Nativity View

August 2023

From the Pastor…such a privilege

Sometimes I’m not paying attention and I almost miss reasons I am privileged to serve as Nativity’s pastor. There was one such time a few weeks ago.

It was a few days before the Longs and I were to attend the 2023 New England Synod Assembly. I received an email from the Co-Chairperson of the New England Synod World Hunger Team.

“Thank you so much for your church's gracious giving to Lutheran Disaster Response in 2022! Please stop by our World Hunger table at the Synod Assembly for something in honor of that for your congregation,” it said.

I thought to myself “Probably a certificate….but maybe it’s something else. I better be sure to pick it up.”

Once at the Assembly, I passed by their display table several times, but no one was there. Finally, shortly before the Assembly was scheduled to end, I found someone at the table. I introduced myself and mentioned the email. The woman reached into a folder and handed me, sure enough, a paper certificate. I thanked her and glanced at it quickly. “Thank you for sharing your God-given financial resources with ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response!” it began. I was in a hurry to return to the main hall and the plenary session so I carefully placed it in my bag so it wouldn’t get crumpled and off I went.

I kind of forgot about it and carried it around for a while in the bag that houses my computer and the papers and books I carry back and forth to church. Then several days later I pulled it out and plopped it on my desk where it sat for several more days.

One day as I was rifling through some stuff on my desk (you’ve seen my desk, haven’t you?) it came to the top of a pile, and I thought to myself “I should display this somewhere.” So, I headed to the narthex, certificate in hand, to pin it to the bulletin board. As I hung it, I began to read where I had left off many days before:

“Your contributions help to provide God’s hope, healing & renewal to people suffering from disasters in the United States and throughout the world! Lutheran Disaster Response gives immediate relief along with long term recovery!”

The next section said, “According to the ELCA Lutheran Disaster Response your congregation, for fiscal year 2022, has given $4,252.”

“Wow, we did good!” I thought to myself, and I recalled that in 2022 we had designated our Lenten offerings to Lutheran Disaster Response. But it was the next sentence on the certificate that made me stop in my tracks and thank God for the ministry of Nativity and the privilege of serving as Nativity’s pastor. It said, “This reflects #8 in congregational giving in the New England Synod.”

Number eight in the Synod!!

It’s not a contest, and the certificate was not a prize. But what is a prize for me is to know how much effort our small congregation makes to share our blessings. What is a prize for me is knowing that those efforts make a difference in the lives of many people—some like us and some not at all like us. What is a prize for me is the recognition that our small community of faith can impact the world just like and even more than much larger congregations do. What is a prize for me is being reminded that God’s love shines into the world through us.

It is such a privilege to be a part of “us.” Thank you.

(P.S. The certificate is still on the bulletin board on the tripod if you want to check it out.)

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Anderson

Calendar Items

Click on the Nativity Lutheran Church Calendar Link below if you would like an "easy-to-read" full size view of the month.

It will open a new window featuring the calendar.

Nativity Lutheran Church

calendar.google.com

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Tuesday, August 1

No "Out of Office Hours" - Pastor is on vacation

Thursday, August 3

8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom

Saturday, August 5

10:00 AM - Al-Anon Family Group Meeting

Sunday, August 6

9:30 AM - Worship in-person and online

Assistant: Betty Long

Flowers: Annie Appleton

Altar Care/Acolyte: Jennie Dynesius

Readers: Sue Ann Moore and Paul Hanna

Usher: Elaine Isakson

Monday, August 7

7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting

Tuesday, August 8

9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of Office Hours

Laite Memorial Beach, Off Bay View St, Camden

Thursday, August 10

8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom

Friday, August 11

3:30 PM - Murphy Theater Camp Performance, Fellowship Hall

featuring Greatest Hits from the Theater

Saturday, August 12

10:00 AM - Al-Anon Family Group Meeting

Sunday, August 13

9:30 AM - Worship in-person and online

Assistant: Kim Murphy

Flowers: Annie Appleton

Altar Care/Acolyte: Jennie Dynesius

Usher: Sherry Cobb

Monday, August 14

7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting

Tuesday, August 15

9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of Office Hours

Thomaston Green, Wadsworth St., Thomaston (bring a chair)

Thursday, August 17

8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom

Saturday, August 19

10:00 AM - Al-Anon Family Group Meeting

Sunday, August 20

9:30 AM - Worship in-person and online

Assistant: Fred Walker

Flowers: Gretchen Hanna

Altar Care/Acolyte: Jennie Dynesius

Usher: Tina Huntley

Monday, August 21

7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting

Tuesday, August 22

9:00 AM - 12:30 PM - Council Retreat

No "Out of Office Hours" due to Council Retreat

3:30 PM - STEWARDING OUR WATERSHEDS: A PRECIOUS GIFT part THREE

Weskeag Marsh Preserve, Buttermilk Lane, South Thomaston

Thursday, August 24

8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom

Saturday, August 26

10:00 AM - Al-Anon Family Group Meeting

Sunday, August 27

9:30 AM - Worship (in-person and online) with Reception of New Members

Immediately following Worship: Brunch for All to honor our new members

Assistant: Ann Walker

Flowers: Gretchen Hanna

Altar Care/Acolyte: Jennie Dynesius

Usher: Carol Brazier

Monday, August 28

7:00 PM - Men’s Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting

Tuesday, August 29

9:30 - 11:00 AM - Out of Office Hours

G.W. Hodson Park, Molyneaux Rd, Camden

Thursday, August 31

8:00 AM - Morning Prayer, via Zoom

Note

For midweek prayer via zoom - there is a separate Zoom link. Email Pastor at office@nativityrockport.org if you would like the zoom link.

