The Parish of
St. Mary and St. Jude
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A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR, DAVID J. LUCEY How to Feed Five Thousand In business school there is a subject called statistics where the instructors attempt to give the students the tools to deal with predicting the effects and finding solutions for problems of large numbers. One such tool is called "queuing theory." It is designed to deal with staffing or production needs that meet demand for goods and services. The running joke in queuing theory problems has to do with predictability. It goes like this: What are your staffing needs if your check-out people are capable of handling a customer every 30 seconds and you have 1,000 customers a day and an eight hour day? . . . Assume that your customers are coming at regular intervals. Well, the catch here on Mt. Desert, and in business school, is that life and customers never come at regular intervals. They come in bunches, and not at all, and then straggle in unevenly for a while. The pattern is that there is no pattern. Yet, the object is to catch as much of that life as you can when it is there. So, in Maine in summer, along with the warm weather, the blossoms, and the long hours of daylight, we enjoy the arrival of a diverse set of people who bring energy and vitality to this community in a new way and in large numbers. And we who are here all year round must look for all the resources needed to serve and enjoy this life. The Gospel lesson for Sunday, July 20th was instructive about how to adjust to times like these. The story was from Mark (6:30-44) and it was Jesus' feeding of the five thousand. In that story Jesus went from a small group of close associates to a large crowd of unknown guests in a short period of time. His disciples saw this explosion as a problem. They did not have enough food. They wanted Jesus to send the people away to go in search of their own food. Jesus saw the crowd as an opportunity to minister, and pastor, and to grow, not only for the unnamed crowd, but for the disciples as well. He knew this to be important, even if it was only for a short time. He told the disciples to look for a solution. They were stumped. Then Jesus showed them the way. With himself at the center, the apostles as his aides, and the crowd gathered as a community, five thousand people were fed on initial resources of five loaves of bread and two fish. This story can serve as a model for our own encounter with unpredictable abundance. Keep Jesus at the center of our vision, be prepared to see life in a new way, be ready to assist, and be prepared to enjoy the community we are presented, for however long we have it. If I have not caught up with you yet to extend this invitation, bear with me. I will get to you. In the meantime, you are welcome at the feast and in the community anywhere, any place, any time. Faithfully yours, The Reverend David J. Lucey, Rector Notes from the Senior Warden by Sally Merchant A summer greeting to everyone, far and near! I invite those who are near to come worship at any of our services in Northeast Harbor or Seal Harbor soon. And, as part of our ongoing mission of outreach to others, I ask you to make an increased effort to bring guests and friends with you and to introduce them to Sts. Mary & Jude. If you feel called to provide "coffee hour" treats, please sign up with Kate Gile in the Parish Office at 276-5588, or sign the sheet at the back of church to indicate your willingness. And by the way, if you're doing the hosting, feel free to be creative. Vary the menu. Include St. Mary's eight o-clock service in this ministry. This summer, our parish has been a busier home for young people - summer students from Mount Desert Elementary School as well as youngsters from Landmark Volunteers. The latter will "camp out" in the parish hall for a week (July 27 to Aug 8) while working on the Island. In exchange for our hospitality, the Volunteers have offered us one day of free labor. This is a first for us, and we welcome the Landmark Volunteers to the parish. The 184th Diocese of Maine Convention is October 24th & 25th in Bangor this year. If you are willing to be a delegate, please contact the Senior Warden. Thanks to those who have taken on this ministry for many years and who continue to represent our parish with grace. Watch closely for messages from your Vestry about the needs of our churches and how you can help meet them through increased annual giving and plate contributions. Please feel free to talk with me or with any member of the Vestry about issues surrounding our financial situation. We will continue our mission to keep the parish informed, encourage "pledging," and create a new understanding of what it will take to sustain and grow the ministries