Random Thoughts from the Front Porch

'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are

members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matt. 25:40)

Late in the twentieth century, Michael Eisner, then the head of the Disney

Corporation, gathered architects and planners to design an idyllic American

community. He envisioned a place where neighbors shouted to one another

from porch to sidewalk, where kids walked to the local schoolhouse in

safety, and (I assume) everybody whistled “Zippity Do Da” on their way to

work. The town, called Celebration, is fifteen years old, and is, by most

accounts, a thriving village of active (some would say hyper-active)

residents. People sit on their porches, stroll the wide sidewalks, and talk with

their neighbors. However, the town is not without its problems. House prices

begin at a quarter of a million dollars and go up

from there. The apartments that were originally set aside as affordable rental units have been converted to

condominiums and are out of range for many workers. Consequently, many of the folks who perform service

jobs in Celebration have been forced to become commuters. If you’ve driven in Florida recently, you can

probably understand why many of these folks feel that their dream of an idyllic life just outside of Fantasyland

has become more of a nightmare on the freeway.

Scarcity of affordable housing is not a new problem, nor is it confined to places like Orlando. I am frequently

reminded of this fact of life here on Mount Desert Island. We have all seen the lines of traffic in the morning

and in the afternoon: the folks who do the cleaning, the building, the fixing, the caretaking—in short, the ones

who generally do the heavy lifting—commuting to work because they cannot afford to live here.

Now comes word that one of the few apartment buildings serving the low to moderate income population is

being converted to condominiums. This means that everybody who is now a tenant will be required to find

other housing within a year, and that’s just the beginning. This means that a dozen or more families are about

to become commuters. And of course, it isn’t just the driving that’s a problem. It means that the work day is

suddenly two or more hours longer—no overtime pay, either. It means filling the tank a couple times a week

with three-dollar gas. It means kids in day care, if Mom is fortunate enough to find it.

I do not fault the owners of the apartments. Anybody who has been in the rental business can tell you that it is

seldom “easy money.” They’re probably tired. Rather, my concern is for the folks who will be displaced in

the coming year. My concern is for the kids who will need to leave their friends, change schools, and find their

way in new neighborhoods. My concern is that we are losing good people from our community (some from

our parish) because they can no longer afford to live here.

I wonder if it might be time to talk about what we might be doing about this issue. We may not be ready to

build new apartment buildings, but we can certainly raise our voices in support of those folks who are about to

be forced out of their homes. We may not have the funds to provide the much-needed affordable housing, but

we have a responsibility to do what we can.

Father Richard

Every month as I muse (with some apprehension) about

what to write for the Net Tender it seems that I return to a

theme of thankfulness and thanksgiving……….

--For Fr. Richard’s faithful ministry with the elderly, the

sick and dying, and the bereaved; and with our children in

church and all the young people at Vacation Bible School.

--For our seasonal friends who join us not only in worship

but with “hands to work” in all our ministries and projects.

It’s a special pleasure to have our seasonal Vestry members

aboard: Rod Lucas, Doris Walton, Sandy Watts, Betty

Whittlesey and Neela Zinsser. Their ideas and suggestions

enliven our discussions. Neela, whose membership is at St.

John’s, is now a voting member of the Vestry, thanks to

approval earlier this year of the change in our bylaws. (And

we look forward to seeing Sam Parkman in August.)

--For EVERYONE of all ages who helped with the

Vacation Bible School and with the Quietside Festival.

Should I mention names, I’d inadvertently leave someone

out – you know who you are, of the sleepless nights, the

tired feet, and the sense of accomplishment!

--For all the “sisters and the cousins and the aunts” – for the

children and grandchildren – for the vacationers (from four

states one Sunday) who have joined us in prayer and song.

The 9:30 a.m. service on Thursday, July 26, brought two

threads together, the Alpha and Omega boundaries of our

lives. Fr. Richard baptized Alexander Paul Smith, grandson

of Ed and Martie Samek, joined by a wonderful gathering of

their family in addition to the “regulars” who shared in

celebration of new life in Christ. Joining us also, with their

wives, were Merton and Raymond Murphy, the sons of our

long-time parishioner, Florence Murphy, who died last

Sunday. May Florence rest in new life after a long and

faithful life. The Holy Spirit most surely is present in such

moments of connection.

Looking ahead, we hope you all can join us on Sunday,

August 19, as we celebrate with Ian Bockus the 50th

anniversary of his ordination, at the service and the parish

picnic afterwards. We continue to give thanks for Ian’s

service here during our interim and search period. Bishop

Knudsen will be with us, and we will be able to thank her

for her ministry on her last visit as Bishop to St. Andrew &

St. John. (She will be at St. Saviour’s on Sunday, September

30, for an island-wide Confirmation service.)

