Healing Light Spiritualist Church

Happy New Year, Everyone! Here we are at the beginning of a brand new year. Numerologically 2017 is a "One" (1) year. Exactly what does that mean, you may ask? A "One" year is a beginning year. If you want to start a new project, a new job, a new relationship, a new life for that matter, this is the year to do it, energetically speaking that is. Reason being, the energy streaming in from the universe is extremely supportive of new ventures in a "One" year, and actually, next year as well. However, this year, because it is a "One" year, you can expect to receive the greatest assistance possible. Also, energetically speaking, every year at the winter solstice is a great time to decide for yourself what truly matters to you and the direction your life should go in now. Neale Donald Walsh suggests the best way to start this introspection is to ask yourself 4 questions: 1) Who am I? 2) Where am I? 3) Why am I where I am? 4) What do I intend to do about that? He also suggests that it can be helpful to ask yourself these questions as events unfold throughout your day. When you ask them daily they are informative as well as transformative. Neale goes on to say that a true student of life will not answer these questions with a curt "I don't know" and let it go at that. Rather, if you truly don't have an answer, then "create one" with pure intention. In doing this you begin to live your life from intention as opposed to living your life by default. We are constantly creating and recreating ourselves and the universe supports us in doing this. Not just in a "One" year, not just at the winter solstice, but through every moment of every day of our lives. When a Sufi teacher was asked "What is God doing all day?" the teacher replied, "God is lying on a birthing bed all day giving birth to creation." This is extremely good news for us as we make our journey through life. It is the promise of ever renewing creation to which we are all entitled. So, as you think of starting anew in 2017 don't think small, think BIG! Spiritualism Etiquette I thought it might be a good idea to remind folks of some "Spiritualism Etiquette". Some may not know what good "Spiritualism Etiquette" is and others may need to be reminded. Either way I feel it is good to write about it here. When the inspirational talk and/or messages are being given it is best not to interrupt the speaker/medium for any reason. And, it is truly not a good idea to make an attempt, at that time, to explain things to them, or to otherwise try to hold a conversation with them. I'll explain why. Part of doing this work requires the speaker/medium to shift upwards a level or two in consciousness. When the presenter is in the middle of talking, any noise in the room, including voices, is a huge distraction from the energetic flow the person is in. When the energetic flow is interrupted so is the flow of information coming through from spirit. Once the flow is interrupted it can be difficult, or even impossible, to get back into it. Also, and just as importantly, it is very startling, disconcerting, and usually, extremely unpleasant to the speaker/medium. If the presenter asks you a question then it is safe, and correct to speak, otherwise, please hold questions or comments until a more appropriate time. Another piece of etiquette is never touch a medium who giving messages or someone who is in trance. Again, it is startling and disturbing to the presenter. It is unlikely that touching a medium would ever occur in a public setting like a church service, however, if you are having a private reading it may seem okay to touch the readers hand or arm, but it is not. The sudden shift in vibration is very disconcerting, and in some cases dangerous to the reader. Reason being, the sudden change in vibration can cause a "jolt" to the readers nervous system. Similar to sticking a finger into a light socket. Although what I am about to mention does not really fall under the heading of "etiquette" it will help folks to better understand what happens after a message has been given. Most of the time the medium has little or no recollection of what they have just said, this is normal. When giving messages the medium must, as I said before, jump a level or two in consciousness. Or in other terms, they enter an altered state of consciousness, and when they return to normal consciousness what they talked about while in an "altered state" is often forgotten. So, when you ask a medium about a message they gave you and they say they don't remember please don't let your feelings be hurt. It is not that you are not important to them; rather, the information is simply gone from their mind. As other things come to mind regarding "Spiritualism Etiquette" I will write about them in future issues of the newsletter. Also, please feel free to ask questions. Most mediums are happy to explain what happens to them when giving a message from spirit. News Pot Luck Sunday is January 1st, 2017. Cathy Baker is now in Ross Manor where she is working daily to regain her strength and balance. She expects to be at Ross Manor for 4 to 6 weeks. If you have the opportunity to visit her, or can send her a card, I know she would be thrilled. Thinking healing thoughts is also most welcome. Due to Pastor Laurie Xanthos being ill she was not able to teach the second half of Energy Healing class in December. We are putting our heads together to come up with a new date. Please stay tuned. The Sunday afternoon mediumship development group will begin again on January 8th. We meet in the Temple at 1:30. Beginners, intermediate, and advanced students are welcome. The Tuesday night mediumship development group is suspended for the time being. We will let you know when it will begin again. We have a new sound system for our church and with the help of technology we now have recorded piano music to sing to. We tried it out on Christmas Day during our Solstice ceremony and I believe it will work nicely. It may take a few weeks to work out all the bugs so please bear with us. Please be aware that the church membership yearly dues of $20.00 was due in October of 2016. If you forgot to pay them please send a check to: The Healing Light Church, PO box 137, Etna, ME 04434. Or, you can give them to Janet McNerney on any Sunday. Thank you. In the spirit of giving our church provided a full Christmas dinner to a family of 6 in the community who would otherwise have gone without. It filled us with joy to be able to do this. In the years ahead we hope to expand our giving to more than one family. Your membership dues along with Sunday offerings allow us to be of help to those who are in need. The Pastoral Council and the Church Board are grateful to our members and to all who attend our church and give so freely and lovingly of their resources. We pray that each of you will be well blessed with all things wonderful every day of your life! Our church has a benevolence fund that we can use to help church members who have fallen on hard times. If you find yourself in need of some financial assistance this winter, be it to buy fuel or put food on the table, for example, please let one of the pastors know. Rest assured that all things discussed with the pastors or members of the church board will be held in strictest confidence. The last Sunday of every month, beginning in January, will be an "All Healing and Message Service". What that means is, we will not have an inspirational talk on the last Sunday of the month but instead we will dedicate the entire service to healing and messages from spirit. This will be done in a circle formation. We hope you will enjoy this bit of a change up one Sunday a month. If not, we can always return to the standard format for all services. While HLSC strives to bring you speakers and mediums that are inspiring and incredible in their ability to connect with spirit, we also want to encourage and teach others how to do the same. We are a "teaching church". Students are the future of Spiritualism and they need to have a platform on which to "hone their skills", while at the same time, learning about appropriate presentation. That being said, from time to time, as in the past, we will have students facilitating the service, leading the meditations, giving the inspirational talks, and giving messages from spirit. Some students will be from our church and some may come to us from other churches. Where ever they come from we want to encourage their evolution and growth as spiritualists. The Pastoral Council and the Church Board wish to thank you for helping us to grow our religion by coming out to support and encourage the students. Upcoming January Events Featuring HLSC Members Table Tipping When: Saturday, January 21st Time: 6:30 pm What: Physical Phenomena Mediumship Where: Temple on the Camp Etna grounds Cost: $20 per person Presenter: Rev. Janet Decker Amy Griffiths Contact: Rev. Decker at 207-404-1845 (janet.decker9@gmail.com) or Amy at 207-385-3321 (amyjspiritedway@gmail.com) We would like to know ahead of time how many are coming. Please call or email if intend to be present. Thank you. Messages with the Flutes When: Sunday, January 22, 2017 Time: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm What: Psychic Medium Reading with a Flute Song (Group Event) Where: Harrison D. Barrett Spiritualist Chruch, Bangor, ME Cost: $25.00 per person Presenter: Rev. Wachian Welch Contact: Rev. Betty Simpson, Ph: 207-848-2273, Email: msclisham@gmail.com Community Events! Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. For more information on Glad Helpers please see last month's newsletter. You can find it on our website under the "Newsletter" tab. Serving the church in January Facilitator – Rev. Janet Decker Speakers/Mediums January 1st: Bonnie Lee Mellott (Facilitator and Speaker) Messages TBA January 8th: Melanie Ames (Speaker/Medium) January 15th: Karlene Tanner (Speaker/Medium) January 22nd: Kimberley Charist (Speaker/Medium) January 29th: Healing and Message Service Reminders Pot Luck Sunday is January 1st in the Temple. There will be an electrical strip to plug crock pots into. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. There has been some confusion about HLSC and Camp Etna memberships. I hope the following will explain. Becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. Weather (Cancellation) Notification When the weather is bad church services and meetings are canceled. You can check on the local TV news stations for our cancellations. We will also put the notice out on Facebook and via email. Once in a while we cancel church and then the storm doesn't manifest. Ahhhhh, nature, you cannot always predict her. Never the less, once church has been canceled we do not change it. Please make a note of this. Please be ever mindful of safety both in the home and in your comings and goings this winter. Always think, Safety First! To Say Thank You! At this time I want to give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of December. A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Splendid job, Sherwood! A BIG THANK YOU to pastor Dee Powers for providing the silk poinsettias and wreaths for our church. A BIG THANK YOU to Karlene Tanner for monitoring the heat in the church and for clearing the deck of ice and snow. You are a God Send! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the Food Drives. A BIG THANK YOU to those who contributed to the Mid Maine Homeless Shelter, the local fire and rescue and the Native American Indian Reservations in Maine and Canada. TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Children's books We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. These contributions will be given to Bill "Windwalker" Wentworth who will take them to the Native American Indian Reservations in Maine and Canada. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings to all and I wish you a healthy, happy 2017! Rev. Janet Decker

Happy February Everyone! I thought it would be fun to tell you a bit of history around Valentine's Day. I took this off the internet. Valentine's Day History by: Borgna Brunner Roman Roots The history of Valentine's Day is obscure, and further clouded by various fanciful legends. The holiday's roots are in the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, a fertility celebration commemorated annually on February 15. Pope Gelasius I recast this pagan festival as a Christian feast day circa 496, declaring February 14 to be St. Valentine's Day. Valentines Galore Which St. Valentine this early pope intended to honor remains a mystery: according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, there were at least three early Christian saints by that name. One was a priest in Rome, another a bishop in Terni, and a third St. Valentine whom almost nothing is known except that he met his end in Africa. Rather astonishingly, all three Valentines were said to have been martyred on Feb. 14. Most scholars believe that the St. Valentine of the holiday was a priest who attracted the disfavor of Roman emperor Claudius II around 270. At this stage, the factual ends and the mythic begins. According to one legend, Claudius II had prohibited marriage for young men, claiming that bachelors made better soldiers. Valentine continued to secretly perform marriage ceremonies but was eventually apprehended by the Romans and put to death. Another legend has it that this Valentine, imprisoned by Claudius, fell in love with the daughter of his jailer. Before he was executed, he allegedly sent her a letter signed "from your Valentine." Probably the most plausible story surrounding St. Valentine is one not focused on Eros (passionate love) but on agape (Christian love): he was martyred for refusing to renounce his religion. In 1969, the Catholic Church revised its liturgical calendar, removing the feast days of saints whose historical origins were questionable. St. Valentine was one of the casualties. Even though the Catholic Church no longer recognizes St. Valentine's Day the more secular community probably always will. After all, candy and flowers never grow old! News Pot Luck Sunday is February 5th, 2017 in the Temple. Cathy Baker is now in EMMC. As of this writing I do not know her room number. If you have the opportunity to visit her, or can send her a card, I know she would be thrilled. Thinking healing thoughts is also most welcome. There are currently 4 students who are active in the Ordination Course and two who have graduated to become Independent Spiritualist Ministers. I must say that this is more than exciting to me! As you know, Rev. Wachian Welch was the first to complete the course and become ordained. Another student from Rhode Island, Candace Breen, has just passed the course to become the second graduate. I am thrilled to say that Rev. Breen will be leading our service on June 25th. As you know, we are a "teaching church" and as I see it, it is both a duty and and honor to help and inspire our students. Students need to have a platform on which to "hone their skills" while at the same time learning about presentation. I am happy that the Healing Light Spiritualist Church can offer them that platform. The Pastoral Council and the Church Board wish to thank you for helping us to grow our religion by coming out to support and encourage the students. Please be aware that the church membership yearly dues of $20.00 was due in October of 2016. If you forgot to pay them please send a check to: The Healing Light Spiritualist Church, PO Box 137, Etna, ME 04434. Or, you can give them to Janet McNerney on any Sunday. Thank you. Your membership dues along with Sunday offerings allow us to be of help to those who are in need. The Pastoral Council and the Church Board are grateful to our members and to all who attend our church and give so freely and lovingly of their resources. We pray that each of you will be well blessed with all things wonderful every day of your life! I have been asked by a Camp Etna Board member to remind everyone that membership to Camp Etna is dependent upon being a member in good standing of a Spiritualist church. Our church has a benevolence fund that we can use to help church members who have fallen on hard times. If you find yourself in need of some financial assistance this winter, be it to buy fuel or to put food on the table, for example, please let one of the pastors know. Rest assured that all things discussed with the pastors or members of the church board will be held in strictest confidence. The last Sunday of every month will be an "All Healing and Message Service". What that means is, we will not have an inspirational talk on the the last Sunday of the month but instead we will dedicate the entire service to healing and messages from spirit. This will be done in a circle formation. We hope you will enjoy this bit of a change up one Sunday a month. If not we can always return to the standard format for all services. Upcoming February Events Featuring HLSC Members Gallery Readings When: Saturday, February 4th Time: 7:00 PM What: Messages from Spirit Where: Temple on the Camp Etna grounds Cost: $10 per person Presenter: Rev. Janet Decker, Sherwood Denham, Amy Griffiths Contact: Rev. Decker at 207-404-1845 (janet.decker9@gmail.com) All are welcome! Community Events! Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. For more information on Glad Helpers please see last month's newsletter. You can find it on our website under the "Newsletter" tab. Serving the church in February Facilitator – Pastor Dee Powers Speakers/Mediums February 5th: Bill (Windwalker) Wentworth February 12th: Melanie Ames (Speaker/Medium) February 19th: Sherwood Denham (Student) February 26th: Healing and Message Service Reminders Pot Luck Sunday is February 5th in the Temple. There will be an electrical strip to plug crock pots into. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. There has been some confusion about HLSC and Camp Etna memberships. I hope the following will explain. Becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. Weather (Cancellation) Notification When the weather is bad church services and meetings are canceled. You can check on the local TV news stations for our cancellations. We will also put the notice out on Facebook and via email. Once in a while we cancel church and then the storm doesn't manifest. Ahhhhh, nature, you cannot always predict her. Never the less, once church has been canceled we do not change it. Please make a note of this. Please be ever mindful of safety both in the home and in your comings and goings this winter. Always think, Safety First! To Say Thank You! At this time I want to give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of January. A BIG THANK YOU to Pete Conroy for stepping in for our January 22nd speaker who was unable to make it. Terrific talk, Pete! A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Splendid job, Sherwood! A BIG THANK YOU to Karlene Tanner for monitoring the heat in the church and for clearing the deck of ice and snow. You are a God Send! A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Jackman Skolfield for continuing to manage the church web site A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the Food Drives. A BIG THANK YOU to those who contributed to the Mid Maine Homeless Shelter, the local fire and rescue and the Native American Indian Reservations in Maine and Canada. TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Children's books We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. These contributions will be given to Bill "Windwalker" Wentworth who will take them to the Native American Indian Reservations in Maine and Canada. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings to all, Rev. Janet Decker

