APRIL
TONIGHT! Planned Giving webinar with Lisa Meeder Turnbull
Are you interested in planned giving for your congregation, but not sure where to start? It's not too late to explore Planned Giving on Demand and join in the maineshepherds network. Visit episcopalmaine.webex.com on Monday, April 13, at 7 p.m. to join the conversation. (Detailed instructions for joining are available here.)
Contact Lisa Meeder Turnbull at mainestewards@yahoo.com to catch up on the material presented at the January launch meeting.
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Committee on Aging offers book discussion on "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande
Atul Gawande -- award winning author, physician, and researcher -- has written a wonderfully enlightening book. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End explores many questions and situations we will all likely face, but ones we are tempted to avoid. His reflections on his own family, his choices, and how he as a doctor advised his own patients are relevant for all of us. Ultimately, he says our goal should not just be "a good death," but instead how we live and interact with our loved ones during the period before the end arrives. His book helps ask great questions that we as people of faith should consider.
- How do our priorities change as we age? Why?
- How is medicine helping and hurting us, our parents, and our elderly friends and neighbors? Is there something we should do to avoid the hurt? Where things better in the good old days?
- What does he mean when we speaks of "a better life" and having "hard conversations"?
- What, if anything, does all this mean for being a new church in a new way? How can we all help each other?
Gawande's book is the beginning of an important conversation for our time. Join members of the Committee on the Spirituality of Aging at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, for an online discussion of the book. Various versions of the book (hardcover, paperback, audio, or kindle) may be purchased on Amazon. A link to instructions for joining the meeting may be found in the "Featured" box at www.episcopalmaine.org or by this direct link.
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The PB is coming to Maine. Save the Date.
The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, will be in Maine in April. She will be here on Sunday, April 26, to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of St. Mary the Virgin in Falmouth beginning with Eucharist at 9 a.m.with a reception and open forum time to follow in the Parish House.
She will also speak at an open forum on "Change and the Church" at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland on Saturday, April 25, from 1 - 3 p.m.
The Saturday event will include the opportunity to give thanks to God for ++Katharine's ministry as PB and to hear from her on a subject of her choosing. There will be time for questions and for a reception afterwards. Her nine-year term as Presiding Bishop concludes in November.
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Christian Ed Collaboration Meeting - April 27
Everyone is invited to the Christian Ed Collaboration group on
Monday, April 27, from
10 a.m. to 12 noon at the Diocesan Office in Portland. If distance is prohibitive, you can join us online at
episcopalmaine.webex.com. If you have connection problems, call Jane Hartwell at 776-0460. We'll be sharing best practices, sharing questions and planning. For more info, contact
Emily Keniston at
emilykeniston@yahoo.com or Jane Hartwell at
jhartwell@episcopalmaine.org.
May
A day of Godly Play training in New Hampshire
Maine Episcopalians are invited to join folks from the Diocese of New Hampshire for a day of Godly Play training in Dover, NH, on Saturday, May 2. Godly Play is Montessori-based Christian Ed program which many congregations in our diocese use. This is a one day retreat-type workshop, perfect for a refresher or an introduction for those who are new. Details may be found on this flyer.
June
God's Story/My Story: A Diocesan Retreat for Adults in June
Registration is now open for the Diocese of Maine's first adult retreat, which will be held on June 12-14 at Camp Bishopswood on beautiful Lake Megunticook. The retreat will be hosted by the Rev. Michael Ambler and Jane Hartwell. It's designed for everyone who enjoys delving deeper into the things of God. Come ready to experience God in the beauty of nature, in new friendships and in the over-arching biblical story and its relationship to our life stories. Download an information flyer and register at tinyurl.com/AdultRetreat2015.
August
BION Camp will be August 18-22 at Bishopswood for kids completing grades 6-12. Download a flier here and register at www.maineyouth.org . Join us for summer fun!
