A Maine minister delivered the opening prayer before the U.S. Senate in Washington earlier this month. The Rev. H. Kenneth Dutille of Swans Island, near Mount Desert Island, is pastor of Swans Island Atlantic Baptist Church and founder and director of the Blood of Christ Food Pantry. He… Read More
    A congregation on Outer Broadway plans a series of programs it says are designed to bring the church to the community this summer. Abundant Life Church will hold four events called Mix 2006 around the city designed to appeal to families of all ages, according to the Rev. Read More
    Brian Cramer has become music director at People’s United Methodist Church on Depot Street, just off Union Common. Cramer teaches music in Fairfield and trained at the University of New Hampshire. For more information, call the Rev. Michelle Grube, 785-4114. Read More
    The Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor this month officially joined the ranks of the denomination’s Welcoming Congregations program. Many in the religious community of Greater Bangor assumed the church had joined the program designed to welcome and celebrate bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgendered worshippers years ago. The Unitarian… Read More
    Glad Tidings Church is introducing Target Ministries. The idea is to involve people in helping other people do things they no longer find easy to do for themselves. On the last Sunday evening of each month, the congregation gathers in the main auditorium on Broadway for worship, then… Read More
    Conservative and liberal Episcopalians left their national meeting in Ohio this week upset by a measure that won last-minute approval asking for restraint on electing gay bishops. Conservatives called the General Convention resolution meaningless since it fell far short of demands from top Anglican leaders… Read More
    GUILFORD – Guilford Center Baptist Church is like an old familiar friend to Elaine Law, 76, of Dover-Foxcroft. The quaint white church in her childhood neighborhood was like a second home to Law and her family, including her grandmother, Carrie Wharff, her father and mother,… Read More
    I turned 50 about six weeks ago. It was a quiet evening. My wife, Alice, and I went out to dinner. I ordered my favorite meal: brown rice, tofu and steamed vegetables. We are both looking forward to this next stage in our lives. For… Read More
    MONSON – An old hymn says people should count their many blessings and name them one by one. At Monson United Church of Christ, members brought their favorite grilling utensils to church Sunday for an annual Blessing of the Bar-B-Q. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    In December 1995, I read something that made me very happy. I read that the entropic form of phason elasticity had been observed in a molecular-dynamics simulation using a realistic model of an equilibrium dodecagonal quasi-crystal. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    Atha yoganushashanah “Now the discipline of Yoga.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
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    It can be called “bad news overload.” A friend describes the experience as a “glazing over” of the mind and soul when in the constant presence of upsetting or troubling news. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    Last month, Israel held elections for its new government. Sixty-three percent of Israel’s eligible voters cast their ballots. Now, a new coalition must be formed. Unlike our two-party system, Israel, like England, has a Parliament (or in Hebrew, a Knesset) with a coalition government. The… Read More
    If he were alive today, Homer would really irritate Pat Robertson. Seriously, Homer should be glad he’s dead. Pat Robertson can leg-press 2,000 pounds. His Web site says so. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
    PITTSFIELD – The ceremony marking installation of a new priest for the recently burned St. Martin’s Episcopal Church of Palmyra has been moved to St. Agnes Catholic Church in Pittsfield. The ceremony is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    BANGOR – Jehovah’s Witnesses each year observe just one holiday: a commemoration of Christ’s last meal with his disciples. Unlike faiths that celebrate Communion daily, weekly or monthly, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the bread and wine – the emblems that represent the body and blood of… Read More
    ROCKLAND – Sally Landsburg was telling a story at her table during Adas Yoshuron synagogue’s Passover meal Thursday night when the children in the room started singing. “I love this,” she said, raising a finger, her eyes misting up and a smile brightening her face. Read More
    Some years ago a man visiting my home told me that he had once been declared dead. “They had even wheeled me into the morgue,” he said. “But when my mother came in to look at me, she saw me move. So they took me back out and… Read More
