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! :)

Life Together: "Celebration of Life"

 

“This is the day the Lord has made; 

let us rejoice and be glad in it.” 

- Psalm 118:24

Friday at 10 AM, the SPRCs of our four churches gathered together. 

There were many tears and moments of sadness. Yet there was even more gratitude and love shared among us.

Looking back, we were all amazed at how God has led us this far. In 2014, Hodgdon and Houlton began a shared ministry. In 2022, Mars Hill joined. In 2025, Patten joined as well. It has been like an expanding family. As each church joined, our shared life became richer and deeper. Through this fellowship, we have experienced Christ’s love among us in beautiful ways.

We are learning that there is always something to celebrate. We do not deny or ignore the pains and sufferings in the world around us. The war is real. Pastoral transition is taking place. But our Christian realism rests on a firm conviction: God’s grace is always greater in every circumstance, and in God’s time, He will make all things right and new.

So today is a gift from God. And there is something to celebrate.

This past week we celebrated Reita’s 94th birthday, along with Helen's, Lenny’s and Bonnie’s birthdays, and Bob and Stacy's anniversary. We also rejoiced that Brian returned home from rehab. We celebrated a small family reunion with Blinn and Joan. And the Hans family enjoyed skiing at Big Rock one last time this season.

What if we lived today as if it were our birthday?

What if we lived today as if it were our last day?

May we become resilient optimists who spread joy and hope wherever we go. Even above the snowstorm clouds today, the sun is still shining.

Please stay safe and warm. Know that you are deeply loved.

In Christ's Love, 

Pastor Victor 

Church Directory Update – Last Call

Peace to you, church family,

We have been working on updating our church directory and hope to print the new version soon. Before we do, please take a moment to review your information and make sure everything is correct.

If you would like to update or add a photo, birthday, or anniversary, this is the last call. Please send any corrections or additions to me as soon as you can.

A special thank you to Gabriel Grimm, who designed the cover image for the directory—The Lamb of God, inspired by Eastern Orthodox iconography.

Thank you for helping us keep our church family connected :) 

• Hodgdon/Houlton 
• Mars Hill

In Christ's love,
Pastor Victor

Life Review Project Update

Peace to you, dear friends,

Less than a year ago, we began the Life Review Project together. It has already been a meaningful journey.

Along the way, I have realized again that the face of Christ is wonderfully multi-faceted—so rich, so deep, and so wide. One of the most beautiful ways we come to see Christ more clearly is through each person’s story. As we listen to one another’s lives, we begin to notice how Christ has been at work in different ways, in different seasons, in each of us. Christ plays in ten thousand places. 

I hope that we can gather these stories into a small book for our church family. It will be something we can keep, cherish, and share with our loved ones—a testimony of faith across generations. Through these stories, we may see a fuller picture of Christ, and together continue to know Him and make Him known.

We plan to compile these life stories by the end of April. Below is the list of those who have already shared their stories.

If for any reason you would prefer not to have your story included in the book, please feel free to let me know. And if you have not yet shared your story but would like to participate, I would be very glad to include you.

The estimated cost for the self-published book will be about $10 per copy.

Participants so far:

Anderson, Andy

Anderson, Bonnie

Batchelder, Sharon

Benn, Carolyn

Blanchard, Dale

Boone, Blinn

Boone, Joan

Boyd, Susan

Cowperthwaite, Angela

Cowperthwaite, Bob

Cronkite, Gaye

Geishecker, Rue

Grimm, Gabriel

Forbush, Jack

Han, SeungRi “Victor”

Hibbett, Mary

Hotham, Jacob

Husted, Chet

Jutras, Denice

Kang, YoungEun “Joyce”

Laurence, Bertrand

Lee, Kwan

Mailman, Georgia

Malone, Sandra

Maraya, Rosalinda “Linda”

Moore, Roberta

Muzzi, Lenny

Quint, Duane

Strecker, Vernell “Nell”

Taylor, Chuck

Taylor, Liz

Taylor, Mary

Trask, John

Trask, Nina

Victor, Rob

Wang, Hong

Ward, Shirley

Wilde, Galen

Woods, Helen

As Christ continues to work in our lives, our story still continues. Have a blessed rest of the week. Love you all.

In Christ's love,
Pastor Victor

New Pastoral Appointment Update

 Dear Church Family,

Greetings in the precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton and the Cabinet have appointed my family and me to new churches in Cape Cod, Massachusetts—South Yarmouth UMC (full-time, Victor) and Wellfleet UMC (half-time, Joyce), effective July 1, 2026.

Unlike some other denominations, the United Methodist Church is a “sending” church. UM local churches do not search for and hire their own pastors. Instead, the bishop and cabinet prayerfully match clergy and congregations according to the needs of the churches and the gifts of the pastors. This discerning appointment process takes place each year. In the New England Annual Conference, there are more than 500 churches across six states.

When Joyce and I first heard about this possible new appointment, our immediate response was honestly shock. The Cabinet gave us 24 hours to pray and discern. As ordained clergy in the United Methodist Church, I have vowed to serve within the itinerant system—trusting the bishop’s appointment and living with the spirit of: “Where you send me, I will go.” Unless there are urgent missional reasons, clergy are expected to receive the appointment in faith.

During much of those 24 hours, we found ourselves looking for reasons to say no. Our older children are becoming juniors in high school. Joyce’s appointment with Stetson Memorial UMC has been less than a year. We have just begun building a cooperative parish among our four churches. New members are about to join. We had planned to take renewal leave this summer.

Yet early the next morning, while I was praying and meditating on Scripture in the sanctuary, a quiet but clear confirmation came to my heart: this is God’s calling. Joyce also received the same sense of peace in prayer. With that assurance, we said yes to the call.

Twelve years ago, Joyce and I said yes to the call to serve Houlton and Hodgdon UMCs. At that time, we knew no one. We had nothing. But today, we leave with something far greater—a “big family” in the members of Houlton, Hodgdon, Mars Hill, and Stetson Mermorial United Methodist Churches. This place has become our home, and you have become our family. We have worshiped together, prayed together, laughed together, and carried one another through difficult seasons.

Today, Joyce and I grieve—but not without hope. Our hearts are full of both gratitude and tears. Our greatest comfort is that our fellowship in Christ is eternal. One day we will be fully reunited with one another in Jesus Christ.

As the old hymn reminds us:

“When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.”

Until we meet again, may the grace of Christ hold us all together. Joyce and I give thanks to God for each of you. And please know that we love you deeply.

 
With gratitude and love,
Pastors Victor and Joyce