Wishing you rest and refreshment in August,

Joan H. Bromage

The Silent Auction raised slightly more than

$7,000, an increase of over 60%. The vestry’s

commitment to share 10% of the proceeds with

the Hancock County Medical Mission really

opened the hearts of both parishioners and

local merchants. I had only been peripherally

involved in previous efforts, and was unaware

of the amount of work and lead-time involved.

Our effort was accomplished by the

superhuman efforts put forth by Doris Walton,

B.J. and Steve Fallica, not to mention Jacob.

Thanks to the many commercial businesses

who generously contributed to the successful

auction.

Ted Bromage

What is a Bishop coadjutor??

The search for our new bishop is entering the last

stages of the candidate selection phase. Over

the next few weeks, seven candidates will be

visiting Maine and participating in final

interviews. On the weekend of August 10-11, we

will meet to narrow the list to 4-6 final

candidates. At this point the work of the search

committee is over and the transition team will

get the ball. They have

already been hard at work planning the

September meetings, at which the candidates

will be presented to the diocese. They are

planning taped interviews where each candidate

will answer questions and also several meetings

where delegates and members of the diocese can

meet the candidates and ask questions. And of

course, the culmination of all this is the

convention in October, where the new Bishop

Coadjutor will be elected. The new bishop will

then have a few months to work with Bishop

Chilton before her retirement at a yet-to-be-

announced date.

Sarah Flynn

Pledged for 2007

$110,800

Pledges received to date

$54,640

Is your pledge up to date?

Budgeted income

$47990

Income received

$49,929

Budgeted expenditures

$76,105

Actual expenditures

$70,551

Budgeted surplus/deficit

-$28,114

Actual surplus/deficit

-$20,622

We had two vestry meetings: one on June 20th and another on July

19th. Many new events are on the horizon: 1) The Finance Committee

unanimously approved the purchase and installation of a new boiler,

burner and boiler mate for St. John for $8370 (yes, it is coming soon!);

2) The Bishop visited Richard and Pamela on June 19th when she

conveyed her enthusiasm for the Vacation Bible School (27 students

enrolled!) and, while touring St. Andrew’s, offered to have our sign

repainted (Chris Peterson is the artist at hand); 3) The Island Episcopal

clergy set Friday, August 24th at 8 p.m. at St. Saviour as the night for

the U2charist (a special Eucharist service featuring the music of U2 in

which Jonathan (St. Savior’s rector) will preach and Richard will

preside; 4) The Quietside Festival as reported by Mary Mitchell took in

over $13,000 (many well-deserved thanks were offered to Mary, who

in turn, thanked Michele Daley, Ted Bromage, and all the others who

made the Festival a wonderful success). Gratitude is also expressed for

Bill Voorhies, who painted the door jambs in the undercroft; for Paul

Haertel who took care of a leak at St. Andrews; to Pamela and Floy

Ervin for their diligent commitment to the Vacation Bible School; and

to Bob Winglass who has been joyfully substituting on the organ for

Bill; 5) Chip Leighton is designing new pew cards and maps for

possible listings of our churches in the Tremont Column of the Bar

Harbor Times and the Acadia Weekly; 6) Patsy Fogarty and Dencie

McEnroe, our representatives for the Acadia Group/5 churches council,

report a continued, strong community emphasis upon joint youth

ministry projects; 7) Rita Redfield will be our delegate to the 2009

General Convention; 8) the Steering Committee for Capital

Improvement will meet with Brett Donham (an architect who has

worked for the Massachusetts Diocese) to discuss changes to St. John’s

structure in fulfillment of our mission; and 9) Richard is contemplating

a new approach to Sunday School for the fall.

In addition to all of the above our August Calendar will hold some

wonderful events: August 8 at 9:00 a.m.: a service for the Feast of the

Transfiguration at Beech Cliff -- every one is welcome! (please see

Vestry members about car pooling); August 18 at 2 p.m.: Timothy

Carter will give the last concert of his series (if you haven’t already

heard him, I strongly urge you treat yourself to this phenomenally

talented clarinetist); August 19th: a celebration of the 50th anniversary

of Ian Bachus’ ordination with a picnic to follow.

The entire Vestry remembered Fred Wake, our charismatic, warm-

hearted friend and his love-filled dedication to service. Fred was love

in action and just the kind of man that makes our Lord smile. We love

you Fred.

