Redeemer Lutheran Church
News and Announcements are published on Friday each week.
Laetare - The Fourth Sunday in Lent
March 30, 2025
Readings: Exodus 16:2-21; Acts 2:41-47; John 6:1-15
Hymns: 419, 642, 641, 423, 625
Calendar
Witness
Have you ever considered missionary service? Perhaps not…but it might be a life-changing event if you try it. The LCMS offers many opportunities to serve for a week or several in positions around the world. Check out upcoming mission trips at LCMS.org/serve and information about other service opportunities..
Lent is a time when we can engage others about our faith. Are you able to explain the differences between the LCMS and other denominations? Lutheranism and Other Denominations is a free booklet available online from the LCMS. Thousands of Christian denominations cover the globe. How can confessional Lutherans possibly claim that we have the correct teaching of Christ over against so many others? It’s not quite as complex as it seems. Only a couple of questions help us get to the heart of the matter. Download this free resource at https://witness.lcms.org/category/resources/.
Mercy
The Gorham Backpack Program is distributing weekend food bags and school-day snack bags to Gorham students facing food insecurity. The current need is to stock the Food Closet at Gorham High School. We will be collecting food items on an ongoing basis. Please bring your donation to church. There will be a box in the narthex for the collection.
They are requesting the following items: Pretzels, Cheez-Its, Trail mix, Granola bars, Capri sun or other juice boxes, Fruit snack, Goldfish, Mac and cheese (Velveeta cups), Ramen Individual size, cereal boxes, Individual size popcorn bags, Spaghettios, Deodorant, Chapstick.
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
This Notice serves as the “Notice of Special Voters’ Assembly” in accordance with 2.2.1 and 2.4 of our Redeemer Lutheran Church By-Laws (1/28/2024). The Church Council voted to hold a Special Voters’ Assembly at the Church Council Workshop Meeting held on March 23rd, 2025. The Special Voters' Assembly will be held on April 13th, 2025, immediately following the Divine Service on Palm Sunday. The purpose of this Special Voters’ Assembly is to obtain final congregational approval to move forward with the siding project. The meeting will be available online…Zoom link information is in the complete announcement which is available via this LINK.
Easter is right around the corner! The Altar Guild humbly ask our fellow Redeemer Saints to please help contribute to the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord by beautifying our Church on Easter Sunday, by sponsoring an Easter plant. The cost to sponsor these beautiful plants is as follows:
7” Daffodils Plants - $10.90 ea 6” Tulip Plants - $8.95 ea 6” Easter Lily Plants - $10.90 ea
If you would like to support this effort please enter your name on the Sign-up Sheet in the Narthex. You may place your payment in the offering plate, envelopes labeled “Easter Plants” are provided. Checks may be addressed to Redeemer Lutheran Church. The deadline for sponsoring a plant is April 17. Thank you for your support! Redeemer Altar Guild
Where do we get pastors who preach and care for us with God’s Word? Where do we get teachers who teach our children about Jesus in our Lutheran schools? Where do we get our directors of Christian education, deaconesses and directors of parish music? Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is partnering with our seminaries, Concordia universities, districts and others to build a Synod wide culture of church work formation and recruitment. Will you please take a brief online survey at lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve-survey and let us know how we can make SAS more beneficial to your congregation? We want to hear what you have to say.
The LWML-NED Spring Rally will be held April 26th 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Fitchburg, MA. Printed registration forms are available on the table in the Narthex or you can sign-up online at https://www.messiahfitchburg.com/springrally2025. Please see Betsy if you’re interested in attending this rally.
Every Wednesday in Lent (3/12 through 4/9), there will be a soup and bread supper at 5:30 pm, followed by the Lenten Vespers service at 7 pm. There is a sign-up sheet to bring soup and bread on the bulletin board downstairs. Please see Besty if you have any questions.
Pastor Strawn has made it his goal to visit with Redeemer’s members at their homes. He wants to keep it very informal. Please email him at pastorgstrawn@gmail.com to schedule a date and time for your visit with him.