of your churches in Seal Harbor and in Northeast Harbor. Interested in serving on the Vestry? We are presently in the process of identifying a new slate of Vestry members and officers. We invite your input on candidates as well as your ongoing prayers for the work the Vestry does on your behalf. Treasurer's Report by Dooney Iselin Total income for the month of June was $5,716, down $3,553 from the previous month. This was contrary to expectations, as "of course" things pick up over the summer. The present month is looking better, but not much better. Our Net Ordinary Income for Jan - Jun '03 was minus $37,851. That's an improvement over the minus $52,659 we predicted and budgeted for the first half of the year. No matter how you look at them, however, these are unsettling figures. I think we were hoping for a big wave of enthusiasm to sweep over the community and solve the problem. It hasn't. We have not done enough to make understood the needs of the Parish. Suffice it to say that they are $37,851 greater than where we have come so far this year. For that number we could claim the privilege, at the moment, of just standing still. Calling All Stewards! We would like to suggest to all parishioners a new way of thinking about Stewardship. Stewardship is no more a fall fundraiser than a steward is a servant of the wealthy. In God's eyes we are each asked to be a steward every day of the year. Stewardship means reverently and conscientiously taking good care of the gifts God has given us. It means making the most of these God-given gifts. It means thinking seriously about how God wants us to use our gifts. As you consider the many needs of this world and our communities, we ask that you seriously consider the many needs of this parish. There are staffing needs and bills to pay. There are outreach programs and educational needs to fund. There are diocesan obligations to meet. We have spoken about building our endowment and about restoring St. Mary's-by-the-Sea. We have a pressing need to increase annual giving through pledges and Sunday offerings. Contrary to what most outsiders and many parishioners believe, our church is not wealthy. We run two churches and maintain four buildings with an annual budget of $213,000. This budget is tight to the point of absurdity, allowing for nothing more than bare maintenance of the status quo. Annual giving and plate contributions by parishioners and guests provide about 50% of this amount. Endowments provide 38%. We are 12% short of meeting even a bare-bones budget. We cannot even think about new programs or an expanded mission. So what is the answer? It starts with an awareness of our needs and a new mindset that Stewardship is everyone's responsibility. In 2002, we have no record of giving for 37% of the parish membership. Only 17% made a pledge (20% in 2003, a good sign), while 63% made an annual gift. We are grateful for and to these Good Stewards. For 2003, we urge all stewards -- those who give and those who don't -- to step up to the plate (literally and figuratively) and swing for the fences. Charlie Tyson, for the Stewardship Committee Farewell and Thank You Miles and Janette Grindle The Rector thanks Janette Grindle for years of faithful service as parish treasurer and wishes her and her husband, Miles, God's blessings in their new home in Eddington. The farewell party at the Seal Harbor Community Hall on June 29th was well attended as the Grindles many MDI friends bid them safe passage and hoped they would revisit their old stamping ground often. God Is Good Bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people. These are life's experiences as we ride the froth of free will that is composed of thinking, emotions, behavior, and sexuality. But God is Good as the creator gave us life, the air we breathe, the universe and all its contents. The creator's power in the form of the Holy Spirit is everywhere. You can ask yourself: "Have you seen God in His splendors, heard the text that nature renders" or looked into the eyes of the family pet? In order to access the Holy Spirit one must behold it. By beholding this power we can become aware of peace, assurance, gratitude, and love as we travel through life's experiences. Alan T. Gregory Behind The Scenes by Martha Bucklin, Junior Warden So often we take for granted the many things in our lives that just seem to "happen." For example, the operation of the Parish office and the care and cleaning of our buildings and grounds. I'd like to introduce you to the two angels in charge of making these things happen, Kate Gile, Parish Administrator and Lois Leaven-worth, our newly appointed Sexton. Kathleen "Kate" Gile was born and brought up in Methuen, Massachusetts and now lives in Seal Harbor. She and her husband of 31 years, Joe, who works in animal