News and Announcements are published on Friday each week.

The Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Amos 6:1-7, 1 Timothy 3:1-13, Luke 16:19-31

Hymns: 802, 708, 797. 681, 695

Calendar

Witness

Dinner and Christian Inquiry: This fall, we have scheduled four Sunday evenings to invite people that you know to dinner and a time of Christian discussion and inquiry. The purpose is for us to show hospitality to our neighbors and feed their interest in Christianity. A few university students have been invited but there is room for your friends or acquaintances. If you intend to come with a friend, please RSVP to Brenda. There is still a need for dinner hosts to prepare, serve, and clean up after dinner. Hosts can be one or two families. Please volunteer by contacting Brenda or signing up on the bulletin board. Each dinner will begin at 6:00 pm on Sep 25, Oct 9, Oct 23, and Nov 6. This is a very low stress way to evangelize just like Philip inviting his cousin to come and see (John 1:46).  We have post card invitations available for mailing or posting on bulletin boards.

Being an Online English Conversation Partner provides us an opportunity to not only help people practice their English, but also help them to grow in their faith.  The next round is October 3 - November 11.    The commitment is short (one hour a week for six weeks), but the outcome may change a life.  Visit Servenow.lcms.org for more information.

Making Disciples for Life - Let us Keep Awake is a three day conference coming up in October.  Join Pastor at church to view the conference online on October 10-12.  Topics will focus on resources that equip us to faithfully share God’s Word — a Word desperately needed by people who have been deceived by the false teachings of the world.

Church Planting in New England – The New England District Church Planting and Revitalization Committee is raising funds to support new church plants. Follow this LINK to learn how you can be a part of the Church’s expansion.

Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament is the next Bible Study to be undertaken on Wednesday evenings. This study will begin on Oct 12 and run for eight weeks. The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead us through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, we will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! This is a great preparation for Advent. Please email the church office if you are interested. Books are $16.99 each, can be easily shared in a household, and need to be ordered by Oct 1.

Mercy

Gorham Food Pantry Update - Our friend Heather Whitaker, at present is feeding at least 110 families in Gorham. Much of the food is coming from the Gorham food Pantry and they are soliciting direct cash donations. If anyone would like to support them you can make a donation at their website gorhamfoodpantry.org.

Gosnell Hospice is the only inpatient hospice located in southern and western Maine. They are presently collecting funds to support patient care as well as renovate the medication room and kitchen among other things. To make a donation their website is hospiceofsouthernmaine.org.

Friendship House is a Bible-based organization that works with men who have emotional or physical disabilities. Their winter wish list includes hand soaps, bath tissue paper towels and laundry detergent If one cannot deliver items to them one can cut them a check. Friendship House is located at 390 Lincoln St South Portland 04106

Preble Street Resource Center is a mercy organization serving the needs of the homeless and underprivileged in the Portland area. Donations may be made by check to Preble St Resource Center and mailed to 38 Preble Street Portland, Maine 04101.

If anyone has any desire to help the Kentucky flood victims, checks may be sent to Orphan Grain Train NE Branch attn Brenda Bacon 400 Wilbraham Rd Springfield Ma 01109. THE MEMO LINE ON THE CHECK MUST SAY RELIEF FOR KENTUCKY

If you need anything (rides, supplies, medicine pickups) or any assistance please feel free to contact Sandy or Tom DiPasqua at 207-883-2730 or tjdipasqua@aol.com.

Life Together

Nominations are now being received for our scheduled election at the December Voters’ Assembly. Use the nomination form included as an insert in the bulletin (or download HERE). The form can be placed in the offering plate, mailed to P.O. Box 427, or given to one of the current officers of the congregation. Who do you think would serve well? Nominate them.

2022 Lutherans For Life National Conference – Blessed For Life will be in Rock Island, IL on Oct 21-22. Contact the church office for more information.

Alpha is a pregnancy center in Sanford which we support. Alpha’s annual fundraising dinner will be Friday, Oct 21 at Sea Road Christian Church. Dinner will be served at 6:30 pm and a program offered at 7:15 pm. R.S.V.P is required by Oct 5 at alpha-prc.com/banquet

The Beacon is the official newsletter of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League – New England District. You will find the Summer/Fall 2022 issue at this LINK.

