WHAT’S HAPPENING AT ST. PAUL’S, MAY 27 2022
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 Dear Friend, Recently, I was remembering a Memorial Day ritual of my childhood with my sister. Mom would load the four siblings in the station wagon and drive to my grandmother’s house to pick her up to go to the cemetery. Mammy would have collected mayonnaise jars all winter and would bring them with her in a basket. We’d then drive a couple of blocks to pick up Aunt Lucille who was usually in her yard cutting beautiful big peonies and putting them in her basket on soaked towels to keep them fresh. Then, we’d all drive to Memorial Park Cemetery just above the hill from the Kansas River in Kansas City, Kansas. What I was remembering with Marilyn, my sister was that our ritual included digging out last year’s broken mayonnaise jars that had held last year’s peonies in front of the family gravestones and replacing them with Mammy’s new ones. The kids would find the water spigot and fill the mayonnaise jars, and Mom, Mammy and Aunt Lucille would place them in the ground with the pretty peonies marking the fact that loved ones had not forgotten their dead on Memorial Day.The thing I was remembering with Marilyn was the memory we have of our mother traversing one the hills and down another where there was a marker of a little girl’s gravestone. It seemed quite neglected as it was being raised by the old roots of the tree it was placed next to. Mom took us over to this little girl’s grave and told us how sorry she was that a little child had died and that no one seems to remember her. Mom wanted to be the one to remember her. Every single year, we visited that little girl’s grave. As I gazed over the sweet young, proud and intelligent faces of the precious children of Ulvade, Texas who were gunned down at their school as end-of-year celebrations were underway, I thought of this little girl’s grave and remembered the sorrow we, the living, have over even one little innocent soul dying. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me….do not hinder them…” Jesus LOVED the little children. He loved little children so much that he even called his adult followers “little children,” words of deepest affection. “Do not hinder them…” Jesus said. It’s a command that our country has ignored. Some of the children who were shot were so maimed that parents who were waiting for good news or bad were asked to submit their DNA in order to identify a child whose face was not recognizable. Once again, our country is made starkly aware of the easy accessibility of automatic weapons by malicious operators, and how these weapons are used to destroy families, schools and communities. The American Academy of Pediatrics published a study that proved the leading cause of death in children and youth is no longer car accidents. It’s death by guns. I’m going to state my personal goal here. You might not agree with me – by now, you all know that I love to have energetic conversations with those who disagree with me. Love is at the center of our conversations, so we are able to have civil discourse. Let me share what I will be urging our Republican Senator to act on: pass HR8, the background check bill that the House passed and is being sidelined by Senate Republicans. Background checks are proven to reduce gun violence. I’d also like the ban on assault weapons to be reinstated. Surely, these two sensible actions, known to reduce gun access and violence will reduce deaths in what is becoming a dangerous country to live in. This Memorial Day we remember our dead loved ones. We remember those who died in service to our country. I love seeing the flags, small “thank you’s,” placed on graves of those service people who have died. May no one forget them. My prayer is that everyone remember those who have died and are dying in our communities at the hands of malicious operators who glorify automatic weapons. And may we be convicted to take action to reduce the violence and carnage. With love and hope, Carolyn+ FAMILY MINISTRIES SUNDAY WORSHIP  Join Us ForSunday WorshipFamily Ministries Sunday Schedule 9 a.m. Modified Eucharist in the Great Hall and on Zoom. Followed by Family Group. Worship Booklet Here. Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/96617111762?pwd=SGlCQmpXMnYvWTZCNkpzR2dnU1VqQT09 Meeting ID: 966 1711 1762 Passcode: church  Family Group following worship (no gathering 5/29 due to Holiday Weekend) Please note starting 6/12 there is no Family Group or Youth Group this summer. See our summer schedule below! Outside toys will be available for folks to enjoy in the garden after 9am worship. Summer Schedule Is HERE!Our next outing will be on June 12thWe will carry on this summer with 9 am Family Worship. We will not have a formal Family Group lesson, though the outside toys will be available for you to stay and enjoy playing in the Garden. While we will not be having Family Group, we WILL BE enjoying some fun outdoor activities together over the course of the summer. Keep an eye out for the summer schedule that will be shared soon!  