On Friday evening we experienced a taste of the Phillipines. Authentic food included egg rolls, chicken stir fry, rice, BBQ chicken and fruit dessert, and 
put together by Michelle Greer and Brad Morrison. It was incredible! Michelle planned a wonderful evening for us with slides describing the culture of the Phillipines, a photo collage during dinner and then finished up the presentation after dinner with some time for questions. All who attended experienced wonderful food and fellowship, and inspiration for missions! If you missed it this year, be sure to make a point of attending next time!
The Heifer 2008 International Fair is being held on June 28 — 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. and June 29 — 12 - 5 p.m. Peoples Church will be attending as a group on June 28. Fun for the whole family. A walk through Overlook's Global Village representing various areas of the world will immerse fair attendees in the sights, sounds and smells of these cultures and Heifer's global development efforts. Enjoy Dale Perkins' Horse Show; music from local groups; horse drawn hayrides; international crafts for sale in our gift shop. Also enjoy different organic foods and much more! Admission: $5 per car
For more info go to the Heifer Overlook Farm Website
Please contact Carol Bruneau if you are interesting in attending, and if you would be able to drive. We will carpool to save expenses on gas and tolls.
To Celebrate Earth Day, Sunday School Learns About God’s World 
On Sunday, April 20 while the adults attended church the young folks in the Sunday school took a tour of the present gardens of the church. Marlene Tordoff and Doreen Gay explained what types of plants were in the gardens and where a Children’s garden might be developed. The two adult women also told the students how the memorial garden was originated.
The children went to the picnic table in the back parking lot and with the help of Andy and Teresa Folley and Karen Jennings put potting soil and seeds in small plant containers. The potting soil was well watered and some of the potting cups with newly planted seeds were taken home so that they might be properly nurtured and hopefully grow. Mrs. Tordoff and Mrs. Gay continued to explain to the students what they would 
have to do with the plants in order to keep them growing.
All of the students really showed interest and the Sunday school leaders were really enthusiastic about how the children were excited about this project. Some of the seeds were put in trays filled with the peat cups and would stay on the premises of Ellis Hall until they are ready and the soil is ready outside to plant them. In a couple of weeks more ground will be turned over b
etween the present garden and the wall of the church and plantings will them be placed in the ground. The Sunday school is also planning to acquire a shrub that will likely be planted somewhere in front of Ellis Hall. Perhaps that one shrub will be joined by others in the future.
It will be exciting to see the plants grow and thrive. It will also be exciting to see more people taking care of the gardens and appreciating the plant world that God has created.
Three great opportunities to be involved in missions are coming up. Why not get involved in one, or all three!
May 17 Nothing But Nets Shoot-a-Thon 9-11am There are several options to raise money for this fundraiser to purchase bed nets in countries infested by Malaria. For those who want to take some shots, there will be four different height nets for ages 1-5, 6-12, 13-19, and adults. Anyone who purchases at least one net for $10 gets 25 shots. There will be prizes awarded for most number of baskets made in each age group for male and female. There will also be a prize for the longest basket. Another option is to obtain pledges for some amount ($1) per basket made during the shoot-a-thon. For those unable to attend, you can donate nets at $10 each. There is also a loose pocket donation available on the table at the Coffee Fellowship prior to worship through May 18. For more info or to register, please contact Carol Bruneau at 799-5995.
May 31 Mechuwana Work Camp A group from Peoples will be driving to Winthrop for the day to work on yards, fences, painting and general repairs on the Methodist Camp Mechuwana to prepare for the summer season. For more info or to sign up, please contact Carol Bruneau at 799-5995
June 13-14 South Portland Cancer Relay Walk Peoples Church will be sponsoring a group to walk in the Cancer Relay beginning at 6pm Friday night. For more info or to sign up, please contact Betty Splettstoesser at 799-5475.
The meditation service which started up just one month ago has been a tremendous blessing to those who have attended. The service provides space for silence, chant music, Scripture and prayer, and lasts about 45 minutes. Dress is informal but the space provides an amazing sense of God's presence.
