Announcements – February 16, 2020
Become a volunteer with Street Pastors
The Street Pastors will have an information/training session on Sunday, Feb. 16. To learn time and location please contact them at 207-619-0840 or bangor.maine@streetpastors.org and please continue to pray for this ministry.
Columbia Street Lunch is March 1 The sign-up sheet is in the Common Room.
Dignity First Needs Your Write-In Vote!
St. Patrick’s member Jamie Beck recently started a nonprofit Dignity First that supports the unhoused and homeless in the Bangor area. Here is your chance to nominate Dignity First as a write-in option on Bangor Savings Community Matters More online ballot. Click below for the online ballot, fill in your name and email address, select Maine, then under Southern Penobscot region’s five nominees, add Dignity First.
https://www.bangor.com/community/community-matters-more
LENTEN LETTERS to St. PATRICK’S
During the five Sundays of Lent, the second lesson will be read as a letter to St. Patrick’s from one of our neighbors and will highlight the various ways that the “least of these” and Christ are crucified in our modern world. These letters will then be nailed to a piece of wood and hung on the wall as one of the stations of the cross.
Wednesday evening Lenten services
Once again, churches that are part of the community Lenten services will be having Wednesday evening services. All services start at 6:30 PM, starting here at St. Pat’s.
February 26— Ash Wednesday. St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church,
Pastor Gretchen Casey -preacher
March 4— Holden United Church of Christ-Church Road, Holden, ME
the Rev. Peggy Day- preacher
March 11—North Brewer Eddington United Methodist Church–31 Main Rd, Eddington
Pastor Jon Ouellette -preacher
March 18— East Orrington Congregational Church-38 Johnson Mill Rd, Orrington
the Rev. Linette George -preacher
March 25— Lighthouse Church of God–696 River Rd. Orrington
the Rev. Ron Chaffee preacher
April 1— Orrington United Methodist Church– 14 Center Drive, Orrington
Pastor Jerrod Oltman preacher.
We at St. Pat’s are hosting the first of 6 Wednesday Evening Lenten services and will be providing refreshments. If you would like to bring something to serve, please sign up in the Common Room . This has been very well attended in the past, and it’s nice to see so many folks from other churches in the area. Questions? Jamie Beck is the in charge.
Faith Linking in Action
Transportation for All (TFA) has had quite a week after an 8-year struggle. Success at last with tremendous effort. The Community Bus Connector Hub will remain in Pickering Square. There is a grant to build a new hub which will include green space. Work can now continue with other pending improvements like better bus stops and schedules, extended hours, and much more. The monthly meetings are the 3rd Thursday 9-11 @ Peace and Justice Center, 96 Harlow Street, Bangor. (Across the street from the Bangor Public Library) Contact information: Darcy Cooke 989-5860 Darcy@foodandmedicine.org
Childcare/Jobs Team is getting into full gear. They are supporting a new bill in the Senate: LD 1760 an Act to Support Children’s Healthy Development and School Readiness. This bill created the First 4 ME Early Care and Education Program under the Department of Health and Human Services to provide comprehensive, high-quality early child care and education services for at-risk children under 6 years of age who have not entered kindergarten and the children’s parents by funding projects that integrate comprehensive resources and services with traditional center-based and family child care settings. The pilot projects will be a partnership between government agencies, businesses, and parents. The Childcare team is right in the thick of this learning about the specifics of the bill and how families in the Bangor area will benefit. Awareness, education, implementation, evaluation are only some areas the team will be investigation. A copy of the full bill is in the Common Room.