Looking for hosts for our coffee hours following service. Sign up on the Fellowship Board near Pastor’s office. This can be one family or several families.
A Life Thought in the Church Year for March 30 – Lent IV: The prodigal’s father kept watching every day for his wayward son’s return. He had to have in order to spot him “while he was still a long way off” (Luke 15:20). Our Gracious God never gives up on a human life, no matter what size, skills, circumstances, or sins it involves. We need not let surprise pregnancies, chronic conditions, or terminal diagnoses steal our hope—or anyone else’s!
A Stewardship Thought March 30 – Lent 4 John 6:5 – “Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’” Why does Jesus ask Philip this question? Of course Jesus knows the answer already — He knows how He means to care for His people. The Lord provided, and He still provides. But we need to know this, and so Jesus gets Philip thinking about it. The knowledge that the Lord provides frees us for generosity without fear.
YOUR COMPREHENSIVE SOURCE FOR NEWS, INFORMATION & TRUTH… Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken. Recent teachings include: Christians & Public Schools; God Promises in Isaiah; A Pro-Family Housing Agenda; The Effect of Same-Sex Marriage on Children; “The Day of the Lord” in the Bible and more. You can listen at your convenience at issuesetc.org, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, TuneIn, the LPR mobile app and a podcast provider..
Communications
Newsletter Deadline – If you wish to contribute to the May church newsletter, please email your submission to the church office by April 22.
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 Judica - The Fifth Sunday in Lent
Readings: Genesis 22:1-14; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 8:46-59
Hymns: 544, 430, 431, 420, 455
Judica - The Fifth Sunday in Lent
April 6, 2025
Readings: Genesis 22:1-14; Hebrews 9:11-15; John 8:46-59
Hymns: 544, 430, 431, 420, 455
Calendar
Witness
Lutheran Hour Ministries teams in Myanmar and Thailand are providing relief and spiritual care to those suffering in the aftermath of the recent devastating earthquake. We can support these two ministry centers through our prayers and gifts as they reach out to their hurting communities. Please pray that God's love will be made known to those affected and that His peace will comfort those in Myanmar and Thailand. Monetary support can be sent to LHM.org/Give. We sponsor The Lutheran Hour radio program throughout most of Maine and New Hampshire on the Worship Radio Network at 88.9 Sundays at 7am.
Lent is a time when we can engage others about our faith and invite them to worship with us. Rev. John Bombaro discusses the history and meaning of Lent in an Issues, Etc. program. Check out this segment at Issuesetc.org and enter Bombaro 0592 in the search field. Because Issues, Etc. is a valuable source for information about our faith and how it relates to current secular issues, we support it financially.
Mercy
The Gorham Backpack Program is distributing weekend food bags and school-day snack bags to Gorham students facing food insecurity. The current need is to stock the Food Closet at Gorham High School. We will be collecting food items on an ongoing basis. Please bring your donation to church. There will be a box in the narthex for the collection.
They are requesting the following items: Pretzels, Cheez-Its, Trail mix, Granola bars, Capri sun or other juice boxes, Fruit snack, Goldfish, Mac and cheese (Velveeta cups), Ramen Individual size, cereal boxes, Individual size popcorn bags, Spaghettios, Deodorant, Chapstick.
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
On Wednesday, April 2nd, God gathered Pastor Balfour to His heavenly home. Pastor Balfour served Redeemer, Gorham, ME until he retired. He also served Trinity Lutheran, Brooklyn, NY from 1989-1990.
The funeral will be held here at Redeemer in Gorham on Thursday, April 10th at 11:00am, with a committal immediately following at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in South Portland.
Cards may be sent to: 150 Mitchell Road, Cape Elizabeth, ME 04107
Please lift Pastor and the rest of the Balfour family in your prayers.
