New Acolyte
We welcome Lucy as our new Acolyte at 10:15AM Sunday Eucharist.
Fellowship
Communion bread baking session
Baking communion bread last Sunday morning was a community effort and lots of fun! We plan on making this recurring event with different volunteers. Amanda Curtis, Audrey Klein-Leach, Chris Urick, Ananda Johnson.
… and they are blessed
At least a dozen dogs and cats showed up at church for a special blessing on Sunday.
Special Parish Meeting
A special meeting of the parish will be held on Sunday, October 3 at 1:00 p.m. to provide updates from the Discernment Committee and their process. It will not be an in-person meeting, but rather will be strictly on zoom. A link will be included in the October 1 edition of News from the Pews. We expect the meeting to be no more than an hour.
Blessing of the Animals
The annual Blessing of the Animals will be offered at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church on Sunday, Oct. 3 at 9:30 a.m. on the lawn in front of the church at the corner of Court & Elm Streets, Belfast. The brief outdoor service, led by the Rev. John S. Nieman, is open to anyone in the community who would like a pet blessed in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, whose feast day is Oct. 4.
Human participants are urged to wear masks. Pets should be on leash or carried in a closed traveling container. All varieties of household pets are welcome.
Mask requirement for Support Group participants
Updated COVID protocol (September 1, 2021) REQUIRES that all participants in support group meetings using our facility wear face masks.
What type of leader does the Bible endorse?
A 10-week online course with Deirdre Good starting Thursday, August 25th, 7-8pm, “Leadership Qualities from Miriam & Moses to Jesus and Mary: Vision, Courage, Meekness” including the latest scholarship on the Dead Sea Scrolls 4Q285 fragment 7 envisaging Miriam and the women of Israel celebrating the defeat of the Roman Emperor by the Branch of David at the end of the world (echoing their celebration of Israel’s delivery by God at the Red Sea in Exodus 15). Please register here (scholarships available):
https://diocesecpa.org/stevensonschoolforministry/events/leadership-qualities-from-miriam-moses-to-jesus-mary-vision-courage-meekness/.
5th Sunday Collection
August’s Fifth Sunday offering will go to the Episcopal Relief & Development Haiti Fund and to the International Rescue Committee’s work in Afghanistan, working to help, for example, displaced people
in Kabul.
Important COVID Protocol Change – effective July 30, 2021
In light of this week’s changed CDC guidelines regarding masking and the increasing rates of COVID transmission rates in Waldo County, the Vestry has affirmed the following changes to our protocol at St. Margaret’s:
- We recommend that all people wear masks in church (those who have a leadership speaking role can remove their masks while performing their role).
- We will maintain a list of those in attendance.
Why these changes? In a nutshell, this past week the Federal CDC began recommending that allpeople, both unvaccinated and vaccinated, wear masks in indoor settings where COVID transmission rates are “substantial” or “high.” Waldo County presently is classified as “substantial.” The Maine CDC is following the federal guidelines.
We encourage you to look at these two links for background information, which will help explain the rationale.
From the U.S. CDC.
From the Maine CDC.
Discernment Committee ready to receive applications
The Discernment Committee has completed the first part of the process – that is, completed the OTM portfolio and written a welcoming letter to prospective candidates that is posted on this completely re-designed website . The committee will now be entering the “silent” phase where applications will be received and absolute confidentiality is required. We will, however, be reporting our progress to the parish. Please continue to keep the work of the committee in your prayers.