Again with the generous help of Patsy Fogarty, these notes are joyously

submitted. Happy August!

Michele Nadder

Douglas Beck, Organist-Choir-

master, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church,

Old Town, Alexandria, VA will

perform on our historic 1885 Hook

& Hastings tracker organ. The

program will include traditional,

jazzy and blues tunes from recent

centuries including one inspired by

Sting. This is music that you will

probably not hear on Sunday

morning! There will be a free will

offering. Please plan to join us for

an evening of glorious organ music.

The next service will be in Bar Harbor at the Seacoast Mission, Sunday, August 5, at 5:00 p.m.

We are thankful that Barry Pollard’s recent stay in the

hospital was short and not serious. She is doing some

driving but would welcome rides to and from Birch Bay

in Hulls Cove for the 10:00 a.m. service. “That would be

wonderful,” she says, if we could put together a regular

group of volunteer drivers. Can you help her to be a part

of the parish family she loves dearly? And/or could you

shepherd this effort? Give me a call 244-3227) or an e-

mail (joan [at] bromage.us) – many thanks.

Why do we seek a mountaintop to celebrate this Feast? It isn’t only because the original Transfiguration was a life-

changing mountaintop experience. The Collect for the Feast of the Transfiguration was written by The Rev.

William Reed Huntington, one of the giants of the Episcopal Church in the 19th century. He was an active member

of the Northeast Harbor summer community and of St. Mary’s. He reportedly received inspiration for the collect

while contemplating on the summit of Sargent Mountain (which we can see from Beech Cliff). The Feast of the

Transfiguration was first celebrated at St. Mary’s in 1887, and the Collect appeared in the 1892 revision of the

Book of Common Prayer, which had been spearheaded by Dr. Huntington. (In our 1990 BCP, the Collect is on

We’ll need to carpool as the Beech Mountain parking lot has limited parking. Meet at St. John’s to leave at 9:00

a.m., or at the Somesville Firehouse at 9:00 if that’s more convenient. We’ll start from the Beech Mountain lot

about 9:15, for the 10 to 15 minute easy hike up to Beech Cliff, where we will gather at an open place overlooking

Echo Lake…and Sargent Mountain.

August 6 also marks the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, a day of remembrance and of prayers for peace.

We remind you of the gathering witness for peace each Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to noon on the Pemetic Green.

Joan Bromage

The Essentials Pantry has a new home at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke in Portland. On Tuesday morning,

June 5, 2007, the first day the Pantry opened there, between 10 and 11 a.m., over 100 people were served,

according to David Fernald, whom I met in the Cathedral office when we recently dropped off our latest

collection of two large boxes of supplies.

The Pantry continues to distribute essentials not covered by the federal food stamps program—diapers,

personal care and cleaning supplies – and the demand for this service continues. The Pantry serves not only

Mainers, but folks from at least 15 foreign countries. Volunteer help comes from seven Portland area

congregations.

Many thanks for your continuing enthusiasm and help in this ministry; the basket is never empty! For the

summer we have added a basket for collections at St. Andrew’s.

Should you wish to send a financial donation, please make the check payable to St. Elizabeth’s Essentials

Pantry, and mail to Laurie Kazilionis, Loring House, 143 State Street, Portland ME 04103.

Joan Bromage

On Thursday, July 26, 2007 at the 9:30 Eucharist

Service at St. John’s, the Sacrament of Holy

Baptism was celebrated. We welcome Alexander

Paul Smith to Christ’s Holy Church. Alexander is

the son of Margaret and Herman-Jann Smith, and

the grandson of Ed and Marty Samek. His

Godparents are Ann and Christopher Hopkins and

(in absentia) Elizabeth and Terence O’Malley.

All of my adult life I have said to myself several times a

day, “what is the most important thing to do right now?”

I am sure that we all do that. It helps keep priorities

straight and helps us work toward balance in our lives.

There are things like “feed the baby” that stay at the top

of the list for years and things like “clean the oven” that

almost never come to the top!

I am realizing that this process is discernment and as I

begin a journey toward the possibility of becoming a

deacon, I know this skill will be important. Taking the

first steps is an exciting prospect and I have been told

that my own discernment and that of others will define

the lengthy process. I have asked for and received the

support my family, the vestry, the rector and the Bishop

and the next step will be working with groups to take a

close look at my aptness for this ministry.

In looking at the history of the deaconate, I am finding

that discernment has been at its core. There has been a

constant struggle to discern and define this ministry

within the church. It has always been “the servant

ministry”, but this ministry has taken many forms since

its beginnings. The earliest Hebrew Scriptures embrace

the concept of care for the poor and the oppressed, and

in the New Testament Timothy (3:8-13) puts forth a list

of qualifications for men and women deacons. Both are

expected to be serious, discreet, temperate and faithful.