    Rick Warren wants to take evangelical Christians back to the 19th century. “That was a time of muscular Christianity that cared about every aspect of life,” the author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” told a reporter for a national news service last month. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    EASTON – Come May, the Rev. Patrick Matthew Maxwell wants to line the front of the church sanctuary with overflowing baby cribs. Members of Easton Wesleyan Church, where Maxwell is pastor, are buying portable baby cribs and filling them with disposable diapers, pacifiers, wipes, powder,… Read More
    The Rock Church of Greater Bangor is a new nondenominational congregation on a 10.5-acre lot at the corner of Ohio Street and Finson Road in Bangor. With the help of its parent, the Rock Church of Greater Portland, the congregation bought a building last October and has begun… Read More
    The Sibelius School Choir will celebrate Easter with All Souls Congregational Church, 10 Broadway. The choir, named for the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius (1865-1957), will perform during 10 a.m. worship on Easter Sunday and in concert at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 18, also at All Souls. For information,… Read More
    The Rev. Lornagrace Grenfell Stuart is the new pastor of the Church of Universal Fellowship, 82 Main St. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, she holds a divinity degree from Bangor Theological Seminary. She was ordained in 1993 and has served churches in Saco and Newfield in Maine… Read More
    A Scottish theologian will speak on “Resurrection and Scripture” at Bangor Theological Seminary. John Webster, founding editor of the International Journal of Systematic Theology and professor at the University of Aberdeen, will speak at 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, in Room 102, Bell Hall, at the seminary’s new… Read More
    Every day, the sun rises, travels across the sky, then sets. We see it with our own eyes. We take “sunrise” for granted as a fact of nature, even though this expression is not literally true. In fact, the rising is an illusion created by… Read More
    Bangor Theological Seminary plans a Get Acquainted Weekend at its new location on the Husson College campus. The event will start with lunch on Friday, March 31, and end at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at Husson, 2 College Circle. Leaders of the seminary plan the occasion as… Read More
    One of the greatest contributions Judaism has made to our world is in the realm of law. The Mosaic codes, the Ten Commandments and Jewish law – in Hebrew halachah – have greatly influenced the development of civil law and how it is practiced today… Read More
    What did John F. Kennedy, Aldous Huxley and C.S. Lewis have in common? They all died on the same day, Nov. 22, 1963. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i =… Read More
    The telephone rings at 2:12 p.m. I am at work in my study. “Daryl Witmer speaking.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
    Residents of Aroostook County certainly have been in the “realm of the body” these past two months. If I were to ask my father’s parents living on a Caribou potato farm and dairy in the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s what they did for exercise, I would have received… Read More
    The Union of Maine Visual Artists will explore religion and politics in its annual late-winter show at College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor. The exhibit, “Religion and Politics/Church and State,” opens next week. Curators chose 21 works by 18 artists. The works include “Who’s Next” by Melita… Read More
    Congregation Beth El, Bangor’s Reform synagogue, will join with other synagogues from across the country in celebrating “Shabbat Across America.” The evening will begin with a vegetarian potluck meal at 6 p.m. Friday, March 3, then a worship service featuring the Beth El choir at 7:30 p.m. All… Read More
    “Faithful Choices,” a program for adults that deals in clinical ethics and religious values will be offered in six sessions. Kathy Brooks-Rock and Somerset County Hospice chaplain Julianne Bousquet will lead the sessions. The program will deal with decisions about medical care made when patients, family members and… Read More
    A newly created parish has called the Rev. Dana Douglass of Deer Isle as pastor. The parish comprises two congregations: the Congregational churches of Dedham and Holden. Douglass will conduct Sunday services at 9:30 a.m. at Dedham and 11 a.m. at Holden. The two churches will form joint… Read More
    The author of “Falling Into the Arms of God: Meditations with Teresa of Avila” will speak at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church’s Lighthouse building next week. New Zealand-based Megan Don will discuss Teresa, a 16th century Spanish mystic, at 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 26, at 100 Court St. Visit… Read More
    Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth has dedicated its nondenominational chapel. Some 100 people joined with chapel benefactors Delmont and Betty Merrill recently to dedicate the new Merrill Chapel. It is on the top floor of a new tower that faces west over the Union River and on… Read More
    Elizabeth Taylor has a birthday this month. So does Ralph Nader. Ted Kennedy and Prince Andrew were both born in February, as was Copernicus. And Sidney Poitier. And John McEnroe. Almost everyone knows that Washington and Lincoln were born in February. But did you know… Read More
