1

Vol. 33, Issue 11 November 2017 * Christ Episcopal Church, Norway, ME 04268 * 207-743-6782

2017 CHRIST CHURCH LEADERSHIP DIRECTORY

Rector: The Rev. Canon Nancy L. Moore

Deacon: The Rev. Lanny Wenthe

Members of the Vestry

Parish Secretary: Linda Caradonna 743-6782 Mary Bickford 515-1521

Warden:: Barbi Tinder 928-3603 Ted Kehn 527-2313

Warden: Sue Emerson 743-5406 Jen Lehr 743-6677

Clerk: Frances Martin 743-0011 Kelley Wallace 890-4288

Treasurer: Tom Knight 743-8629

Dear Ones,

As I sit to write this, I have just finished my Reformation Sunday sermon, and am pre-paring to attend the Episcopal Diocese of Maine Convention in Bangor, where we will officially start the process for choosing our next bishop. It’s certainly a time for thinking about how God continues to reshape us to fit the times in which we live, always on the foundation of the Gospel—the Good News of the new life offered to us through Jesus Christ.

New life in this world, not just the next.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how 2017 has been a year of “reformation” for me as well. I have a new hip; next week I’ll go in for surgery to repair my ankle, which was damaged 38 years ago. I am being made new.

In April, as I sat at Logan Airport in Boston, waiting to take off for my grand German adventure to celebrate (a few months early) my 50

th birthday, I read the following from

Anne Lamott’s book, Hallelujah Anyway:

The ancient Chinese had a practice of embellishing the cracked parts of value possessions with gold leaf, which says: we dishonor it if we pretend that it hadn’t gotten broken. It says: We value this enough to repair it.

So as we enter that season of Thanksgiving, when we count our blessings, don’t for-get to include the ways in which you learned the value of something in its breaking, and look for ways to repair it. That is at the heart of Reformation—the ongoing work of God to continue to repair, rebuild, strengthen and beautify, in preparation for the king-dom of God.

Blessings,

Pastor Nancy

2

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAYS

Keep current with events at Christ Church.

Website: www.christchurchnorway.me

Facebook: Christ Episcopal Church- Norway, Maine

SUNDAY WORSHIP—10:30 A.M.

EUCHARIST—Wednesday at 9:00

NOVEMBER CALENDAR

08 10:00 A.M. “Embracing the Silence”

12 10:00 A.M. Morning Prayer The Rev. Lanny Wenthe

11:00 A.M. Choir Practice

17 5—8 P.M. Set up for Fair

18 8 A.M.—2 P.M. HOLIDAY FAIR!

19 10:00 A.M. Combined Service at Trinity Thanksgiving Pot Luck Lunch

20 BEEHIVE DEADLINE!

22 No Wednesday Eucharist

10:00 A.M. “Embracing the Silence”

23 Noon Community Thanksgiving Dinner at St. Catherine’s

26 10:30 A.M. Pledge Ingathering

11:30 A.M. Choir rehearsal

Mid-Week Eucharist at 9:00 A.M.

every Wednesday

Do you want to get your

Beehive by email? Just let us

know!

05 Lisa Tinder

Lillian Wallace

06 Bernice Kehn

09 Jenna Mulandi

12 Julia Cunningham

17 Cheryl Guilford

18 Jean Cunningham

25 Nik Parsons

27 Charles Hammond

CHAPEL SHEPHERDS

November: 05 Sue Glines

12 Mary Bickford

19 (@ Trinity)

26 Martha Eaton

December: 03 Susan Glines

10 Barbi Tinder

17 Martha Eaton

24 (none needed)

31 Mary Bickford

Please note: If you are not able to serve

on the designated Sunday, please swap

with someone on the list. Thanks!

MILE OF PENNIES

We continue to collect pennies. Please bring your pennies to

church and deposit them in the jar on the shelf outside the office. They will benefit the Church Periodical Club to provide grants for books and materials for children.

The Annual Christ Church Holiday Fair will take place on Saturday, November 18th from 8 a.m.—2:00 p.m. The fair will feature our popular Themed Basket Raffle which has been a huge hit in recent years. We need people to put together these baskets! On November 5

th at

1:00 p.m. Bernice Kehn’s daughter Cathy will demonstrate how to decorate the baskets—we would love you to attend this wonderful event! If you are able to fill a basket and/or have ribbon, please bring it with you.

We are also continuing with our famous cookie drive, and are looking for people to bake their delicious cookies. Please see Mary Bick-ford or call her at 515-1521 if you have ques-tions about donating cookies or other baked goods.

If you wish to donate craft or Christmas items, tables will be provided for them. If you wish to sell items, some tables are available for rent. The cost for an 8-foot table is $20.00.

We are always looking for helpers!! Set up is Friday November 17, 5—8 p.m.

