From the Deacon’s Bench – January 2023

By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564

“And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying,’Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.’”  

Matthew 2:13

 

Happy New Year!! I hope that you all had great Christmas and New Year’s celebrations! This is the beginning of a brand, spankin’ New Year! A time to “reboot” (as the TECH world would say!).

To “reboot,” some ideas come to mind. One very important one comes to mind, and that is being kinder to your family, friends, and acquaintances! Another one is to refrain from being judgmental of one another.

I know what many of you are thinking; he is making a list of New Year’s resolutions to be broken early next month! No, I’m trying not to do that. What I am trying to do is this; I am trying to make it sound like (and it basically is) a life-changing event because if we all do this, our lives will change for the better and, possibly, make our little “acre” just a wee bit better.

It seems that I am asking you to “think about it for a minute” a lot lately, but I am very serious about this. If we don’t do something immediately, our lives, and the lives of our families won’t be worth a “plug nickel” in the near future.

We are entering a brand new year, full of new opportunities for us all. As in the scripture lesson this month, we are running and hiding from Herod in a way.

Herod might not be alive now, but we each have our own “Herod” we are trying to avoid. We can start by being more considerate of our fellow human beings. Please and thank you to the wait staff who deliver your food at the restaurant, holding the door open for people who are having a difficult time, smiling at strangers as you pass them on the street and many more. I’m sure you can think of some!

That is it for this month! I will step down from my soapbox (for now!). I would like to take this time to wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings you all a bit of relief and a busload of happiness!

 Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.

Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, help us all to stay away from our ‘Herods.’ Show us, always, the righteous path to travel. Amen.”

These things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love, some work to do,
A bit of o’ sun, a bit o’ cheer.
And a guardian angel always near.

An Irish Blessing for Health and Prosperity

Fairview Grange Collects for Vets

Fairview Grange #342 was pleased to be able to put together needed items for the Veterans at Togus VA again this season. We had gathered needed items for several years before the China Virus but couldn’t for two years as they were not accepting donations over concerns of spreading the virus.

This year they had a continued need, and Grange members and some from the community stepped up!

We donated some winter coats, warm socks, and underwear, personal care items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, nail clippers, and body wash as well as a little sugar-free candy as a treat. Thank you to all who helped.

Bogus Email Alert

Thanks to those who have called this bogus email to my attention. I received one myself.

Please just ignore it and delete it.

I assure you this has nothing to do with the website or online directories. What sometimes happens is that scammers hack into someone’s personal email address book or contact list and use it in the hopes of getting a response. Several clues are making it obvious this is not a legitimate email from Sherry.

  • The message has been sent from an incorrect email address. Email addresses using Gmail, Yahoo, etc., are very easy to create and deserve a closer look when the request is strange.
  • Whenever a request demands “discretion,” a big red flag should be waving in front of you. Why the secrecy?
  • The fact that the message requires a response in a very specific way also suggests something isn’t right.

Bear in mind the same phishing technique can be used with text messages. Keep your radar turned on, and be a bit suspicious! This is one time when you shouldn’t do as you’re told!

If an email or text message raises concern, don’t reply. Contact the alleged sender using a different method.

Notes from National – December 2022

Gleaned from an email written by Phil Vonada, National Grange Communications Director

I know it’s late notice, but just yesterday afternoon, I received “Ten Tips for Tackling the Holiday Blues” from our partners at Rural Minds. You may have already seen it up on Facebook this morning, but we would love to have the information shared with members of your State Granges. The holidays are not an easy time for many people, and this one-page resource on mental health during the holidays may be helpful to see.

Webmaster’s Note: It’s been posted separately on the website–feel free to share on social media or via email.

Mark Your Calendar

Facebook Page Zoom-torial Recorded

As a reminder, Phil Vonado, National Grange Communications Director, led a Zoom-torial on “How to Create a Facebook Page,” which also included some information on the free design website Canva, as well as how to create a Facebook Event. This video is now available on the National Grange YouTube channel and can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/-F3iqXyN5Lo. (We’ll be adding this link/video to the Grange Resources Page.)

National Grange Heirloom Program

Grange Heirlooms are snippets from the lessons of the Grange as taught in the Ritual and Declaration of Purposes. Please share “success stories” about the use of the program with us, or if you come up with other innovative ways to incorporate the Program in your Granges. Information and materials are now available on the National Grange Website.

“Notes from National” is based on a monthly email received from the National Grange Communications Department.

Fraternal Concern – Philip A. Hebert

On December 12, 2022, Philip A. Herbert, Past Master of the Maine State Grange, passed away at home at the age of 90.  Phil was a Past National Delegate, Chief Deputy, Deputy, and Executive Committee member of the Maine State Grange. Phil became a member of the Old Town Grange in February of 1971 and continued his Grange journey. He served as Master, Treasurer, and other positions of his Subordinate Granges.  He also served as Master at the Pomona level and various positions there. Philip is survived by his daughter Jodie Ann (Herbert) Dowling of Alton, his son Paul Arthur Herbert of Las Vegas, NV, and daughter Connie Marie (Herbert) Hawes of Hudson, seven grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Condolences may be sent to Connie Hawes, 422 Hudson Hill Rd, Hudson, ME  04449.

Burial will be held in the spring. View the complete obituary here.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Old Town Animal Orphanage, PO Box 565, Orono, ME  04473.

Jonesboro Grange Inflatable Village

Jonesboro Grange just may be the most decorated building/property on Route 1 in Down East Maine! The “Grange Griswolds” put out an Amazon wishlist asking the community to purchase an inflatable to display in memory or honor of a loved one. The response was incredible! 

At last count, there were sixteen with more set to arrive this week. Each will have a sign displayed with the name of the person the sign was purchased for. 

Jonesboro Grangers plan to make this an annual holiday tradition together with their lobster trap Christmas tree.