7 PM Ecumenical Services Remaining

April 6:  Seeking the joy of the Kingdom,
Wesleyan Church, Youth Groups and their leaders

April 13:  Seeking the visitation of Christ,  Church of the Good Shepherd, preacher Deacon Al Burleigh

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Sundays after coffee hour:  Bible Study, Mark’s Gospel

April 17  10 a.m. — Palm Sunday service, Good Shepherd

April 22  Noon — Good Friday Service, The Salvation Army

April 24  6:30 a.m.  Easter Sunrise Service, St. Mary’s Porch,
Rev.. Bob Johnson, Salvation Army Band.
Breakfast at First Congregational Church

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Holy Week
Come and walk the last week of Jesus’ life  and celebrate His resurrection together with us!

April 20 Wednesday Eucharist, 5:30 pm
April 21 Maundy Thursday Service with foot washing , 7pm
April 22 Good Friday service 7pm,  with Stations of the Cross
April 23 Great Vigil of Easter, 7pm (Saturday)
April 24 Easter Sunday service, 10am

The seasons go on, at their timeless pace.  It’s as Mark says, “…first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.”  In a nutshell, that’s what the season of Lent seems like.  A time of waiting, a time of growing and preparing to become something new and ripe and full.  After Shrove Tuesday on March 8th we will enter this season and walk with Jesus down that last road to Jerusalem.   Leslie+

• We will be having some very special music during the season of Advent. Dale is working on several lovely offerings by the choir and others!
• The Rev. Dr. Vesta Kowalski, an Episcopal priest and Hebrew scholar, will be with us on Dec. 12. She will preach, and after the service offer a study of the prophetic writings of the Old Testament that point towards the coming of the Messiah. Vesta is NEVER boring! Plan to stay and enjoy her presence among us.
• The Children’s Pageant is Sunday, December 19th during the 10AM service.
• Christmas Eve service of Lessons & Carols will be at 7PM December. 24.
• We will not have a Wednesday service on December 29, 2010

Our Advent season has started!  Here are some pictures from our first Sunday in Advent.

Charlotte Gordon, author of The Woman Who Named God, will be speaking at the Church of the Good Shepherd on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 3:00 PM.

Charlotte Gordon Bio

Charlotte Gordon is a writer of poetry, non-fiction and fiction. She began her writing life as a poet and has published two books of poetry, When the Grateful Dead Came to St. Louisand Two Girls on a Raft. Her biography of the 17th century poet, Anne Bradstreet, Mistress Bradstreet: The Untold Life of America’s First Poet, (Little, Brown, 2005) won a New England Book Award for non-fiction.

More about Charlotte can be found on her website CharlotteGordonBooks.com

The Woman Who Named God

The saga of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar is the tale of origin for all three monotheistic faiths. Abraham must choose between two wives who have borne him two sons. One wife and son will share in his wealth and status, while the other two are exiled into the desert. Long a cornerstone of Western anxiety, the story chronicles a very famous and troubled family, and sheds light on the ongoing conflict between the Judeo-Christian and Islamic worlds. How did this ancient story become one of the least understood and most frequently misinterpreted of our cultural myths? Gordon explores this legendary love triangle to give us a startling perspective on three biblical characters who–with their jealousies, passions, and doubts–actually behave like human beings. THE WOMAN WHO NAMED GOD is a compelling, smart, and provocative take on one of the Bible’s most intriguing and troubling love stories.

Praise

“Gordon’s exploration of an ancient Biblical tale is insightful, enriching, and rewarding.”

—ELIE WIESEL, NOBEL LAUREATE

“The story of Abraham, Hagar and Sarah s tands at the threshold of the three great Western religions—Christianity, Judaism, Islam—although each appropriates the story differently. Gordon gives new power to a woman often left in the shadows…glimpses of the power of Hagar’s story for
modern religions.”

-Publishers Weekly

Fall 2010 services start this Sunday, September 12.

• Sunday school will kick-off at 9:15 am – Bring a friend!
• Choir practice will start at 9:15 am
• Our church service will be held at 10:00 am!  See you there!

Mark your calendar

What: Annual Fiddlehead Supper
Where: Church of the Good Shepherd,  Watson Hall
116 Main Street
Houlton, Maine
Time: 4:30 – 6:30 PM
When: Tuesday, May 25
Price: $8 for adults & $5 for children under 12
Menu includes fiddlehead quiche, ham,
steamed fiddleheads, potato salad,
homemade rolls, drinks and desserts.
Quiches (frozen) for later are  $11 each.

fmi: Joan Logan  532-4196 or The Rev. Leslie Nesin 732-4348

The Rt. Rev. Steven Lane, Bishop of Maine, will be with us at Good Shepherd this coming Sunday, April 11, 2010. The plate offering that day will go to his discretionary fund. Let’s be generous!  If you wish to give by check, make it out to Good Shepherd with “BDF” in the notation line.
Come and make +Steve and Gretchen feel welcome in Houlton!

It’s Easter Season!  Check out the schedule to see if you are helping with worship.

April 2010 Service Schedule – PDF

While working on the Rotary’s meal dishes last week our 25+ year old dishwasher became temperamental, making unusual noises.  Our treasurer, Roger Habrle contacted the Hobart repairman and had the ‘patient’ examined.

It was determined that it could possibly be repaired with no guarantee of how long the repairs would last, at a cost of about $1,000.00.  Roger  used the internet to research pricing for a new unit.  He then consulted with several companies and found the best price for a new Hobart from C. Caprara at a cost of approximately $5,200.00  installed.  With Rotary meals and the Fiddlehead  supper coming right up, we need a reliable dishwasher.  Doing them by hand is not an option  If you would like to donate funds toward this purchase, please send a check with the reference ‘dishwasher fund’ in the corner.  Any help is much appreciated.

The vestry met on Sunday and approved
the purchase of a new dishwasher.