From Cross to Resurrection: Holy Week & Easter

Peace to you.

Blessings on your Holy Week journey.

You may have heard the saying, “No cross, no crown.” It is true. Without Christ’s death, there is no life. Without Holy Week, there is no Easter.

This Thursday, our three churches will gather at Houlton at noon for our Maundy Thursday service. Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, meaning “command” or “mandate”—Jesus’ call to love one another. Together, we will worship and meditate on that final night with his disciples.

On Friday, weather permitting, we will gather at Mars Hill at noon for our Good Friday service, led by Pastor Joyce.

Then on Easter Sunday, we will begin early with our Easter Sunrise Service at 6:00 a.m. at the foot of Derby Hill in Houlton. It will be simple, yet powerful, as we wait and witness the joy of the resurrection. Afterward, we will share Easter breakfast together at Houlton UMC from 7:00–8:00 a.m.

We will also hold our regular Easter services: Hodgdon at 9:00 a.m., Mars Hill at 9:00 a.m., and Houlton at 11:00 a.m. At Houlton, we will celebrate new members, Gabriel Grimm and Jessica Bonin, and enjoy special music: a trumpet performance by Adam Metzler and a solo by Jeff Putnam.

Easter is a wonderful time to invite family and friends and to celebrate together. 

It has been a meaningful journey with you. Joyce and I are deeply grateful to be part of this beloved community. 

Have a blessed Holy Week. We love you all deeply in Christ.

In Christ's love, 

Pastor Victor 

*Mrs. Wotton's "All about Maple Syrup" at Together Tuesday (March 31, 2026)

Easter Lily List Update (As of March 31)

Peace to you. 

I pray you are well on this snowy morning.

Below is the Easter Lily list so far. Please take a moment to review it and let me know if everything is correct. If your name is missing or if there are any typos, kindly let me know.

Also, if you plan to bring your own lily and would like to add names, please feel free to share that with me.

Thank you so much. Have a blessed day.

In Christ's love,
Pastor Victor

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In loving memory of Gerald Benn from Carolyn Benn

 

In loving memory of Ruel and Virginia Taylor from Rue Geishecker

 

In honor of our church families of Hodgdon, Houlton, Mars Hill, and Patten from Victor and Joyce Han 

 

In loving memory of Dolores Jackins, Melbourne and Mabel Jackins from Cathy and David Hutchinson and family 

 

In loving memory of Rev. Dr. Kwan Y. Lee and Mrs. Kum Hwa Lee from Susan and Bertrand Laurence

 

In loving memory of Mandy Swallow and Douglas Merritt Sr. from Jean Merritt

 

In loving memory of Mike Swallow, and in honor of Hodgdon UMC's children, Diane Ketchum and the choir from Mary Miller

 

In loving memory of Hubert Strecker from Vernell Strecker

 

In loving memory of Melanie Wilson from Jerry Wilson, Howe Family & Fagnant Family

 

In loving memory Bernadette Howe & Galen Howe from Howe Family

 

In loving memory of our Parents, Grandparents & Great -Grandparents from Jerry Wilson & Howe Family

 

 

In loving memory of __________________ from Galen and Sharon Wilde

 

In loving memory of Dr. Donald Woods and our parents from Helen Woods

Monday Morning Coffee: "Why Holy Week?"

 

Peace to you. 

“What does ‘holy’ mean?” A church member asked during Bible Study.

We rarely use this word in daily life, yet it is at the heart of God’s nature and ours.

Holy has a twofold meaning. For God, it means perfectly pure and good—no sin, no flaw. For people, it means being set apart for God, called to live differently because we belong to Him.

This is why we call this week Holy Week. Jesus, perfect and pure, became sin for us and took up the cross, so that we might belong to God and live differently. This week, we remember his sacrificial death and celebrate his resurrection.

Yesterday, we celebrated Palm/Passion Sunday. Joyce shared how Jesus comes to us as the Prince of Peace. I shared what it means to live as God’s holy people with a missionary mindset.

You can watch and revisit the services and messages here:

Services

• Mars Hill Service

• Houlton Service

Special Music

• “Jesus Above All Names” by Hannah Han & Susan Laurence

Messages

• Joyce’s blog on the Prince of Peace

• Victor’s podcast

• Victor’s blog reading

I also shared the life story of Brian Ketchum. We do not need to go abroad to live as missionaries. Anyone who sets their heart on God’s kingdom is a missionary. Read his full story here: "From Selling to Giving" by Brian Ketchum

This Holy Week, we have Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services planned. Please watch for updates, as a snowstorm may arrive on Friday.

May this final week of our Lenten journey be meaningful and transformative.

In Christ's Love, 
Pastor Victor 

Bible Study Plan – Beginning Next Week

Peace to you,

I hope you are doing well.

As we look ahead, we will be journeying through several New Testament letters together over the next eight weeks, with the hope of completing our study by the end of May:

1. Galatians & Ephesians
2. Philippians & Colossians
3. 1 & 2 Thessalonians
4. 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, & Philemon
5. Hebrews & James
6. 1 & 2 Peter
7. 1, 2, 3 John & Jude
8. Revelation

We will begin next week with Galatians and Ephesians. I have attached the reflection and discussion questions to help guide our time.