The service is still in the design stage, and a core group is meeting regularly to revise and improve the experience, and two folks from this group design, set up and lead each service. These folks include Betty Lane, Claralee Street, Ellen Dunn, Earle Harvey, Karen Freitas and the pastors. For example, in the beginning we incorporated a space for discussion in the midst of the worship service. However, when we began sharing how this was being experienced by worshippers we realized that this was actually detracting from the meditative character of the service. Instead, we are now inviting folks to stay for a time of casual fellowship with light refreshments after the service for any who wish to stay.
This style of worship is certainly not for everyone. On the other hand, our hopes for this service are not primarily to reach folks who already attend Peoples, but to provide an opportunity to reach others in the community who are not comfortable attending a typical Sunday morning service. New worship services, particularly when their style is different from Sunday morning, are the perfect opportunity to invite someone you know (even if you don't personally care for the style). Perhaps someone at school or work seems a bit stressed out ... why not offer to pick them up to attend the Sunday evening meditation service with you? It could be life changing, for both of you.
International Extravaganza II 
If you and your family had a good time at the first International Extravaganza at Peoples Church last year you should have "an experience" again at this year’s event. This year we turn our mission interests to the Far East. Last year you recall
we were involved in learning more about short term missions in Latin and South America. On the evening of May 9 commencing at 6 PM you will have an opportunity to be immersed in th
e culture of the Philippine Islands. Promptly at 6:15 the program will begin with a program titled "A Glimpse of 7,107 Islands-The Philippines." Michelle Saracanlao Greer and friends will begin the program with an introduction to the evening’s program.
Rosemary Herd and some of Michelle’s friends will then have prepared a feast of Philippine favorites including Egg Rolls, Stir fry vegetables, BBQ Chicken, Jasmine Rice and fruit salad and sticky rice for dessert. Drinks that will be available will be mango juice and pineapple juice.
The meal will be served at 6:30 but make sure you don’t miss the introduction at 6:15!
Part 2 of the program will commence following the meal at approximately 7:15.
Some folks have been wondering what will be served at the international extravaganza. The menu is as follows:
Egg Rolls
Stirfry / steamed rice
Barbeque Chicken
Fruit Salad and Stickey Rice for desserts
Pineapple and mango drinks
RSVPs are required.
Please contact Rosemary Herd @ 799-2392 or email
Due to the generous donation of a personal computer by the Wade family, we are now able to record church services digitally instead of using the old fashioned cassette tapes. This enables us to post recordings of sermons on this blog site (see link on the right entitled, "Worship Services"). In addition, these recordings are now being made available on MP3 players to shut ins who have requested them. The MP3 player is in the shape of a salt shaker, and has a built-in speaker as well as a phone jack for headphones. Many shut ins cannot use headphones so these speakers come in handy. It is turned on and off by the same button, making it very simple to use. The player is powered by a AAA battery and uses a standard SD card, the same as in most digital cameras.
If you or someone you know is currently unable to attend worship and would like to receive recordings of the services, please contact the pastors.
Submitted by Pastor Gwyneth
One of the blessings of being NOT financially savvy is that I ask those supposedly stupid questions when the financial spreadsheets are passed around. "Please help me to understand this!" I plead to the patient Finance Committee.
I want to know the bottom line. How are we doing as a church financially? How is our income? How are our expenses? Do we need to be on our knees praying for God to make ends meet, or do we need to raise our hands in the air praising God for abundant provision beyond our every dream?
Many of you understand complicated spreadsheets, and these are always available to you by request to the Chair of Finance, Kathy Brann. However, the Finance Committee will now be providing communication on the overall financial status at the end of each quarter. The following is a summary of our first quarter (January, February, and March) results:
Total Income 1st Quarter: $36,035.26
Total Expense 1st Quarter: $42,015.82
Commentary: This deficit of appoximately $5,900 is significantly smaller than last year's 1st quarter deficit of approximately $12,000. This is despite much higher expenses for snow removal and heating oil this year. The main reasons for this smaller deficit are 1. Reduction in salary payouts since elimination of secretary position and retirement of music director 2. Reduction in payment of mission shares compared to last year's 1st quarter by about $1,000 (some conference expenses are auto-withdrawn such as pension and ministerial support which have been paid - this quarter about $6,200.) and 3. Increase in pledges and several gifts by non-pledgers.