Coming Up!, June 5th. Join us for First Sundays Life Together worship on June 5th at 10:30am in the Nave and on Facebook Live! This will be a special time to worship together as we celebrate Pentecost! Special Project: Stick around after worship and join Family Ministries as we make a special item for Lay Pastoral Visitors to deliver to those in their care. Many helping hands will be needed and appreciated!*Please fill out this updated registration form for children participating in Family Ministry offerings.  Our final gathering of the school year will be 6/5 after Life Together Worship.Family Group will not be meeting during the summer. Please check the summer gatherings schedule above. We hope you can join us for some summer fun! Family Group will not be meeting during the summer. Please check the summer gatherings schedule above. We hope you can join us for some summer fun!  The Youth Group will not be meeting during the summer. Please check the summer gatherings schedule above. We hope you can join us for some summer fun! Safe Church Training https://episcopalmaine.org/resources/safe-church-training/The Diocese of Maine (“the Diocese”) is committed to the prevention of child abuse of all forms. The purpose of this policy is to help the church to be a safe place for all who worship, or minister, or come in any sort of need, including children, youth, and those who work with them. We believe that this policy is one aspect of honoring our baptismal vows to “respect the dignity of every human being.”SUNDAY WORSHIPSunday 10:30 a.m. Modified Festival Eucharist in the Nave and on FacebookClick on the link below to view from home: To watch on Facebook for the Worship Booklet for the St. Paul’s Announcements ReadingsActs 16:16-34Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21John 17:20-26Psalm 97Lectionary PageCURRENT GUIDELINES FOR WORSHIP AND GATHERINGS IN THE BUILDINGPARISH ANNOUNCEMENTSPRAYER REQUESTS Help Us Expand Our Connection to People with New Systems for Sound and Online Streaming. Thank You for Contributing! Campaign Update: $18,348.donated to date. Reaching Beyond Our Bounds: Help Us Expand Our Connection to People with New Systems for Sound and Online Streaming Thanks to a bequest from the late Jo Belknap, we have the opportunity to expand our online worship capacity with a new live streaming system that will be accessed easily and reliably through the St. Paul’s website. . To make a contribution send a check designated to St. Paul’s with “digital upgrade” in the memo or donated through Breeze or at https://stpaulsmaine.org/giving/  We are now taking registrations for groups beginning this summer and fall, and hope you will consider joining us. We offer groups on Zoom and in-person, and we make the schedule based on participant availability. Sacred Ground is for anyone who wants to join with others to understand racism more clearly and to take a step towards repair. No matter where you are in your understanding of these issues, you are welcome here! Learn more and register at https://stpaulsmaine.org/learning-sacred-ground-new/ or by contacting our Program Coordinator at SacredGroundME@gmail.com / (207)295-7856. Hard-copy registration forms are also available in the office. Midcoast Hunger Prevention Program I just returned from my vacation down south. They have the same problem as we do here in Brunswick. Many of the towns around the Jacksonville area are asking for donations to support their local food banks. Food insecurity is a national problem. As people are finalizing their oil and propane contracts, they are experiencing price shock. Propane is now at $3.70 per gallon and oil is at a whopping $6.50 a gallon. Since a majority of homes in Maine use oil, there will be many people who will be trying to decide how they will heat their home and buy food. MCHPP will undoubtedly see an increase in the need for their services. Those who can spare who can spare any amount, please consider donating to MCHPP so they can prepare for the coming year. Send your donation to MCHPP, 12 Tenney Way, Brunswick, ME 04011. Thank you. Bill Edman Spring cleaning? The Treasures shop at the Yuletide Magic Marketplace would love to include any items you would like to donate. We have storage places and will happily pick them up for you or you may drop them off at church. We will be having the outside Treasures sale in late September or early October for any furniture and larger items that you might care to donate. Larger items can be stored if necessary but it would be best to save them until the week of the outside event. Also, remember if you are cleaning out your jewelry box the Jewelry shop at the fair would love to accept those items as well. Please let me know if you have any questions or would like to arrange a pickup time. Pat Wiggett , 406-2232 pwiggett@comcast.net 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/. Scholarships are available through St. Paul’s. Please email the office if you are interested (stpauls@stpaulsmaine.org). eShareForward |
