Church in Maine

While spending the weekend in Maine, I had a chance to visit my brother's church.

It was a rainy day... but you can imagine how picturesque it must be when the skies are blue!

At the entrance, they have racks and hangers for coats:

I'm guessing this is because in the winter everyone wears heavy coats, mittens and hats. Just a little detail that this Houstonian found to be charming in the little Maine town. 

I've come to really enjoy the home-town feel of smaller churches and I appreciated the casual nature of the service. There was even a time set aside for anyone to stand up and share what God was doing in their lives. Some people shared mini testimonies of recent struggles while others just shared announcements about upcoming mission projects or events. 

Another thing I thought was neat: when the elders of the church come together for a meeting, they always couple it with a service project. The previous week, they met and updated the paint on part of the church. 

The heart that the parishioners have for missions was evident throughout the service and that was more obvious at the International Festival they hosted afterwards. The Festival consisted of booths representing different countries. They sold items from that country and someone from the church who had served there was nearby to share stories and answer questions. I was very impressed with the reach of this little church. They might be small in numbers, but their percentage of mission trip participants was high. 

I left with this hand-made basket from Africa. 

My brother and Christelle left with many items. Some of them included this basket, a sponsorship for a child and... pea soup!

The label on the pea soup says, "Give Peas a Chance" which I thought was a really cute idea.

There was a poster board highlighting the various countries represented and this one drew my eye:

After watching Christelle carry her baby around in the baby carrier all weekend, the familiarity of this photo touched me. A sleeping baby and a tired, but strong mama. One of those things that translates to all cultures.