Rest in Your church

                                    *Coffee Hour            Welcome, Cindy and Jerry, River's grandparents!                                                                *Food Pantry Crew Peace be with you all! Last week, we had lots of food from the  Portland Catholic Charities  for 80 families in our community. Thank you to all the  volunteers ! On the  fourth Sunday of October (10/26/25) , we will celebrate our  Food Pantry Ministry  with wonderful testimonies.                                          Also, we started  Home Communion  again with the humorous an...

                                                                                                             9/17/ 25 Leader's retreat Patten UMC Leadership Retreat Minutes Date: September 17, 2025 Location: Terry & Ted’s House Attendees: Pastor Joyce, Ross, Penny, Rick, Sarah, Jeannie, Jean, Chrissy, Ted, Terry, and Denise 1. Opening Pastor Joyce opened with prayer and thanksgiving. Each person shared about their ministry and hopes for the coming season. 2. Food Pantry Ministry The Portland Catholic Church continues sending food for about 80 families. Volunteers provide food, prayer, and emotional support—many receivers say “Amen.” The ministry blesses both givers and receivers. 3. Children and Youth Thank...

Date: Sunday, August 8, 2025 Attendees: 9 members present (See list below). Call to Order: The meeting was opened with a prayer led by Ted Pettengill. I. Administrative Actions Minutes Approval: The minutes from the last Administrative Council Meeting (November 10, 2024) were approved without corrections. Church Auditor: Sara Hill reported that Sheila Giles has agreed to serve as the new church auditor, replacing Debbie Coolong. 5th Sunday Combined Service: Pastor Joyce proposed combining services with her husband's three cluster churches on the four 5th Sundays of the year. Motion: Ted Pettengill asked for a motion to have a combined church service with the Houlton Cluster on the 5th Sunday of the month. Result: The motion passed unanimously . The first combined service will be held on August 31st . Potluck: It was voted on and agreed to have a potluck dinner following the combined service on the 5th Sunday. II. Reports A. Worship and Membership (Terry) Worship Team: T...

                       I came from the bottom, battle within ,  But God gave me strength when the devil stepped in.   Tried to drag me down, had me lost in the fog,  But He broke those chains when I called on God. Every breath I breathe ain’t by chance,  He’s the reason I rise, that I fight, that I stand.  Don’t boast in me, I boast His name,  ’Cause the King of all kings took away my shame. I’m lovin’ God, yeah, I’m singin’ it loud,  Stand tall in the storm, I’m liftin’ my crown.  A soldier of light , I’ll never back down,  With the Lord in my heart, I’m forever found. I’m not chasin’ money, I’m not chasin’ fame,  I’m chasin’ His truth, yeah, I praise His name.  He carried my pain, nailed it up on the cross,  Turned my sorrow to strength, turned my grief into loss. When my granddad got murdered, it cut me deep,  But God gave me comfort and His peace so sweet...

Picture by Kathy Case                                 Picture by Esther Han Worship is "RECREATION" Our God is a wonderful painter who colors the world with His beauty—through the trees and the skies. I once said to Hannah, “Do you know that God is a great painter? Look at the trees!” She replied, “Really? Are we in His picture?” Yes, we are in His picture—and in His hands. God created this world beautifully. Yet, because of our sin, we have disfigured His creation. Thankfully, that is not the end of the story! God re-creates us every Sunday through Jesus Christ, who died for us, rose again, and will come again. Yesterday, we had World Communion Sunday with Bishop Dindy and Rev. Rusty, Faith! We are all one in God's World!! Welcome!!! “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.” (1 Corinthians 4:20) Last week, this verse came alive and worked powerfully in me. I met a woman who first came...

Peace be with you all, our beloved church family! Thank you for your prayers and support as I attended the Spiritual Formation Academy in Arizona (9/22–26). In the desert, God spoke to me in many ways. Three years ago, God confirmed my calling through His Word and through pastors and their wives. This time, they invited me again, and I felt the strong presence of the Holy Spirit—comforting me and giving me strength. I can’t wait to share more about it with you! I’ve included my testimony from the retreat below. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to send a weekly letter last week—I was on the airplane. So here are both last week’s and this week’s sermons and services. On September 16 , the Aroostook Cluster breakfast was held in Presque Isle. We welcomed two new pastors: Rev. Benjamin Daggett (Caribou UMC) and Rev. Nicholas Perez (Presque Isle UMC). Please also mark your calendars—the Fall Music Cluster Service will be on November 9 at Houlton UMC, with worship dance, children’s and adults’ han...

Good morning, church! It is such a blessing to be here with you today. I want to share a message that is very close to my heart—the goodness of God. Now, let's be honest: when life is hard, when the world feels heavy, when we carry wounds from the past... sometimes it’s hard to believe that there is truly any good in our world. But the Word of God assures us again and again—He is present and always our Abba Father, loving us and helping us. Today, we're going to see how God's goodness shows up in four key areas of our lives. 1. God’s Goodness in Our Pain Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” Now, these words weren’t spoken to people on a mountaintop. They spoke to God’s people in exile , when everything looked broken. And sometimes that’s exactly where God’s goodness finds us—in the middle of our pain. By the time I was 13, I knew...