St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church invites you to the season of Advent and Christmas.

Advent Holy Eucharist at 9:30 in the church every Sunday.

Advent education series: Waiting with Expectation” Sessions begin at 10:30 in the parish hall. No prior knowledge is required.

Nov 27                      The Annunciation                           With Deirdre Good and others 

Dec 4             Waiting in the midst of suffering           With Kristen Burkholder 

Dec 11                       The Visitation                                  With Barbara Briggs

Dec 18                       Signs of Hope                                  St. Margaret’s

Christmas Eve Holy Eucharist with choir at 8:00PM in the church.Christmas Day “Come as you are” Holy Eucharist at 9:30 AM in the church. An all-request Christmas carol service you can attend in your pyjamas.

In a little village in the Burgundy region of France live some 100 monks from all over the world and from many different church traditions. In beginnings of ecumenism and the excitement people were feeling in the 1960s, young people began showing up at the monastery church wanting to pray and visit with the Taizé brothers. In order to make the prayers more accessible to their visitors, the brothers began composing simple texts, (inspired by the Bible), set to simple 4-part harmonies that could be chanted for minutes at time.

Since then, Christian communities all over the world have used their repertoire for prayer.

We are offering such an occasion tonight, Tuesday Nov 1st, at St. Margaret’s in Belfast, 95 Court St.

We are hosting Taize: this kind of praying together is marked by simple chants built from verses of Scripture, prayers, candle-light, icons, readings, and a period of silent prayer. It lasts just over a half hour.

6:15 PM Gather with Kristen in the sanctuary to learn the chants

7:00 PM Taize service

The church lights are somewhat dimmed. Candles burn by the altar. A beautiful icon is on the altar.

People enter in silence and sit quietly wherever they feel comfortable and then the singing begins. After a brief Bible passage is read, the people gathered sit in silence to reflect and pray. The prayer ends with more singing, and people are free to come and go at their leisure.

Come to this service regardless of where you’re at spiritually. You are welcome as you are.

Here is a taste of some of the kinds of simple chants we’ll be doing:

With you, O Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-NeTJTmZfI

But You Know The Way for Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eseK_kVgdMU&t=12s

O, You Are Beyond All Things: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmSycLfd0Qg

Join this community knitting group for a Knit-a-Thon on Saturday, November 12 from 8AM-8PM. All funds raised will go to the local Fuel Assistance Program. Potluck – bring a dish to share. Have your friends and family sponsor you as you knit, crochet or sew together.

Dear Beloved of God,

A parish church is a unique kind of organization. It is not like other non-profit organizations and it is neither a private residence nor a business. It does, however, have rules for the conducting of business within it. Episcopalians call these guidelines the Constitution & Canons Together with The Rules of Order For the governance of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America otherwise known as The Episcopal Church.  You can find these online at Constitution & Canons (generalconvention.org)

We are always learning from our faith about the difference between ownership and stewardship. From a faith perspective, we don’t own anything. All of it has been gifted to us by God. We are, in fact, more stewards than owners of everything we have. This is even more true of our beloved St. Margaret’s Church—its property and its buildings and all its physical contents. I have copied and reprinted here some of what our national canons say about this.

“Title I, Canon 7: Of Business Methods in Church Affairs
Sec. 3. No Vestry, Trustee, or other Body, authorized by Civil or Canon law to hold, manage, or administer real property for any Parish, Mission, Congregation, or Institution, shall encumber or alienate the same or any part thereof without the written consent of the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Diocese of which the Parish, Mission, Congregation, or Institution is a part, except under such regulations as may be prescribed by Canon of the Diocese.

“Sec. 4. All real and personal property held by or for the benefit of any Parish, Mission or Congregation is held in trust for this Church and the Diocese thereof in which such Parish, Mission or Congregation is located. The existence of this trust, however, shall in no way limit the power and authority of the Parish, Mission or Congregation otherwise existing over such property so long as the particular Parish, Mission or Congregation remains a part of, and subject to, this Church and its Constitution and Canons. 

“Title III, Canon 9, Section 6a part 2
2. For the purposes of the office and for the full and free discharge of all functions and duties pertaining thereto, the Rector or Priest-in-Charge shall at all times be entitled to the use and control of the Church and Parish buildings together with all appurtenances and furniture, and to access to all records and registers maintained by or on behalf of the congregation.”

What this means is that we are fully responsible for the well-being of both the congregation (people), and its physical property while having ownership of neither. One of the responsibilities of the rector is to ensure that we do this work together.

In other words,
1. we are to respect the dignity of every human being and,
2. nothing can be lent out, sold or given away without consultation with the rector, and for some things, without consultation with the vestry, and in other cases, without the permission of the bishop and standing committee of the Episcopal Diocese of Maine.

After a COVID hiatus, the women of St. Margaret’s are bringing back their traditional English high tea. The tea and bake sale will be held on Saturday, November 5 from 11-2 and all are welcome.

The parish house at 95 Court Street will be transformed into a charming English tea room for the event, with scones and cream, tarts, cucumber finger sandwiches, cake and a pots of steaming tea, all served on fine china.

