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October 11, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Help Us
Dear Mayflower family, This week the page grows out of “Help Us,” from Acts 16:6–10. The heart of it is this: people everywhere need help, and the best help God sends is the good news about Jesus. Paul and his friends wanted to tell people about Jesus, and God closed two roads in front of them. Then one night Paul saw a man from a faraway place called Macedonia, saying, come over and help us, and the friends knew what help to bring: the good news about Jesus. The line your table will be sitting with is the one from Sunday morning: they asked for help, and God sent the gospel. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Pastor Anton Help Us Family Devotional · Acts 16:6–10 · October 11, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea People everywhere need help, and the best help God sends is the good news about Jesus. Memory verse “concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.” Acts 16:10 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 16:6–10 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 6. Paul wanted to tell people about Jesus in Asia, and God said no. Tuesday: verse 7. They tried another road, and Jesus closed that one too. Wednesday: verse 8. They came to Troas, a town by the sea, and ran out of road. Thursday: verse 9. In the night a man said to Paul, come over and help us. Friday: verse 10. Paul and his friends knew the help he needed was the good news about Jesus, and they went right away. 2. THINK Paul and his friends wanted to tell people about Jesus, and Jesus closed two roads because He knew where His good news needed to go next. A man from Macedonia asked for help, and he did not even know what kind of help he needed. God sent him the very best help there is: friends who came to tell him that Jesus died for sinners and rose again, and that Jesus is able to help everyone who calls on Him. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Paul wanted to go one way, and God said no. Then a man asked Paul for help. What help did God send him? For school-age children: The man said help, but he did not say what kind. When someone we know is sick, sad, or having a hard time, what are some ways we can help them? How could we tell them about Jesus too? For teens: The man from Macedonia was asking for more than he knew. Lots of people say they are spiritual, but they could not tell you that the help they need is Jesus. When things get hard, what do you reach for first? Have you ever asked Jesus to help you in your own words, the way a woman once knelt in front of Him and said, “Lord, help me” (Matthew 15:25)? For the whole table: Who is one person we know who needs help this week, and what is one way we could help them and tell them about Jesus? 4. DO Do this: Pick one person who is having a hard time: someone sick, someone lonely, someone sad. Bring them something small this week, a meal, a treat, or a card the children made, and in the card write one true sentence about Jesus, like “Jesus is able to help.” Another way to do this: Pick one person who does not know Jesus yet. Draw a little boat on a piece of paper, write that person's name on the sail, and put it on the fridge. Every night this week, ask God to send them the good news about Jesus, the way He sent Paul across the sea. 5. PRAY Father, thank You that when people cried for help, You sent the good news about Jesus, who died for sinners and rose again. Please save every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Help us to notice the people around us who need help, and give us courage to tell them about Your Son. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. It sings that we have come this far only by God's help, and that Jesus came looking for us when we were wandering, which is exactly what He did for the people of Macedonia. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win.
October 11, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
October 11th | Help Us
The help the world is begging for is the gospel. This morning Pastor Anton preached Acts 16:6–10. The sermon was Help Us. Paul and his team tried two roads to preach the word, and Jesus closed them both. At the edge of the sea, in the night, a man of Macedonia appeared to Paul and said, come over and help us. He did not say, come and preach to us. He said help, and he did not know what help he needed. By morning the team had concluded that God had called them to preach the gospel, and they went immediately. The help that man was begging for was the good news of Jesus Christ. They asked for help. God sent the gospel. Now that you have heard it, sit with it this week. Some of us walked in Sunday standing in front of a road God closed, and most of us know someone who is saying help without using the word. Live into what was preached in two plain ways: hand the map back to the Lord who sees the whole road, and when someone near you cries for help, bring the meal and bring Jesus with you, in words. The five readings below do not repeat Sunday's passage. They walk you through the Lord who went where He was sent, the God our help comes from, a woman who knelt and said Lord, help me, the Savior who is able to help because He suffered, and the beautiful feet of those who are sent. Grace to you as you carry Sunday's text through the week. Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday Luke 4:42–44 When the crowds at Capernaum tried to keep Jesus from leaving, He told them He must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well, because that is why He was sent. He went where the Father sent Him, not where the crowd wanted, and the same Lord closed two roads in Acts 16 because He knew where His gospel was going next. If He has closed a road on you, He has not stopped steering. Pray: Lord Jesus, You went where the Father sent You; teach me to trust You with the road You have closed in front of me. Tuesday Psalm 121:1–2 The psalmist lifts his eyes to the hills and asks the question everyone asks sooner or later: from where does my help come? His answer is not a plan or a thing but a Person, the Lord who made heaven and earth. The man of Macedonia knew he needed help without knowing what it was, and this psalm tells you where it comes from. Pray: Father, when I do not even know what help I need, turn my eyes from the hills to You, the Maker of heaven and earth. Wednesday Matthew 15:21–28 A Gentile woman with a suffering daughter came to Jesus, knelt in front of Him, and said three words: Lord, help me. She had no claim on Him and she knew it, and He helped her. Those three words are still a prayer He has never turned away. Pray: Lord, help me, not because I have earned it but because You are the One who helps. Thursday Hebrews 2:14–18 Jesus took on our flesh and blood and suffered when tempted, so that He is able to help those who are being tempted. He does not help from a distance; He went to the cross so that when we cry help, there is someone who can actually answer. Whatever you are carrying this week, you are bringing it to One who has been there. Pray: Lord Jesus, You suffered so that You could help me; make me quick to come to You first and not last. Friday Romans 10:13–17 Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, Paul writes, but how will people call on One they have never heard of, and how will they hear without someone preaching? That is why God sent Paul across the sea to Macedonia, and it is why He sends you across the street. Carry that into next Sunday's gathering, and think about the one person near you who is saying help, and what it would look like this week to bring Jesus with you in words. Pray: Father, You sent someone to tell me about Your Son; give me courage to speak His name to the one You have put near me. They asked for help. God sent the gospel.
October 8, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Between Sundays
Welcome to Between Sundays 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church family. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Saturday, October 10th Men of the Word - 8:00 am in Briggs Memorial; Men, you are invited to Men of the Word—a gathering for those who desire to grow in their knowledge of Scripture, deepen their theological understanding, and strengthen their faith through rigorous study and discussion.
If you are ready to invest in your spiritual growth and stand firm in the truth, we invite you to join us. Come, be strengthened by the Word of God, and grow in the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Sunday, October 11th EQUIP: History of the Church, AD 500–1500 - 8:45 am in Briggs Memorial Worship Service - 10:00 AM in person and online Pastor Appreciation Day! Join us after the service in Briggs Memorial Hall for coffee and cake as we celebrate and thank Pastor Anton & Amy Brown! Monday, October 12th Happy Columbus Day Tuesday, October 13th Women’s Bible Fellowship Group - 10:30 am in Briggs Memorial. Coffee, teaching, and discussion on Sunday’s sermon. Wednesday, October 14th Online Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. on Google Meets 🖥️ Caldwell’s Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. In Pembroke. 🔗 Upcoming Events 📆 Sunday, October 25th - Reformation Sunday - Sunday, October 25th, commemorates Martin Luther’s posting of the 95 Theses in 1517, which helped spark the Protestant Reformation. Also, our Quarterly Congregational Meeting & Potluck will be held following the church service. New here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "Help Us"
