The Parish of
St. Mary and St. Jude
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A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR, DAVID J. LUCEY MISSION! MISSION! MISSION! Why on earth, or maybe, why, in heaven's name, is the church here? The answer is Mission. Everything we do- worship, outreach, pastoral care; or say‹teach, preach, sing; is harnessed to this one thing: proclaiming in word and deed the good news of God in the person of Jesus. How do I know this? Because the Bible tells me so. The phrase may be hackneyed, but that makes it no less true. Here are the accounts: Matthew 28:19- " '...Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit...' " Mark 16:20- "And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it..." Acts 1:38-39 (Luke/Acts)- "Peter said to them,'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him...' " John 21:17- "He said to him the third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' And he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.' " These are the Gospel accounts of why we are here. They differ slightly only because the communities where the stories were told were different and needed to emphasize different parts of the same message. This parish is part of this larger story and larger mission. We are here to call into relationship, through our words and actions, those who seek the love of God in Christ on MDI. How we say this and how we do this depends on the needs of the place where we live. Once we have claimed this tradition, a tradition as old as the founding of the church, we can make the important decisions of action and detail. We can decide on the way our services will proceed, the music we sing, the programs we offer, and the building we gather in. But make no mistake, whatever statement we make about our mission, it must be evaluated in the light of these Gospel accounts. If they are consistent, then our mission is true and will be blessed. The parish of Saint Mary and Saint Jude was established for the purpose of carrying out Christ's call. We honor our forebears when we continue their work with energy and purpose. We honor them in worship, action and proclamation. But more importantly, we honor Christ our Savior. In this issue of the Harbor Chart you will find three statements about our mission that have been introduced to the vestry for clarification and evaluation. We want your feedback. But keep the "Great Commission," of Jesus in mind as you pray and reflect. To honor him is our purpose, and to proclaim his love is our goal. Faithfully yours, The Reverend David J. Lucey, Rector SERVICE AND PICNIC AT SUMINSBY PARK by Sally Merchant, Senior Warden What a great day at Suminsby Park on Sunday, September 21st! Over 70 Saint Mary's and Saint Jude's parishioners, friends, neighbors and guests attended the annual church service and picnic at Suminsby Park at 9:30 am. It was the first church Fall picnic for Katherine, Rev. David J. Lucey and their family. The weather could not have been more glorious. Thanks go to Henri Agnese, Chuck Bucklin and Robert Coolidge for doing the set up and cooking. Thanks to Peter Vaux for playing a small keyboard provided by Sandi Myers. Everyone brought pot luck to share and kids had plenty to play with. There were even some teenagers in attendance this year which brought an added bonus bringing together all ages. Personalized invitations were sent in advance by many parishioners to friends welcoming them to join our casual service and pot luck. So, quite a few friends and family members were welcomed to our community. To tell you that we needed more chairs could suggest a flaw in the service but since we endeavor to focus on the bright side, we'll simply remember this next September. Thanks to all who attended, cooked, bought, set up, cleaned up, participated, stayed and enjoyed one another's company. Your prayers are asked these days for folks in our parish community who work through life's hardships alone. It is not possible to know what the person next to you is experiencing or how he does it without your extra support. While we do not all go on the prayer list, outreach for our parish family and community start with a simple handshake or a hug. Keep that in mind as you greet one another this week and every week. CAN YOU BE A CONVENTION DELEGATE? We still need one more, and right away!! The Diocesan convention takes place in Bangor on October 24th & 25th. Materials are now on-line or in our Parish Office with Kate Gile. Please call her ASAP. HAVE YOU REMEMBERED THE CHURCH IN YOUR WILL? If not, please consider a bequest of cash, securities, or property to the Parish of Saint Mary and Saint Jude. Leave a legacy that will truly enrich the lives of future generations. THANKS FROM THE ALTAR GUILD Summer months have flown by and we are in our Fall season. Big hugs and thank yous to those members who have added so much to our services as lay readers, chalice bearers, alter guild angels, alms, greeters and lemonade/ cookie hostesses. As we enter into Fall the invitation remains open for your assistance. The feelings of satisfaction of being a part of the service can be a moving experience on your spiritual journey. Training sessions can be arranged on an individual or group basis. Please call Kate to set up a time for scheduling. Thanks, Sandi TREASURER'S REPORT by Dooney Iselin Saint Mary's and Saint Jude's just did something formidable. We broke even for the month of August. In fact we had a surplus of +$865. It was accomplished by an increase in participation. We normally "collect big" in