Happy New Year!

Happy 2024! January tends to be the month where we make new goals, form positive affirmations, and adhere to the energies of new beginnings. In Maine, January is the month when old man Winter is felt. While the earth is quietly resting, the skies are dropping snow and freezing rain. The air is so cold, and no matter how much we try to prepare for this, nature still takes its course.

So what do we do when we have the energy, focus, and drive for new beginnings, but nature forces us to slow down? We trust. We breathe and find the joys that each day brings us. We find peace in the season. Now I am not saying to stop making goals or affirmations for 2024, preparation is natural and essential. I just want us to remain open to the energies of the season.

The last thing I will mention here is time and the illusion of it. The universe doesn’t work on the same timeline as I do. So moving forward in 202, when I make goals I will be kinder to myself. I will remain open to the universe and its natural timing. I trust that the universe will deliver a very specific and divine timeline as it sees fit. By trusting, I can take the pressure off and I can be assured that all is as it should be.

I am excited and grateful that I am here to celebrate winter and the new year with you all.
May you find blessings in the moments.

Blessed Be,
Rev. Angel Downing

CHURCH NEWS!

Diane Jackman will be holding the Spiritualism 101 class via Zoom on Saturday, January 6th from 1:00 pm -3:00 pm. Please contact Diane or Rev. Angel for more information. We encourage any new members to take this course. All are welcome! Cost $10

Join us for church service and potluck immediately after church on Sunday, January 7th, Everyone is welcome. Even if you haven’t brought a dish to share there is always enough!

The Christmas Eve Holiday and Yankee Swap were a hit! We had 17 people participate and we have already scheduled next year's event.

Our food pantry is running a bit low, please keep the pantry in mind when you are cleaning out your cupboards or shopping this month. We appreciate all who can give.

The Church Board will meet the second Sunday on January 14th following the church service.

We are signing people up to join in with our Chili Cook-Off happening on 2/24/24. It is $15 to join the cook-off. It is free If you served our Country or serve as a Civil Servant, Please email or text Rev. Angel to sign up.

As of 10/2023 Healing Light Spiritual Center and its grounds are 100% smoke-free. There will be no smoking of any sort on the property. We apologize for any inconvenience.

There are some committees that we would love our members to sign up for. If you can share even a few hours every month or so we will be forever grateful!

Rev. Angel is available for Hospital, Nursing Home, or in-home visits. Please see, or email Rev. Angel for more information. Thank you.

CHURCH SERVICE SPEAKERS, MEDIUMS, AND FACILITATORS
1/7: Stephanie Cartwright/ Facilitator, Pattie Smith/Speaker, & Medium
1/14: Rev. Angel Downing/Facilitator, Rev. Melissa Gabriel/Speaker & Medium
1/21: Rev. Kendra Wescott/Facilitator, Stephanie Cartwright/Speaker & Rev. Alex Gilgan/Medium
1/28: Ellen Bubier

HAPPENING "NOW" AT THE CENTER!

Intro To The Akashic Records With Kristine Murray. This class will be taking a two-month hiatus and will return in February by Zoom. Kristine will teach a series of classes focused on accessing your Akashic records. For more information, contact Kristine at Kristineannmurray@gmail.com The suggested donation per class is $20.00.

Oracle Card Class with Rev. Angel via Zoom: Tuesday, January 9th & 23rd from 6:00 pm -8:00 pm.
If you want to be able to read for yourself or others this class is for you! We will be looking at different types of oracle cards and learning how our guides give us information so we can understand the message to give.

Spirit Photography with Crystal Chambers on Sunday, January 21 from 12:30 pm -3:00 pm. Please contact Crystal Chambers to preregister by email, at loveandlightalways1@yahoo.com.

Full Moon Drumming January 25th, 6:00 pm -7:00 pm. Please bring a drum if you have one, we do have a few drums to borrow. Donations accepted.

