- 38 Johnsons Mill Road
- Orrington
- ME
- 04474
(207) 825-3404
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DEVOTIONAL:Jeremiah 17:7–8“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.” Ephesians 3:17-18And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
Photo by Pastor Carl Rockland, Maine
Reflection on our 183rd Anniversary of a Covenant Relationship. One Body in Christ.
The tree stands on the edge, its roots exposed to the world. Wind, rain, and time have stripped away the soil that once hid its strength. Yet here it remains—anchored. What holds it is not what’s seen, but the covenant between roots and earth.
So it is with us and with the story of East Orrington Congregational Church. For 183 years, we have stood rooted in a covenant that reaches deeper than the surface of changing times. The soil of our culture has shifted—wars have come and gone, economies have risen and fallen, generations have grown up and grown old—but the roots of this church have held firm. They have gripped the bedrock of God’s Word, nourished by His grace, and strengthened by the faith of those who came before us.
Our covenant says, “We covenant with Jesus Christ and with one another, and do bind ourselves in the presence of God, to walk together in Christian love.” Those words are more than a promise; they are the living roots of this community. They remind us that our life together is not built on ease or preference, but on steadfast love, forgiveness, faith, and grace that endures.
Just as this tree endures because of what lies beneath, East Orrington Congregational Church continues to stand because it remains bound to Christ—the true foundation—and to one another in holy love. Even when erosion reveals our struggles, the exposed roots tell the world that we are still standing, still growing, still faithful.
PRAYER:Almighty and Holy God, as we anticipate the first light of this new day to arrive, we pause before You with hearts full of gratitude. You have watched over us through the night and awakened us once again to the gift of Your steadfast love. May we, before the noise and busyness of this world begins to stir, we come to center our hearts in You, the One who has never forsaken His covenant or His people.
Lord God, we thank You for planting East Orrington Congregational Church so many generations ago. Through the seasons of joy and hardship, through the steady march of time, You have kept us rooted in grace. The soil around us may have shifted, the winds of culture may have blown hard, but Your Word has remained our anchor, and Your Spirit our strength. Today Father, we will remember the sacred promise our forebears made to You; to walk together in Christian love as You are pleased to reveal Yourself through Holy Scripture. May that same covenant be alive in us this morning, and every day, not as words from the past, but as a living commitment shaping our present and guiding our future.
We pray for this church family—young and old, long-time members and new friends—that we might continue to grow together in faith, forgiveness, and fellowship. Let our Covenantal roots stretch deep into Your truth and wide toward one another in love. Bind us again to Christ and to one another, not as casual attendees, but as covenant partners in grace. May the roots of our faith run deep enough to hold us through every storm and may the fruit of our lives bear witness to Your enduring faithfulness. In the quiet beauty of this early hour, we rest in Your presence, trusting that all we do this day—in worship, in Word, and in deed—will bring glory to You alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our sure foundation, we pray, Amen.
And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
Photo by Pastor Carl Rockland, Maine
Reflection on our 183rd Anniversary of a Covenant Relationship. One Body in Christ.
The tree stands on the edge, its roots exposed to the world. Wind, rain, and time have stripped away the soil that once hid its strength. Yet here it remains—anchored. What holds it is not what’s seen, but the covenant between roots and earth.
So it is with us and with the story of East Orrington Congregational Church. For 183 years, we have stood rooted in a covenant that reaches deeper than the surface of changing times. The soil of our culture has shifted—wars have come and gone, economies have risen and fallen, generations have grown up and grown old—but the roots of this church have held firm. They have gripped the bedrock of God’s Word, nourished by His grace, and strengthened by the faith of those who came before us.
Our covenant says, “We covenant with Jesus Christ and with one another, and do bind ourselves in the presence of God, to walk together in Christian love.” Those words are more than a promise; they are the living roots of this community. They remind us that our life together is not built on ease or preference, but on steadfast love, forgiveness, faith, and grace that endures.
Just as this tree endures because of what lies beneath, East Orrington Congregational Church continues to stand because it remains bound to Christ—the true foundation—and to one another in holy love. Even when erosion reveals our struggles, the exposed roots tell the world that we are still standing, still growing, still faithful.
Almighty and Holy God, as we anticipate the first light of this new day to arrive, we pause before You with hearts full of gratitude. You have watched over us through the night and awakened us once again to the gift of Your steadfast love. May we, before the noise and busyness of this world begins to stir, we come to center our hearts in You, the One who has never forsaken His covenant or His people.
Lord God, we thank You for planting East Orrington Congregational Church so many generations ago. Through the seasons of joy and hardship, through the steady march of time, You have kept us rooted in grace. The soil around us may have shifted, the winds of culture may have blown hard, but Your Word has remained our anchor, and Your Spirit our strength. Today Father, we will remember the sacred promise our forebears made to You; to walk together in Christian love as You are pleased to reveal Yourself through Holy Scripture. May that same covenant be alive in us this morning, and every day, not as words from the past, but as a living commitment shaping our present and guiding our future.
We pray for this church family—young and old, long-time members and new friends—that we might continue to grow together in faith, forgiveness, and fellowship. Let our Covenantal roots stretch deep into Your truth and wide toward one another in love. Bind us again to Christ and to one another, not as casual attendees, but as covenant partners in grace. May the roots of our faith run deep enough to hold us through every storm and may the fruit of our lives bear witness to Your enduring faithfulness. In the quiet beauty of this early hour, we rest in Your presence, trusting that all we do this day—in worship, in Word, and in deed—will bring glory to You alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and our sure foundation, we pray, Amen.