CLICK HERE TO READ Whether you read the print edition that arrives in your mailbox, or the digital version available through the link, you’ll see that we let our work speak for itself through our newsletter.  The articles tell the story better than any fundraising appeal ever could: the Maine Council of Churches makes a difference—in the life of our congregations, in the lives of people of faith and good will, and in the lives of our most vulnerable neighbors who need trusted allies and advocates to stand with them for justice, compassion and peace ..read more

Though some say that Christians treat death as if it were just a simple freeing of the soul from the prison of the body, a quick transition to blissful immortality, because they believe Easter gives them some kind of cosmic “get out of jail free” card that spares true believers from the sting of death, nothing could be further from the truth.  The Bible makes no bones (excuse the pun) about the seriousness of death.  In both Hebrew and Christian scripture, death is clearly described as causing anguish, pain, despair, and grief. The church’s annual observance of Lent begins with Ash W ..read more

I wonder: without checking your smartphone, can you point toward the north right now?  I’ll confess, I couldn’t do it without using my phone or the compass built into my car.  And did you know there is a difference between “true north” and “magnetic north,” so using a compass requires you to make an adjustment for that difference?  This year in Portland, the compass needle (which points to magnetic north) must be adjusted 14 degrees west before it is pointing to true north. It has something to do with poles and an axis and the iron ore that’s sloshing around in the earth’s core ..read more

WILL REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE 4th Week of Lent 2024 Did you watch “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” when you were little (or have kids who did)?  I was a “Captain Kangaroo” girl myself, so I only just recently learned about Officer Clemmons, the friendly policeman who was one of Mr. Rogers’ neighbors.  Francois Clemmons joined the cast of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood in August 1968, becoming the first Black person to have a recurring role on a children’s TV show in the United States.  Fred Rogers had heard Francois, a professional opera singer, singing at the Presbyterian Church in Pittsb ..read more

A Lenten Spiritual Practice Lent is a season of preparation.  For 40 days and 40 nights, Christians prepare for the events of Holy Week—Jesus’ suffering, betrayal, torture, crucifixion, and death—and for Easter’s empty tomb.  Originally, in the earliest years of the Christian church, this 40-day season was for the preparation of those who were to be baptized on Easter, but pretty quickly it became a season of preparation for all church members, a season of penitence, prayer, fasting, service and spiritual reflection, discipline and renewal.  The liturgical season mirrors nature ..read more

This Hollywood star kissed Elvis Presley before becoming…a Benedictine nun! 2nd Week of Lent 2024 I remember that day in the courthouse parking lot like it was yesterday (even though it was 23 years ago).  On that bright, sunny September Friday morning, the words that kept going through my mind were, “This is not the way the script goes!  This is not the script of my life.  This is not how things are supposed to be.”  Minutes before, I had been inside a courtroom where a judge had pronounced that my marriage of eleven years was over, and we were officially divorced.  T ..read more

The purported skull of Saint Valentine,  Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome This year, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day, one of only three times this century it lands on February 14: 2018, 2024, and 2029.  A quick Google search reveals that this poses a serious dilemma for Roman Catholics—what to do when February 14 is both a feast day and a day of holy obligation when one is supposed to fast? Answer: Fast wins over feast and bishops are directing their flocks to celebrate the Feast of Saint Valentine a day early on Mardi Gras. Protestants have it much easier—they have n ..read more

For five weeks every year, songs about the incarnation of Christ can be heard playing everywhere—on your radio and TV, at the car wash, in the grocery store.  And just about everybody knows the words.  They might not be able to tell you what the first book of the New Testament is (just for the record, it’s Matthew), but they can tell you that all is calm, all is bright on a silent, holy night in the little town of Bethlehem where away in a manger the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head while certain poor shepherds lay in fields listening to angels on high singing “Gloria in exc ..read more

For five weeks every year, songs about the incarnation of Christ can be heard playing everywhere—on your radio and TV, at the car wash, in the grocery store.  And just about everybody knows the words.  They might not be able to tell you what the first book of the New Testament is (just for the record, it’s Matthew), but they can tell you that all is calm, all is bright on a silent, holy night in the little town of Bethlehem where away in a manger the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head while certain poor shepherds lay in fields listening to angels on high singing “Gloria in exc ..read more

O Come, O come, Emmanuel For five weeks every year, songs about the incarnation of Christ can be heard playing everywhere—on your radio and TV, at the car wash, in the grocery store.  And just about everybody knows the words.  They might not be able to tell you what the first book of the New Testament is (just for the record, it’s Matthew), but they can tell you that all is calm, all is bright on a silent, holy night in the little town of Bethlehem where away in a manger the little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head while certain poor shepherds lay in fields listening to angels on hi ..read more