The Rt. Rev. Mark Beckwith returns to All Saints by-the-Sea this week, to conduct the 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. celebrations of Holy Communion on Aug. 9. After the 10 a.m. service, refreshments are served on the church porch.

At 5 p.m. on Sunday, All Saints and St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, Boothbay Harbor, will present a joint service of Choral Evensong. The service will be held at St. Columba’s at 32 Emery Lane. Bishop Beckwith will officiate. The Lincoln Festival Chorus, directed by Anthony Antolini will provide special music. A free-will offering will be taken at the service to benefit the All Saints/St. Columba’s year-round Community Outreach program.

On Tuesday, Aug. 11, Bishop Beckwith will lead a discussion group on the church porch.

Beckwith was elected the 10th Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, in September 2006 and was consecrated in January 2007. Prior to his election, he was rector of All Saints Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, in the Diocese of Western Massachusetts. He also served as associate rector of St. Peter’s, Morristown and rector of Christ Church, Hackensack. Beckwith is a 1973 graduate of Amherst College, and a 1978 graduate of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.

Throughout his career he has been involved in finding solutions to social problems. During his tenure as rector of All Saints Church, the congregation was nationally recognized for its neighborhood ministry. In the Diocese of Newark Beckwith co-founded Morris Shelter, Inc. and was the first president of the Inter-Religious Fellowship of the Homeless in Bergen County. The Bishop’s Blog, Signs of God’s Grace, can be found at: http://www.dioceseofnewark.org/bishops-blog

All Saints by-the-Sea is on Southport Island on All Saints Road about two miles on your left as you drive south on Route 238 (look for the Episcopal Church sign by the side of the road). More information about the church and its history can be found at http://allsaintssouthport.org.