Please also email Pastor if you do not have the Sunday link.

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A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT

After an early morning crack of thunder and rain on Saturday, July 15, Nativity’s Creation Care Team showed up at Payson Park in Warren for the second presentation in our series entitled Stewarding our Watersheds: A Precious Gift. We were all eyeing the weather and wondering how wet we might get, but we are a team that’s not easily daunted, and we came prepared. After a light mist, no further rain fell, but just to be safe, we chose to set up in the park shelter. It was the perfect site for the gathering of 21 people, representing both our congregation and the community (including individuals from 2 organizations who have particular interest in water protection).

Using a watershed model, Maine Master Naturalist and environmental educator, Linda Littlefield Grenfell shared her knowledge about how watersheds work and how humans impact them, and inspired us to make choices that help watersheds and their inhabitants thrive. The historic canal path trail was a bit too slick for Linda to lead us on a walk, but we enjoyed an educational time together and picnic afterward, as well as the chance to form connections with Linda and others who attended.

Being along the banks of the Saint George River was special! The river was running high, and it was lovely to see the life in it and around it. The view from the footbridge over the river was worth the trip in and of itself. This river was so integral to the lives of the Wabanaki people, and later supported the lives of the first immigrant settlers in the area. In our modern era, we have ways to insulate ourselves from the natural world, and we may feel less dependent on a particular waterway. We may use or alter water and other natural resources without feeling many repercussions, when in reality, rivers and watersheds like the Saint George remain vitally important to all living things within our ecosystems. That includes both humans and our “more-than-human” neighbors, because all forms of life are connected. What affects one, affects the whole.

Yes, we were reminded that day that God created a beautiful, intricate and relational world for us to inhabit, and that God’s love for us is communicated and tangibly felt through Creation. To share an ecosystem with a river and watershed like the Saint George is a truly amazing gift from God that is worth knowing intimately and deeply within ourselves.

What’s coming up in August? Join the Creation Care Team on August 22, as we move from the Saint George River to the Weskeag Marsh, for part three of our series.

Elaine Isakson for the Creation Care Team

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STEWARDING OUR WATERSHEDS

Part Three of Stewarding Our Watersheds: A Precious Gift

Mark your calendars and join us on Tuesday, August 22, 3:30 pm at the Weskeag Marsh Preserve, Buttermilk Lane, South Thomaston.

Theo Pratt, Coordinator of the Weskeag River Monitoring Project, will present “Wonders of Weskeag Marsh”, sharing her knowledge of the marsh, one of the area’s richest wildlife habitats, discussing the movement of water, how pollutants are filtered and the water monitoring project.

Bring binoculars for optional bird watching following the presentation or take a short walk to a wildlife viewing platform.

FY 22-23 Financial Summary

Nativity had an unusual year financially. While offering contributions were about $31,000 less than budgeted and expenses were about $22,000 more than budgeted, we still came through the year with a surplus of almost $54,000, and we have almost $179,000 in cash reserves. Here is how those apparently contradictory results came about.

Our expenses were over budget due to capital improvements: a) the purchase and installation of new video equipment for the sanctuary, and b) the purchase and installation of new heat pumps in the fellowship hall, together totalling more than $30,000.
Those unusual expenses, however, were covered by a) a gift of $10,000 to support the video equipment, and b) an insurance payment of almost $26,000 to cover the failure of our old boiler last winter.
In addition, we were blessed to receive a bequest of almost $59,000 from the estate of Ken and Beth Guiseley, founding members of Nativity.
Our surplus for the year now becomes part of our substantial cash reserves. Most of the $179,000 is not dedicated or restricted in any way, so it is available to support our budget when we experience a shortfall of annual revenue. A little more than $25,000 is dedicated, including about $15,500 in the building fund.

We are fortunate to have come through the year in such good shape, but as we noted in the annual reports and the budget for 2023-24, we expect that this year’s revenue will not be sufficient to fully support our budget. So we must continue to manage prudently and will most likely need to utilize some of our reserves to cover expenses in the near future.

If you would like more detail about the 22-23 results, please contact Fred Walker, Treasurer

Ted Long, President

For the Congregation Council

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HF/TS Update

The Harvest Festival/Tag Sale is less than 3 months away!!!!

If you have donations to drop off, there are tables inside the basement outside doors marked "Drop Offs".

If you need help with drop offs of any size please contact Phil Pratt 207-832-4335.

There is plenty of room - if you want to donate it, we have room for it.

Karin and Phil Pratt

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Happy Birthday in August

5 - Peter Surek

7 - Piper Pavelich

13 - Richard Vargas

Editor's note: Did we miss your birthday? Please email your birthday date to kmusicorama@gmail.com so that we can add you to our monthly salutation.

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Announcements & Timely Reminders

The Pastor’s Discretionary Fund: Please remember that an extra $5 or $10 each month may make a huge difference to a family in need! Please indicate any additional donations as "Pastor's Discretionary" when you mail in your monthly offering.
Don't forget: One simple way to help care for creation is to download the weekly bulletin onto your smart phone or tablet and then bring that device to worship or use it when you zoom at home saving paper and resources. Need help figuring that out? Call Pastor for Android help or Denise Stadler for Apple help.
Your aluminum pop tabs can help keep families with sick children close to each other and the care and resources they need. Look for the paper bag on the Social Ministry bulletin board in the Narthex. Place your tabs in the bag and take your container home and fill it again! The tabs are donated to the Ronald McDonald House.