Waldoboro — Built in 1773, the Old German Church, located on Route 32 South, is one of the oldest churches in Maine. There is also a cemetery on the hillside with graves of many of the early settlers and their descendants.

The annual service, sponsored by the German Protestant Ladies Auxiliary and the Waldoboro Woman's Club, will be held Sunday, Aug. 5 at 3 p.m. Tom Rawley, pastor at Waldoboro Word of Life Church, will lead the service with a word of welcome and prayer.

Tim Connely will lead the congregation in old hymns that would have been sung in that era, “Amazing Grace” and “Rock of Ages.” Both of these hymns were written prior to the time of the settlers. They will be done in the early church tradition with an assistant singer (no accompaniment), followed by a medley of chorus from any old hymns of the next 100 years. Two special songs will be sung by Leroy Jones and Rawley.

Next in the service will be the message: "Hope for a New Beginning." The message will reflect upon the hopes and dreams of the early settlers of Waldoboro and carry through the hopes and dreams we have today of a New Beginning. The quest to fulfill our hope for tomorrow is our driving force for what we do today. The early settlers sought the Lord Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit for help and guidance during those first few months when time was short for getting housing and provisions prepared for the long winter. Today, we still have the same driving force and we search for the answers the same way.

Rawley will explore and share the comparisons that make life in whatever era you lived in or are living to reflect the need for God's grace and mercy.

The service will conclude with a reading of the Beatitudes (Matthew: 5:3-10) and reciting the Lord's Prayer in both English and German with Bob Butler assisting with the German portion of this reading and reciting. It will be done in a responsive reading format: first English, then German.

Free refreshments will be served on the lawn adjacent to the church after the service by the German Protestant Ladies Auxiliary and the Waldoboro Woman's Club. For more information call 832-7742.

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