusive books for children. If you would like to borrow a justice book bag, please reach out to Rev. Katie Holicky to schedule a time to pick up books.

Katie’s Corner


Stories from Katie’s Corner:

Lent 2021: Snacks and Naps!
Advent 4: Joy

Advent 3: Love
Advent 2: Peace
Advent 1: Hope
Gratitude
Many Hands, A Penobscot Indian Story

Take-Home Bags

This school year, in addition to other offerings, we will try on “take home formation”. Stop by church and grab your family’s monthly bag with simple activities.
Contact Katie to schedule a time to pick up your bag or let her know if you’d like it dropped off at your home.


Sunday Junior Paper – Click to Read!





Parish Office Hours

Precautions to Observe While you are in the building of St. Paul’s
We love you. We do not wish to spread the virus to those we love. That’s why…
 1. Masks are required at all times.
2. Sign in for contact tracing.
3. No more than six people at a time in entire building.
4. Stay six feet or more apart.
5. Only one person at a time in parish office. (Please make arrangements with staff if you need to meet one-on-one in person.)
 Click for Parish Office Hours

Beware of Email Scams
Please note that neither the rector, any member of staff, or fellow parishioner will ask you for gift cards (or similar items), nor will we ask you if you’re ‘free now’ via email. Please don’t reply to these messages! If you want to check with the sender to confirm, contact them by phone or using an email address you know to be theirs. They are scams and these addresses should be reported to Google or your email provider.
To report to Google, you may visit https://support.google.com/mail/contact/abuse.
After reporting, block the sender from your account. 

Upcoming Events and Services

Wednesday, May 5 at 7 pm: All Parish Hymn Sing on Zoom

Sunday, May 9
10:30 am: Pre-recorded Diocesan Spiritual Eucharist on YouTube and Facebook
Thursday, May 13, Ascension Day
11:00 a.m.  Join us for a Celebration of Healing and Prayer on Zoom
Sunday, May 23, Pentecost
9:30 a.m. Family Worship Zoom Celebration: Lots of red for the Holy Spirit!
10:30 a.m. In-person Outdoor Spiritual Eucharist under a canopy in the Memorial Garden
11:30 a.m. Wear your red clothes for Zoom Coffee Hour

St. Paul’s Ministries – Moving Outside

As the weather improves, some St. Paul’s ministry meetings are starting up again in the Memorial Garden. Here are some upcoming dates to note:
 
· Sharing and Caring will meet Wednesday May, 5 at 11:00 am with May 12 as a rain date.
· Wednesday 1:00 pm Bible Study is now meeting weekly in the Memorial Garden (on Zoom if it rains)
· Lay Pastoral Visitors will meet Wednesday, May 19 at 12:30 pm.
 


Future Planning Survey
The Future Planning Committee sent an email out this week with a brief survey. We appreciate your feedback to assist us as we explore the possibility of having outdoor Eucharist worship monthly starting in May.
Please respond by Friday, April 30.
Thank you!


Coffee Cans Needed



The Lay Pastoral Visitors bring altar flowers to parishioners who are home bound, in nursing facilities, or the hospital. We have always covered empty coffee cans that you folks have saved for us, and they were perfect for flower arrangements. At this time we are in need of more! If you have any that you wouldn’t mind saving for us, please call or email the church office (stpauls@stpaulsmaine.org) with your name and number, and one of the LPV can arrange a convenient time to meet you at church to drop them off. 

Sacred Ground Program Offered


Have you been wondering about how you might learn more about the history of racism in our nation and how you might consider your own call to anti-racism learning and formation? Have you been wondering about joining a Sacred Ground Circle? This Spring St. Paul’s will begin a second round of Sacred Ground Circles! If you are interested in joining please email Rev. Katie Holicky. For more information on Sacred Ground click here

World Too BeautifulWorld Too Beautiful – An Online Contemplative Gathering
First & Third Wednesdays of Each Month @ 5:45 pm 
World Too Beautiful, a collaboration between St. Luke’s Cathedral and the Diocese of Maine, is a twice-monthly musical and meditative gathering that focuses on beauty, interconnection, harmony, mutual encouragement, and healing. Bring a candle to light during our prayer time. For more information and the Zoom link visit https://www.episcopalmaine.org/ministry/world-too-beautiful

Faith in Maine Series



Faith in Maine – A Podcast of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine

Listen to the latest episode of the Way of Love series podcast on 
http://faithinmaine.org/.  The Faith in Maine podcast can be found on any platform where podcasts are found, including iTunes, Spotify, Pocket Casts and more.
 
The Faith in Maine podcast and this latest episode is now also accessible by telephone! The permanent phone number is: 207-223-6402. Feel free to give a call and listen. While the phone number stays the same, the podcasts you hear will update when we release new podcasts. You can also subscribe so that you don’t miss any episodes!

Camp Bishopswood



Located in the beautiful woods of mid-coast Maine, Bishopswood is an Episcopal coed overnight camp affordable and open to all youths ages 6-16. The camp is open again and accepting registrations now at https://www.bishopswood.org/. Scholorships are available through St. Paul’s. Please email the office if you are interested (stpauls@stpaulsmaine.org).

MCHPP Update
A bill was introduced last week in Augusta to establish an emergency fund to help food banks. This is great news. However, it will not end the need that MCHPP requires to carry out its mission. The demand for assistance in Brunswick and the surrounding area is as substantial as ever. We can and must help them through the checks that we write. Hopefully, with schools returning to in person learning, children will be able to have good meals and receive a package to carry them through the weekend. Karen Parker, Exec. Director of MCHPP, said that any amount that they receive goes a long way in assisting their clients. Please direct your check to MCHPP: 12 Tenney Way, Brunswick, ME 04011


St. Paul’s Weekly Calendar