TIME FOR OUR HOLIDAY FAIR!!

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18

8:00 A.M. — 2:00 P.M.

3

Photo by Barbi Tinder

Starting this month one of the bulletin boards in the hallway will be available to share stories, pictures and

more that portray examples of the diocesan theme “Jesus is here! Right here! Right now!

You will find photos of some of the activities of the last few years and more as events take place. Look for

some photos of “packing the bag activity” for Wisdom's Women, contributions to the food banks, the par-

ticipation of the children, blessing the backpacks and more.

As an example: You know that I enjoy nature photography and you have seen some of the examples.

What you didn't know until now is I have a folder of images on my computer labeled “Nature's Cathedral”

that I have added to for several years. To mark this beginning of our journey acknowledging Jesus is here

with us I invite you to open the door and enter Nature's Cathedral! ( the photo is from several years ago

and has always been titled “gather at god's table.”)

YOU are invited to share photos and/or stories about a way Jesus is in the midst of what you are doing.

Please give some thought about the ways that you encounter Jesus and share your story with others. If

there is something that you do in your home, community, school, area, please consider sharing the story

and/or pictures with the parish community. Please drop your contribution of the story and/ or photos in

the large envelope found on the bottom corner of the bulletin board that will display the activities where

Jesus is in the midst of the people of our parish, our community. Please include your name and statement

of permission of the people in any photos with your contribution so that we may contact you with any

questions or clarification.

- Barbi Tinder Warden

COME TO THE TABLE

4

TIME TO CHECK OUT THE CHURCH LBRARY

A great selection awaits you.

Frommer’s "Israel: with Excursions to Jordan and the Sinai”, is in our library.

This book, published in 1998, would have been my choice, if I had known about it, for use in tour-ing Israel, as my wife and I did, the following year (1999). Although it is primarily oriented toward the independent traveler, preferably with a rental car, it would benefit anyone who travels there. We were part of a combined Congregational and Episcopalian tour group; it wasn’t until I scanned through this book that I realized how much we really missed. Sad to say we missed visiting 4 Israeli wineries!

Our days in Israel weren’t empty by any means; perhaps it is best to say that 2 weeks aren’t nearly long enough to exhaust the treasures of this quite small country.

I’m sure later editions would include internet contacts which this earlier book lacks.

We were there during a quiet political period. Our tour leader was a highly educated Palestinian Christian who was able to take us to all parts of Israel. I don’t know what the situation for the travel-er is now, although I do see occasional advertisements for tours by Christian groups.

If you are considering any type of visit, the wonderfully detailed text of this Frommer’s guide would add immeasurably to your knowledge and enjoyment.

- Ted Kehn

STEWARDSHIP

Stewardship is central to everything that we are and do as we care for the gifts that God has en-

trusted to us. Christian stewardship is an intentional choice and a joyful response to return to God

a portion of these gifts of time, talent and treasure.

Once again we have the opportunity to consider our stewardship response for all that has been

given to us. The pledge campaign for the upcoming year will begin on October 22nd with the first

of three messages given by parishioners. They will share with us their stewardship journey and

how they support the ministry of the Church.

Pledge cards will be mailed out the week of November 12th with the Ingathering on Sunday, No-

vember 26th.

Please prayerfully consider your financial pledge as well as your commitment of time and talent for

2018. Your pledge of time and talent is equally important to support the ministry of Christ Church.

Please fill out both sections of the pledge card.

Thank you for your continued support.

Yours in Christ,

Tom Knight, Stewardship Chair

5

The Deacon’s Lens

STEWARDSHIP IS MANY THINGS

When an Israelite, back in Temple days, wanted to express thanksgiving to GOD for some reason,

whether for a particular blessing or a more general sense of gratitude, there was a traditional way to

do so. The head of the family would select from his herd, or purchase, a perfect animal, one of the

very best, without any flaw, and take it to the Temple. There it was placed in the hands of a priest,

with a declaration of the reasons for the offering. The priest would slaughter the animal in a pre-

scribed way, then place the meat on a grill over a fire where it was cooked.

As that was happening, the family would gather somewhere nearby and prepare the rest of a feast.

When the meat was ready, it was returned to the presenter, who carried it to the gathering. Then

the family, and anyone else they might invite, would eat the meal with great delight, and with the

sense that GOD was both the source of the feast and a participant in it. These occasions were rare

in their experience for many reasons, among them the distance between where they lived and the

Temple, and that meat was precious and not a regular part of their diet. So such an offering called

for the very best of everything and was an EVENT in the life of the family.

That sounds a lot like what our Thanksgiving Day is in our society. More people travel to be togeth-

er with family on that day than any other. The meal we share is a feast of delicious food, well pre-

pared, in plentiful supply. We might have dishes that are prepared only then, the family stories get

retold, probably there are tears and laughter, and a hush of peace falls over the world.