During the reign of Constantine rules were defined

about the moral conduct of deacons (and other clergy)

and celibacy was imposed. The question of women dea

cons was raised and remains to this day. Early

deacons had a close relationship with their bishops,

but after the peace of Constantine, they became

scattered and acted as assistants to presbyters. The

function and purpose of deacons has been in flux

since this time.

In the 1800’s the desire to organize women in the

Lutheran Church in Germany led to a deaconess

movement “to care for the needy” and this focus

remains today. This movement quickly spread to

England and America. Deaconesses in the Episcopal

Church were “unmarried or widowed” until 1964.

Fast forward a hundred years as Presiding Bishop

Browning pledged to encourage the deaconate in the

Episcopal Church, but faced opposition from

deacons to the transitional deacon piece of

ordination to the priesthood.

Although, change and debate about the role of

deacons has characterized their history, the Diocese

of Maine has a healthy “formation” program and I

want to chose for my life, in whatever form it may

take, Ormonde Plater’s description of “an expanded

ministry of action, word and liturgy, functioning

within the local people of God and in close

cooperation with the bishop of the diocese.”

Discernment will continue and I will continue to

ask,” What is the most important thing to do right

now?” But---last week I cleaned the oven.

Cass Wright

Did you know? Our parish participates, approximately every three months, in leading Lay Worship Services at

Sonogee Nursing Home. Services are held each week at 10:45 a.m. Other participants include the other

Episcopal parishes, the Roman Catholic churches, the Congregational churches, First Baptist Church of Bar

Harbor, and the Pentecostal Lighthouse. Spencer and Floy Ervin, Ken Cochrane and Rita Redfield, among

others have represented us in this ministry. Michael Shook was a faithful leader before his illness and looks

forward to serving again in the fall.

For many years, Jack Drake and Jackie Davidson have coordinated this ministry. Jack said in a letter enclosed

with the new schedule: “I was looking back over the pages in the file folder. The oldest date I found was 1984.

You may remember that this ministry began as one of several programs of the Council of Churches of the

Island, Inc. We can all be proud of the fact that this ministry is still reaching out with the Word of God after all

these years. We have outlasted all the Council’s other outreach programs and the Council itself, as well as one

of the nursing homes. (Ed. note—Summit House) The lay people of the Island’s churches have done a fine job

of missionary outreach. Thank you for all you are doing to share God’s love with those who are not able to go

out to church. We at St. John’s are also grateful that Fr. Richard has been leading weekly services on Mondays

at Colliers in Ellsworth.

Joan Bromage

Birthdays

Tina Baker

Tom Harrison

Frank Barnes

Brooks Saltsman

Rita Redfield

Peter Obbard

Wedding

Anniversaries

August 13

August 25

August 26

If you chanced to go by St. John's during the week of June 25-29

you would have seen a joyful group of children with their energetic

teachers and an army of enthusiastic helpers all diving deep into

God's Kingdom. Vacation Bible School was a wonderfully

successful experiment under the leadership of our Rector, Father

Richard, and his extraordinary spouse, Pamela. Thanks to all who

were teachers, helpers, food providers, materials providers, drivers,

hosts and hostesses, and financial supporters. You have opened the

door to a future full of hope.

Floy Ervin

editor's note: Floy worked alongside Pamela in the planning and

presenting of the bible school---thanks to her as well.

(Coleridge)

Those at St. John's who have donated or arranged flowers in June

and July are: Ginny Agar,Susan Buell, Floy Ervin, Elise Felton,

Margot Haertel, Neela Zinsser; Jean Storace and Betty Whittlesey

continue to bring and arrange flowers at St. Andrew's Church. Our

thanks to all who give this important ministry.

Susannah Jones

Wow what a great event! How do we

thank the multitude that prepared and

then turned out to work at the

Quietside Festival this year? We raised

$13,000 in (nominally) 5 hours. Each

group equaled or exceeded last year’s

efforts by significant amounts so the

end result brought in 45% more. The

Treasure Trove gained an amazing

80%. The second Saturday of July

seemed a charm and the weather was

perfect for people to listen to the great

music, consume all the goodies, and

flex their wallets.

The Hancock County Medical Mission

will get a donation of $1300, adding to

the $600 worth of goods they sold that

day. We have exceeded the amount

budgeted for fundraising and modest

efforts could wipe out our budget

shortfall.