Happy March Everyone! This month I thought I would share some thoughts about forgiveness. One of the classes in our ordination program is all about forgiveness. The reason we have a class about forgiveness is because forgiving ourselves and others is of the utmost importance to our spiritual evolution not to mention our over all health and well being. I think being a Spiritualist helps me a great deal with forgiveness. As a Spiritualist I ABSOLUTELY KNOW, without question, that life goes on and the soul continues to evolve. Knowing this makes me realize that in order to evolve I ABSOLUTELY MUST forgive and move on, otherwise, I get stuck at the level I'm at, spiritually, and this is unacceptable to me. Also, as a Spiritualist, I know that earth life is really nothing more than a school, and this school is all about experiences and opportunities for spiritual growth. I feel that there are no good experiences and no bad experiences, but rather, just experiences. How we perceive the experience makes it good or bad and we have a choice in that. The other way being a Spiritualist helps me with forgiveness is that I know we make contracts with everyone we encounter on earth, prior to birth, while we are in Spirit. We chose to be born to our parents and they chose to have this experience with us. And this goes for everyone in our life. Brothers, sisters, friends, acquaintances, etc.. The people that give us the hardest time and the most grief are our greatest teachers and I am grateful to them for bringing me the gift/opportunity to evolve spiritually. And I truly mean this. I am very grateful to those who have hurt me beyond words. Being able to see the "gift" through the hurt and pain, and being grateful for the opportunity for growth, is a true blessing and a true sign of spiritual evolution. Also, as one of the ordination course students so perfectly states in the classroom forum: " I have learned so much from and grown spiritually from the seemingly most negative and hurtful things in my life. These situations and people have spurred me on to grow in ways that I never imagined. It gave me great comfort to finally realize that the people who hurt me the most, had a great love for me in order to do this. This makes me want to forgive them even more. I know as a Spiritualist that the door is always open - that everyone is always learning and growing no matter what plane they are on." Who, in your life, needs to be forgiven? Offer up a blessing for them having brought you this opportunity for spiritual growth and know that they must really, really love you or they would never have signed up for this assignment. And smile, spring is coming! News Pot Luck Sunday is March 5th, 2017 in the Temple. One of our members, Cathy Baker, passed into spirit on February 5th. While we are always sad to see one of our members leave us, physically, by transitioning to spirit, we are always happy that they have moved into the higher vibrations of light to continue their spiritual evolution. We know Cathy will visit us often from spirit. Happy Birthday, Cathy! The second part of Pastor Laurie's energy healing certification class will be held on Sunday, March 12th at 1:00 PM in the Temple. Everyone who took the first part of the class last fall will now be able to complete it and receive their certificate. There will be a drumming circle in the Temple on Saturday evening, March 11th, at 7:00 PM. Please join us and if you have an instrument, drum, flute, rattle, etc., feel free to bring it. This event is being offered by donation. Bring a friend! The church had its first ever Gallery Reading night on February 18th and I am happy to report that it was a great success! We plan to offer the next one on the third Saturday in April. Mark your calendars and bring a friend!!! We were tossing around ideas about how to let people know about HLSC. One perfect way to introduce people to our wonderful church is to bring someone with you on Sunday, or, bring someone with you to a church sponsored event. Visitors are always welcome and who knows, whoever you bring with you to church or an event may become our next best member! We are still collecting stuffed animals for the fire department. You can drop them off at the Temple any time as it is always open. Just place them on the table to the left in the rear of the church. All donations must be new with tags still attached. Thank you! We are also collecting food for homeless shelters and food pantry's, so when you are in the grocery store pick up an extra can of vegetables or box of pasta if you can. Again, you can leave your donation on the table to the left in the rear of the church. Thank you! The last Sunday of every month is an "All Healing and Message Service". What that means is, we will not have an inspirational talk on the last Sunday of the month but instead we will dedicate the entire service to healing and messages from spirit. This will be done in a circle formation. Everyone is welcome. Upcoming March Events Featuring HLSC Members Holistic Health "Retreat to the Inn" Weekend When: Friday March 3, 2017 through Saturday March 4, 2017 Time: Friday Mach 3rd, 3:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Saturday March 4th, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm What: Art Mediumship by Angie Butler Welch and Sound Healing and psychic medium readings by Wachian Welch Where: Belfast Breeze Inn, Belfast ME Cost: Please contact Jane Liedtke at the Belfast Breeze Contact: Jane Liedtke - Email: jane@belfastbreezeinn.com, Ph: 207-218-7888 Please see the website for a list of additional vendors and workshops All are welcome! Drumming Circle When: Saturday, March 11th Time: 7:00 PM Where: Temple on the Camp Etna grounds Cost: By Donation Contact: Rev. Wachian Welch Email: wachianwelch44@gmail.com Ph: 207-514-6023 All are welcome! Table Tipping When: Saturday, March 18th Time: 6:30 PM What: Messages from Spirit Where: Temple on the Camp Etna grounds Cost: $20 per person Presenter: Rev. Janet Decker & Amy Griffiths Contact: Rev. Decker - Ph: 207-404-1845, Email: janet.decker9@gmail.com Amy Griffiths Ph: 207-385-3321, Email: amyjspiritedway@gmail.com **All are welcome but please let us know you are coming, thanks!** Intuitive Paint Night When: Friday, March 31, 2017 Time: 6:00 PM Where: Belfast Breeze Inn, Belfast, ME Cost: $35.00 per person Contact: Jane Liedtke - Ph: 207-218-7888, email: jane@belfastbreezeinn.com **Please call to make your reservations** If you are a church member and have an event coming up please let me know and I will post it in our newsletter. I will also be happy to post community events. Community Events! Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. For more information on Glad Helpers please see last month's newsletter. You can find it on our website under the "Newsletter" tab. Serving the church in March Facilitator – Pastor Laurie Xanthos Speakers/Mediums March 5th: Laurie Xanthos March 12th: Marcia Ruland (Student & Speaker), Graham Connally (Medium) March 19th: Marcia Ruland (Student & Speaker), Kim Charist (Medium) March 26th: Healing and Message Service Reminders Pot Luck Sunday is March 5th in the Temple. There will be an electrical strip to plug crock pots into. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. There has been some confusion about HLSC and Camp Etna memberships. I hope the following will explain. Becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. Weather (Cancellation) Notification When the weather is bad church services and meetings are canceled. You can check on the local TV news stations for our cancellations. We will also put the notice out on Facebook and via email. Once in a while we cancel church and then the storm doesn't manifest. Ahhhhh, nature, you cannot always predict her. Never the less, once church has been canceled we do not change it. Please make a note of this. Please be ever mindful of safety both in the home and in your comings and goings this winter. Always think, Safety First! To Say Thank You! At this time I want to give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of February. A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. As usual, splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to Karlene Tanner for monitoring the heat in the church and for clearing the deck of ice and snow. You are a God Send! A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Jackman Skolfield for continuing to manage the church web site A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the Food Drive. A BIG THANK YOU to those who contributed to the Mid Maine Homeless Shelter, the local fire and rescue, and the local food banks. TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Children's books We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings to all and Happy St. Patrick's Day! Rev. Janet Decker

Happy April Everyone and welcome to Spring! Last month I talked about forgiveness and how important it is for our spiritual evolution. This month I'd like to continue with the theme of spiritual evolution through self-love and acceptance. This poem by Jellaludin Rumi pretty much says it all. The Guest House This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival. A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor. Welcome and entertain them all! Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably. He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice. meet them at the door laughing and invite them in. Be grateful for whatever comes. because each has been sent as a guide from beyond. As I stated in last month's newsletter, we have a choice in how we perceive everything that happens in our world. Rumi states here that we should meet each internal feeling as a guest at our door and to greet them laughing no matter how ugly they may seem to be. He talks about honoring each part of your "self" and to find the wonderful gift each individual guest has to offer you. Yes, even malice, shame, self-loathing or any dark thought, for indeed, these negative feelings of "self" offer you a gift beyond your wildest dreams, they offer you spiritual evolution once understood, blessed, and accepted. May the newness of spring bring you self-love and peace beyond measure! News I will be away having a much needed vacation beginning Monday April 3rd through Sunday April 22nd. Please direct any questions or problems to Rev. Wachian Welch and Pastor Dee Powers. Their contact information is listed at the end of the newsletter. Thank you. This is one of the happiest announcements I can make. Our own Dee Powers has just completed the ordination course to become our third graduate! I am proud to say we can now address Dee as, Reverend Dee Powers. Congratulations Dee! Pot Luck Sunday is April 2nd, 2017 in the Temple. I am happy to report that 4 people received their Energy Healing certificates in April. They are: Sherwood Denham, Thoy Conroy, Christopher Smith and Bonnie Lee Mellott. Congratulations! Our treasurer, Janet McNerney, will be having surgery April 4th at EMMC and will be hospitalized for 2 to 3 days, then, she will be in rehab at Ross Manor in Bangor for 2 weeks. Janet would love to have visitors once she enters rehab. Phone calls will also be welcome. You can find her number at the end of the newsletter. Let's keep Janet in our prayers. Kate Dobbins is home now. She was hospitalized for a time at EMMC. Please keep Kate in your prayers. There will be a Gallery Reading event in the Temple on the last Saturday of the month, April 29th. Specifics are listed under "Upcoming April Events". The Sunday Mediumship Development Circle will be led by Karlene Tanner on April 9th, 16th and 23rd. The church and the ESA garden committee have some worthy projects in mind for the camp grounds this year. We are asking for donations of flower or vegetable seeds and flower bulbs. Donations can be left anytime on the tables on the left as you enter the Temple. Also, you may call Pastor Dee Powers or Marcia Ruland if you have questions. The drumming circle held on March 11th in the Temple was a huge success. 