The Parish of
St. Mary and St. Jude
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A MESSAGE FROM THE RECTOR, DAVID J. LUCEY PURPOSE AND BLESSING In our Rector's Forums during the month of July we have been exploring the best selling book by Rick Warren, A Purpose Driven Life. Rick Warren is the pastor and "founding" clergy of the Saddleback Church in California. This church has over 17,000 members. Over 20 million copies of Rick Warren's book have been sold. And that was before the eight new copies associated with our group. As a friend of mine says, we ignore churches and books like this at our own peril. Rick Warren's book has something important to say to churchgoers and non-churchgoers alike. Whether we wish to admit it or not, our purpose in life is to be with God and with each other. Life is all about the relationships. The rest of what Rick Warren says is commentary on how to make our relationship with God and with each other work. The message is pretty simple, but the doing is pretty hard. It is hard to do because of this little obstacle called sin. Sin, what ever else you say about it, is that thing which separates us from God. Sin can be actions large and small, but in the end, sin is the thing in humans which cause us to be self-centered and self-focused instead of God-centered and God-focused. Sin is that thing which distracts individuals and churches from their real jobs. What Rick Warren constantly reminds his readers is that God deeply desires our sin to be put aside so that we might have a real and intimate relationship with him. In other words, God wishes us to be blessed by his love. That is what this whole Jesus business was about, expressing how deeply God wished us to be with Him, by demonstrating love in the life of Jesus and by demonstrating self-sacrifice in Jesus' death, and by demonstrating the power of love in Jesus resurrection. I have been interested in reading Rick Warren's book in order to see what this phenomenon is all about. The more I have read, the more I realize that A Purpose Driven Life is a guide book standing in the tradition of Christian living that has been handed down to us from the very earliest proclamations of the Church. In fact, take away the modern graphics and the modern Biblical translations, and we will find a book much like the Episcopal Prayer Book, a guideline to living for God's blessing. Listen to our own purpose as stated in the Catechism: "What is the mission of the Church? The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ." (BCP, p. 855) Unfortunately, we have buried that bit of wisdom deep within the recesses of our church guide while Rick Warren has planted the thought front and center. We have been made for the purpose of receiving God's blessing through our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is not new news. It is the Good News. And it is nice to be reminded what we are here for. Yours in Christ, David+ A Message from the Senior Warden We Traded In Our Old Chimeras for New Canon Imaging In 2004 I had the privilege of speaking at the first Sunset Service and focused on a man of small stature - but a gigantic historical figure - Sir Winston Churchill. It was he who, at a commencement speech at Oxford, gave a three-word address - Never Give Up. This summer I much appreciated the same opportunity and concentrated on another brief message from a truly universal and eternal figure, Jesus Christ. We pretended that He was a senior partner at Morgan Stanley or E.F. Hutton, and we were asking His investment advice. The purpose of most visits to these advisors is to find out, among other things, how to conserve capital, or increase one's assets, or set up financial support for future retirement. Jesus would certainly agree with those goals (and wish us well), but He would add this very significant bit of advice: Invest time in and for others. That is the message from Matthew 6: 20-21: "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven...for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." LOVE can often be spelled T-I-M-E. It is so easy to walk by the people of life - to walk by them and not even see them, or hear them, or get to know them. It is equally easy to let others take up the slack. C.S. Lewis, better known for his Chronicles of Narnia, but also a theologian, distinguishes between need love and gift love. Need love says, "I need your love. I need you to do something for me." It's focused on what we get. Gift love emphasizes "what can I do for you with no thought for myself?" Why this introduction? Because this parish never ceases to amaze and delight me with the strong current of individual and concerted efforts which surge through our infrastructure and are given so willingly. We have abundant gift love. Many examples were given last month. Noteworthy now is the work related to Saint Mary's-by-the-Sea, quite obviously the most visible project within our parish community. But this effort has two distinct elements: the structural and the spiritual. The mortar and granite component is proceeding very well. This is no louche crew; they are very skilled, cost effective, almost lapidary in the precision of their management of the building, and have provided a courteous cushion to reduce any disturbance of the neighbors to an absolute minimum. As they progress, there is confirming evidence that the walls are in as good, if not better, shape than our second and third opinions declared. Thanks be to God the vestry made the effort in its time-consuming, but critical, decision to eliminate the suggestion that we dismantle the church before reconstruction. A new slate roof (with insulation) and replacement of the bell tower and clerestory windows will follow later this season. The spiritual side of this equation came about because of the need to determine if we wanted, as a congregation, to follow the tradition of worshiping at the stone church during the summer in spite of the debris and dust, inconvenience and contraptions, associated with the masonry work. The important news is not that a strong majority voted in two consecutive weekly polls to remain. What is most uplifting and enriching is that 41 people volunteered to help on Saturdays to clean the church in preparation for Sunday services. The volunteers included many who were seasonal residents - but there were in addition, our Music Director, our acolyte, all the ladies in the Altar Guild who returned a ballot, and a significant number of voters who preferred to move to the winter chapel but agreed to help if the vote was to stay. What a glorious expression of unselfish community spirit! What an investment of time for others! Many thanks to each of you. Sadly we are losing a person who set a splendid example of devoting time to the young people of the