We received a detailed treasurer’s report to include first quarter income of $21,020.39 from our endowment funds.
Elaine Bielenberg will begin selling Hannaford cards during coffee hour in the hopes it will boost our sales. We earn 5% of the value of the cards.
A Building Use Policy (for outside groups) was approved.
Kristen Burkholder shared her journey in the Diaconate process. She will likely complete most of her course work by September 2024 and will serve a 6-12 month internship at St. John Baptist, Thomaston.
Voted to purchase a new computer for the office and also for the Parish Hall for running zoom and other media.
Vestry Ministry Assignments/liaison were made as follows:
Outreach – Cindy Frost
Creation Care – Ruth Heffron
Music – Craig Watson
Hospitality – Kathy Sticht
Newcomers – Roy McAlpine
Education – Roy McAlpine
Altar Guild – Linda Parsloe
Communication – Chris Urick
Pastoral Care – Barbara Briggs+
The commissioning of new vestry members will take place on Sunday, May 19 during the worship service.
Barbara+ shared some recent and new strategies in the search for an organist or music director.
(for businesses affected by the January 2024 coastal storms)
The Outreach Committee continues to collect funds for this extremely important local initiative, and you can be part of our final gift to the City of Belfast by writing a check to St. Margaret’s with the words “Keep the Faith Fund” or “5th Sunday Plate Offering for March” in the memo line. Please put your donation in the pate offering during any church service in March, or drop it off to the church office. Many thanks to those of you who have so generously donated already!
Works by parishioners or from their personal collections are welcome. Deadline for submissions is April 10, 2024. Contact Betsey Feeley (323-4191 or [email protected]) with questions or to confirm participation. You can drop off your work in the office or the Parrish Hall.
Belfast/Searsport WindowDressers, serving Waldo County, is accepting orders now for window inserts. These low-cost inserts save you money on fuel bills, increase your home’s comfort, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Volunteer labor keeps the cost of inserts low and anyone needing help covering costs can get up to ten, pine inserts at no charge. Anyone interested in getting inserts this year is encouraged to sign up soon at https://windowdressers.org/sign-up-for-inserts/ . Anyone needing an older insert repaired can sign up online as well. There will be a “rewrapping” workshop in Searsport this October and the workshop to produce new inserts will take place in Belfast in November. Questions? Call (603)380-6266 or send an email to [email protected] .
St. Margaret’s will hold several services to mark Holy Week from Palm Sunday, March 24, through Easter on March 31.
Worshippers are asked to gather in the church parish hall, 95 Court St., by 9:45 a.m. on Sunday March 24 to receive palm fronds and participate in an opening prayer. They will then be led outside by the Rev. Barbara Briggs for a short procession into the church for the service, which will include a dramatic reading of The Passion.
Maundy Thursday, March 28, will be observed with an informal Middle Eastern meal at 6 p.m. in St. Margaret’s parish house, 95 Court St. Participants are asked to bring a simple item such as nuts, hummus, dried fruit or pita bread to share at the Agape dinner. The meal will be followed by Eucharist and optional foot-washing, symbolic of Christ’s servanthood in washing the feet of his disciples, and a brief service in the church for the Stripping of the Altar and start of the Easter Vigil.
Good Friday’s service at St. Margaret’s will be at 6 p.m. to accommodate those who are employed during the day.
St. Margaret’s will join with other Mid-coast Episcopal churches on Saturday March 30 for an Easter Vigil service and celebration at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Thomaston at 7 p.m. The sermon will be delivered by the Rev. Paul Briggs, Interim Rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Camden.
Easter Sunday, March 31, will be celebrated at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church at two festive services at 8 and 9:45 a.m. This will mark the return of two Sunday morning services that will continue every week until November.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper Tuesday, February 13, 2024, starting at 6:00 p.m. followed by “Making of the Ashes”
Join us for fellowship and pancakes – prepared by some of our men! Please let Paul Mazur know if you are planning on attending AND able to assist in the kitchen – (207) 323-2526 or [email protected]
Following the pancake supper take part in a brief and poignant service of reflection and preparation for Lent as we burn last year’s Palm Sunday fronds to use for this year’s Ash Wednesday ashes. As these palm branches are changed to ash, change us, Lord; make us new. A little background . . . Shrove is the past tense of the word shrive, which means to hear a confession and to absolve from sin. In the Middle Ages, especially in Northern Europe and England, it became the custom to confess one’s sins on the day before Lent began to enter the penitential season in the right spirit. Lent, the penitential period before Easter, has been a time of fasting and abstinence for many Christians. Some choose to abstain from all meat and items that came from animals, including butter, eggs, cheese, and fat. That is why Shrove Tuesday became known as Mardi Gras, the French term for Fat Tuesday. Over time, Mardi Gras extended from a single day to the entire period of Shrovetide, the days from the last Sunday before Lent through Shrove Tuesday.
We have all seen the results of the two storms that recently devastated our waterfront business, properties and parks. The Belfast City Council and Mayor have decided to bring back the “Keep the Faith Fund” (that was more recently used to assist business affected by the shutdown during COVID).The Outreach Committee has designated this fund for the fifth Sunday on March 31st, however, if you would like to donate NOW we are gladly taking donations to help our local businesses in need. Please make your check payable to St. Margaret’s with “5th Sunday” or “Keep the Faith Fund” in the memo line. Thank you!
Three new Vestry members were welcomed – Chris Urick, Sr. Warden, Roy McAlpine, Ruth Heffron, Vestry Members (pictured above)Voted to upgrade connectivity and bandwidth with Spectrum to provide faster and better internet throughout the parish hall and church.Heard a report from Richard Harrison (Junior Warden) on buildings projects: heated mats on church porch and ramp; repair of church side windows this summer; probable need to replace church roof in the future.
Voted to contract with Solar Logix to install solar panels on the rear side of Parish Hall roof.A Mutual Ministry Discernment for Vestry members and our Rector will take place on Sunday, January 28 from noon to 4:00pm.There will be no Vestry meeting in February. A combined February/March meeting will be held on March 10 following the worship service.Matthew Markiewicz will be our new representative on the GBAM Food Cupboard Board. Cindy Frost has performed this function for many years and for that we are very grateful. Thank you both!There will be no Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. Due to increased COVID in the community, we will avoid potluck events in the next few months.
In Context of the prayer for Christian Unity celebrated January 21 to January 27th, let’s unite in song, Tuesday, January 23, 2024, 6pm music practice before 6:30 pm service.
st/Searsport WindowDressers, serving Waldo County, is accepting orders now for window inserts. These low-cost inserts save you money on fuel bills, increase your home’s comfort, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Volunteer labor keeps the cost of inserts low and anyone needing help covering costs can get up to ten, pine inserts at no charge. Anyone interested in getting inserts this year is encouraged to sign up soon at https://windowdressers.org/sign-up-for-inserts/ . Anyone needing an older insert repaired can sign up online as well. There will be a “rewrapping” workshop in Searsport this October and the workshop to produce new inserts will take place in Belfast in November. Questions? Call (603)380-6266 or send an email to [email protected] .