12 souls braved the cold to come out and drum. What a fabulous energetic "pick me up"! We were tossing around ideas about how to let people know about HLSC. One perfect way to introduce people to our wonderful church is to bring someone with you on Sunday, or, bring someone with you to a church sponsored event. Visitors are always welcome and who knows, whoever you bring with you to church or an event may become our next best member! We are still collecting stuffed animals for the fire department. You can drop them off at the Temple any time as it is always open. Just place them on the tables to the left as you enter. All donations must be new with tags still attached. Thank you! We are also collecting food for homeless shelters and food pantry's, so when you are in the grocery store pick up an extra can of vegetables or box of pasta if you can. Again, you can leave your donation on the table to the left as you enter the Temple. Thank you! The last Sunday of every month is an "All Healing and Message Service". What that means is, we will not have an inspirational talk on the last Sunday of the month but instead we will dedicate the entire service to healing and messages from spirit. This will be done in a circle formation. Everyone is welcome. Looking Ahead Angie Butler Welch, Intuitive Artist and Psychic Medium, will be holding an intuitive painting class in the Temple on Mother's Day, May 14th from 12:30 - 2:30. Details will be in next month's Newsletter but you may want to mark your calendar now as this event is limited to 15 people. A portion of the proceeds will go to the HLSC. Rev Janet Decker will lead a 2 -1/2 day Past Life Regression Course, June 29th - July 1st at Camp Etna. Students who complete the course will receive their certification as a "Group Past Life Regression Practitioner" from the International Metaphysical University (IMU). Details can be found on the Camp Etna web site. Upcoming April Events Featuring HLSC Members Gallery Readings in the Temple When: Saturday April 29th Time: 7:00 PM What: Messages From Spirit Where: Temple on the Camp Etna Grounds Cost: $15.00 Mediums Serving: Rev. Janet Decker and Sherwood Denham Contact: Rev. Janet Decker, Email: janet.decker9@gmail.com, Ph: 207-404-1845 All are welcome - Come see what spirit has to share with you... and bring a friend! If you are a church member and have an event coming up please let me know and I will post it in our newsletter. Writers United Bangor When: Wednesday April 5th Time: To be determined Where: To be determined What: This is a new group that will get together on a weekly basis to brainstorm, and to explore creative writing styles and exercises. Contact: Christopher Smith at 207-530-1277 for more information Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. For more information on Glad Helpers please see last month's newsletter. You can find it on our website under the "Newsletter" tab. Serving the church in April Facilitator – Rev. Wachian Welch Speakers/Mediums April 2nd: Melissa Gabriel – Owner of Angel Connection. She is a caring and professional Psychic Medium and Spiritual Healer. Her abilities include clairvoyance, clairaudience and clairsentience which she has used to help uplift and guide others for over 10 years. Dawn Wilber (student) will give messages. April 9thth: Rev. Patty Palmer is a co-pastor of Harrison D. Barrett Spiritualist Church in Bangor, ME. She serves on the HDB board and MSSAC board. Rev. Palmer is a Reiki Master, teaches development classes and serves Spiritualist churches and camps throughout the state of Maine. Rev. Betty Simpson - Also a co-pastor of Harrison D. Barrett Spiritualist Church in Bangor, ME. She can often be found at Camp Etna with her husband who volunteers at the Camp. April 16th: Marcia Ruland (Ordination Student) Marcia is a board member of Healing Light Spiritualist Church, as well as a member and cottage owner at Camp Etna Spiritualist Camp. Marcia will be leading this service and delivering the inspirational talk. Rev. Wachian Welch will be giving messages. April 23rd: Pat Heitman is serving as the guest speaker. She is a longtime friend of Healing Light Spiritualist Church. Pat has served our church many times giving her messages of inspiration. She and her husband, Norm, live close by and are regular visitors to church and Camp Etna. Pastor Laurie Xanthos will be leading this service and giving messages. April 30th: Healing and Message Circle Reminders Pot Luck is the first Sunday of every month. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. There has been some confusion about HLSC and Camp Etna memberships. I hope the following will explain. Becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. Weather (Cancellation) Notification When the weather is bad church services and meetings are canceled. You can check on the local TV news stations for our cancellations. We will also put the notice out on Facebook and via email. Once in a while we cancel church and then the storm doesn't manifest. Ahhhhh, nature, you cannot always predict her. Never the less, once church has been canceled we do not change it. Please make a note of this. Please be ever mindful of safety both in the home and in your comings and goings this winter. Always think, Safety First! To Say Thank You! At this time I want to give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of March. A BIG THANK YOU to Pastor Laurie Xanthos for yet another great Energy Healing Class. A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. As usual, splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to Karlene Tanner for monitoring the heat in the church and for clearing the deck of ice and snow. You are a God Send! A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Jackman Skolfield for continuing to manage the church web site A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church drives. A BIG THANK YOU to those who contributed to the Mid Maine Homeless Shelter, the local fire and rescue, and the local food banks. TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Children's books We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings to all, Rev. Janet Decker

Happy May Everyone! I just returned from a much needed vacation that took me all the way to Myrtle Beach, SC., and although it was wonderful to spend some time in the warm sun, I am happy to be back in Maine. Our state is so beautiful and not only that, it is not heavily populated which, I for one, love. With large populations comes a terrific amount of noise pollution, trash, incredible traffic congestion, and an unbelievable disrespect for nature and other human beings. Or at least this is how it seems to me. Every time I leave Maine, and subsequently return, I am reminded of why I moved here in the first place. I cherish Maine and the many wonderful gifts she offers us; forests, rivers, streams, mountains and valleys, a long unaltered coast line, parks, recreation in every season, abundant wildlife, organic farms, seafood, peace and quiet and abundant magnificent nature. Ahhhh Maine, the way life should be! News I am thrilled to announce that Marcia Ruland has completed the ordination course to become our fourth graduate! We can now address Marcia as, Reverend Marcia Ruland. If you have had the pleasure of being present at a service that Marcia has facilitated you will already know that she was born to this. As I have said many times, becoming a minister is not something that can be conveyed on a person, you are born to it. We can teach some of the skills of leading a service, performing marriages/funerals/memorial services, etc., however, being a spiritual guide/teacher/leader is something that is truly in the blood. It is a calling. Congratulations Marcia! The ESA board will meet with the church board members on May 14th after the service in the Inn. We are aware this is Mother's Day. We chose this date because it is the one day where most of both boards can be present. Pot Luck Sunday is May 7th, 2017, in the Temple after service. The church and the ESA garden committee have some worthy projects in mind for the camp grounds this year. We are asking for donations of flower or vegetable seeds and flower bulbs. Donations can be left anytime on the tables on the left as you enter the Temple. Also, you may call Pastor Dee Powers or Marcia Ruland if you have questions. We were tossing around ideas about how to let people know about HLSC. One perfect way to introduce people to our wonderful church is to bring someone with you on Sunday, or, bring someone with you to a church sponsored event. Visitors are always welcome and who knows, whoever you bring with you to church or an event may become our next best member! We are still collecting stuffed animals for the fire department. You can drop them off at the Temple any time as it is always open. Just place them on the tables to the left as you enter. All donations must be new with tags still attached. Thank you! We are also collecting food for homeless shelters and food pantry's, so when you are in the grocery store pick up an extra can of vegetables or box of pasta if you can. Again, you can leave your donation on the table to the left as you enter the Temple. Thank you! The last Sunday of every month is an "All Healing and Message Service". What that means is, we will not have an inspirational talk on the last Sunday of the month but instead we will dedicate the entire service to healing and messages from spirit. This will be done in a circle formation. Everyone is welcome. Looking Ahead Rev Janet Decker will lead a 2 -1/2 day Past Life Regression Course, June 29th - July 1st at Camp Etna. Students who complete the course will receive their certification as a "Group Past Life Regression Practitioner" from the International Metaphysical University (IMU). Details can be found on the Camp Etna web site. Upcoming May Events Featuring HLSC Members Intuitive Painting Class When: Sunday May 14th Time: 12:30 - 2:30 What: The theme will be the Sunflower. Sunflowers are associated with spiritual knowledge and the desire to seek light and truth. A brief intuitive reading will be given to each participant by Artist/Psychic Medium Angie Butler Welch. No experience necessary. Where: Temple on the Camp Etna Grounds Cost: $35.00, all materials will be included. A portion of the proceeds will go to HLSC Offered By: Intuitive Artist/Psychic Medium Angie Butler Welch This is a class for all ages. Seating is limited so please RSVP to Angie at 266-1555 OR tyger25474@gmail ASAP. If you are a church member and have an event coming up please let me know and I will post it in our newsletter. Camp News The water has been turned on at the camp grounds! For those of us who are members that means a great deal. People will be coming now to open their cottages and enjoy the grounds. Let the socializing and fun times begin! Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. For more information on Glad Helpers please see last month's newsletter. You can find it on our website under the "Newsletter" tab. Serving the church in May Facilitator – Rev. Dee Powers Speakers/Mediums May 7th: Bill (Windwalker) Wentworth/inspirational talk, Rev. Dee Powers/messages May 14th: Sherwood Dedham May 21st: Melanie Ames - Melanie comes to us from Gardiner, ME. She has been a member of the Augusta Spiritualist Church for 11 years. Melanie is the Vice President of the Augusta Church and a Director on the Board of MSSAC (Maine State Spiritualist Association of Churches). Melanie says she loves serving spirit!!! May 8th: Healing and Message Circle Reminders Pot Luck is the first Sunday of every month. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. Please be aware that becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. To Say Thanks A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Jackman Skolfield for donating the annual cost of renewing the hosting agreement for our web site. Diane also maintains the web site for us which often takes a great deal of time. Diane you are such a blessing to our church. Thank you, thank you! A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of April. A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Sherwood you do a splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to Karlene Tanner for monitoring the heat in the church and for clearing the deck of ice and snow in the winter... you are a God Send! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church drives. Let us all give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Children's books We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Rev. Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Wishing Mothers Everywhere a very Happy Mother's Day! Rev. Janet Decker

Greetings Everyone! There seems to be a lot of news this month so let's get right to it. News Please note: The Sunday Mediumship Development group will meet at Rev. Janet Decker's cottage beginning Sunday June 25th and continuing through the entire month of August. We will begin meeting again in the Temple on September 3rd. I am happy to announce that one of our Ordination course graduates, Candace Breen, will be leading the service on June 25th. Normally, the last service of the month is our "All Healing and Message Service" but this month we will have a bit of a change up and Candace will speak instead. Candace lives in Rhode Island and will be traveling up to Maine just to serve our church. Although Candace is a graduate, and, completed the course with flying colors, she has not yet had the opportunity to lead a church service. Since we are a teaching church we are happy to give her this opportunity. I'd also like to share that Candace is the first ordination student to have taken this course who is not local. I appreciate her making the long drive to serve our church. Candace would love the opportunity to serve other Spiritualist churches within a 2 hour radius of her home in RI. If you know of any Spiritualist churches in that area please do let her know and she will contact them. Her email address is: cohoyo1@yahoo.com On Sunday June 18th we will celebrate the summer solstice during church service. The summer solstice is celebrated to honor nature and the cycles of life. We will have the ceremony in place of the inspirational talk. We will also have a guided meditation, healing, and messages from spirit, as usual. Principle number 2 states: We believe that the phenomena of nature, both physical and spiritual, are the expression of Infinite Intelligence. And principle number 3 further states: We affirm that a correct understanding of such expression and living in accordance therewith constitutes true religion. Celebrating nature through ceremony is an ancient practice and a practice I am happy to facilitate for our church family. I hope you will be able to join us in celebrating the sun at its zenith and the ever renewing cycles of life! Angie's Intuitive Paint class went very well on Mother's Day. Angie donated part of the proceeds to our church and we greatly appreciate the donation. Angie is considering holding another Intuitive Paint class a little later on. When we know the date you will be the first to know! Pot Luck Sunday is June 4th, 2017, at the inn after service. You may drop off food there before the service. There are electrical strips for crock pots and there is a refrigerator. The church and the ESA garden committee have some worthy projects in mind for the camp grounds this year. We are asking for donations of flower or vegetable seeds and flower bulbs. Donations can be left anytime on the tables on the left as you enter the Temple. Also, you may call Rev. Dee Powers or Rev. Marcia Ruland if you have questions. Upcoming June Events Featuring HLSC Members Saturday, June 24: Janice Nelson Kroesser will facilitate Table Tipping in the Temple at 7:00 PM. Sunday, June 25: Dowsing for Answers taught by James Kidder, 1:00 to 4:00 PM in the Temple Sunday June 25: Late Night Transfiguration with Pastor Laurie Xanthos, 9:00 to 10:30 PM in the Temple. Monday June 26: Test the Medium with Chris Smith, 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the Temple. Monday June 26: Primal Empowerment with Chris Smith, 4:00 to 6:00 PM in the Temple. Tuesday June 27: Gallery Reading with Katie Dobbins, 7:00 PM in the Temple Wednesday June 28: Developing Your Divine Potential with Pastor Laurie Xanthos, 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the Temple Wednesday June 28: Message Circle with Pastor Laurie Xanthos, 7:00 Pm in the Temple Rev Janet Decker will teach a 2 -1/2 day Past Life Regression Course, June 29th - July 1st at Camp Etna. Students who complete the course will receive their certification as a "Group Past Life Regression Practitioner" from the International Metaphysical University (IMU). Details can be found on the Camp Etna web site. Details for all June events can be found on the Camp Etna web site. Looking Ahead Not to be missed! On July 30th our church will host Dr. June Bro, from Virginia Beach who will be sharing her experiences of working together with Edgar Cayce while he was alive. A love offering of $10.00 will be gladly accepted at the door. June is the only living person to have had a life reading with Edgar Cayce. At age 97, she writes for Venture Inward, the quarterly magazine of the A.R.E. - Cayce Center and she conducts a weekly session called, "Conversations with June", at A.R.E. When June talks about her work with Cayce she brings his spirit alive! Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. Serving the church in June Facilitator – Rev. Janet Decker Speakers/Mediums June 4th: Sherwood Dedham (Student) June 11th: Rev. Chris Owen and Suzanne Gagnon - Rev. Chris Owen is an excellent speaker and medium. His partner, Suzanne, is an accomplished.healer. Together they serve Spirit in Spiritualist churches and camps throughout Maine. June 18th: Summer Solstice Ceremony June 25th: Rev. Candace Breen - Rev. Candace Nadine Breen lives in Barrington Rhode Island with her loving husband and two children. She is a newly ordained Independent Spiritualist Minister and is also ordained as a Healing Minister in the church of Spiritual Humanism. Candace is Shamanic Healer and medium, published author and artist. In addition, she is a certified Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki Master and Teacher and Animal Reiki Master and Teacher. Candace also does Tarot Card readings. Reminders Pot Luck is the first Sunday of every month. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. Please be aware that becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. To Say Thanks A BIG THANK YOU to Angie Butler Welch for her church fund raising efforts. A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of April. A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Sherwood you do a splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to Rev. Dee and Rev. Marcia for planting the beautiful flowers A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church drives. Let us all give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. (Please note that the development group will meet at Janet's cottage June 25th - August 27th.) The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Books for children We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Rev. Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings, Rev. Janet Decker

