Confirmation retreat photos

Here are some pics from our confirmation retreat at Calumet. Ryan Clancy from St. Ansgar was one of the Calumet counselors for the weekend. The boys shared a cabin with Grace West Springfield, and Mara bunked with Salem Naugatuck. Even though it looks like we horsed around a bit (and we did), we had great discussions about Luther, the Reformation, and what it means to be Lutheran. Pastor had a good time too, and he is now resting comfortably at an undisclosed location.

Raise the Rafters Concert Sat. 4/10 at 7PM

St. Ansgar is proud to host a joint concert of !Zing and Rock My Soul. This concert is part of a final push to fund the renovation of our beloved organ. When we decided to raise money for the organ, we decided as a congregation that we should give 10% of what we raise to charity (tithe). Well, the actual cost of the organ work is funded, and now we are working on the tithe. So come on out and enjoy some wonderful jazz and gospel music.

Your night out will fund three wonderful causes. One third of the tithe will go to African Relief Ministries, a nonprofit sponsored by the Sundanese congregation that worships in our building. African Relief Ministries is a micro lending organization that loans small amounts of money to entrepreneurs in Sudan. Another third will go to help rebuild the childhood church of an Ethiopian member of our congregation. Bethel Lube Presbyterian Church in Ethiopia reached out to St. Ansgar when termites made their building unlivable. The final third will go to Community Uplift Projects (CUP) International, a charity that runs an orphanage in Hosur, India. The father of our music director is the founder of CUP International.

Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Call 774-8740 ext. 7 or email concert@saintansgar.org.

Easter Egg Hunt 10 AM Tomorrow

The Annual St. Ansgar Easter Egg Hunt will be held at the church this Saturday 4/3 at 10 a.m. Bring the kids, grandkids, kids friends, your relatives, and yourself.....we'll be dyeing eggs, decorating cookies, and of course....hunting for eggs outside on what promises to be a BEAUTIFUL day... Hope you will come!

Pastor's Easter Message

My Easter message is posted on my page. Please take a moment to visit. Pr. Bill Barter

Joint Potluck with Sudanese Congregation This Sunday

St. Ansgar is hosting a joint potluck luncheon after worship tomorrow, March 21st. We will be joined by the Sudanese worshipping community. Please bring your favorite food to share with our new partners in ministry at St. Ansgar. The potluck begins right after service, about noon.

There will also be a brief presentation about the work of African Relief Ministries. An exciting venture in Sudan and in other parts of Africa has been the emergence of “micro-lending” or “micro-banks.” These grassroots financial institutions take very little capital and turn it into life-changing business loans. In Sudan, a large part of the resources goes to the widows of the Sudanese wars, and allows them to become self-sufficient.

ARM’s website is at www.africanreliefministries.org. You can read more about this here.

Reconciling in Christ

It's official. We are pleased to announce that we are now a Reconciling in Christ congregation of the ELCA. We welcome and affirm people of all gender identities and sexual orientations, and their families. For more information on the Reconciling in Christ program, go to: http://www.lcna.org/.

SCUFFY Regional Youth Ministry Event Photos

St. Ansgar hosted the SCUFFY Regional Youth Ministry event on March 13th. Youth from Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont were present including 11 from our own St. Ansgar/ Sudanese Nazarene congregations.