Pastor Anton Brown | Acts 16:6-10 Closed roads give way to a cry for help from Macedonia—come Sunday and hear how God directs His servants to bring the gospel to those who need it. This Week's Worship We have every reason to sing! Become familiar with this week’s songs and come ready to lift your voice in praise to our faithful God. Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery The Lord Is My Salvation O Great GodWatch OnlineSubscribe To Our Podcast Community Prayer We carry each other through the faithful practice of prayer. Here's what our community is lifting up this week: Submit your own prayer request here Get this week’s Prayer Sheet here Giving Your generosity makes our work in Kingston possible. We’re so grateful for you. New to our community? No pressure. Today, just be our guest.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sunday at 10:00 AM
207 Main Street in Kingston, MA 02364 See you soon ☀️
October 4, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
Family Devotional: Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
Dear Mayflower family, This week the page grows out of "Timothy Joins Paul and Silas," from Acts 16:1–5, Sunday's passage, with Leon Jones as our guest preacher. The heart of it is this: Paul was willing to give up almost anything so people could hear about Jesus, but he never changed the good news about Jesus. A young man named Timothy, taught the Bible at home by his mother and grandmother, joins Paul and Silas, gives up something hard so Jewish people will listen, and helps carry the good news to the churches just as it was. Read together, talk together, pray together, sing together. Here is this week's page. Pastor Anton Timothy Joins Paul and Silas Family Devotional · Acts 16:1–5 · October 4, 2026 This page works two ways: as one ten-minute sitting at the table, or as five short Monday-to-Friday steps from the same page. There is no wrong way. This week's Big Idea Paul was willing to give up almost anything so people could hear about Jesus, but he never changed the good news about Jesus. Memory verse "So the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily." Acts 16:5 (ESV) 1. READ Read Acts 16:1–5 out loud. Stay on this one passage all week. Monday: verse 1. God gives Paul a new helper, a young man named Timothy. Tuesday: verse 2. The Christians in two towns said good things about Timothy. Wednesday: verse 3. Timothy gave up something hard so Jewish people would listen. Thursday: verse 4. Paul and his friends brought the churches the decisions from Jerusalem to keep. Friday: verse 5. The churches grew strong, and more people believed every day. 2. THINK Timothy's mother and grandmother taught him the Bible when he was little, and when Paul came to town, God gave Timothy to Paul as a helper. Paul had Timothy circumcised, a sign Jewish families gave their boys, not to make Timothy right with God but so Jewish people would be willing to listen, because Paul would give up almost anything so people could hear about Jesus. But Paul never changed the good news itself: Jesus did everything needed to save us, and nobody has to add anything to what He did. 3. TALK You do not need to ask them all. For young children: Timothy's mother and grandmother taught him about God when he was little. Who teaches you about God? What is one thing you have learned about Jesus? For school-age children: The Christians in two different towns said good things about Timothy. What do you think they noticed about him? What would you want people to notice about you, and who could help you grow that way? For teens: Paul would change almost anything about how he did things so people would listen, but he would never change the message. Is there something you could give up so a friend would be more willing to hear about Jesus? Have you ever been tempted to leave part of Jesus out so faith would be easier to talk about? And have you trusted Christ yourself, or have you only learned about Him? For the whole table: What is one thing our family could give up this week so that someone else could hear about Jesus or feel His love? 4. DO Do this: This week, each person picks one thing they usually get to choose, like the dinner, the game, or the seat in the car, and gives that choice to someone else in the family on purpose, without being asked. At the end of the week, talk about how Paul and Timothy gave things up so others could hear about Jesus. Another way to do this: Choose one favorite thing to share together this week, like a snack, a toy, or an afternoon, and give it to someone outside the family, a neighbor or a friend from church, with a note that says, "Jesus loves you, and we wanted to share." 5. PRAY Father, thank You that Jesus gave up everything to come and save people like us, and that nobody has to add anything to what He did. Please save every person at this table who does not yet trust Jesus, and grow the ones who do. Make us a family that gladly gives things up so others can hear about You, and that never changes Your good news. In Jesus' name, Amen. 6. SING All I Have Is Christ. Paul could give up so much because Christ was enough, and this hymn sings that nothing else is needed. If no one wants to sing, read the first verse out loud instead. One faith talk this week is a win!
