- 38 Johnsons Mill Road
- Orrington
- ME
- 04474
(207) 825-3404
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East
Orrington Congregational Church
december 2025 / january 2026
East
Orrington Congregational Church |
Pen of Power
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“Becoming a House of Relationship”
A Vision for East Orrington Congregational Church
Dear Beloved Church Family,
There’s a phrase we’ve used for generations — “house of worship.” It’s the way we describe this building we love, this sanctuary that has seen so many baptisms, weddings, funerals, prayers, tears, and songs of praise. It’s a sacred space, and we rightly call it holy ground. But as I’ve prayed and reflected over these past weeks, especially through the words of Isaiah and the story of Zacchaeus, a question has been stirring in my heart:
Have we perhaps settled for being known as a house of worship, when God is calling us to become a house of relationship? Where worship Is the Fruit, Not the Root
From the very beginning, God’s desire was not just to be praised but to be present. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden. He called Abraham His friend. He spoke with Moses face-to-face. And in Jesus Christ, He came not as a faraway deity but as Immanuel — God with us.
For me, worship has always been the fruit of that relationship, not the root of it. When our relationship with God is alive, worship flows naturally. But when the relationship fades, our songs, prayers, and routines can become hollow — beautiful on the surface, but empty inside.
Isaiah said it plainly: “These people draw near to Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me.” And Jesus lived that same truth with Zacchaeus. He didn’t just call him down from the tree He invited Himself into his home, into his heart. “Today,” Jesus said, “salvation has come to this house.”
This house Jesus speaks of wasn’t about brick and mortar. It was about relationship, about Jesus’ dwelling where He had been shut out for too long.
East Orrington Congregational Church has always been more than a building. We are a community that gathers, prays, serves, and loves, a family that cares for one another and our neighbors. But as we move forward, I believe God is calling us to go even deeper:
To see ourselves not merely as a place where worship happens, but as a people where Christ dwells. That means shifting our focus: From performance to presence. From attendance to engagement. From weekly routines to daily relationships with God and one another. It means allowing our Sunday worship to overflow into Monday kindness, Tuesday service, Wednesday forgiveness, Thursday prayer, Friday faithfulness, and Saturday gratitude.
A house of worship asks, “How was church today?” A house of relationship asks, “How is your walk with Christ — and how can I walk beside you?”
When Peter wrote, “You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5), he wasn’t talking about walls or pews. He was talking about us. We are the living stones God uses to build His presence in this world. So, as we look ahead, may our goals reflect that calling:
To strengthen the bonds of fellowship between generations. To grow in grace and truth through study and prayer. To reach beyond our walls with compassion that mirrors Christ. To make space, literal and spiritual, for relationships to flourish. If our building can be the backdrop for that, praise God. But the real church will always be the hearts that beat within it.
I envision East Orrington Congregational Church as a place where people don’t just come to worship God, but come to meet Him. A place where newcomers are not simply greeted, but truly known.
A place where the hurting find comfort, the questioning find clarity, and the weary find rest.
A place where forgiveness is practiced, not just preached.
A place where our conversations, our ministries, and even our disagreements are guided by love.
That is what it means to be a house of relationships. It’s not a new direction — it’s a return to our roots. The same covenant that binds us to Jesus Christ binds us to one another. And when that relationship deepens, worship will become not just what we do, but who we are.
As we move toward the season of Advent and the celebration of Christ’s birth, my heart is drawn again to what God has always desired, relationship.
The coming of Christ is the greatest act of relationship in history. God didn’t shout His love from the heavens; He stepped into our world to live it. He didn’t send a message, He came Himself. In Jesus, the Almighty took on flesh and made His home among us. He came not to build a temple, but to dwell within hearts. Not to establish a religion, but to restore a relationship.
That truth shapes who we are and who we are becoming as a church. We are not just a house of worship; we are a house of relationships. A place where love is lived, not just spoken; where grace is practiced, not just preached. As Advent reminds us, Christ still comes to dwell wherever He is welcomed, in homes, in hearts, in churches that make room for Him.
In the weeks ahead, as we prepare for Christmas, may we prepare more than our sanctuaries and decorations. May we prepare our lives. Let every act of kindness, every word of forgiveness, every quiet prayer become a manger where Christ is born anew. And as we look to the future, may East Orrington Congregational Church be known as a place where Christ’s presence is real, where people don’t just come to attend worship, but come to meet Him and one another in genuine love.
That is what it means to be a house of relationships. That is what it means to be the Church in Advent light, a people ready to receive the One who came to dwell with us, and through us, to dwell in the world.
With joy and hope,
Merry Christmas, Pastor Carl