This Notice serves as the “Notice of Special Voters’ Assembly” in accordance with 2.2.1 and 2.4 of our Redeemer Lutheran Church By-Laws (1/28/2024). The Church Council voted to hold a Special Voters’ Assembly at the Church Council Workshop Meeting held on March 23rd, 2025. The Special Voters' Assembly will be held on April 13th, 2025, immediately following the Divine Service on Palm Sunday. The purpose of this Special Voters’ Assembly is to obtain final congregational approval to move forward with the siding project. The meeting will be available online…Zoom link information is in the complete announcement which is available via this LINK.
Redeemer’s schedule of services for Holy Week and Easter can be found on our website under the “Life Together” tab, select “Calendar” from the drop-down menu at this LINK. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services are at 7pm. There is no Saturday service in Sanford (4/19), also no Sunday school or Bible study on Easter Sunday. There will be an Easter breakfast…Sanford after service, and Gorham at 8:30 am before the Divine Service. Free will offerings will be accepted to cover the cost of the food.
Easter is right around the corner! The Altar Guild humbly ask our fellow Redeemer Saints to please help contribute to the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord by beautifying our Church on Easter Sunday, by sponsoring an Easter plant. The cost to sponsor these beautiful plants is as follows:
7” Daffodils Plants - $10.90 ea 6” Tulip Plants - $8.95 ea 6” Easter Lily Plants - $10.90 ea
If you would like to support this effort please enter your name on the Sign-up Sheet in the Narthex. You may place your payment in the offering plate, envelopes labeled “Easter Plants” are provided. Checks may be addressed to Redeemer Lutheran Church. The deadline for sponsoring a plant is April 17. Thank you for your support! Redeemer Altar Guild
Where do we get pastors who preach and care for us with God’s Word? Where do we get teachers who teach our children about Jesus in our Lutheran schools? Where do we get our directors of Christian education, deaconesses and directors of parish music? Set Apart to Serve (SAS) is partnering with our seminaries, Concordia universities, districts and others to build a Synod wide culture of church work formation and recruitment. Will you please take a brief online survey at lcms.org/set-apart-to-serve-survey and let us know how we can make SAS more beneficial to your congregation? We want to hear what you have to say.
The LWML-NED Spring Rally will be held April 26th 9:00 am to 2:30 pm, at Messiah Lutheran Church in Fitchburg, MA. Printed registration forms are available on the table in the Narthex or you can sign-up online at https://www.messiahfitchburg.com/springrally2025. Please see Betsy if you’re interested in attending this rally.
This coming Wednesday (4/9) will be the last soup and bread supper at 5:30 pm, followed by the Lenten Vespers service at 7 pm.
Pastor Strawn has made it his goal to visit with Redeemer’s members at their homes. He wants to keep it very informal. Please email him at pastorgstrawn@gmail.com to schedule a date and time for your visit with him.
Looking for hosts for our coffee hours following service. Sign up on the Fellowship Board near Pastor’s office. This can be one family or several families.
A Life Thought in the Church Year for April 6 – Lent V: The Lord our God forms persons and peoples for Himself (Isaiah 43:21). Our lives and every neighbor’s body belong to the Almighty Maker. He intends each one not only for survival but for salvation in the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:10). This means we get to receive all humankind’s members as gifts and privileges and treat them as inestimably precious.
EDUCATING A NEW GENERATION OF LUTHERANS… Issues, Etc. is a radio talk show and podcast produced by Lutheran Public Radio in Collinsville, IL and hosted by LCMS Pastor Todd Wilken. Recent topics include: The 2025 Movie “Snow White,” The 1550 Magdeburg Confession, A Christian Response to Gender Ideology, The Importance of Palm Sunday, Roman Catholic Indulgences and more. You can listen on-demand at issuesetc.org, Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Apple HomePod, TuneIn, the LPR mobile app and a podcast provider.
Communications
Newsletter Deadline – If you wish to contribute to the May church newsletter, please email your submission to the church office by April 22.
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 Palmarum – Palm Sunday
Readings: Zechariah 9:9-12; Philippians 2:5-11; Matthew 21:1-9
Hymns: 442, 438, 440, 420, 441