Our heartiest thanks to all --

--our parishoners who

worked so hard, as well as

others in the community

who helped out.

Ted Bromage

A candidate

elected to be

bishop coadjutor

will become

diocesan bishop

upon retirement of

the current bishop.

So----the bishop to

be elected at our

Maine convention

in the fall will be

coadjutor until

Bishop Chilton's

retirement --that

date to be

determined.

August 24

th

at 5:30 PM

Doors are open at 4:00 and music begins at 5:00 PM

at St. Saviour’s Parish

41 Mt. Desert Street, Bar Harbor

Sponsored by The Acadia Region Episcopal and Lutheran Church

The service combines the liturgy of Holy Eucharist, the music of the Irish Rock Group U2 and the focus of the

UN Millennium goals to eradicate extreme poverty and HIV/AIDS. The service has been held all over New

England and beyond. For many it was a high point at the last General Convention.

Over the last couple of years the U2charist has received international media attention, from newspapers, People

Magazine and BBC presentations and documentaries, for its innovative use of the band’s biblically rich lyrics

and social justice message, for its ability to bring together people of many different generations in a context of

worship, and as a tool for raising awareness and empowering communities to respond to the Millennium

Development Goals.

Bono, the lead singer of U2, has always been outspoken on issues of social justice and, since the Live Aid

concert in 1985, has been involved in efforts to eradicate hunger. Bono founded DATA (Debt, AIDS, and Trade

for Africa www.data.org) to continue to address the realities of extreme poverty and global AIDS, and to

educate and empower people to action. The climax of U2’s recent Vertigo tour was Bono’s invitation to the

audience to sign the ONE Declaration (www.one.org “We’re not asking for your money. We’re asking for your

voice.”), an effort to rally Americans to use their voices together to bring about change, namely for an additional

one percent of the federal budget to be dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and global AIDS. Last year Bono

was named Person of the Year (along with Bill and Melinda Gates) for his tireless work on behalf of the poor

and people living with HIV/AIDS.

On August 24, St. Andrew & St. John and St Saviour’s will celebrate the U2charist at St. Saviour’s in Bar

Harbor. Doors open at 4:00 PM. The house will begin to rock at 5:00. Come. Bring a friend. Ear plugs are

optional!

One of the great joys of this new ministry has been my visits to members of the parish

who cannot attend regular services. I have come to look forward to our conversations, to

our prayers, and to sharing communion. Florence Murphy was one of the first of such

parishioners I was privileged to meet last fall. Soon after I arrived at St. Andrew & St.

John, I made my way to Florence’s porch in Bass Harbor. Due to failing eyesight and

painful arthritis in her knees, it had been some time since Florence was able to get to

church, so she was grateful for my visit. (I was to find out that I was but one of many

visitors to that porch—Florence had many devoted friends!)

Florence shared a number of stories about growing up in Lubec, her work in the cannery

and at the Tremont school, and of course, about her “boys,” Merton and Raymond.

Thee were also fond memories of worshiping at St. Andrew, through good times and

bad, and of those wonderful fish chowder suppers. Invariably, Florence would have a

story about some act of kindness done by a neighbor.

We said goodbye to Florence this week. She was called Home at the age of 92. Hers

was a life of joy, of love, and of gratitude for every gift. May she rest in peace and rise

in glory.

Father Richard

St. Andrew & St. John Episcopal

Church

315 Main Street ● P.O. Box 767 ● Southwest Harbor, ME 04679

Phone 207-244-3229 Fax 207-244-3256

E mail: saints315 [at] verizon net / website: www saintsmdi org

Anniversaries/Birthdays 6

Beyond the Parish

5

Bishop Search

2

Quietside Festival

2, 6

Rector’s Reflection

1

Sr. Warden’s Notes

2

Transfiguration

4

U2charist

7

8:00 a.m. — Holy Eucharist

10:00 a.m. — Holy Eucharist

9:30 a.m. — Holy Eucharist

6:00 a.m. — Contemplative Prayer

Monday · Tuesday · Thursday

8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

The Rev. Richard Tardiff

244-4037

William Voorhies

Michele Daley

Mimi & Frank Barnes

You are cordially invited

to join

The Reverend Canon Ian L. Bockus

and share in his

Celebration

of

Fifty Years of Ordained Ministry

as a Priest in the Episcopal Church

The Right Reverend Chilton R. Knudsen Officiating

St. John’s Episcopal Church

August 19 at 5:00 PM

Parish Picnic to Follow

In lieu of gifts, a donation to the

St. John Rector’s Discretionary Fund would be