The other question raised, however, is how the church runs with any deficit, even though it is significantly smaller. The deficit is made up by borrowing funds from a reimbursement account. Although the intention of this account is not to fund the operating budget, this has been common practice over the years. If you have any further questions on this, or any other budget or financial issue, please feel free to contact Kathy Brann or any other member of the Finance Committee: Susan Angell, Keith Snoddy, Chris Bowker, Walter Greer, Earle Harvey.
So what do you think? Should we be on our knees in prayer for God to help us make ends meet, or lifting our hands in praise for God's abundant provision? Perhaps both! No one can deny God's faithfulness to Peoples Church; when we have had a bill to pay we have been able to pay. On the other hand, we are still living on the edge financially, and unable to pay our full mission shares which fund important ministries not only in New England but around the world. Trustees investments have faltered, which has reduced some of our building work. But God is faithful, and will work through your faithfulness as stewards of God's good gifts. Thank you for your prayer, presence, gifts and service for your church family!
The date in last month's article was listed incorrectly. The Best of Broadway performance will be held on Saturday, May 10. For further information or to purchased tickets, you may contact the Merrill Auditorium.
Beginning Sunday, March 30, we will be meeting Sundays at 7pm in the Sanctuary for meditation using Scripture, reflective music and silence in darkness and candlelight based in the tradition of Taize. This will be the trial run, and will be publicized outside the church to begin April 6 and will run throughout the spring. Please consider inviting a friend.
Taize (pronounced Tah-Zay) began as a Christian youth movement in Taize, France. Youth from all over the world spend days, weeks or months in the Taize community to connect with the love of Christ and find brother and sisterhood there.
The community never intended to break away from the church, but to provide renewal within the church. Many churches around the world are incorporating this style of meditation, which is especially appealing to teens and young adults. For more information, you can go to the Taize Community website.
In addition to the pastors, those assisting in the design and leadership of these services have included Earle Harvey, Betty Lane, Claralee Street and Ellen Dunn. Others are always welcome. We hope all might come out to experience a time of meditation in the Christian tradition.
Plans are taking shape to host a vacation bible school (VBS) the week of July 7 from 9am-12pm, headed up by Karen Jennings who is a certified elementary school teacher and one of our own Sunday School teachers.
Peoples will be holding a Shoot-a-Thon in May (date to be announced). This is a project for Nothing-But-Nets underway by the New England Conference in conjunction with the NBA to buy mosquito nets for areas of the world infested with Malaria. Contact Carol Bruneau for more info, or go to NothingButNets.net Each net costs only $10. Our goal is to raise 17 nets. Who thinks we can beat our goal?
Carol Bruneau, our new missions chair, has arranged for a Peoples work camp to go to Camp Mechuwana in Winthrop on Saturday, May 31. We will have an opportunity to paint, repair, clean up and generally ready the camp for the summer season! For questions or to sign up, please contact Carol.
Carol and Andy Folley are also working on plans to bring a group down to the Heifer farm in Massachusetts. Please stay tuned for details! And financially, we are more than half way toward our goal of raising an ark! Alleluia! Praise the Lord!
There are funds now available for kids to attend Camp Mechuwana this summer for kids grades 2-12. The list of camps available (including those that are already full) are on this website. Please see Pastor Jamie for details about the funds available.
The 5th Sunday of the month is an opportunity for all folks who consider themselves part of the Peoples family to try tithing (offering 10% of their income to the church family) for one week. Those who have tried this have experienced real joy in trusting the Lord to provide. We have a 5th Sunday coming up on March 30! Why not give tithing a try and see what joy might be in store for you?