Greetings Everyone! July 2nd marks the second anniversary of our church moving to the Temple on the Camp Etna grounds. I personally feel it has been a blessing to have this space as a home for the Healing Light Spiritualist Church. Although there are a number of our members who fly south for the winter we do have an increasing number of local folks who come year round. This means that word of HLSC is spreading and we couldn't be happier. It has been our mission to make everyone who walks into the Temple on Sunday mornings feel welcome and I believe we are doing a very good job. Our church family is very warm, giving and compassionate, and when someone feels moved to join our family we couldn't be more thrilled. With that being said, let me extend a very warm welcome to Pascha Warren, our newest member of the Healing Light Spiritualist Church family. Welcome Pascha! News There will be two Pot Luck's in July, July 2nd and July 30th at the inn after service. You may drop off food there before the service. There are electrical strips for crock pots and there is a refrigerator. Not to be missed! On July 30th at 1:00 PM, following the pot luck, our church will host Dr. June Bro, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who will be sharing her experiences of working together with Edgar Cayce while he was alive. June is the only living person to have had a life reading with Edgar Cayce. At age 97, she writes for Venture Inward, the quarterly magazine of the A.R.E. [Cayce Center] and she conducts a weekly session called, "Conversations with June", at A.R.E. When June talks about her work with Cayce she brings his spirit alive! Come join us on July 30th for church (with special music by Robert Demers and June Bro), pot luck, and a "spirited talk" by June Bro! A love offering of $10.00 will be gladly accepted at the door. Please note: The Sunday Mediumship Development group will meet at Rev. Janet Decker's cottage in July and August. We will begin meeting again in the Temple on September 3rd. Upcoming July Events Featuring HLSC Members Saturday July 1st: Manifestation Made Simple 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM with Angie Butler Welch Sunday July 2nd: Private Readings with Angie Butler Welch 207-266-1555 and Wachain Welch 207-514-6023 & 1:30p - 3:30p Ignite Your Artistic Fire with Angie Butler Welch Monday July 3rd: Private Readings with Karlene Tanner & 7:00p Message Circle with Karlene Tanner Thursday July 6th: Private Readings with Rev. Janet Decker & 1:00p - 3:00p Awaken and Expand Your Psychic Gifts With Hypnosis with Rev. Janet Decker Details for all July camp events can be found on the Camp Etna web site. Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. Serving the church in July Facilitator – Pastor Laurie Xanthos Speakers/Mediums July 2nd: Camp Etna Mediums July 9th: Rev. Dr. Phillip DeLong July 16th: Nancy Smith July 23rd: Dr. Raymond Moody July 30th: Rev. Dr. Louis Gates Reminders Pot Luck is the first Sunday of every month. No Pot Luck in August. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab on the HLSC web site. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. Please be aware that becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. To Say Thanks A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of June A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Skolfield for maintaining the church web site, and, I just want to mention that Diane is incredibly prompt with her updates! A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Sherwood you do a splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to Rev. Dee and Rev. Marcia for planting the beautiful flowers A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church clothing and food drives. Let us all give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. (Please note that the development group will meet at Janet's cottage June 25th - August 27th.) The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Books for children We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Rev. Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings and Happy 4th! Rev. Janet Decker

Greetings Everyone! So now we have arrived in hot, muggy, August, and aren't we happy about that...? Not that we necessarily love heat and humidity but when we think of how long our Maine winters are it gives us a different perspective on the hot mugginess of August, right? Speaking of perspective, is there something occurring in your home, work place, or social environment, that you could use a new, or different, perspective on? I'll bet that for any one of us, at any given moment in our lives, something is happening that we could definitely use a new/different perspective on. If nothing is going on for you right now just wait a bit, and rest assured the hands on the proverbial clock will move and there you are experiencing a new opportunity for personal and spiritual growth. From a spiritual perspective “things”, situations, differences of opinion, etc., we get "stuck on" are begging us to look at the issue through different eyes. So, how do we do this? First, bring the "thing" you are stuck on into your mind. Now try to step out of yourself so that you can view it without emotion, and most of all, without judgment. [ (Keep in mind as you view the situation, which may or may not have anything to do with you personally, that we all create contracts with each other prior to incarnation.) Perhaps there is some karmic debt being worked out between the parties involved? If you are not directly involved yet feel you should “take sides” ask yourself this question, "Do I really want to get mixed up in someone else’s karmic or cosmic contract?" Also keep in mind that all too often misunderstandings happen because of breakdowns in communication. Although I’m not certain, I will wager that wars have started over miss-communications. Most certainly family feuds have. This next step is a bit more difficult but stay with me here. Keeping everything mentioned above in mind, imagine that you are an impartial judge having no connection to the opposing viewpoints in any given situation. When you remove all emotion and judgment from the situation what are you left with? You are left with the ability to truly look at all sides of the situation equally and without bias. Ask yourself this question, "What is the most loving, forgiving, and non-judgmental stance I can take in this situation?" What does shifting your perspective to a more spiritual approach mean for you? If shifting to a more spiritual view of the situation elicits pain on any level, then consider this an opportunity to look more deeply into yourself for the express purpose of forgiving and healing the wounds that you find there. I have said this before, all difficulties in our lives come with a gift; what gift is your most current frustration, difficulty, or difference of opinion, offering you? News There is no pot luck in August Last minute reminder - Not to be missed! On July 30th at 1:00 PM, following the pot luck, our church will host Dr. June Bro, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, who will be sharing her experiences of working together with Edgar Cayce while he was alive. June is the only living person to have had a life reading with Edgar Cayce. At age 97, she writes for Venture Inward, the quarterly magazine of the A.R.E. [Cayce Center] and she conducts a weekly session called, "Conversations with June", at A.R.E. When June talks about her work with Cayce she brings his spirit alive! Come join us on July 30th for church (with special music by Robert Demers and June Bro), pot luck, and a "spirited talk" by June Bro! A love offering of $10.00 will be gladly accepted at the door. Please note: The Sunday afternoon Mediumship Development Group will not meet on July 30th as we will be attending June Bro's talk. Camp News Details for all August camp events can be found on the Camp Etna web site. Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. Serving the church in August Facilitator – Various Camp Etna members will facilitate during the month of August Speakers/Mediums August 6th: Malcolm Speirs and Lynn Walker August 13th: Graham Connolly August 20th: Joanfrances Boyle August 27th: International Mediums – Sue Dhaibi, Coral Ryder, Ann Robson Reminders Pot Luck is the first Sunday of every month. No Pot Luck in August. The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab on the HLSC web site. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. Please be aware that becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. To Say Thanks A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums for the month of July A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Skolfield for maintaining the church web site, and, I just want to mention that Diane is incredibly prompt with her updates! A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Sherwood you do a splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to Rev. Dee and Rev. Marcia for maintaining the beautiful flowers around the Temple A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church clothing and food drives. Let us all give honor to the pastors of our church for the selfless giving of their time and efforts. Your complete dedication to our church and to our members does not go unnoticed, believe me. As lead pastor I can honestly say, I do not know what I would do without you. You are a blessing to me and to everyone who attends our church. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! I also want to extend heartfelt gratitude to the members of the church board. I am aware of how busy everyone is these days and that you are willing to serve the church in the capacity as a board member is a blessing. THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come enjoy the service and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. (Please note that the development group will meet at Janet's cottage, 90 Pond St on the Camp Etna Grounds, June 25th - August 27th.) The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: New sweat pants and sweat shirts (Everyone coming into the shelter receives a shower and a new set of clothes) Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Books for children We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Rev. Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings, Rev. Janet Decker