Holy Fire Reiki Class with Stephanie Cartwright on Saturday & Sunday, January 27th &28 in Guilford from 9:00 am - 3:00 pm. $200.00. Pre-register with Stephanie, Lunch will be provided.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

A BIG THANK YOU to Janice Nelson Kroesser who continues to bless us from Spirit!
A BIG THANK YOU to Karen Sirois Costigan for Cleaning the Center and Church
A BIG THANK YOU to Rev. Angel Downing for writing the newsletter
A BIG THANK YOU to Lauren, Bruce, and Randy for taking care of the lawn of the church and parsonage.
A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who helps with the activities, classes, and events.
A BIG THANK YOU to Tara Gilmartin for handling the storage rentals.
A BIG THANK YOU to Trey Farrar for caring for the roof after the wind storm.
A BIG THANK YOU Stephanie Cartwright for the donation of the event sign.
A BIG THANK YOU to our church service facilitators, Stephanie Cartwright, Rev. Tara Gilmartin, Rev. Kendra Wescott, Ellen Bubier, and Rev. Angel Downing.
A BIG THANK YOU to those who have contributed money and/or supplies to our church. Most of these folks prefer to remain anonymous but Spirit knows who you are!
A BIG THANK YOU to our members and friends who support us. Without you, there would be no church.
A BIG THANK YOU to our Speakers and Mediums who serve our church throughout the year.
A BIG THANK YOU to our Board of Directors.

TO BE CLEAR, everyone who serves our church, no matter what the capacity, is a blessing to us. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Ongoing

Gallery Readings, The Gallery is on the first Friday of every month from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. There will be 2-4 mediums available. We strive to give a message to everyone in attendance, however, we can not guarantee this. The cost of the gallery is $10. (Cancelled for November)

Mediumship Development Group, Sunday Afternoons, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Everyone is welcome, beginners through advanced. The group begins with a meditation and allows attendees to experience a variety of methods to open the lines of communication with the "Spirit World". Offered by donation, so feel free to join us, even if your pockets may be a little empty one Sunday afternoon, we'd love to have you.

The Pastoral Council will meet quarterly, the next meeting will be in March, on the 1st Sunday right after church in the JNK Library.

Ordination Program: Rev. Dr. Janet Decker offers an Independent Spiritualist Minister Ordination Program. If you have considered being ordained perhaps this is a good time to begin. To learn more about it click the following link: https://intermetu.com/ord-502-independent-spiritualist-ordination-program/

Yoga Classes with Michelle Spencer are available. If interested please call the church. 207-217-2697 or 207-269-2142 (Landline only, no text)

Storage Space Available! We have vehicle, boat, motorcycle, sled, and ATV storage space available for rent. Rent is $35.00 a month for car/truck/small boat rental, and $20.00 a month for motorcycles, sleds, and ATVs. Large boats taking up more than one space is $35.00 per space. We offer seasonal and year-round rentals. Please call, or text, 207-217-2697 or 207-269-2142 (Land line only, no text) to make arrangements. All rentals are on a first-come-first-served basis.

Please bring in pictures of your feathered, furry, finned, or scaly family members to share on the Pet Picture Board.

Food Pantry If members, friends, community, etc. need help feeding and caring for their families, they are more than welcome to pick from the available items. Also, those who are blessed can donate non-perishable foods and personal items

Food Pantry For Pets. If members, friends, community, etc. need some help feeding and caring for their pets, they are more than welcome to pick from the available items. Also, those who are blessed can leave dog and cat food and treats, fish food, lizard kibble, and pet toys...all pet-related items will be welcome.

As we continue to grow our Healing Light Spiritual Center we hope you will consider donating your time and/or monetary help. If you want to donate time please contact any Board member, they are listed at the end of every newsletter. If you would rather contribute monetarily, you can do it by clicking here: https://www.healinglightetna.org/events or you can give donations to one of the pastors. All contributions, whether time or money, are always very gratefully appreciated!