Men at home – Men with non-traditional schedules, both with and without kids please come and drop in for lunch or coffee Mondays Noon –2:30pm. 154 Mussey St next door to the church. Contact Pastor Jamie at 799-6814 for details.
Moms Group – Pastor Gwyneth is restarting the moms group for moms with preschoolers on Tuesday mornings, 9am for about an hour. We will meet at 154 Mussey St. next door to the church for the first few weeks and then talk about rotating homes. Call 799-6814 for more info. Note: on Tuesday, April 1, we will be meeting at 10:30am.
Thanks to Fred and Linda Wade who donated a personal computer (PC) to Peoples for worship, we can now record services directly onto the PC and upload them onto the blog as MP3s. There is a test version posted right now (see link to Worship Services), although we are still attempting to improve the format. This computer should also run faster and more smoothly than the pastors' laptops which we've been using for the last two years since introducing worship slides and videos on Sunday mornings.
What about tapes to shut-ins you may ask? Ruth McLellan has received the first MP3 player! The player is not much bigger than a spool of thread and has a built in speaker as well as ear phone jacks if preferred. The other option is to burn CDs but there are many advantages to using MP3 players.
Than you to Doug Greer for his continued leadership in running the audio/visual systems. He did a fabulous job running a brand new system on Easter Sunday. And thank you again to the Wades for their generous donation!
Many were surprised as they entered the Sanctuary on Easter morning to find the lights off, flowers hidden and no beautiful organ music. Slides projected on the wall depicted scenes from Jesus agonizing in prayer in the garden, his trial and beatings, crucifixion and dead body. All were invited to quiet reflection, and after a brief introduction, we heard the Scripture story told (Sam Seidl and Danielle Seidl), from the darkness somewhere, of how Jesus died on the cross and his body placed in a tomb. The choir then began to sing, "What Wondrous Love is This" as we viewed a painting depicting Jesus on the cross.
Chris Ward then led us in a "Call to Worship," proclaiming what happened next. As the women came to the tomb they found it empty. We spoke together the angelic greeting: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen. Christ is risen indeed! The organist began "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" and the acolytes, Isaac and Nathan Dunn, brought the Light of Christ up the darkened isle, with their parents Hank and Ellen carrying flowers to the altar and removing the black cloths. The ushers raised the lights, starting from the back which made it seem almost supernatural. As we continued to sing, Chris Ward and Becky Snoddy brought out the hidden flowers and placed them on the altar rail for all to see (we could only smell them before!). We sang the Good News that Jesus is risen, and joy flooded the Sanctuary. Wow.
By the way, the idea of starting Easter in darkness came from one of the Bishop's messages in which he shared his own experience of a church that did this where he visited. Since then, I've learned of other churches that have done this for years. If you attended and have feedback on the experience, please share this with the worship committee (Chris Ward is chair).
Karen Jennings shared an amazing children's message using pretzels! Did you know that you can share the Gospel using pretzels? Karen and Teresa Folley then brought the kids down to make Easter banners, which the kids paraded around the sanctuary at the close of worship and all clapped and praised God!
There was however one very disheartening event during worship. During the sermon, as we spoke about the blessing of peace that Christ speaks to our hearts even in the midst of tremendous anxiety and fear, our dear Elaine Rogers became very ill. As folks called paramedics, we prayed together as a congregation and had opportunity to practice the very thing we were proclaiming. We heard several hours later that Elaine was released from the hospital, and for that we are thankful. Let us all hear the words of the risen Christ as he appears to us in the midst of fear and pain and grief and darkness: "Peace by with you."
So perhaps we all left a bit more reflective than a typical Easter Sunday. Hopefully we saw that the joy and good news of Easter does not just magically appear but comes through darkness and suffering and pain and despair. And that this dark reality of death all around us, as real as it is, has been conquered by our victorious Savior Jesus Christ who gives this same victory to all who trust and follow him.
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!
The kids had a great time running around to find plastic Easter eggs filled not only with candy but cars, bracelets and other fun toys! Many thanks to Becky Snoddy and Betty Lane for putting this together!