October 4, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
October 4th | Character Over Comfort
Everything but the Gospel As you sit with Sunday's passage this week, ask yourself two plain questions. What freedom am I holding so tightly that I will not spend it for someone else's good? And where have I been tempted to soften the gospel, or add something to it, to make it easier to carry? The five readings below do not repeat Sunday's passage. They walk you through the home that raised Timothy, the man Paul came to trust most, the freedom Paul spent, the line Paul would not cross, and the Christ who finished what no one can add to. Grace to you as you carry Sunday's text through the week. Pastor Anton Five-Day Devotional Monday 2 Timothy 1:3–7 Paul remembers the sincere faith that dwelt first in Timothy's grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice, and now in Timothy. Luke tells us only that his mother was a believer and his father was a Greek, which means much of that faith was handed down in an ordinary home, by people who were not famous and may often have felt alone in it. The faith taught at your table is never wasted, even when it seems small. Pray: Father, thank You for the people who taught me Your Word, and make me faithful to hand it on to the ones You have placed in my home. Tuesday Philippians 2:19–24 Years after Lystra, Paul writes, "I have no one like him," and says that others seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. The young man two towns once spoke well of had spent years proving it, serving with Paul in the gospel as a son with a father. A good name among God's people is not built by guarding your image; it grows out of a life that keeps looking to the interests of Christ. Pray: Lord Jesus, turn my attention from my own interests to Yours, and make my life one that speaks well of You. Wednesday 1 Corinthians 9:19–23 Paul says he is free from all, and then he spends that freedom by making himself a servant to all, that he might win more of them. That is what Acts 16:3 looks like on the ground: a real cost, freely paid, so that others would listen. Ask where your freedom has turned into something you guard, and who might be helped to hear the gospel if you let it go. Pray: Father, show me one freedom I can spend this week for someone else's good, and give me joy in spending it. Thursday Galatians 2:1–5 The same Paul who circumcised Timothy refused to let Titus be circumcised, and he says he did not give in for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved. With Titus, people were demanding circumcision as a condition of being saved, and giving in would have said that Christ was not enough. Paul was flexible about everything that belonged to him and immovable about the one thing that belonged to Christ. Pray: Lord, give me a soft heart toward people and a firm grip on Your gospel, and never let me trade the one for the other. Friday Colossians 2:9–14 Paul tells believers that in Christ they were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, and that God canceled the record of debt that stood against us and nailed it to the cross. Timothy's circumcision opened a synagogue door; only Christ opens heaven's door, and He does it with nothing added. Carry that into next Sunday's gathering, and come with empty hands to the One who finished the work. Pray: Lord Jesus, I stop trying to add to what You have done, and I rest in Your finished work with nothing in my hands. Everything but the gospel.
October 1, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Between Sundays
Welcome to Between Sundays 👋 This is your one-stop spot for everything happening in our church family. From kids to adults, small groups to special events, here's how you can get connected over the next seven days. Saturday, October 3rd Men of the Word - 8:00 am in Briggs Memorial; Men, you are invited to Men of the Word—a gathering for those who desire to grow in their knowledge of Scripture, deepen their theological understanding, and strengthen their faith through rigorous study and discussion.
If you are ready to invest in your spiritual growth and stand firm in the truth, we invite you to join us. Come, be strengthened by the Word of God, and grow in the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Ladies’ Community Bible Study - 9:00 am in the Church [Lower Level] Sunday, October 4th EQUIP: History of the Church, AD 500–1500 - 8:45 am in Briggs Memorial Worship Service - 10:00 AM in person and online Tuesday, October 6th Women’s Bible Fellowship Group - Cancelled Church Office Closed Wednesday, October 7th Online Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. on Google Meets 🖥️ Caldwell’s Bible Fellowship Group - 7:00 pm. In Pembroke. 🔗 Church Office Closed Thursday, October 8th Senior Luncheon - 11:30 AM, Grille 58, Halifax Church Office Closed Upcoming Events 📆 Be the Light! - The Life Support Ministry is hosting a one-day forum on October 3rd (9am-3pm) to equip Churches across the South Shore to be a compassionate light for life. Pastor Anton is asking for 1 or 2 people to attend and bring back information. You will hear from local gospel-focused organizations supporting life, and attend workshops to equip and bring the love of Jesus to the vulnerable. Click here for more information. If you would like to attend, Register here. Pastor Appreciation Day is next Sunday, October 11th! We’ll honor Pastor Anton during coffee and fellowship after worship service. We hope you’ll join us! New here? We'd love to connect. This Week's Message "Character Over Comfort"
Chaplain Leon Jones | Acts 16:1-5 What would you give up so someone you love could hear good news, and what would you never give up? Come Sunday to hear our guest preacher, Leon Jones, preach Acts 16:1–5. Watch last week’s sermon, Not By Agreement. (Acts 15:36-41). 👇Watch OnlineSubscribe To Our Podcast Community Prayer We carry each other through the faithful practice of prayer. Here's what our community is lifting up this week: Submit your own prayer request here Get this week’s Prayer Guide here Giving Your generosity makes our work in Kingston possible. We’re so grateful for you. New to our community? No pressure. Today, just be our guest.Give Now Here Stay Connected 📩 Subscribe to this Collection to get these updates delivered directly to your inbox. 📸 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. 💬 Pastoral care or questions? Connect with us here. Services: Sunday at 10:00 AM
207 Main Street in Kingston, MA 02364 See you soon ☀️
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