Sunday March 29th

Palm Sunday

Through Holy Week and Easter, we worship together and continue our ministry of partnership with St. Andrew’s and outreach in Ayer! These worship services are ideal for inviting people to experience God in Christ through SOV:

• Palm Sunday March 29

  • 10am worship with procession of palms, reading of the passion of Christ and celebration of Holy Communion

  • Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser  5:00 – 8:00 PM

    •  Union Congregational Church – Groton, MA

    •  Spaghetti Dinner – By Donation

    •  Raffle Baskets – Tickets Available at the Event

    •  Raffle Drawing: Wednesday, April 8, 2026 (need not be present to win!)

• Maundy Thursday, April 2

  • 6pm Supper Service: A Moveable Feast

  • Gather for confession and forgiveness, share a meal in fellowship, join in Holy Communion

• Good Friday, April 3

  • The Way of the Cross: A Good Friday Walk

    • Gather at St. Andrew’s at noon

    • End at SOV after walking through downtown Ayer

  • Tenebrae Service at 7pm at St. Andrew’s

• Easter Sunday, April 5

  • 10am Festive Eucharist

Study the Bible Together - resumes April 8

We have been working through the 10 module course called Gen to Rev: A Bible Survey from Luther Seminary’s Faith+Lead learning platform. We meet in person at SOV at 6:30pm, begin the study by 6:45 and finish no later than 8:00pm. There will also be a real-time hybrid option where you can zoom in. Additionally, there is a Course Handbook you can work through on your own with free links to most of the content. Please see Pastor Gaeta for more information or just show up on Wednesday evening!

Coming Up This Week

Pastor Gaeta's week schedule - Monday off, Tuesday synod work in CT, Wednesday synod and SOV work from home, Thursday - Sunday SOV

Saturday, March 28

9am - 12pm Stone Soup Kitchen pantry pickups

10am - Easter Egg Hunt at St. Andrew’s

Sunday, March 29 - Palm Sunday

9:30am Choir Rehearsal

10am Hybrid Worship with Distribution of Palms and Holy Communion

5:00 PM – 8:00 PM Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser – Union Congregational Church – Groton, MA

Support Our Youth Mission Trip!  Join us for a fun evening of food, fellowship, and community support!
Cost: By Donation

Enjoy a delicious spaghetti dinner while supporting youth from Union Congregational Church of Groton and Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in Ayer as they prepare for their July 2026 mission trip to Winchester, Kentucky.

During the trip, our youth will serve local residents by helping with projects such as:

• Painting homes

• Building wheelchair ramps and porches

• Repairing trailers

• Completing other important home improvements

Raffle baskets will also be on display, and raffle tickets will be available for purchase throughout the evening!

All funds raised will help cover travel, lodging, and supplies for the mission trip while also supporting the Winchester community through locally purchased materials and gifts. Thank you for helping our youth put their faith into action through service. Want to Donate? Youth Mission Trip | Union Congregational Church of Groton, MA (https://secure.myvanco.com/L-Z3E1/campaign/C-15GC9)

Maundy Thursday, April 2

6pm Supper Service with Holy Communion

Good Friday, April 3

12pm Walk the Way of the Cross

4pm doors open; 5pm Friday Meal - Stone Soup Kitchen

7pm Tenebrae Worship at St. Andrew’s

Saturday, April 4
10am - 12pm Stone Soup Kitchen pantry pickups

Sunday, April 5 - Easter Sunday

9:30am Choir Rehearsal

10 am Worship Service with Holy Communion and on Zoom

Looking Ahead

April 8 - Bible Study resumes at 6:30pm on Zoom and in person in Ayer

Dates to be determined

St. Andrew’s has invited us to participate in some book clubs. They hope that we can add to their numbers so more opportunities can be offered. There is a group beginning in April reading Kate Bowler’s Joyful Anyway. It will be released April 7 but can be ordered now. They will meet online. If there’s enough interest in an in person group, please let Pastor Gaeta know. Additional titles may be recommended!

May 17 - Congregational Meeting

Link to updated calendar: SOV Calendar  

All Zoom meetings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9785400768

Children and Youth Ministry

For Sr high youth group, City Reach planning is underway as well and will be February 27-28. And we have selected a date and location for the mission trip next summer: Winchester, Kentucky July 5th - 11th! 

Atrium

We partner with St. Andrew's Episcopal Church for children's faith formation. Click here to learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd which takes place in the Atrium from 9-10am.

Atrium schedule for reference (subject to change):

Meets from 9-10am in the St. Andrew's Parish Hall.

Apr 12. 16; May 3, 17, 31; June 7, 14 

 Local Opportunities To Serve

Neighbor to Neighbor

Thursday mornings Karen S. and Janet V. serve at the Lowell location of the IINE sorting and delivering groceries. Please email Janet at jkvesper@comcast.net; or Karen at Karen.Sheldon217@gmail.com if you're interested in joining them

Between September and December teams are providing direct support to immigrant neighbors in our region under the direction of the International Institute of New England (IINE). IINE is a highly regarded immigrant support organization that has been in operation for over a century with offices in Lowell, Boston, and Manchester, New Hampshire.

Partakers Prison Ministry

Laurie Sabol, a community member and friend of SOV, recently invited Pastor Gaeta to learn more about Partakers and their College Behind Bars program. Incarcerated college students are matched with teams of mentors for encouragement in their educational journey. Pastor Gaeta has met with Melanie McFarlane, Deputy Director of Tufts University Prison Initiative of Tisch College (TUPIT) to learn more about this program. They are in need of mentor teams for students beginning in January as well as ongoing support in inviting the community to form mentor teams.

Why Mentors?

• Incarcerated students are almost always first-generation college students from underserved communities

• Incarcerated students are earning a degree with severely limited resources and little to no support

• Mentors provide critical encouragement and reinforce the benefits of earning a degree

• Mentors also provide and model positive relationships

What Does Being a Mentor Mean?

• Mentors form teams of 2-4 people per student

• Mentors write and visit in pairs once a month in a secure, open visiting room

• Mentors also via check in through letters (snail mail and a secure email app)

• No academic tutoring required! Mentors provide encouragement and support

Time commitment is VERY flexible!

Speak with Pastor Gaeta if you are interested in serving and pass the word on to others: College Behind Bars — Partakers We have heard from 4 people so far who are interested in being mentors!