Greetings Everyone! As many of you may know this is an extremely busy month for me so this newsletter, as well as October's, will be shorter than usual. Please remember that you can call any of our pastors or board members if you have questions. Everyone's contact information is at the end of every newsletter. News Our treasurer, Janet McNerney is at Ross Manor in Bangor and would appreciate prayers and healing. You can contact her on her cell phone at 207-991-0812. I know she would love a phone call. The mediumship development group will resume meeting in the Temple beginning on Sunday September 3rd. As always, we meet at 1:30 every Sunday, unless otherwise notified, and everyone is welcome. Donations are gladly accepted. Pot luck will be held at the inn on the Camp Etna grounds after church service on Sunday September 3rd. Please bring a dish to share, if you can, and join us for church, then stay after for fellowship with like-minded folks. We'd love to have you. All are welcome! A BIG "HATS OFF" to Diane Jackman Skolfield for creating and constructing a magnificent Medicine Wheel/Sacred Fire Pit on the Camp Etna grounds. If you have not yet seen this incredible work of art please stop on your way into church one morning, or on the way out, and have a look at it. You will find it on the left just after you pass under the arch. I hope to conduct our Autumn Equinox ceremony there in September. I will send a bulletin via email if I am able to arrange it. To learn more about Medicine Wheels click here: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/exhibition/healing-ways/medicine-ways/medicine-wheel.html Serving the church in September Facilitator: Rev. Wachian Welch Speakers/Mediums September 3rd: Sherwood Denham (Ordination student - please come out and support our students!) September 10th: Dr. Barbara Williams (bio below) September 17th: Rev. Janet Decker (Equinox Ceremony) September 24th: Healing and Message service Bio: Dr. Barbara Williams is a well known professional psychic medium, healer, and medical intuitive. She has dedicated over 43 years to the healing and holistic health field incorporating a wide array of healing modalities. Barbara teaches psychic development throughout Maine and enjoys helping people open up to their psychic abilities. She organizes several different spiritual, paranormal, and psychic development classes throughout Maine, New Hampshire, and California. She serves Spiritualist churches and camps all over Maine. https://barbarawilliamsphd.com/ We are very happy to have Dr. Williams serve our church! About the Healing and Message Service: This service is held on the last Sunday of every month unless otherwise stated. The service is conducted in a circle formation and healers move around the circle offering healing to each person. If you choose not to have a healing you can simply decline when the healer comes to you. During the message part of the service everyone in the circle has the opportunity to offer a short inspirational message from spirit, to a single person to whom they feel drawn, or, to the circle as a whole. No one is required to receive a healing or to give a message. Come enjoy this more relaxed yet very sacred and inspiring service. Camp News The 2017 camp season is over. If you have questions please call the camp office: 207-269-2094 Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. Reminders The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab on the HLSC web site. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. Please be aware that becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. To Say Thanks A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums who serve our church throughout the year. A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Jackman Skolfield for maintaining the church website, and, I just want to mention that Diane is incredibly prompt with her updates! A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Sherwood you do a splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to Rev. Dee and Rev. Marcia for maintaining the beautiful flowers around the Temple and to Diane Skolfied for tending the gardens and making the flowers POP! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church clothing and food drives. TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn on the Camp Etna grounds June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come bring a dish to share, enjoy the service, and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: New sweat pants and sweat shirts (Everyone coming into the shelter receives a shower and a new set of clothes) Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Books for children We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Rev. Marcia Ruland (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings, Rev. Janet Decker

Greetings Everyone! I said in the September newsletter that you could expect October's newsletter to be short, well, that was an understatement. It was so short it did not even exist! I apologize for this and hopefully that was the first, and last, time it will happen. News Sunday, November 5th there will be a combined pot luck and members meeting in the Temple after church. Come enjoy church service, bring a dish to share and stay for our meeting. Member input is essential for guiding the direction of our church and growing our membership. All are welcome! I am always thrilled to announce when someone has successfully completed the Ordination program and received their Certificate of Ordination. The church congratulates the Rev. Sherwood Denham! Also, Sherwood has agreed to become a Trustee on the church Board of Directors. Sherwood is replacing Rev. Marcia Ruland who previously held this position. I am also happy to announce that we have added 3 new members to our church family. The HLSC extends a warm welcome to: Christina Brown, Brenda Brown and Ted Warren. We are very happy to have you as members. Welcome! Veterans Day is on November 11th, however it will be observed by the federal government on Friday, November 10th. I wanted to know some history about Veteran's day so I looked it up. Here is what I found: Veterans Day is an official United States public holiday, observed annually on November 11, that honors military veterans; that is, persons who served in the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with other holidays, including Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, celebrated in other countries that mark the anniversary of the end of World War I; major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. The United States previously observed Armistice Day. The U.S. holiday was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. I found the sequence of 11th hour, 11th day, and 11th month very interesting so I looked up the spiritual meaning of number 11. The number 11 is a high vibrational number and when you get into 11/11, or in this case 11/11/11 Angels are speaking. To be sure, the Angels were certainly speaking, and more than likely singing, when WW1 ended. We are currently taking donations of food, and/or money, for our local Etna community. Please help our church make Thanksgiving a little brighter for a local family, or two. Non-perishable food donations can be left on the table at the rear of church. Please give monetary donations to one of the pastors or church board members. Serving the church in November Facilitator: Rev. Marcia Ruland Speakers/Mediums November Karlene Tanner November 12th: Dawn Wilber November 19: TBA November 26th: Healing and Message service Karlene Tanner: Karlene is a member of HLSC and lives on the grounds of Camp Etna. She comes from a long line of mediums and the Temple stands as a memorial to her grandmother, Glayds LaLiberte. Dawn Wilber: Dawn is a Reiki Master trained in Integrated Energy therapy and been delivering messages from spirit during her healing sessions for some time. She has been delivering messages from spirit to the general public for approximately 18 months. Dawn lives in Frankfurt with her husband, son, small livestock of chickens and their yellow lab. About the Healing and Message Service: This service is held on the last Sunday of every month unless otherwise stated. The service is conducted in a circle formation and healers move around the circle offering healing to each person. If you choose not to have a healing you can simply decline when the healer comes to you. During the message part of the service everyone in the circle has the opportunity to offer a short inspirational message from spirit, to a single person to whom they feel drawn, or, to the circle as a whole. No one is required to receive a healing or to give a message. Come enjoy this more relaxed yet very sacred and inspiring service. Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. Reminders The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab on the HLSC web site. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. Please be aware that becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. To Say Thanks A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums who serve our church throughout the year. A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Jackman Skolfield for maintaining the church website and, I just want to mention that Diane is incredibly prompt with her updates! A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Sherwood you do a splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church clothing and food drives. TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn on the Camp Etna grounds June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come bring a dish to share, enjoy the service, and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: New sweat pants and sweat shirts (Everyone coming into the shelter receives a shower and a new set of clothes) Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Books for children We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors is open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Rev. Sherwood Denham (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. Bright Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving, Rev. Janet Decker