The Easter Sunrise Service was held at Fisherman's Point on Willard Beach. Pastor Jamie spoke from the Gospel of John about Christ coming as the Light in the midst of the darkness. God's timing was perfect as the sun began peeking up just as everyone began singing "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" !
After the sunrise service, we had a wonderful breakfast together. Many thank yous to Brad Morrison, Chris Ward and others who helped set up and clean up!
The pastors in the cluster organized healing services at Thornton Heights UMC for Good Friday this year, not one, not two, but three! The first began at noon, and was well attended. The format was simple, with some singing, Scripture and homily, followed by anointing with oil and prayer over all those who attended. The second and third services had many fewer attendees, but this also allowed for some more intensive prayer and healing time which was a very powerful experience for the lay folks who came as well as the clergy.
There was a light meal served during this time as well and was a wonderful conclusion to our Lenten worship services together. Methodists are truly "connectional" and these worship services together a perfect example. We are in ministry together and we fellowship together, not just within our churches but among all of our churches as we seek to share the love of Christ in our community together.
From 9am-9pm the Sanctuary was darkened but filled with the presence of prayer. Betty Splettstoesser prayed for the entire time and put together the schedule for others to come and pray during this time as well. It was a beautiful time to meditate and reflect in silence, seeing the cross and altar covered in black as a reminder of the darkness of that Friday when our Lord died on the cross.
On Holy Thursday, we celebrated Passover together, perhaps experiencing the meal in a similar way to the disciples of Jesus during their Last Supper, which was in fact a Passover Meal.
In the photo, we see Jamie who is serving as the "father" and leader at the family meal. In front of him are the basic foods that everyone partakes throughout the meal as we read through the Passover ritual. Each food represents a part of the story and helps those at the meal to experience the meal as though we were actually there in Egypt, as though we were the ones being brought through the Red Sea on dry ground, as those now free to worship the Lord our God as God's own people. We even had to eat horse radish to remember the bitterness of slavery, and dip parsley in salt water to remember the tears. We had a lot more than saltwater to eat though. Brad Morrison cooked up some lamb stew that was fabulous, and we all ate plenty of matzo too.
When Jesus celebrated the Passover during the Last Supper, he diverted a bit from the tradition. First, he washed the disciples' feet. This would have been the role of a slave in the house but certainly not the "father" of the meal. In this act of service, Jesus modeled for us how the greatest is to serve the least.Best of
Broadway has begun rehearsals for the Spring for their performance on May 3 at the Merrill Auditorium. Peoples has provided space for this group for several years now as a ministry to Best of Broadway which raises funds for the Barbara Bush Children's Hospital at Maine Medical Center.
The Finance Committee has asked various committees and ministry teams of the church to write up articles about how church funds are being used to further our ministries and mission. This the first in a series of articles on this topic, by the Trustees.
Funding for the Trustees work projects can come from several directions. They include:
Memorial Donations specified to be used, not invested;
Donations made to the Trustees for a specific project;
Income from Memorial Investments;
And, occasionally, Insurance proceeds.
The Memorial money that the Trustees has invested will not be producing the large amounts of income that we saw the past few years. The uncertainty in the stock market will necessitate the Trustees keeping expenditures conservative. In the past few years, the Trustees took measures to be good stewards of the money placed in their care. The distribution on funds was re-aligned so to safeguard the funds value in the event of the foreseeable changes in the world economy. I am happy to report that although the market has fluctuated tremendously, we are so far still realizing a 1.9% increase in value. Another safeguard that was implemented a few years ago is a 10% “buffer” that the Trustees self-imposed to protect against market fluctuations. That is, the Trustees decided to not withdraw funds down below the 110% level of the value of the covenants of the invested funds, securing the original investment. This added 10% could also be a cushion, should there be an immediate need for funds for an emergency repair to the church’s property. With the current market changes, we have currently dropped below the self-imposed 10% buffer, and now report the funds being at 109% of original investment value. This being the current status of the investments, the Trustees will not be using funds from this source for the immediate future.
