Join us on Christmas Eve at 7:00 p.m. for a family Christmas service with Holy Communion.  There will be special time for the children as well as a candlelight singing of "Silent Night."


On Christmas morning at 9:00 a.m. we have a quieter, simpler service of Holy Communion.

On Sunday, December 27th, join us at 10:00 a.m. for a Service of Lessons and Carols.

Scandinavian Weekend 2015!

St. Ansgar Lutheran Church at Rosemont Corner presents

“A Scandinavian Weekend 2015”

       December 5^th and 6^th      

SATURDAY, 10am–2pm  -  Just An Old Fashioned Fair

SUNDAY, 4pm  -  Annual Festival of St. Lucia and

International Marketplace

Julekake • Scandinavian Gifts • Fish Chowder Luncheon on Saturday • Handicap Accessible

FREE ADMISSION

                                           

515 Woodford Street at Rosemont Corner, Portland.  207-774-8740 , saintansgar.org

Rosemont Harvest in the Hood!

"How do you like THEM apples?"

In the tradition of Strawberry Sunday and Blueberry Sunday, on October 5th we will be celebrating Apple Sunday at the Coffee and Conversation Hour immediately after worship. Please bring something made with apples that you would like to share!

God's Work....Our Hands

Join us next Sunday for "God's Work, Our Hands" Sunday! 




"God's Work, Our Hands" is the ELCA's motto. Churches across the country will celebrate our call to love and serve our neighbors on September 13th in all kinds of ways.
 

For the first time this year, St. Ansgar is also going to participate by celebrating the various ministries you all do both inside the church and outside our congregation in the local communities.

So, mark your calendars for this congregational celebration!

A weekend to celebrate ecofeminism!

What is ecofeminism? Find out this April 10th-12th when St. Ansgar Lutheran Church in Portland welcomes Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether, world-renowned activist, feminist theologian, and international lecturer. A prolific author, she is also currently teaching at Claremont School of Theology, Claremont CA.

The centerpiece of the weekend will be a presentation by Dr. Ruether, followed by Q&A with the audience. The presentation will be followed by lunch, then a panel conversation about Mainers engaging in a range of ecological efforts, including solar energy, sustainable living, and climate change awareness. (Full schedule is listed below.)

Among the panelists: Rev. Dr. Susan E. Davies, feminist theologian, activi...st and former Academic Dean and professor at Bangor Theological Seminary; David Littell, Commissioner of the Maine Public Utilities Commission and former Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP); Ray Sirois, IT Director at Wright Pierce Engineering and one of 3,000 presenters trained by Al Gore's Climate Project.

Reverend Susan Gilpin, a sustainable living course instructor at OLLI (the Senior College at USM), and Dr. Debra McDonough, an associate lecturer in genetics at the University of New England will facilitate.

All events, including lunch, are free of charge.

Weekend Schedule:
Friday, April 10
7:00pm – Movie: “Disruption”
Watch the hour-long cinematic journey through the wild world of climate change, followed by a discussion
facilitated by Anne D. Burt, Consultant for Maine Council of Churches’ Environmental Justice Program.
Saturday, April 11
9:30am – Coffee and welcome
10:00am – Presentation: “What is ecofeminism?” / Q&A with Dr. Ruether
12:00pm – Lunch (RSVP to rrr@saintansgar or 774-8740)
1:00pm – Panel Response and Discussion
Panelists include Ray Sirois, an IT specialist at Wright Pierce Engineering, and Reverend Susan
Gilpin, a sustainable living course instructor at USM/OLLI.
*Dr. Ruether will be signing books after the event. (Books will be available for purchase all weekend.)
Sunday, April 12
10:00 – Worship, Dr. Rosemary Radford Ruether, guest preacher
You’re invited to return for the celebration of the Eucharist. Coffee and conversation follow in the church hall.

RSVP appreciated but not required.
207-774-8740, ext 4 • rrr@saintansgar.org

Holy Week is Coming!