Greetings Everyone! So here we are at the holiday season and the cold snowy days of winter. My oh my how time flies! As a kid every winter I would comment about how slowly time passed. I'd say things like, "I wish winter would hurry up and leave." And, "I wish spring would hurry up and get here." My mother in all her wisdom would respond, "Don't wish your life away like that. One-day time will go so fast it will make your head spin, and the older you get the faster it will go." I, of course, didn't believe that at all. I mean, it was crazy... right? Well, it seems Mom was correct, time now goes by at practically lightning speed. Still, I find myself wishing that winter would hurry up and leave and that spring would hurry up and get here. I guess, Mom, no matter how old I get, where winter is concerned time still goes by way too slowly. satisfied,emoticon,face,fun,happy,smile,smiley,emotion,funny News Sunday, December 3rd is Pot Luck. Come enjoy church service then stay after for a bite to eat and good conversation with like-minded folks. All are welcome! There will be no mediumship development group meeting on Sunday, December 3rd, 24th and 31st. Perhaps it would be easier to say we will meet in December on the 10th and 17th only. Christmas Eve falls on Sunday this year so Dee and I have been putting our heads together to come up with something a bit different. We decided to have a service with a Victorian theme. We are inviting folks to dress in Victorian costume which could be just a cape or a bonnet for the ladies, or a top hat for the fellas. Please know that dressing in costume is certainly not necessary. Only your warm and beaming presence is necessary. We will be offering cookies and cider, coffee and tea (cookie donations are welcome). Also, if you would like to bring other types of foods you are most welcome to do so. We feel Christmas carols are an important part of Christmas so we will be singing at least 5 or 6 of them, and there will be lots of candles. If you would like to bring a white, red, or green pillar candle with you for our service that would be lovely, but again, this is not necessary. We look forward to sharing Christmas eve morning with you! I am happy to announce that we have added another new member to our church family. The HLSC extends a warm welcome to Rev. Linda Holmes. We are very happy to have you as amember, Linda. Welcome! On Sunday, December 31st, we will celebrate the new year with a Solstice ceremony. For those who have never attended this type of service here is a bit about it. The Winter solstice is celebrated to honor nature and the cycles of life. The ceremony will replace the "All Healing and Message" service that usually takes place the last Sunday of the month. In addition to the ceremony we will also have a guided meditation, healing, and messages from spirit, as usual. Principle number 2 states: We believe that the phenomena of nature, both physical and spiritual, are the expression of Infinite Intelligence. And principle number 3 further states: We affirm that a correct understanding of such expression and living in accordance therewith constitutes true religion. Celebrating nature through ceremony is an ancient practice and a practice I am happy to facilitate for our church family. I hope you will be able to join us as we celebrate and honor the ever renewing cycles of life! Serving the church in December Facilitator: Rev. Dee Powers Speakers/Mediums December 3rd: Rev. Dee Powers December 10th: Kate Dobbins December 17th: Peter Conroy/Dawn Wilbur December 24th: Victorian Christmas Service/Linda Holmes, speaker. December 31st: Winter Solstice Ceremony with Rev. Janet Decker About our speakers and Mediums: Kate Dobbins has been delivering messages from spirit for many years and lives year round at Camp Etna. Dawn Wilber: Dawn is a Reiki Master trained in Integrated Energy therapy and been delivering messages from spirit during her healing sessions for some time. She has been delivering messages from spirit to the general public for approximately 18 months. Dawn lives in Frankfurt with her husband, son, small livestock of chickens and their yellow lab. Peter Conroy is a member of HLSC along with his wife, Thoy. You will find them in church on many Sundays. Peter will be speaking on the 17th and we look forward to having Thoy speak in the near future. Rev. Linda Holmes has been a spiritual seeker all her life. She began her studies in metaphysics as a senior at Newport High School through Christian Science. She earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Maine in 1978, and her masters degree in higher consciousness studies from Holmes Institute in Denver in 2004, with a ministerial license through The Church of Religious Science and the Science of Mind philosophy. In 2004 she founded The Maine Beacon Center for Spiritual Living in Gorham, Maine, and was ordained in 2006. She discovered spiritualism a couple years ago, and is now working to open up to the possibility of mediumship. She has 2 children, 3 step-children, 1 grandchild, 5 step-grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren, and 2-1/2 step-great grandchildren. And her two cats Nia and Cali. Weather (Cancellation) Notification When the weather is bad church services and meetings are canceled. You can check on the local TV news stations for our cancellations. We will also put the notice out on Facebook and via email. Once in a while we cancel church and then the storm doesn't manifest. Ahhhhh, nature, you cannot always predict her. Never the less, once church has been canceled we do not change it. Please make a note of this. Please be ever mindful of safety both in the home and in your comings and goings this winter. Always think, Safety First! Community News Edgar Cayce's Glad Helpers Group meets every Monday afternoon from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Maine Holistic Center located at 81 Maine Street Bangor, ME. All Energy Healers are welcome to become part of this group at any time. Reminders The back row of chairs on the right side of the church, as you enter, are designated as healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a healing chair. There will be a healer assigned to those chairs at every service. The church has an online Ordination Program. You can check it out here or you can find it under the "Classes" tab on the HLSC web site. The church membership application is available in the church and can also be downloaded from the home page of our web site. Please be aware that becoming a member of HLSC does not automatically make you a member of Camp Etna. Camp Etna and the church are separate entities and each has their own set of requirements for becoming a member. If you want to become a member of the church please go to our web site: healinglightspiritualistchurch.org to read our by-laws and membership requirements and if you want to become a member of Camp Etna please go to campetna.com to read their by-laws and membership requirements. If you do not use a computer, you may ask any member of the church board or camp board for their respective information. You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our web site. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services, September through June, please see one of the pastors. Thank you. To Say Thanks A BIG THANK YOU to our speakers and mediums who serve our church throughout the year. A BIG THANK YOU to Diane Jackman Skolfield for maintaining the church website. A BIG THANK YOU to Sherwood for cleaning the Temple. Sherwood, as always, you do a splendid job! A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to the various church clothing and food drives. TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Ongoing The first Sunday of every month is Pot Luck Sunday. Pot Luck is held at the Inn on the Camp Etna grounds June through October (no pot luck in August) and in the Temple November through May. Come bring a dish to share, enjoy the service, and stay after for a nice meal and conversation with like-minded souls. A Mediumship Development Group meets every Sunday afternoon at 1:30 PM in the Temple (led by Rev. Janet Decker). Anyone who is interested in developing or growing their mediumship and psychic skills are welcome to join us. Beginners are certainly welcome as are the more advanced folks. Donations are gladly accepted. The Mid Maine homeless shelter is asking for the following items. If you have items you would like to donate just bring them to the church on any Sunday and Pastor Dee Powers will collect and deliver them. Here is a list of supplies they could use: New sweat pants and sweat shirts (Everyone coming into the shelter receives a shower and a new set of clothes) Playground toys Diapers of all sizes Trash bags Toilet tissues, paper towels, and tissues All Purpose cleaner Paper plates, cups, and napkins (square) HE laundry detergent Ziploc bags and aluminum foil Food storage containers Grocery store gift certificates Soap, shampoo, and conditioner Feminine products (pads and tampons) Deodorant Toothpaste and toothbrushes Razors and shaving cream Coffee (regular; decaf) and creamer Sugar and drink mixes Canned and non-perishable foods Books for children We are accepting new and/or clean, used clothing donations. Please no clothing with holes or pet hair. Again, you can bring your donation to the church and Pastor Dee Powers will collect them. Both Etna and Canaan Fire Departments need sweat pants and sweat shirts to give out to people who, during a fire, are forced to flee their homes with no more than the shirt on their backs. It is not necessary to buy new. Clean, used items in good condition are very welcome. Please bring them to the church on any Sunday. Children’s sweats are also needed. To all who have contributed in the past, or will contribute in the future, to any of the above causes, your gifts are truly a blessing. Thank you. If you have something you would like added to the church newsletter please be aware that I will need that information by the 12th of the month prior to the month being published. Example, for the September newsletter I need the information by August 12th. Please send info to me via email. You will find my email address (Rev. Janet Decker) at the bottom of the newsletter. The pastoral council and the church board of directors are open to hear suggestions that may improve our church and make it an even more inviting place of peace and sanctuary from the rigors of daily life. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. The church board members are: Pastor Dee Powers (President), Bonnie Mellott (Vice President), Rev. Wachian Welch (Secretary), Janet McNerney (Treasurer), and Rev. Sherwood Denham (Trustee). Their contact information is below. Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church and please DO share this newsletter. The HLSC Pastors and Board of Directors wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! Rev. Janet Decker