January, but you have now made it happen in August. If we did it once, we can do it again, and again. Congratulations! DIALOGUE WITH THE BISHOP by Rev. David J. Lucey Bishop Knudsen has been holding a series of Town meetings which are intended to provide a forum for dialogue concerning the General Convention's vote to consent to the consecration of Gene Robinson as the Bishop Coadjutor for New Hampshire. Bishop Robinson's election and consent have been controversial because he is living in an openly gay relationship with his partner of thirteen years. His election and consecration would make him the first openly homosexual Bishop in the Anglican communion. There have been threats of schism and open defections from the church due to this vote. Bishop Knudsen and the delegation from Maine voted for consent. On Thursday, 11 September, six members of the parish, including the rector, attended one of these meetings held at Saint Patrick's Church in Brewer, Maine. Prior to the meeting there was a large turnout for the regularly scheduled evening Eucharist. After the Eucharist the Bishop gathered over 90 people in the basement for dialogue. As an introduction, Bishop Knudsen had three members of our Diocesan delegation address the gathered community to give their impressions about the convention and its activities, with a mind to remind us that not everything was about Gene Robinson. Bishop Knudsen framed this town meeting as a dialogue and not a debate. The important distinction is that dialogue is a process in building a community while debate is a forum to win people over. The bishop assured us she was not there to convince but to listen. And this is what she did for forty-five minutes. Views, almost evenly divided between people for consent and those against, expressed themselves and their feelings openly and without hostility. In the end the Bishop was able to, in an atmosphere of mutual respect, answer questions that were raised in the discussion. She was also able to genuinely and loving call us to remain together, conservatives and liberals, so that our mutual gifts may be exchanged and our lives together in Christ strengthened. CALL TO MISSION by Rev. David J. Lucey During the vestry meeting on Tuesday, 16 September, I spent time with the vestry presenting three mission statements. They were for purposes of evaluation and comment. Each has a different vision of the island and the parish implied in it, and each sends us in different directions as to how make decisions about our actions. Over the next few months we will undertake to evaluate and refine our vision and mission. These three options are offered to generate discussion, and reflection. The vestry and I welcome your feedback and response. OPTION 1. VISION: Mount Desert is a traditional community combining year Śrounders who make their living from the state's basic industries and summer residents who view themselves as an integral part of life on this island. MISSION: [Anchoring or Nurturing] a community of believers in an Orthodox life in Christ. COMMENTARY: This vision and mission statement is one which expresses a deep commitment to the "traditional" view of the Episcopal Church. It is church that people move into after having been introduced to Christianity in other ways. The mission values the Prayer Book, the Hymnal, the authority of Scripture, the architecture as we have always known it in this community. OPTION 2. VISION: Place is important for training, nurture and expressing our understanding of God and Northeast Harbor, Saint Mary's and Saint Jude's are important places within the greater whole, especially the buildings that house its members. MISSION: Our mission is to provide a place of worship in the Episcopal tradition for year round and seasonal residents and visitors. A place that helps launch us into ministry. A place where we can more fully discern and develop our God-given gifts. A place with the resources to inspire, educate, nurture, unite, support, and challenge us to use our gifts in the service of the Lord. COMMENTARY: This is the parish's current mission statement. It begins to get at the needs to serve God through our actions with each other. It sees the church as a training ground and a place of expression of our life with God. And it accurately reflects the needs of the community in the process of searching for leadership. OPTION3. VISION: Mount Desert Island is growing and changing. The community we have known is still part of us but that new things and people have been added, and that even long time residents are doings things differently than a generation ago. MISSION: Building a community of seekers on Mount Desert Island. COMMENTARY: This is a statement that relationships are the core of the church, and it makes no distinction between current members and potential members because all are viewed as seekers at some point along a journey of faith. It also honors the notion that we are always in the process of creating, as opposed to ever knowing a sense of perfection or completion in this life. Because it is about building it also it hooks into the notion that we are always creating a space, either new, or from the existing structure that allow people to form community with God and each other. And since it is a process, it allows for changes to meet the needs of the Island community as it is currently expressed while also allowing for the notion that there are traditions and people on which this process is created. |
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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