parish. Christy Roix has married and will be moving out of Maine, but she carries with her our everlasting appreciation for the many hours she offered in guiding her classes in Sunday school. Her example of commitment even in occasionally difficult circumstances calls to mind a brief story which reminds us of Christ's reminder to reach out - even if it seems awkward or uncomfortable. A second grade Sunday school teacher was welcoming her students when she noticed a newcomer, a seven year old named Davey. Immediately she noticed that his entire left arm and hand were in a full plaster cast. She tried to be sensitive so as not to call attention to his impediment. She had no opportunity to prepare the children for this situation, so she proceeded nervously, very cautiously, hoping she would not call upon Davey for something he could not do, and praying that the other children would not say anything to embarrass him. Usually she would ask her students to circle up and hold hands to say the opening prayer. But purposefully she omitted that. Finally, as the class came to a close, she relaxed a little bit. Calling on the children to come forward, she said. "OK, boys and girls, let's make our churches. Here's the church. Here's the steeple. Open the door and…" with a sickening thud it hit her. She had done the very thing she did not want to do. As she stood there speechless, little Karen saved the day. Very gently, Karen reached over to Davey and poised her left hand in his right hand saying, "It's OK, teacher, Davey and I will make the church together." Referring to the title, we may not read the Canons routinely, but we have the message of those and the Scriptures. And this is the way I see our parish - taking the time to reach out to and with those with whom we are very familiar and to those less well known, bridging gaps, and building Christ's church together. We have it on very good Authority that it is a wise investment. With much appreciation for the opportunity to serve, Michael T.B. Dennis, M.D., Senior Warden COMMUNITY NEWS Union Church Fund-Raiser Our friends and members of the Union Churches of Northeast and Seal Harbor are planning a chicken barbecue to be held on the Village Green in Seal Harbor on Saturday, August 20th, starting at 5:30 to 7:00pm. Entertainment will include "Out on a Whim," a barbershop quartet. Tickets ($12 adults and $7 children) will be available through the Union Church office in Northeast Harbor (276 5521) and at the Seal Harbor Village Green on the night of the event. Rector's Forums This summer we are having another bestseller as the base of our discussions, Rick Warren's A Purpose Driven Life. This book and its companion attained national attention last year when a woman in Atlanta, Georgia, who was being held hostage by an escaped convict talked her captor out of his flight and abduction by the precepts of the book. Rick Warren is the founder of the Saddleback Church in Saddleback, California, which now has over 17,000 members. So he is familiar with the results of a church and a life driven by purpose. The book is intended to be read over a span of forty days, and breaks down easily into weekly sections. You can read along or join us for any given Sunday in the Winter Chapel. We look forward to seeing you there at 9:15am. Summer Bible Study Interdenominational fun, food and fellowship at Sand Point, 72 Sargeant Drive: Denise Hanley and Patsy Fraser will facilitate the study (for women only) entitled "What An Awesome God We Love and Serve" on Tuesdays at 2pm. Ron Fraser will facilitate a study entitled "Practical Advice from Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Jonah, Queen Esther, Job, David, and Peter" at 7:30pm on Thursdays. Musician Wanted Kathy Suminsby is looking for a pianist or organist to play at the Sunday, August 7th service at Sonogee, the Bar Harbor nursing facility. The service lasts about 45 minutes; music will make a great deal of difference to the worshipers. Please call Kathy at 276-5498 if you are able to help out. Bishop's Visit We will be honored by a visit from the The Right Reverend Chilton R. Knudsen who will celebrate Eucharist at the 10:30am service on Sunday, August 14th. The Rev. Lynda Tyson will be the Bishop's Deacon for the service. A reception will follow at the Winter Chapel. All are invited to attend. Saying Farewell Christy Roix Duggert, long time Church School Adninistrator and Mount Desert Elementary School teacher, her daughter Caroline, and husband Jon have moved to Connecticut in search of gainful employment in a school system there. We wish them well. They will be greatly missed. Jordan-Fernald Funeral Homes Honored Jordan-Fernald Funeral Homes, a business with a long history in Hancock County, was named the 2005 recipient of the Gannett Family Business of the Year Award for small business. The distinction was announced at an awards dinner in Freeport on June 7th. "It was quite a surprise," said Thomas Fernald, "a lot of deserving businesses were nominated." Lauri Fernald added: "We are very honored to be recognized. It was really a reaffirmation of what our family has been doing; serving other families in the community." Four of the Fernalds - Thomas, Lauri, Robert, and William and their families - traveled to Freeport for the festivities held at the Harraseeket Inn. The business was founded in 1860, and currently is in the fourth and fifth generations of ownership. This is particularly impressive considering statistics that show fewer than thirty percent of family-owned businesses survive to the second generation and only thirteen percent make it to the third generation, according to Bob Caswell, executive director of public affairs for USM. Caswell stated that family-owned businesses represent approximately ninety percent of all businesses in Maine. Six family members work at Jordan-Fernald Funeral Homes, led by President William C. Fernald, according to Caswell. The family operates four funeral homes in Ellsworth, Mount Desert, Bar Harbor and Blue Hill. The annual awards ceremony is a program of the Institute for Family-Owned Business, a non-profit organization based at the University of Southern Maine that was established in 1995 to support family-owned businesses, stated Caswell. The Gannett Family Business of the year Awards were established in 1999 to recognize family businesses that demonstrate creativity in ensuring their company's vitality, while maintaining ties with their communities. A total of twenty-two businesses throughout the state were nominated and evaluated by a panel of judges. Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers in Freeport was named the winner in the large business category. |
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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