My prayer is that, as we continue to study and meditate on God’s Word, we may stand firm in faith and grow into maturity in the fullness of God’s will.

Have a blessed week. Love you all.

In Christ's love,
Pastor Victor

Life Together: "Onward, Upward"

Peace to you.  

This morning, around 10:00, our dear sister Liz Taylor went to glory.

The picture above shows the headboard wall in Liz’s room. It beautifully captures her journey with us. The white wall cross was our church’s welcome gift when she moved here from Florida. It reads, “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6). And she did—faithfully, right here among us. The dried palm was a gift she treasured, a reminder of her pilgrimage to Israel. And the “Joy” craft was made by our Sunday School children—a fitting word for her life.

I have always admired Liz’s faith and her gift of evangelism. She lifted our spirits and led us forward in outreach. She taught our children, led Social Saturday (outreach program for children), coordinated the Thank You Ministry (visiting first responders each month), sang in the choir, visited the homebound, and served Holy Communion with love.

Yesterday afternoon, thanks to Lisa, I had the privilege of visiting Liz one last time. We listened to hymns together, especially “It Is Well with My Soul.” I read Psalm 23, and we prayed. I said to her, “Liz, thank you, thank you, thank you. You were always reaching out, always serving, always praising. It has been a great journey with you. I will see you again soon.”

Liz’s life reflects John Wesley’s exhortation:

“Do all the good you can, 

By all the means you can, 

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.”

Let us press on, onward and upward. See you Sunday.

In Christ's Love, 
Pastor Victor 

Easter Lily Orders

 

Dear church family,

As we prepare our hearts for Easter, we invite you to share in a meaningful tradition—placing Easter lilies in our sanctuary. These lilies are a beautiful sign of new life and resurrection, pointing us to the hope we have in Christ.

Many of us also offer them in loving memory or in honor of those who have shaped our lives in faith. In this way, we remember, give thanks, and celebrate the promise of new life together.

We are receiving orders through Chadwick Florist:

• Single: $26.95

• Double: $54.95

• Triple: $69.95 (Please let us know sooner rather than later, as the triple option is limited.)

You are also welcome to bring your own lily if you prefer.

When placing your order, please share the name(s) of those you wish to honor or remember.

If you are paying by check, please make it payable to Houlton UMC with the memo: Easter Lily.

Deadline: March 25.

Thank you for helping us prepare a beautiful and hope-filled celebration of Easter. Stay warm and safe in God's love. 

In Christ's love,
Pastor Victor

Monday Morning Coffee: "Miracle Sunday"

 

Peace to you. 

Recently, Joyce and I watched the film Saint Ralph. Despite the title, Ralph is simply a typical 14-year-old boy at a Catholic school, struggling to fit in and wrestling with the ordinary temptations and questions of growing up. He has already lost his father, and his mother lies critically ill in the hospital.

When his mother falls into a coma, Ralph believes it will take a miracle for her to wake up. A priest tells him that three things are needed for a miracle: belief, purity, and prayer.

So Ralph decides to run the Boston Marathon. At first, no one believes he can do it—not even Ralph himself. But slowly, people around him begin to believe in him. They encourage him and invest in him. Ralph himself begins to believe he might actually finish the race. Still, he struggles with impure thoughts and sin. He does not know how to pray. Yet with the help of a mentor priest, he learns to confess honestly and seek purity. And as he runs—especially after mile 20—he learns to pray desperately.

This delightful and moving story reminded me again that miracles still happen in everyday life. This past Sunday, during the Children’s Moment in Hodgdon, I talked about a “trust fall.” When we fall backward and trust someone to catch us, our center of weight shifts from ourselves to another person. In many ways, that shift itself feels like a miracle.

Recently, Jo-Ann shared that she has long been a worrier—worrying about family, worrying about the world. Sometimes it even disturbed her sleep. But she began practicing a simple habit: whenever worry came, she intentionally gave it to God. Slowly, she discovered peace and rest. You can read her story here: Jo-Ann’s Life Story.

Another Lenten devotion today shares Sharon’s journey of forgiveness. God gave her freedom when she chose to forgive her stepfather. You can read it here: Sharon’s Lenten Devotion.

For Christians, another word for miracle is God’s grace at work. In that sense, we are surrounded by miracles every day.

During Sunday’s message, I shared Abraham’s story along with some of my own struggles during this season of transition. I also mentioned Hudson Taylor and his experience of the “exchanged life.” In a season of sorrow and suffering, he wrote these simple words: “I can’t read, I can’t think, I can’t pray, but I can still trust.”

If you would like to read the full message, you can find it here: Sunday Message: Jesus Our Cornerstone.

May God open our hearts and minds this week to see His miracles all around us. Have a blessed week ahead. Love you all. 

In Christ's Love, 
Pastor Victor 

P.S. This Wednesday at noon we will gather for our "Lenten Soup & Devotion" at Mars Hill. You are warmly invited. Bring a friend and join us for encouragement, prayer, and fellowship! :)