Childcare is also working on the third annual Week of the Young Child event at the Discovery Museum in April. Join the Team which meets the 1st Wednesday of each month. Next meeting is March 4 6-7:30 at First United Methodist Church, Essex Street, Bangor. NOTE NEW MEETING DAY. Contact: Mary Ann Perry 570-3113 or Team Chair Roz Fisher: osurosalyn1960@gmail.com
The Food Access Committee (FAC) has been very busy planning the upcoming activities in February! Everyone is invited to participate in the events! The next event will be: A cranberry jelly-making workshop will begin at 11:00 am on SATURDAY, February 22 at the Miller Square kitchen (315 Harlow Street). We are gratefully accepting any 4- or 8-ounce jelly jars, lids, and rings for this event! Contact Peg Olson (ptpeg2014@gmail.com) with any questions.
The Second Moveable Feast
The Second Moveable Feast supporting Faith Linking in Action is Saturday, April 18, 2020 . It will be held in the Orono area this year. The Islamic Center has agreed to serve the hors d’oeuvres. We are being asked if St. Patrick’s would be willing to provide the main meal of lasagna. This would be served out of the kitchen at the Keith Anderson building in Orono. I am willing to make two vegetable lasagnas. I am wondering if others would be willing to make lasagna as well. We would need 6- more. If you are willing to help,
Please let me know. There is an oven there and we are planning to get warmers.
Thank you for considering this. Peace, Peggy Day
Help Support the Bangor Homeless Shelter
The Islamic Center of Maine along with Temples Beth El and Beth Israel will hold an Open House fundraising event for Bangor Homeless Shelter on Sunday, March 15 at Temple Beth El from 2 to 4:30 pm. Heavy appetizers will be served. There will be no admission fee, but donations are being accepted. The proceeds from the event will go to the shelter to get a new boiler. The St. Pat’s Outreach Committee has contributed $100 towards this event so look for the flyers and plan to drop-in.
What’s Happening at the Wilson Center
The Wilson Center invites you to an interfaith luncheon on March 12, 11:30-1:00. The topic is “Feeding Our Community Through Service and Devotion.” Lunch is provided at no cost to attendees, thanks to our co-sponsors the Jewish Community Endowment Associates. Additionally, The Wilson Center is also hosting a Meditation Circle on Tuesday evenings, 5:30-6:30. Our program director Anna Godsey says that everyone is welcome who would like to explore mindfulness.
Women’s Book Sharing Group to Kick Off in April
If you are interested in participating in a once a month women’s group, please sign up in the Common Room. The book we will be sharing is “ by Lindsay Hardin Freeman. See a description with the sign-up sheet. Pat Blethen will be facilitating the group.
- The group is open to all women, no church affiliation is required. Sign up sheet is being sent to congregations only as an easy means of distribution. It has been sent to all the churches in the Brewer Ministerial group as well as St James and St John’s.
- Please check all the dates/times you would be available to meet. The one that works for the most people across locations will be selected.
- Please sign up by 2/26/2020 (Ash Wednesday)
- The initial gathering will be held at held in April at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church on the corner of Main St. and Holyoke, Brewer. Hosting of future meetings will be determined at the April gathering.
- People will be notified of the selected date via email.
- Attending every month is not required.
- Purchasing the book is not necessary as the material will be shared during the meeting.
Coffee Hour: Please sign up to host coffee hour. The sign-up sheet is on the Common Room table.
Where does the loose offering in the plate go? The Outreach Committee would like to remind folks that the loose plate offering on the second Sunday of the month goes into the Outreach fund. On the third Sunday of the month it goes to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund. On other Sundays it goes into the general fund.
Prayer list updates: Larry and Bonnie Puls are the contact people for creating the prayer list. If you would like to add or delete someone from the prayer list you can add your request in the Common Room or contact the Puls’ at: bonniepuls@aol.com or 942-1321 .
Artful Spirit Connection welcomes back the artists from Citizens of Maine (COM) back for the Spring Reveal exhibit from March 1 through April 12 (Easter). A Spring Reveal reception and art activity will be held Monday, March 16 from 6 pm to 7 pm. The art activity will be St. Patrick’s Day oriented and it is an opportunity for St. Patrick’s members to meet the artists of COM.