The Trustees do have other funds currently available for some upcoming projects. An unfortunate accident that left the play yard fence in disrepair has brought in some insurance funds that will ultimately help in paying for a larger fenced in area behind the sanctuary (scheduled for spring 2008). The added funds needed for the project will come from the Jim Darling Memorial Fund, which is carefully being used for several improvement projects.
1. The lock fixtures on the sanctuary doors have been serviced and re-keyed alike. In Ellis Hall, the Mussey St. doors have improved locking mechanisms, the kitchen door has a new lock, and the breezeway doors have been re-keyed so that all Ellis Hall exterior doors have a common key. New keys numbered, tracked. (done)
2. The “Rose Window”, which is the round stained glass window over the altar in the sanctuary, will be removed this summer (2008) and completely renewed. Currently, the wood around the window is rotten, and the window has bowed severely. Refurbishment will restore the window to new condition,
3. New light fixtures have been purchased for the two doors on the church, and two fixtures have been purchased for the Ellis Hall/ Mussey St. entrance. An electrician has been hired for installation (as soon as possible).
4. A new “sidewalk” sign is being purchased to advertise events. This sign is 23”x 33”, and will hopefully be supplemented by banners hung on the side of Ellis Hall (on order now).
5. Maintenance to insure the life expectancy of the furnace is also to be done this summer (2008), when the heating system can be shut down during the process.
There are also many maintenance items that the Trustees are addressing:
1. The parsonage will be receiving new hard wired smoke detectors (asap).
2. The sanctuary door need repainting (summer 2008)
3. The Ellis Hall/Mussey St. doors need sanding and repainting (summer 2008)
4. The incline lift between the vestry and Ellis Hall needs maintenance (asap)
5. Ant barrier surrounding church and parsonage
Improvement items are also being addressed at upcoming meetings:
1. Indoor signs are needed
2. The outside of the church needs the street number highly visible (asap)
3. Fire exit signage needed in the Ellis Hall kitchen (asap)
4. Portable headset microphone needed for the church service
5. Window installation for nursery below the sanctuary
Items that just need some time and effort to accomplish:
1. Storage room organization and maintenance (ongoing)
2. Libraries updated, separate kids and adults books
3. Light bulb maintenance (asap)
4. Mowing schedule for summer
5. Daycamp gates on vestry ramp installed (asap)
Items for the management and operation of the church:
1. Short term Usage Agreements need updating (“rentals”) (asap)
2. Long term Usage Agreements need updating (“leases”) (asap)
3. The Capital Improvement List needs updating and prioritizing (in process)
4. The outstanding Ministerial Loans need attention (asap)
5. The arrangement of the Ellis Hall “outrooms” need to be updated for the ability of the Sunday School to best provide the proper atmosphere (ongoing)
Parsonage Maintenance items:
1. The oil tank has been replaced, as it was deemed soon-to-fail. (done)
2. Driveway side of the house, lattice work needs repair
3. Front steps rail needs work
4. Lattice of back of house needs repair
5. Back door needs new screen door
6. Fire extinguisher needs mounting in laundry room
7. Bathroom fan needs replacing (asap)
8. Closet door needs adjusting
9. Bedroom door needs lock
10. Hole in garage roof needs patch (asap)
11. Basement door needs adjusting
12. Deck boards need replacing
13. Basement stairs need light fixture
The Trustees have much to discuss at each meeting. The safety of the people using the building is priority, with maintaining the facility to best meet the needs of the church as the goal. The above mentioned items are what is currently facing the Trustees. The priority list is a work in progress, it is forever evolving. Other major expenditures will be delayed for another year.
This years Trustees include: Walter Greer, Chairperson, Brad Morrison, V.P., Doreen Gay, Treasurer, Sue Angell, Secretary, Chuck Kamilewicz, Joanne Kamilewicz, Jim MacKinnon, and Jamie Arrison is the pastoral representative.
I hope that this gives you some insight as to what the Trustees are trying to accomplish this year!
