The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith returns to All Saints by-the-Sea on Southport Island for his 19th year where he will preside over the service of Holy Communion at 8 a.m. for the next two Sundays and at 10 a.m. on Aug. 18. The Service of Morning Prayer will be offered at 10 on Aug. 25. Providing inspirational music leadership from the organ at all services is Mr. Henry Lowe from Walpole. Our newly replaced pier will be dedicated at 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 18 by Rt. Rev. Beckwith. Accessing the chapel by sea is an important part of our history and we invite our neighbors and members of the All Saints community to join us in the blessing of the pier. A coffee hour will allow church attendees to enjoy fellowship after the both 10 a.m. services. Worshippers of all faiths are welcome to join us as we worship God in this sacred space.

Mark Beckwith is the retired Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark (NJ), a position he held for 12 years. He currently serves as liaison for Bishops United Against Gun Violence, a network of bishops he co-founded in 2012. He is a leader of Braver Angels, a national movement to depolarize America, working particularly with faith communities.  He is the author of “Seeing the Unseen: Beyond Prejudices, Paradigms and Party Lines.” He blogs weekly on markbeckwith.net, which includes his recently posted podcasts, Reconciliation Roundtable, featuring leaders who describe their spiritual and political journeys. A graduate of Amherst College and Yale Divinity School, he lives in Jaffrey, New Hampshire, and has two children and two grandchildren.

On Tuesday, Aug. 20 and Aug. 27 from 9 to 10 a.m., Rev. Beckwith will lead a discussion on the porch of the chapel covering the scriptures for the week and offering insights from his writings and teachings. His passion is to invite people to look beyond and beneath their political and theological positions, which in today’s climate of polarization can be overly confining, to find hope and blessing and a way forward.

All Saints by-the-Sea is on Southport Island on All Saints Road about two miles on the left driving south on Route 238. An Episcopal Church sign marks the side of the road. Parking is available along Route 238, or if necessary, in the limited number of handicapped parking spaces off All Saints Road. A golf cart will ferry persons from the handicapped lot to the church steps. The chapel dock is available for those wishing to arrive by boat. The historic and simple wood chapel is open for quiet prayer and meditation during the week.