Joining Jesus as a Family – A Workshop on How to Raise Children to be Followers of Jesus will be on Oct 15 at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Acton, MA. Follow these links for more information and for registration. Information is also posted on the Life-together Board.

Newsletter Deadline – If you wish to contribute to the October church newsletter, please email your submission to the church office by Sep 26.

Witness and Outreach Sentence: Luke 16:19-31:  When the rich man died, he found himself tormented in Hades.  He cries out to Abraham to go and warn his five brothers so that they do not find themselves in the same torment.  We, as baptized believers in Christ, have the sure and certain hope of heaven, and because of that promise, we want as many others as possible to join us in the blessedness of our eternal home!

Stewardship Note: Amos 6:1a – “Woe to those who are at ease in Zion.” The Book of Amos is a warning to God’s people who have been given great material wealth. As Jesus Himself mentions, material blessings can turn into temptations – chiefly the temptation to think of ourselves as self-sufficient and independent. What does Amos suggest as a way to combat this temptation? First, faith in the Lord and dependence upon Him! And if our faith is right, we will want to follow the rest of Amos’ instructions – to bless the poor with our alms and to make sure the Lord’s House is properly cared for. In other words, we are called to align our actions with God’s priorities and put others ahead of ourselves.

Life Thought for September 25: Do we ignore the ruin around us (Amos 6:6) because abortion seems “too political” and assisted suicide feels “too personal”? Only woes await those who do (Amos 6:1, 4). But our Heavenly Father obsesses over the victims (Psalm 146:9), and heaven finds inexhaustible joy embracing the vulnerable (Luke 16:22). In speaking and showing the sanctity of all humankind, we also can “take hold of that which is truly life” (1 Timothy 6:19)!

What I Wish My Non-Lutheran Family Knew About… Are you looking for a way to explain Biblical Lutheran teachings like Baptism, Closed Communion, The Lord’s Supper, The End Times, Funerals and Worship to non-Lutherans?  Issues, Etc., a radio-talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL, interviewed Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller about these topics and more.  You can listen to the entire series at your convenience at issuesetc.org/whatiwish/.

All announcements and prayer requests received in the church office by noon on Thursday will appear in print that week in Friday’s email. If there is an announcement that you would like Pastor to make following Sunday’s FB live stream, please email him that information. 

Looking Forward to the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:1-10

Hymns: 902, 587, 850, 637, 895

The Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, 2 Timothy 1:1-14, Luke 17:1-10

Hymns: 902, 587, 850, 637, 895

Calendar

Witness

Dinner and Christian Inquiry: This fall, we have scheduled four Sunday evenings to invite people that you know to dinner and a time of Christian discussion and inquiry. The purpose is for us to show hospitality to our neighbors and feed their interest in Christianity. A few university students have been invited but there is room for your friends or acquaintances. If you intend to come with a friend, please RSVP to Brenda. There is still a need for dinner hosts to prepare, serve, and clean up after dinner. Hosts can be one or two families. Please volunteer by contacting Brenda or signing up on the bulletin board. Each dinner will begin at 6:00 pm on Oct 9, Oct 23, and Nov 6. This is a very low stress way to evangelize just like Philip inviting his cousin to come and see (John 1:46).  We have post card invitations available for mailing or posting on bulletin boards.

Being an Online English Conversation Partner provides us an opportunity to not only help people practice their English, but also help them to grow in their faith.  The next round is October 3 - November 11.    The commitment is short (one hour a week for six weeks), but the outcome may change a life.  Visit Servenow.lcms.org for more information.

Making Disciples for Life - Let us Keep Awake is a three day conference coming up in October.  Join Pastor at church to view the conference online on October 10-12.  Topics will focus on resources that equip us to faithfully share God’s Word — a Word desperately needed by people who have been deceived by the false teachings of the world.

Church Planting in New England – The New England District Church Planting and Revitalization Committee is raising funds to support new church plants. Follow this LINK to learn how you can be a part of the Church’s expansion.

Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament is the next Bible Study to be undertaken on Wednesday evenings. This study will begin on Oct 12 and run for eight weeks. The Messiah: Revealing Jesus in the Old Testament will lead us through the entirety of the Old Testament with daily readings, questions, and discussion prompts. After a brief introduction that reviews Christ's earthly ministry, we will dive into the heart of the Holy Books that have spiritually nourished God's people from creation to today! This is a great preparation for Advent. Please email the church office if you are interested. Books are $16.99 each, can be easily shared in a household, and need to be ordered by Oct 1.