health at the Jackson Laboratory, have two grown children, Mike (30) and Katie (24). Kate came to our parish in 2001 and helped us keep the churches going during the transitions between an interim priest, no priest, and our new priest, David Lucey. I asked her how she would describe her job. With a wry smile she used the word "eclectic" and followed that with "I wear a lot of hats." Some of the "things" in her daily work include: bookkeeping, recording and depositing plate contributions, preparing the Sunday service bulletins, dealing with vendors, maintaining office supplies, keeping schedules for altar flower donations for both churches, building our data base and mailing lists, responding to the Wardens' requests, preparing the church calendar and overseeing the mailing of the monthly Harbor Chart, scheduling lay readers and chalice bearers for three services a week, answering the phone, and helping parishioners who drop in or call with information and answers to their questions, not to mention helping to keep our new Rector organized and in the right place at the right time. But through everything, Kate loves the work and the people and manages to keep her sense of humor. In her private life, Kate attends Holy Reedemer Catholic Church in Bar Harbor where she is a Lay Eucharistic Minister and her husband a Lector. Kate also does volunteer work for Island Connections, as a driver and Friendly Visitor. She is an avid reader and loves to hike Acadia National Park's carriage roads. If you think Kate is a "Jill of all trades," you haven't met the new Sexton for St. Mary's and St. Jude's, Lois Leavenworth. Lois hails from Grand Rapids, Michigan. She was brought up in the Methodist Tradition, singing in the church choir and an a cappella group in High School. Lois has a degree in commercial art and has, in her words, "taken every art course you can imagine." She worked as a make-up artist in a fashion boutique as well as an interior designer for a large furniture store. She is a painter, a potter, a ceramic tile decorator, wallpaperer, and plasterer. She helped site, design, and build her home and garden on 30 acres of land in Grand Rapids. How did she land in Northeast Harbor? For a number of years, she was employed as a personal assistant and first mate on private yachts. She sailed on the Great Lakes and up and down the Atlantic coast from Key Largo to Northeast Harbor. While here, she became friends with members of our parish through volunteer work at the Neighborhood House and for the Northeast Harbor Christmas celebration. She treasures these friendships and after many conversations with God out on the ocean, decided to make Northeast her home port. Lois' background and experience uniquely qualify her for the position of Sexton. Every day brings a new task, a new situation, all of which she capably addresses. Talk to her for any length of time and you will discover a woman of many talents who looks on the bright side and takes life as it comes. Outside of her employment, Lois has been a Big Sister, loves to cook (she won last year's Chili contest at the Neighborhood House), she sings in the Union Church choir, and continues to pursue her painting. Campin' on Campobello Under the eagle-eyed supervision of Kathy Suminsby, Cissy Leonardi, and Jim Crockett, four of our Girls spent this year's Scout weekend at Campobello. They took in all the sights including a tour of the Roosevelt's summer "cottage" (see photo), visited virtually every gift shop on the Island, and got lots of experience in camping and outdoor cooking. Weather cooperated to an extent. On Friday the Scouts, Stephanie Leonardi, Ashleigh Littlefield, Caroline Lucey, and Kayla Crockett, made camp and prepared "camp food" in the rain - burgers, salad, fried potatoes and S'mores. However the weather cleared on Saturday and was just beautiful on Sunday. Saturday night's supper was fried chicken, rice, broccoli (Can you believe that's what they chose for their veggie? That wouldn't have been the choice 20 years ago!) For dessert they created a pineapple upside down cake baked in Kathy Suminsby's Dutch oven. (Leave it to Kathy to find a way to add a gourmet touch to camp food.) Later, the girls topped off the evening with a chocolate fondue snack, dipping strawberries, bananas, and orange slices in the chocolate. All in all it was a successful weekend. Traveling to another country, hands on camping, and the camaraderie that working together fosters are experiences we are sure the Scouts will talk up among their friends. Hopefully more of them will want to join the Troop to learn new skills and for next year's trip. |
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The Parish of St. Mary and St. Jude
P.O. Box 105, Northeast Harbor, Maine 04662 Tel: 207/276-5588 Fax: 207/276-3220