Dust off your name tags – we are back in church! For the second Sunday we have worshipped together in the nave while some have remained at home and participated via Zoom.
On July 4th we will be returning to pre-pandemic days and resuming our regular two services at 8AM and 10:15AM. Coffee hour is on hold until the Fall, but there is ample opportunity for chatting and catching up on the porch or the front lawn.
The Vestry met in-person at the parish house this past Tuesday. Updates were reported from Vestry members on the Discernment and Planned Giving Committees. The Vestry reviewed and voted to accept new guidelines for in-person worship effective immediately with additional changes beginning in July, using recommendations by our COVID Task Force following new CDC guidelines. Approval was given to appropriate up to $1000 for maintaining the flower gardens. The Vestry voted to support an outreach endeavor to raise $3000 over a three year span for Lebanon, from 5th Sunday collections. Also approved, was to raise $3000 for scholarship funding in the next three years for two students attending Lincoln Academy from Beirut.
The few of us present were dressed in red! The church looked festive also “dressed” in red! And Bishop Thomas Brown was with us to celebrate Pentecost and bless our recently restored and moved baptistry window via a streamed service to the parish.
Our baptistry window, previously installed next to the last pew, has been restored and now hangs behind the font on full display from inside and outside of the sanctuary.
The Bishop will be visiting via ZOOM on The Day of Pentecost, May 23rd, so please mark your calendars. Please join us for ZOOM Church and Coffee Hour!
Our biannual “KNIT-A-THON” will be held on May 8th from 9:00am – 6pm outside on the lawn of St. Margaret’s, weather permitting. Any and all are welcome to drop in with handwork or just for support. We will be raising money for the Belfast Soup Kitchen, an organization that supports many individuals in our area facing food insecurity and homelessness. Any and all donations are welcome. Checks can be made payable to The Women of St. Margaret’s (Knit-a-thon in the subject line) and brought to the event, or mailed to 95 Court St. Belfast, ME 04915.
Your lay leadership team, from left to right: Kristen Burkholder, Faye Ward, Julian Sheffield, Deirdre Good, Rev. John Nieman, Kenneth Taylor and Audrey Klein-Leach. This group has been meeting after church starting in late January — and going for nearly 2 months — learning about leading Morning Prayer and preaching, mostly by rehearsing and receiving feedback. Many thanks to Rev. John for taking the time to encourage and support us in this important aspect of our church life going forward.
Maundy Thursday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m. Holy Eucharist/Spiritual Communion, concluding with the stripping of the altar.
Good Friday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m.The Good Friday Liturgy from the Prayer Book, including the reading of the Passion Narrative from the Gospel of John.
The Lighting of the New Fire, April 3 at 7:00 p.m.This will not be the full Easter Vigil, but simply the first part of the Vigil, including the lighting of the new fire and paschal candle, the chanting of the Exsultet, and the first proclamation of the Resurrection.
Easter Sunday, April 4 at 9:30 a.m.Holy Eucharist/Spiritual Communion with Baptism of Amber Marie Wagner (Jeanne’s granddaughter).
All St. Margaret’s services will be on zoom. The Lighting of the New Fire on Saturday evening will be done outside, weather permitting. If we are outside, all are welcome to attend in person, masked and physically distanced. If the weather does not permit, we will hold this indoors exclusively on zoom with only the several leaders present in person. We will announce the outside/inside decision in next Friday’s News from the Pews. Zoom links to all the St. Margaret’s services will appear in a special e-news edition next Wednesday, as well as next week’s News from the Pews.
The 2021 version of Knitmaineia begins on March 1 with an online auction of shawls, sweaters, hats, and knitted animals. In addition, there will be a slideshow of knit and crochet work in lieu of a runway show. The auction items are complete, but please enter photos of any handwork throughout the month of March. Inspire and admire! To submit your work for the slideshow click on the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTSq-SiGnfauerVs0u5C6OLlyUEk9n1XlBwbQdXKOAXyhcsw/viewform?usp=sf_linkTo bid on auction items or simply make a donation for New Hope For Women visit https://www.32auctions.com/knitmaineia2021
Ash Wednesday service will take place at noon via ZOOM.
The Imposition of Ashes will take place at 4:00 p.m. Participants must wear masks and remain in their cars parked in front of the church on Elm or Court Streets. We will come to you with the ashes. This is both to ensure physical distancing and to avoid the possibility of folks slipping on the snow and ice.