Submitted by Walter Greer
This year on Finance, we have a new chair, Kathy Brann, but we also have a new mission. This was our first order of business when we met this January, to discuss our mission and goals as a team charged with caring for the finances of the church. Although always a work-in-progress, we hold as our mission to manage church resources that nurture people in their Christian walk.
With this mission in mind, we documented our main areas of responsibility. Each month we are focusing on one of these areas, which include:
1. Communication
2. Education
3. Stewardship
4. Fundraising
5. Allocating and Dispersing
6. Overseeing, Programming and Planning
7. Record Retention
The topic for a recent meeting was Communication and Education. We are planning to host another interactive presentation (possibly on May 18) to communicate our current financial status to the congregation using pie charts and powerpoint slides rather than spreadsheets. We will also be asking various ministry groups to write articles for the newsletter to relate how church funds are supporting their ministry in authentic ways -(see above article Financial Stewardship Part I. We discussed communicating the basic financial summary in the newsletter each quarter in simple terms: money in, money out, and net cash flow.
We also hope to plan a second Good $ense seminar for the Fall, a course geared toward helping us manage our personal, God-given resources without debt and with faithful stewardship. Keith Snoddy attended the 2007 class if you would like to talk to him about it. We also hope to plan a second Wills and Estate Planning seminar, a course geared toward helping folks plan for end-of-life needs. Kathy Brann attended this if you would like to talk to her about it.
Please say Thank You to a Finance Committee member today! Kathy Brann (chair), Keith Snoddy, Walter Greer, Chris Bowker, Earle Harvey and Susan Angell.
On March 3, Karen Kelty Jennings and Elizabeth (Betty) Ann Splettstoesser were received into membership at Peoples United Methodist Church. Karen and Betty have actively attended Peoples for over a year, and have become part of the Peoples family very quickly. In fact, even during this month you will see their names mentioned in other articles: Karen leading Easter Sunday's children message and heading up this summer's VBS, Betty leading this year's Good Friday prayer vigil. But as family members the church has not only embraced them for the gifts they bring in service, but just for their presence, who they are. Both ladies are a true blessing to Peoples Church.
Karen Jennings:
Karen was born in Augusta but grew up in Readfield where she was active in the Readfield United Methodist Church, an experience that has continued to be formative in Karen's faith even today. Some of her warmest memories are from Sunday School, youth group and children's choir. She also attended Camp Mechuwana for five summers and volunteered there as a counselor in her 20's. Karen is now serving in Sunday School, fostering such experiences for younger generations.
Betty was born and raised in Portland. She works at Gorham High School kitchen, and has also worked for Hannaford in Windham, and worked as a hairdresser for 20 years. Her husband, Wes, was in the U.S. Coast Guard for 24 years. Her son Guy works on a tug boat in Portland, and her son Erick works on a tug boat in Staten Island, NY. When asked what she enjoys doing, Betty says, "Reading all spirituality books, walking to Bug Light or on any beach, holding my husband's hand and watching TV."Every Sunday is a celebration of the Resurrection of Christ, but we are coming again to the time of year when we remember the detailed story of the last week of the Word as Flesh. Palm Sunday, we celebrate the triumphant entry of the King into Jerusalem and how quickly the people once again decided they wanted to be their own king. Thursday night we will by having a remembrance of the Last Supper by holding a Jewish Passover or Seder Meal. We will have the chance to experience this great remembrance of the Exodus story and how Jesus changed it forever. Friday will begin with a prayer vigil and include a noon service at Thornton Heights UMC to focus on the cross and Jesus' Death.
The celebration of the Resurrection begins Saturday night, 7pm at Clark UMC with an Easter Vigil service to see how this great work of God fits into the entire salvation history of the Bible. Sunday morning begins early at 6:15am at Fisherman's Point for our Easter Sunrise Service followed at about 7am with breakfast back at the Church.
The celebration continues with our Easter celebration in the Sanctuary at 10:30am. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! Come and share the solemnity, the joy and the excitement of this greatest of good news.
Holy Week Schedule at a Glance:
Thursday March 20 Passover Meal 6:30pm Peoples UMC
Fr