There has been a good response to our FB postings, newsletters, and advertising. The feedback has been favorable and considering we are located in the tiny town of Etna, Maine this is terrific. Our goal is to put Etna and the Healing Light Spiritual Center "on the map", so to speak, but we need your help. If you are on FB we invite you to "Like" our page, Healing Light Spiritualist Church of Etna, ME https://www.facebook.com/Healing-Light-Spiritualist-Church-of-Etna-ME-146077428893201/ Then please SHARE, SHARE, SHARE our events. Share them on your FB page and on any FB group of which you are part. This helps us spread the word!


Reminders

Healing Light Spiritual Center and its grounds are 100% smoke-free. There will be no smoking of any sort on the property. We apologize for any inconvenience.

As much as we like seeing the faces of your furry family members and love the smiles they bring to our faces, as of April 1st only Service Animals, not therapy dogs only Service Animals, will be allowed in the center and at our church services. There is only one exception and that is on our Blessing of the Animals Day. On that day animals will, of course, be allowed in the center if the weather keeps us from holding the event outside. We have adopted this policy for 2 reasons. Many people are afraid of dogs and we do not want people missing out on our church services and events because there may be a dog present. The second reason is that many people have allergies to animals and we don't want anyone to be uncomfortable. We thank you for your understanding.

Please keep in mind we are continuing to make an effort to keep everyone who comes to church and church center events safe. If you are feeling sick, have a fever, have any changes in breathing, any changes in smell or taste, or have a runny nose then please do not come to church. Masks are available for anyone who wants one. There is hand sanitizer on the counter as you enter the building and on the Healing Book table as well as other places throughout the building, we ask that you please use it. The bottom line is, please do not come to church or events if you or someone close to you is feeling unwell. Thank you!

All events are updated regularly on our FB page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Healing-Light-Spiritualist-Church-of-Etna-ME-146077428893201/events/?ref=page_internal

You can access the minutes for our Board of Directors meetings by clicking this link: https://www.healinglightspiritualistchurch.org/minutes

If you are a member in good standing you can request to see the church's financial statements by sending an email to HealingLightEtna@gmail.com

If you are a member or friend of HLSC we invite you to put your business cards on our business card wall.

The church phone numbers are 207-217-2697 or 207-269-2142 (Landline only, no text). You may still call any of the pastors or board members personally. Their contact phone numbers are listed at the end of the newsletter.

The back row of chairs is designated as Healing chairs for those folks who have difficulty getting up and down or walking up front to sit in a Healing chair.

If you have been coming to our church for a while and would like to become a member you can find out about our "membership requirements" on our website: https://www.healinglightspiritualistchurch.org/ or talk to one of the pastors or board members.

You can send prayer requests and/or "suggestions" from our website. You will find the form on the “Contact Us” page. https://www.healinglightspiritualistchurch.org/

If you would like to serve as a speaker and/or a medium during one of our services please see one of the pastors or email HealingLightEtna@gmail.com. Thank you.

The pastoral council and the church board of directors are open to hearing suggestions that may improve our church service and make it an even more inviting time of peace and healing. Please feel free to approach us or send us an email if you have a suggestion. You can email HealingLightEtna@gmail.com or contact individual board members. Contact information is below. There is also a suggestion box on the counter.

If a friend forwarded you this newsletter and you would like to be on our email list please send an email to HealingLightEtna@gmail.com

Thanks for reading and most of all, thanks for being part of our church, and please do share this newsletter!

Rev. Janet Decker, Rev. Tara Gilmartin, Diane Jackman, Gigi Del Mundo, Terri Kovac, Stephanie Cartwright, and Rev. Angel Downing

Rev. Janet Decker, President
Email: janet.decker9@gmail.com
Ph: 207-404-1845

Rev. Tara Gilmartin, Vice President
Email: gilmartin_tara@yahoo.com
Ph: 207-884-4558

Diane Jackman, Secretary
Email: dianejackmanskolfield@gmail.com

Gigi Del Mundo, Treasurer
Email: 143hlscgigi@gmail.com

Rev. Angel Downing, Trustee
Email: downingmom5@gmail.com
Ph:207-951-3121

Terri Kovac, Trustee
Email: katmama40@yahoo.com

Stephanie Cartwright, Trustee
Email:sjcartwright@myfairpoint.net
Phone: 207-876-4248