    Sticks and stones may break my bones, But words will never hurt me. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if… Read More
    The Rev. David Shaw has accepted an invitation to become pastor of Worship North, a 2-year-old nondenominational evangelical holiness ministry that meets at 10 a.m. Sundays in the chapel of the former Bangor Theological Seminary campus off Union and Hammond streets. Shaw is a Maine native who grew… Read More
    The Franciscan Brothers of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, who run the Friars’ Bakehouse downtown, will leave Jan. 29 for work in Haiti and Mexico. Brothers Donald and Kenneth are seeking donations for their work with the Episcopal priest who runs St. Luc’s School and church in Trou du… Read More
    People’s United Methodist Church says it has a new way to help pay higher fuel prices: fudge. With an eye on St. Valentine’s Day, the Knox County congregation is taking orders for fudge hearts. Each will be a quarter-pound of gourmet chocolate fudge from Dave’s Fudge Factory, Waldoboro. Read More
    Maine’s Catholic bishop says the annual Bishop’s Appeal for the diocese exceeded its $3.5 million goal. About 20,000 Maine Catholics pledged to the appeal, which pays for a host of educational and other programs. “It’s truly humbling to fully appreciate the thought and care that went behind each… Read More
    A while ago I was behind a car with this bumper sticker: Where are we headed … and what am I doing in this hand basket? I thought it was pretty funny at the time, but I’m not laughing any more. We’re not only heading… Read More
    The Rev. Will Walters is ready for a challenge. The pastor of the First Free Baptist Church, 130 Spring St., has initiated an Adopt-A-Highway program. His congregation will serve as caregiver for the town’s “trashiest” route. Members will collect and remove garbage from the ditches of Route 7… Read More
    Of all the Christmas presents that you gave or received last month, perhaps the most popular ones were surprising. At our house, my wife and children have been having loads of fun with our new $20 hand-held electronic label maker. It was amazing. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    My father, Seymour Krieger, died on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2005. He lived a long, productive life, dying two days after his 86th birthday. As I described in my previous article, my wife, Alice, and I brought my mom and dad to New York for a… Read More
    Fifty years ago next weekend, radios across the land were crackling with news about five American missionaries who were missing and feared dead deep in the Amazon basin of Ecuador. The fears soon gave way to reality. Nate Saint, Jim Elliot, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully… Read More
    “I would not have this season pass away Until I see a star in strange light; googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
    When Maine’s apple trees began to bloom in 1991, Kyriacos Markides was across the globe, waist-deep in research on lay healers and mystics. His passion had been ignited when he witnessed miraculous “healings” on previous travels. This time, the University of Maine sociology professor was… Read More
    EXPLORING THE SPIRIT OF MAINE, A SEEKER’S GUIDE, by Karen Wentworth Batignani, 2005, Down East Books, Camden, 234 pages, $14.95. Ever feel tempted to consult a shaman? Or learn how to be a shaman? Interested in finding out about solstice celebrations conducted by local pagans?… Read More
    “Children of all ages have to behave and use their indoor voices.” It was a sign that appeared in a Chicago cafe, representing the owner’s attempt to encourage closer supervision of children by their parents. A similar notice was spotted in another restaurant reading “unattended… Read More
    The Maine Conference of the United Church of Christ has bought 30-second television spots to run through Dec. 18 featuring the “All the People” advertisement. The advertisement will run mostly during weekdays around news programs on WABI-TV 5, WCSH-TV 6 , WGME-TV 13, WLBZ-TV 2 and WMTW-TV 8. Read More
    The Rockland Congregational Church will be host of a Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival in the new year. The church says medieval English missionaries incorporated the boar into the festival as a symbol of evil in the world and used the feast to celebrate Christ’s coming to… Read More
    Members of the congregation at St. John’s Catholic Church, 207 York St., will celebrate the 150th anniversary of their church’s first Mass with a visit from their bishop. The Most Rev. Richard J. Malone will be principal celebrant and homilist at a service at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. Read More
    The congregation at First Assembly of God, 614 Finson Road, has announced appointment of the Rev. Joseph Browne as senior pastor. Browne and his wife, Tricia, most recently served on the pastoral staff at the Ellsworth Assembly of God. He is a graduate of Faith School of Theology… Read More