The bake sale features tables laden with breads, pies, cakes, cookies, jams and jellies, while a Jewelry Boutique offers refurbished jewelry that is perfect to gift or keep for yourself. A silent auction offers a variety of items and gift certificates.Tickets are $15 for the tea and all proceeds will benefit community service organizations. FMI call St. Margaret’s office, 338-2412.

The Rev. Barbara Briggs and Fr. Nathan March joined together to bless pets from parishioners of St. Margaret’s and St. Francis of Assisi on October 4th, Feastday of St. Francis of Assisi.

The Rev. Canon Michael Ambler will be with us at both services to preach, and at a forum between services will talk about the work he is beginning in Laos.  He says, “Laos is a gorgeous country of mountains and rivers, of orange robed monks and iridescent green rice paddies.

It’s also the most heavily bombed country in the history of the world. The bombs were ours: during the Vietnam War, we dropped nearly 300 million bombs on Laos.  30% of these failed to detonate, meaning that they’re still there.  Teams of technicians work across the country finding bombs so that land can be used safely.  I have started Restoration Laos to fund one team that would not otherwise have existed. One village at a time, one school yard at a time, we are at last bringing the Vietnam War to an end for the people of Laos. 

You are invited: learn more, support the team, and if you like, come to Laos with me!”  To learn more, visit www.restorationlaos.org, or come to the forum Sunday morning at 9:15. 

       Beginning in October, we invite you to join us at noon on the second Thursday of the month for a Celtic inspired time of Common Noonday Prayer. This service is gently connecting with God and all created beings, and provides space for scripture, poetry, music, prayers and reflection. It will not last longer than 30 minutes so that you can receive the gift of a prayerful pause in the midst of your daily round without burdening the rest of your day.

Dear Beloved of God,

We are nearing the end of our month of Creation Care, although we will continue to care for our creation for the rest of our lives. To conclude the month, we will be holding a Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation on St. Francis Day, October 4. This prayer has been prepared by the brothers of Taizé specifically for such an occasion and we need your presence!

The “Songs of Taizé” published in different languages are simple, but preparation is required to use them in prayer. Short songs, repeated again and again, give the time of prayer a meditative character. As the words are sung over many times, it becomes a way of listening to God. It allows everyone to remain together in attentive waiting on God. See below for more on this way of praying together:

1. October 4 at 4:00PM* we are hosting a pet-blessing together with St. Francis Church at the entry to our sanctuary. (At the bottom of the steps near the sunflowers). Please do bring your scaly, furry or feathered friends! * note the time change 
2. October 4 at 5:00PM we will be hosting an ecumenical song practice. If you can sing, PLEASE come to help us! We will be preparing the 5:30 Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation. We need your presence. We need your prayer. We need your voice. 
3. October 4 at 5:30PM we will gather with people from many different congregations in our area for a Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation.

Meditative singing can also sustain personal prayer. Through singing, little by little, our being finds an inner unity in God. The songs can continue in the silence of our hearts when we are at work, speaking with others or resting. In this way prayer and daily life are united. The songs allow us to keep on praying even when we are unaware of it, in the silence of our hearts.

Today, the Taizé Community is made up of about a hundred brothers, coming from many different ecclesial backgrounds, and from around thirty nations. By its very existence, the community is a “parable of community” that wants its life to be a sign of reconciliation between divided Christians and between separated peoples. The brothers wish to support the search for peace and reconciliation wherever it exists.
Some of the brothers live far away from Taizé, mainly among the very poor; they work among prisoners in Seoul, South Korea, bring relief to the disabled in Bangladesh, welcome numerous children in Senegal and Brazil, and lead youth meetings in Kenya…. The existence of these “Taizé houses” is based on prayer and fraternal life.

Over the years, young adults have been coming to Taizé in ever greater numbers; they come from every continent to take part in weekly meetings. Sisters of Saint Andrew, an international Catholic community founded seven centuries ago, Polish Ursuline Sisters and Sisters of St Vincent de Paul take on some of the tasks involved in welcoming the young people.

Church leaders also come to Taizé. The community has thus welcomed four Archbishops of Canterbury, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, Pope John Paul II, metropolitans and bishops of different Orthodox Churches, the fourteen Lutheran bishops of Sweden, and countless pastors from all over the world.

For more information, go to https://www.taize.fr/en

The “Songs of Taizé” published in different languages are simple, but preparation is required to use them in prayer. Short songs, repeated again and again, give the time of prayer a meditative character. As the words are sung over many times, it becomes a way of listening to God. It allows everyone to remain together in attentive waiting on God. See below for more on this way of praying together:

1. October 4 at 4:00PM* we are hosting a pet-blessing together with St. Francis Church at the entry to our sanctuary. (At the bottom of the steps near the sunflowers). Please do bring your scaly, furry or feathered friends! * note the time change 
2. October 4 at 5:00PM we will be hosting an ecumenical song practice. If you can sing, PLEASE come to help us! We will be preparing the 5:30 Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation. We need your presence. We need your prayer. We need your voice. 
3. October 4 at 5:30PM we will gather with people from many different congregations in our area for a Prayer Vigil for the Care of Creation.