It is harder for us to keep vivid our awareness of GOD being the source of the feast and a presence

in our gatherings. Most of us live some ways away from the primary source of the food we share.

So we buy it from someone else, maybe even mostly prepared. Then we pat ourselves on the back

about how well we provide for our family. Fewer of us pause to remember GOD as the Creator who

makes it possible and offer our thanks for the food and for each other. Nor do we tend to conscious-

ly honor the ways in which GOD sustains the world and our families.

Psalm 65 is often heard in worship around this time of year. It is a fitting match, for it reminds us of

GOD’s place in our understanding of ourselves and the universe. The psalm reminds us that we all

stand before GOD with all our strengths and weaknesses, our gifts and our needs, where we re-

ceive forgiveness and blessing. The psalm praises GOD as the One who puts creation in order, in

proper functioning, not just for Israel or for us, but for all peoples. It concludes with an extended,

idealized, description of the attention GOD gives to the fruitfulness of the earth.

This Thanksgiving, when you gather around the table with family and friends, have someone read

Psalm 65 as your prayer of thanks for all GOD gives to us, and talk about it as you feast, and give

thought to ways in which you can express your gratitude and praise to GOD.

- Br. Matthias Tanner, O.S.L.

Christmas is coming. Ready — set — not yet.

On a recent trip to purchase candles I was besieged with Christmas candles and accessories.

The Hallowe’en decorations (this was early October) had already been relegated to the sale ta-

bles. Thanksgiving was nowhere in sight.

What is going on? Fall school supplies arrive in the stores at the end of June, Hallowe’en decora-

tions, including giant size sweets, arrive at the end of August. Is it too much to ask that we enjoy

the moment? By the time the actual holidays we want to celebrate arrive we are exhausted from

the advertising and the hype.

Here we are at the beginning of November. We have about four weeks to consider Thanksgiving.

I say consider, not consume. And forget Christmas for awhile. Thanksgiving is a time for reflec-

tion: for what are we grateful, for whom in our lives are we grateful, for what God in His mercy has

provided for us.

Thanksgiving is not a time to whine, nor is it a time to worry about the coming of Christmas. It is a

time to celebrate our lives and families. It is also the time to keep reminding ourselves of our

brothers and sisters who are not as fortunate as we are and consider what we can do to lessen

their burdens.

So, at this Thanksgiving let us focus on giving thanks. And the day after let’s forget about rushing

off to Christmas shopping, and instead begin to prepare for Advent and the true meaning of

Christmas.

Rev. Lanny

6

Special combined services

November 12 and November 19

Nancy will have ankle surgery on November 10

which will prevent her from driving for two

weeks, Nov. 12 and Nov. 19.

For those two Sundays the schedule for com-

bined services will be as follows:

November 12: 10:00 A.M. at Christ Church

The Rev. Lanny Wenthe will hold a service of

Morning Prayer

November 19: 10:00 A.M. at Trinity Lutheran

Nancy will get a ride and will be back for a

Combined Thanksgiving Service

and Pot Luck Luncheon

In addition to contributing food to the feeding programs at the high school and one of the ele-mentary schools for the month of November, the vestry approved having a winter program for both of the schools to contribute “winter needs” in the form of mittens, gloves, hats, and scarves, All are invited to be involved-the items may be knitted, crocheted and/or purchased to be given to students. The programs are at the Paris Elementary School and the Oxford Hills Middle School and High school Everyone is invited to participate in this outreach activity. Keep your eye out for a large basket/ wooden bucket in the library to gather the contributions.

- Barbi Tinder

Greetings to all, At our last meeting, the Vestry approved donation of some of the food gathered at Christ Church (in the hallway basket) to go to the Progress Center to help with the homeless and food insecure students at the high school. Our volunteers are helping twice as many students this year as we did last. Also, the food sources like grocery stores and food banks are all being tapped by many organizations. So the selection this year has been light. Each week we try to put together a variety of healthy foods, snacks, breads, fruits, and vegetables for 17 students. Foods that would be helpful for the students are things like soups (individual ones for a microwave or cans with a flip top lid), jars of peanut butter, boxes of saltine type crackers, and breakfast bars, etc. When selecting food we try to keep in mind the students don’t always have access to a kitchen. Thank you for what you already donate. It all helps. Sincerely, Sue Emerson, Warden

The last day of

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

is NOV. 4th!!

Turn your clocks BACK an hour when

you go to bed

Saturday night, the 4th!