Mercy

Gorham Food Pantry Update - Our friend Heather Whitaker, at present is feeding at least 110 families in Gorham. Much of the food is coming from the Gorham food Pantry and they are soliciting direct cash donations. If anyone would like to support them you can make a donation at their website gorhamfoodpantry.org.

Gosnell Hospice is the only inpatient hospice located in southern and western Maine. They are presently collecting funds to support patient care as well as renovate the medication room and kitchen among other things. To make a donation their website is hospiceofsouthernmaine.org.

Friendship House is a Bible-based organization that works with men who have emotional or physical disabilities. Their winter wish list includes hand soaps, bath tissue paper towels and laundry detergent If one cannot deliver items to them one can cut them a check. Friendship House is located at 390 Lincoln St South Portland 04106

Preble Street Resource Center is a mercy organization serving the needs of the homeless and underprivileged in the Portland area. Donations may be made by check to Preble St Resource Center and mailed to 38 Preble Street Portland, Maine 04101.

If anyone has any desire to help the Kentucky flood victims, checks may be sent to Orphan Grain Train NE Branch attn Brenda Bacon 400 Wilbraham Rd Springfield Ma 01109. THE MEMO LINE ON THE CHECK MUST SAY RELIEF FOR KENTUCKY

If you need anything (rides, supplies, medicine pickups) or any assistance please feel free to contact Sandy or Tom DiPasqua at 207-883-2730 or tjdipasqua@aol.com.

Life Together

Nominations are now being received for our scheduled election at the December Voters’ Assembly. Use the nomination form included as an insert in the bulletin (or download HERE). The form can be placed in the offering plate, mailed to P.O. Box 427, or given to one of the current officers of the congregation. Who do you think would serve well? Nominate them.

2022 Lutherans For Life National Conference – Blessed For Life will be in Rock Island, IL on Oct 21-22. Contact the church office for more information.

Alpha is a pregnancy center in Sanford which we support. Alpha’s annual fundraising dinner will be Friday, Oct 21 at Sea Road Christian Church. Dinner will be served at 6:30 pm and a program offered at 7:15 pm. R.S.V.P is required by Oct 5 at alpha-prc.com/banquet

The Beacon is the official newsletter of the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League – New England District. You will find the Summer/Fall 2022 issue at this LINK.

Joining Jesus as a Family – A Workshop on How to Raise Children to be Followers of Jesus will be on Oct 15 at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church in Acton, MA. Follow these links for more information and for registration. Information is also posted on the Life-together Board.

Newsletter Deadline – If you wish to contribute to the October church newsletter, please email your submission to the church office by Oct 25.

Witness and Outreach Sentence: Luke 17:1-10:  Every Sunday we pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”  As we heed these words and forgive as we have been forgiven, we are giving a tremendous witness to the love of God found in Jesus Christ.  May our forgiving lead others to the ultimate forgiveness given through the cross.

Stewardship Note: Luke 17:10 – “So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ ” We can never put God in our debt. Even if we lived in perfect compliance with the Law, we would still only be unworthy servants. Our giving to the Lord’s work in the Church is a sign that we recognize our role as servants. Furthermore, we give because we recognize our own need for that work of the Lord in the Church. And what a blessing it is to give to the Church so that the ministry of His Word and Sacraments may reach all in community.

Life Thought for October 2: Abortion, assisted suicide, and other deals with death bless with their mouths – as Psalm 62 warns us – by promising freedom and control. But inwardly these measures curse by delivering guilt and grief. Power over life and death belongs to God alone (Psalm 62:11), and His steadfast love provides salvation even amid surprise pregnancy and terminal diagnosis. The Gospel of Jesus Christ always brings life and immortality to light (2 Timothy 1:10).

Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty: Be a Champion for Religious Liberty! You and your congregation are invited to be a Champion for Religious Liberty. See https://www.lcrlfreedom.org/index.php/champions-for-religious-liberty for more information.

All announcements and prayer requests received in the church office by noon on Thursday will appear in print that week in Friday’s email. If there is an announcement that you would like Pastor to make following Sunday’s FB live stream, please email him that information. 

Looking Forward to the Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Readings: Ruth 1:1-19a, 2 Timothy 2:1-13, Luke 17:11-19

Hymns: 790, 846, 622, 435, 528