    The people of Castine Unitarian Church have given themselves a new name. Starting last month, they became the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine. The change followed a unanimous vote of the congregation at its annual meeting. The meeting also saw election of the congregation’s seven-member governing board. With… Read More
    Penobscot Bay Family Church will host its sixth Midcoast Healing Event, with the Revs. Steve Young and Rosie Young, beginning at 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11, and running through Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Trade Winds Motor Inn. Organizers say the event is designed to teach people with… Read More
    The Rev. Kathleen Allan has recently been installed as pastoral care minister at First Universalist Church. As pastoral care minister, Allan will be responsible for visitation and counseling of members and will be available for emergencies as needed. She will provide guidance and training to the congregational care… Read More
    Blessed are You, Source of Life, who has kept us in life, sustained us, and allowed us to arrive at this moment in time. This very special blessing of gratitude is recited by Jews at many happy occasions, at many joyful moments in time. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    Try this three-question quiz: 1. Who once warned people to recognize that some spiritual views are dangerous? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) {… Read More
    It is my privilege and challenge this year to accompany the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor’s youth through their Coming of Age program. Each week I get to watch while they learn to respect one another, create the safety to share, make mistakes, get it… Read More
    Leviticus 18:22, Leviticus 20:13, Romans 1:26 – these and a handful of other biblical passages are lobbed around in contemporary debates over the church’s teaching and practice surrounding human sexuality. From the rhetoric of the reactionary religious right, one gets the sense that the Bible… Read More
    Twelve choirs will perform in the second annual Festival of Choirs, beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, 231 Main St. The choirs will perform individually, with some smaller choirs joining forces. All of the choirs will perform a final piece together. Choirs… Read More
    Apostolic Lighthouse Church will be host of a creation seminar, with Steve Grohman and family leading the discussion. “The Word has led me and my family to serve Him by teaching others about His creation so as to strengthen their faith and knowledge in his Word,” Grohman says… Read More
    The Rev. John Wingert of Cazenovia, N.Y., has been called as interim rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, 225 French St. He will serve while the parish searches for a successor for the Rev. Kevin Holsapple, who resigned this fall to become rector of St. Anne’s Episcopal Church,… Read More
    The Jewish month of Tishray began this past new moon, on Oct. 4. On that day, we celebrated Rosh Hashanah, our Jewish New Year of 5766. Ten days later, we celebrated our holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, at-one-ment. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    Some years ago, a well-known Christian leader told the story of a visit that he had just paid to an orphanage in Haiti. He described 250 emaciated children with bloated stomachs, tears in their eyes, and flies on their faces. None were likely to live… Read More
    The First Congregational Church in Houlton and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Castine will observe Maine’s “Interfaith Sabbath Against Discrimination,” beginning at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 23. Leaders say the event is designed to challenge members of the interfaith community to voice opposition to discrimination, register voters and… Read More
    The third installment in the “end times” movie series based on the best-selling books by Tim LeHaye and Jerry Jenkins will open this weekend in thousands of churches around the nation. In the area, the film will be presented at Amazing Grace Fellowship, Brewer Auditorium, Wilson Street entrance,… Read More
    The Rev. Barbara J. Clarke will be installed as rector of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 23. On hand to help celebrate the ceremony will be the Right Rev. Chilton R. Knudsen, bishop of Maine. Before coming to St. Patrick’s, Clarke served as interim… Read More
    Dennysville-Edmunds Congregational Church is celebrating its 200th anniversary with two events on Oct. 30. The first will be a “200th Anniversary Service of Grateful Remembrance,” at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at the church on King Street. During this program, people from the congregation will impersonate characters from… Read More
    New Zealand author Megan Don will speak on the nature of place and home as experiences while walking the mystical path during a talk at the Rockland Public Library, 80 Union St. Using the works and life of St. Teresa of Avila, the 16th century Spanish mystic, Don… Read More
    There are all kinds of journeys in life. The simple ones – driving to the grocery store, picking up children at school – are uncomplicated and transient. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More