The Parish of
St. Mary and St. Jude
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Message from the Interim Rector, The Reverend Frances CoxMy Dear Sisters and Brothers, On June 21 summer officially began. It seems spring has finally just arrived, but we know it is summer because we are welcoming back family and friends, and greeting first time visitors to this beautiful island. This past Sunday we had a couple from Seattle, Washington who had come to town to take possession of a new Hinckley yacht, and another couple from Richmond, Virginia were here on their honeymoon. Our Summer Congregation does truly gather from all over the U.S. and beyond. We are blessed indeed to live here, if for a season or a week or all year. The work for phase one renovation at St Mary's-by-the-Sea has been completed and worship has begun there for the 100th year. This will be a busy summer as we celebrate our centennial in this building on July 14th with the Bishop, and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Consecration of the building as a Church on August 25th - one day after the actual date of August 24, 1902. We hope that all of you reading this can be with us for one or the other (or even better - both) of these celebrations. And don't forget the Church Fair on August 17th. With the celebration of Pentecost we entered the longest season of the church year. Pentecost continues for 28 weeks until Advent begins on December 1 this year. Our Roman Catholic and Methodist brothers and sisters among others call this the "Ordinary Time." This year we hear the Gospel stories from Matthew about the call of the disciples - their coming to know and understand Christ, their witnessing the miracles, and their being sent out to share what they have learned. As we listen we have the opportunity to learn a little more about our own relationship with our Lord and be strengthened for service. We will each hear different things from the same passages. Some of us will be reassured, some challenged, some comforted, some disturbed. As we are willing to listen and act we will grow as individuals and as a community. Are we willing to share what we have discovered? It is only by doing so that we can truly be the People of God. I look forward to seeing all of you this summer. Blessings, Frances From the Interim Rector's Bulletin Board Important Dates this Summer July 7,Sunset Service --- This summer's services will begin on Sunday, July 7th. Hymn singing at 5:45PM, service starts promptly at 6PM. We look forward to seeing you at Rosserne! For directions, please contact the parish office. July 14, 2002 10:30 --- The Rt. Rev'd Chilton Knudsen, Bishop of Maine as Celebrant and Preacher in Celebration of 100 years of worship at St Mary's-by-the-Sea August 25, 2002 --- Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Consecration of St. Mary's-by-the-Sea Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; serve the Lord with gladness and We have several folks who will help us sing to the Lord this summer. We welcome Edie Dunham to the organ bench at St Jude's for the summer. Edie has filled in a Sunday or so in the past and is looking forward to being with us this summer. We welcome organist Dr. Frank Lendrim to St Mary's-by-the-Sea for the end of June and first week in July. Peter Vaux will be back with us in July, and Dr. Stuart Gardner returns in August. Those who wish to sing with the choirs need only to arrive early on Sunday morning to rehearse. Please do come, swell the choirs, and help us make a joyful noise. Bible Study Tuesday afternoons at 2PM beginning July 9th the Bible Study at Sand Point will re-unite for the Summer of 2002. The Thursday night study (entitled "Why should we believe?") will begin July 11 and run for 8 weeks, also at Sand Point. For directions, please call the parish office. THE SISTERHOODSecond in a series of "Profiles in Ministry." When the "Graves Girls" were youngsters, church was a big part of growing up in Northeast Harbor. Sunday School was instructional, fun, and attended by as many as 40 children - that Marion, Jean, Mary, and Sheila would be among them was not a topic for discussion. In those days, children were asked to sing in the choir. There were pageants, picnics, receptions, wedding anniversary dinners, rummage sales, fairs, and summer camps. Faith was developed early through exposure and repetition. The church was a force in the community, breathing strength into its people, providing the foundation stones for life. A look at some of those lives reveals a depth of character and a dedication to service succeeding generations would do well to emulate. Marion "Sis" Peckham, the oldest of Mrs. Graves' girls (born Marion Schurman) spent 17 years of her adult life in Millinocket where she was an active member of the ECW at St. Andrews Episcopal Church. After returning to Mt. Desert, she served as Treasurer of our ECW twice and has been a stalwart of that organization, raising money at summer fairs and rummage sales in the fall and spring, and pitching in to help with receptions, pot lucks, and other hospitality events. She also worked a number of years as secretary in the parish office. At the age of 16, Jean Fernald began teaching Sunday School. The following year, she was named School Superintendent and inherited three other teachers and 30 to 40 students. Jean will tell you she has been involved in our church's education program "off and on" ever since. An understatement if I ever heard one. She has also served on the vestry, the Stroud Outreach Fund Committee, a rector search committee, nursing home ministry, and with her sisters has worked on more fundraisers and church get-togethers than she can remember. Mary Gilley may not be as familiar to some parishioners as her sisters are because she lives in East Douglas, Massachusetts, and summers in Manset. She is an active member of the Douglas Congregational Church where she has served as deaconess, Sunday school teacher, search committee member, and member of that church's Women's Federation (ECW). While Mary is here in the summer, she puts on her apron, rolls up her sleeves, and gets cooking. One of Mary's ministries is cooking. She loves to do it, often contributing a number of dishes for our summer fair, then "working the fair." Sheila Smallidge gets it done as well as her older sisters. She spent 14 years of her married life in Ware, Massachusetts. Trinity Episcopal was her church. There she served on the Altar Guild, ECW, and was the only woman on the vestry. After returning to MDI, she has served on two search committees, the vestry, and ECW. She is involved in the same hospitality and fund raising events as her sisters and has been very active, along with others, in organizing the Christmas party and Mitten Tree. As if she didn't have enough to do, Sheila collaborated with her sister Marion and Phyllis Partridge on a quilt to be raffled off at this year's summer fair. When asked what drives this tightly knit sisterhood to devote so much time, talent, and treasure to the church, the unanimous answer is "We wouldn't do it if we didn't love it." Jean adds that for her the children are a special source of joy. Sheila sums up with a statement that comes from their common character. "We want to keep the church strong." Charlie Tyson Thoughts from the Stewardship Committee. As we enter a period in our church's life when we all need to be more conscious of our stewardship obligations for our property, our people, and our mission, here are some thoughts and prayers we hope will inspire and motivate you. Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little, And we have arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore. have the greatest responsibility. We are more apt to act our way into a new way of thinking than to think our way into a new way of acting. Faith is a gift given to those who act in faith, not wish for it. 1 Chronicles 29: 14 "All things come of thee O Lord…" is a faith statement. We grow in the life of faith by sharing generously with others. WANTED: Old photos of St. Mary's-by-the-Sea. Scour the attic, venture down cellar, root through the photo drawer and see what you can find. The Centennial Celebration Committee is looking for old photos of the Stone Church (preferably with people in them) for the Centennial Exhibit, which will be on display in the church this summer. Be sure to include descriptions of anyone in the photos, what the occasion was, the date, and any anecdotal information you'd like to share. Send materials to Sydney Rockefeller, POB 471, Northeast Harbor, ME 04662. All photos will be returned. Thanks for taking the time to make our celebration meaningful and memorable. Coda. On Sunday, June 9, parishioners gave retiring organist and choirmaster Allen Fernald a grand finale of which even Beethoven would have been proud. Allen was thanked for his many years of dedicated service with gift certificates to Port-in-a-Storm Bookstore and Islandscaping. We wish him and Elaine health, happiness, and a garden as beautiful as his music. |
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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