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St. Aidan's Episcopal Church |
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Dublin Hill |
Lindsfarne Log
August, 2004 Dear Friends in Christ, In the middle of this month we will celebrate the feast of St. Mary. Protestants call her Mary, the mother of Jesus. Roman Catholics refer to her as the Blessed Virgin and Greek Orthodox Christians call Mary the God bearer. In Episcopal circles, all these titles are used along with others: Mary of Nazareth; Mary, the Mother of God; the Virgin Mary and Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary’s many titles reflect her significance to Christians and our various perceptions about the impact her life and ministry have on our lives. Mary has been an object of veneration in the church since the apostolic age. She has been a favorite subject in art, music and literature. Her humility and obedience to the message of God at the time of the Incarnation have made her an example for all ages of Christians. Early in church history Mary was honored and esteemed. Irenaeus (a Bishop and patristic theologian c. 130-c. 202) called her the New Eve and the Council of Ephesus in 431 declared her Theotokos, Mother of God, because of the hypostatic union of divinity and humanity in the one person Jesus Christ. Anglicanism has not generally accepted beliefs concerning Mary’s perpetual virginity or bodily assumption to heaven after her death, but some hold these views as pious opinions. In addition to Christmas, feasts associated with Mary include the Presentation, the Annunciation, and the Visitation. Mary the Virgin is commemorated in the Episcopal calendar of the church year on August 16th. In Christ, Betty The Maine Blackfly Breeders Association (MBBA) by Holly Jackson The Maine Blackfly Breeders Association is a non-profit group that raises money through the sale of humorous blackfly related items, houses, bumper stickers, T shirts, etc. and donates the proceeds to local charities. The MBBA was started as a spoof by the late Peter Crolius and existed only in print 11 years ago. After Peter passed away, others took over writing his satirical articles about raising blackflies, making them the state bird, and their nemesis, The Mosquito Breeding Coalition. More and more people wanted to join in the fun and soon conventions were held on February 29th, parades were entered, and money started flowing in. The MBBA became non-profit under The National Heritage Foundation. They have donated thousands of dollars to local charities such as the Machias Food Pantry, The Ark Animal Shelter, local libraries, High School Art Scholarship programs, Big Brothers & Big Sisters, and the Quoddy Regional Land Trust. They also have participated in the DownEast AIDS Network annual walkathon for more than ten years in both Ellsworth and Machias. During the three years the walkathon was held in Machias, more than $2,000.00 was raised by the MBBA alone. The MBBA has more than 600 members and lifetime membership cost is $1.00. One person asked, "So you are a non-profit organization that exists only to raise money to give it all away." "Yes" was the reply "and to have fun, too". Half of the fun is giving the money away. You can find out more about the MBBA by checking out their web site at www.maineblackfly.com. And as always, may the swarm be with you. From the Treasurer’s Desk by Beth Schwenk We rejoice and thank God that the rain is beginning to fall! (See my item in the last newsletter regarding Elijah and the widow.) We have, thanks to help from many sources, been able to continue our ministries in the Machias area. I am especially pleased that we are able to proceed with plans for our annual free Fun Fair for Kids, to be held this year on the last Saturday in July. This activity is open to all area children between the ages of 2 and 12 and everything, including lunch for children and parents, is absolutely free. There will be many games and craft activities (all with prizes) supervised by volunteers from the congregation, as well as a lunch of hotdogs, punch, brownies, and ice cream delights. We thank everyone who has sent donations that allow us to not only sponsor the Fun Fair and continue our other important ministries, but to pay our bills on time and keep our doors open. Ordination at St. John’s, Bangor
On June 19, 2004 five Maine Episcopalians were ordained to the Sacred Order of Deacons by the Rt. Reverend Chilton R. Knudsen, Bishop of Maine. The five are Leonetta Burns from St. Giles, Jefferson; Thomas Duplessie, St. Martin’s, Palmyra; Elizabeth O’Donnell, St. John’s, Bangor; Lynn Rutledge, Christ Church, Eastport; and Betty Seidle, St. Aidan’s, Machias. This most festive service followed several years of intense study by those ordained. Episcopal deacons assist bishops and priests in all their duties, and it is a special responsibility of deacons to minister in Christ’s name to the sick, the suffering, and the helpless. A Deacon’s ministry is one of servanthood. Deacons have charge of their own discretionary fund which they use to help those in need. Contributions to the deacon’s discretionary fund may be sent to the church at any time and will be greatly appreciated. Deacons are persons chosen and recognized by the Church as being called by God to the ordained ministry. They are admitted to this sacred order by solemn prayer and the laying on of hands. The theme of the ordination service was this quotation from the Gospel of Luke: "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." The Reverend Seidle has been assigned to St. Aidan’s Church by Bishop Knudsen. The Washington County Children’s Chorus Trip To Luxembourg by Molly Nichols On June 16, 2004, the Washington County Children’s Chorus departed for Luxembourg. Taking a bus to Boston, we then flew from Boston to Keflavik, Iceland, where, after a short wait, we flew into Frankfurt, Germany, then taking a bus to our Scout lodge in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg.Our ten day stay was action-packed; we performed many concerts in many venues: for the wreath-laying on graves at Hamm Cemetery; for the first musical performance in the new room at the U. S. Embassy; as part of the National Holiday festivities of Luxembourg; at Bourscheid Castle in collaboration with La Chanterelle, a Luxembourg children’s chorus; and, of course, formal concerts is beautiful churches. We had so many arrangements that we barely had time to sit down – our concert clothes got much ‘good wearing-time’ – but when we did get the chance to relax and see the sights, it was amazing. We got to cruise down the Moselle River in a gorgeous boat with a dining room where we ate; we got to spend an evening exploring the beautiful Luxembourg City and even though all the shops were closed for the national holiday, the churches and cathedrals were breathtaking and the cafes scrumptious); and we got to spend an afternoon cruising through the shops in the city of Trier, Germany, picking up gifts for our friends at home. We got the chance to meet many young people (even if they did not speak English) and see many sights as well as participate in their holiday traditions (a torchlight parade included). We saw war museums and helped the Luxembourgers commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. We were exposed to a wonderful slice of culture, beautiful scenery, amazingly friendly people, new and different languages, and all in all the unparalleled experience that traveling to a foreign country brings. For many of us, our heritage is there in Europe; this was a wonderful, and perhaps for some, the only opportunity to see such a lovely part of the world. We must all shout out our thank-yous to the adults that made this trip possible by raising SO much money and coordinating all of this for us so that we could have this memorable cultural experience. Truly, it was a wonderful time.
A Final Thought Facts Everyone Should Know If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing pound puppy underwear and a superman cape. If you use a waterbed as home plate while wearing baseball cleats it does not leak – it explodes. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 square foot house 4 inches deep. Play-dough and microwave should never be used in the same sentence. No matter how much Jello you put in a swimming pool, you still can not walk on water. VCR’s do not reject peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Always look in the oven before you turn it on The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earth worms dizzy. It will, however, make cats dizzy. Quiet does not mean don’t worry. You never want to hear "Watch me fly" coming from the roof. Bugs are not a dietary supplement. ‘Fan’ and ‘flour’ should never be heard in the same sentence. Any sentence which contains the word ‘Oooops’ is bad. Cats do not like to be wrapped in duct tape. Cats get even. This newsletter was edited by Betty Seidle. If you have information you would like included in the next newsletter, please call me at 255-3328. The deadline for submitting information is October 1, 2004.
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