7

JESUS IS HERE RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW

In the diocese of Maine, diocesan convention is the gathering of all the parishes and mis-sions to do the business of the diocese, hold elections for diocesan positions and attend to the diocesan wide business. When you attend, you discover it is much more than that! Folks who have served on a diocesan wide committee, or been participants in electronic diocesan wide committees, or have served as one of the representatives of their parish multiple times, they often describe conventions as being a bit like a family reunion. Con-vention is a mix of accomplishing the legislation of business and sharing a meal with friends and folks you are getting to know, or catching up with those you see at regional meetings, or reconnecting and catching up with friends.

This year, right from the beginning of the day there was a good atmosphere and energy among the delegates. Bishop Lane started the convention with Jesus is here! Right here! Right now! Throughout the work of the convention there was the sense of Jesus n our midst.

Can you picture Jesus right here with you.... right here, today, among us?

Think about the three statements for just a minute or two and reflect on what you are feel-ing as you think about each one. Imagine what you can do! Imagine what we can do to-gether! Imagine making decisions knowing that Jesus is right here, right now with you.

The business of the day included using an electronic pad for elections. (that was a little larger that a business card) to do all our balloting, Many people, including Bishop Lane commented on how quickly the process was accomplished. (No more passing out ballots, marking them, having them collected and tallied before knowing the results.) Resolutions included amending canons, clergy and lay compensation, support of the Holy Land's chil-dren, closing of a parish, and the concerning the processes of discerning, electing and consecration of a bishop.

Jesus was among us and within many of the people gathered at diocesan convention. It happened right here and right now!

Your deputation: Rev. Nancy Moore, Rev. Lanny Wenthe, Peter Bickford- Diocesan Com-pensation Committee, Mary Bickford, Barbi Tinder

Our church is well-represented at Diocesan Convention!

Mary Bickford, The Rev. Nancy Moore, The Rev. Lanny Wenthe, Barbi Tinder, (back) Peter Bickford

8

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH

35 Paris Street, Norway, ME 04268

WORSHIP & OTHER PERSONNEL OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2017

PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO SERVE ON A SCHEDULED DATE, PLEASE FIND A REPLACEMENT. LET

THE CHURCH OFFICE KNOW THAT PERSON’S NAME BY THE TUES. MORNING BEFORE YOUR SCHEDULED DAY.

Coffee Hour will be AFTER church. Coffee is also available in the Guild Room before the church service.

2017

DECEMBER 03

DECEMBER 10

DECEMBER 17

DECEMBER 24—

TBA

DECEMBER 31

EUCH.

MINISTER

Allan Crane

Peter Hammond

Carlyn Kroitzsh

Sue Emerson

ACOLYTE CarlynKroitzsh Priscilla McFarland Doug Wall Carlyn Kroitzh

LECTORS

A. Crane-OT/Pr.

P. McFarland-Ps/

P. Hammond-OT/Pr.

T. Kehn-Ps./NT

C. Kroitzsh-OT/Pr.

K. Willoughby-Ps./NT

S. Emerson-OT/Pr.

Br. Matthias-Ps./

USHERS Wes McFarland

Beulah Ayer

Tom Knight

Donald Adamson

Peter & Mary

Bickford

Beulah Ayer

Martha Eaton

COUNTERS Carolyn Tanner

Priscilla McFarland

Peter Hammond

Tom Knight

Carlyn Kroitzsh

Mary Bickford

Peter Bickford

Tom Knight

COFFEE

HOUR

TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA

ALTAR

GUILD

Dec. 02—Dec. 15

Martha Eaton

T. Cunningham

Dec. 16—Dec. 29

Mary Bickford

Carlyn Kroitzsh

Dec. 30—Jan. 12

Bernice Kehn

Bonnie Trundy

NOVEMBER 05

NOVEMBER 12

NOVEMBER 19

NOVEMBER 26

EUCH.

MINISTER

Barbi Tinder

Morning Prayer

No Eucharistic minister

At Trinity

Thanksgiving/Pot Luck

Tom Knight

ACOLYTE

Carlyn Kroitzsh

No Acolyte needed

At Trinity

Doug Wall/

Jason Wallace

LECTORS

B. Tinder –OT/Pr.

Br. Matthias–Ps./NT

K. Willoughby

At Trinity

T. Knight-OT/Pr.

R. Laban—Ps./NT

USHERS Tom Knight

Jason Wallace

Beulah Ayer

Martha Eaton

At Trinity

Peter & Mary

Bickford

COUNTERS Carlyn Kroitzsh Peter Hammond Tom Knight

Carlyn Kroitzsh

COFFEE

HOUR

Christine Hebert

Carolyn Tanner

Beulah Ayer

Kathy Parsons

ALTAR

GUILD

Oct. 21—Nov. 03

Mary Bickford

Carlyn Kroitzsh

Nov. 04—Nov. 17

Bernice Kehn

Bonnie Trundy

Nov. 18—Dec. 01

Jan Wall

Merton Lord