Palm Sunday, Holy Week & Easter

Palm Sunday, March 29-10:00 am Passion narrative and Eucharist. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. We remember Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem and then his passion and crucifixion. We use "The Cry of the Congregation" for a shared passion narrative. Join Pr. Mia Dyson and the parish pastoral team for this solemn and prayerful service.  Maundy Thursday, April 2- 7:00 pm Eucharist  Jesus is making his journey to the cross. That journey includes time with the disciples in that upper room meal where Jesus gives us a new commandment and greets us with his very life and blood. Be present in the quiet as the altar is stripped and we follow Jesus' journey to Gethsemane. Good Friday, April 3 - 7:00 pm Service On the evening of this day we call "Good," be present as we journey with Jesus to the cross. Come and discover a love that is unmeasured, a love that transforms our lives the very world in which we live.  Saturday morning Easter Egg Hunt, 10:00 am  Holy Saturday, April 4 - 7:00 pm Joint Easter Vigil at Cathedral of St. Luke Pastor William Barter, Preacher  Although celebrated Holy Saturday evening, this ancient service is the dramatic Easter vigil liturgy that marks the beginning of Easter. We are awaiting our master's return with our lamps full and burning, so that he will find us awake and seat us at his table (cf. Luke 12:35ff).      EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 5 This year, Easter is on the first Sunday of the month, which means it is Project Feed Sunday.    Please bring non-perishable food items to place in the collection baskets in the church lobby.  < /span> What better way to celebrate the Lord's rising than to remember those in need of food?      Easter Breakfast Come and join us for a delicious breakfast on this most festive of days. Breakfast starts at 8:30 am, and the proceeds go to fund camp scholarships for Calumet. The cost is $4 per person, $10 for an entire family. Easter Sunday 10:00 Eucharist

Eternal Rest grant unto her, O Lord

Our dear sister in Christ, Lorraine Nevers, died peacefully at 11:45 this morning.

Let us pray.

Eternal God, you gave Lorraine a new birth in baptism and entrusted her to us to know and to love. As we thank you for the life we shared, help us now to release her to your mighty keeping. Bring us all to that day when we shall stand in your presence with all your saints in light eternal; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.

Amen.

Lorraine's favorite hymn was "Lift High the Cross!" As a tribute to her and a musical interlude in our time of loss, I am including a link to a lovely rendition of it below.

Lent is here!

We begin the solemn Season of Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 18th. 

There will be "Walk-In" ashes distributed from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. 

At 7:00 p.m. on Ash Wednesday we will have a Holy Communion service with imposition of ashes. 

Our Lenten book study will begin on Sunday, Feb. 22nd at 4:00 p.m.  We will meet for five Sundays to discuss the book "Learning to Walk in the Dark" by Barbara Brown Taylor.  Our idea is that the book study will focus on the themes that emerge in a few chapters each week.  (See the schedule below.)  It is by no means a requirement to have read those chapters in order to participate in book study, but they will guide our discussion.

Feb. 22 - Introduction & Chapter 1

March 1 - Chapters 2 & 3

March 8 - Chapters 4 & 5

March 15 - Chapters 6 & 7

March 22 - Chapters 8 & 9

Books will be available to purchase at church on Sunday, but feel free to purchase one before then if you'd like to get a head start in reading!

Blessings to you as we begin this Lenten journey.  

Join us as we celebrate two amazing people!

This coming Sunday, January 18th, please join us at the 10:00 a.m. worship service as we celebrate the 99th birthday of Espen Christensen. It isn't every day that we get to mark the beginning of the 100th year of faithful service of an active church member. After our Sunday service, we will have cake and festivities in the church hall. Whether you've know Espen for a few decades or a few days, we are sure he and his family would love to see you there!

And then at 4:00 p.m. we will have a vespers service (Holden Evening Prayer) to celebrate the ministry and bid a fond farewell to Associate Pastor Ellen Schoepf. After two-and-a-half years of amazing pastoral service, she has accepted the call to be the new pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. The vespers will be followed by a soup supper and reception in the church hall.

Solar open house!

Saturday, January 10th, 9-10:30 a.m.
515 Woodford St. Portland

Join us at the St. Ansgar Church in Portland to get answers to questions such as, how much do these systems cost, what can I expect for my return on investment, what are the available incentives for solar energy systems and how do they perform in our Northeast climate? See examples of homeowners in your community who are saving with solar and learn about our exclusive Own Your Power solar financing program! - See more at: http://www.revisionenergy.com/blog/event/solar-open-house-st-ansgar-church/#sthash.M2n5JKnO.dpuf