'Easter' Tagged Posts

'Easter' Tagged Posts

Holy Week

First Church Family:     The holiest week of the year is upon us. And our church is providing you and your guests with wonderful opportunities to experience it fully. Saturday April 1 – 10:00am: Join us as we meet our Habitat for Humanity family at the construction site – 2614 Friendswood Road, Lenoir. We will hear from Habitat’s executive director, our own Pete Kidder, and dedicate the construction site. DATE CHANGE: Saturday, April 15 @ 10:00am Sunday April 2 – 10:00am: Join us in the…

April News

First Church Family:  Happy Spring! (Yes, spring has finally “sprung,” even though we had some of winter’s coldest weather right before its “springing”.) Though I can come and go as I please, regardless of the season, I must admit that there is something about the winter that is confining. I’ve looked forward to being “released” from the bondage of winter, with the new freedom to be outside, in the community, garden, and yard. Really, Easter is all about being freed…

Spring Ahead

First Church Family:     It is my prayer that this email newsletter finds you in good health and spirits. I am doing well, even though I’m dreading “losing” an hour on the weekend because of springing forward – ugh!     The construction work related our church’s dream of building a house for a deserving family in our community is close to getting underway. The dedication of the site will be held on Saturday April 1. I’ll get you the details as we draw…

March News

First Church Family:               Spring hasn’t sprung, but with the beginning of Lent on this past Ash Wednesday, it feels like it’s not far off! Personally, I would still love to have a “good” snow before winter is over, but it’s looking increasingly like that is not going to happen this year!               March will be filled with significant moments for us at FUMC. Confirmation is well underway. We are using a resource called: “The Absolute Basics of the Christian…

Beatitudes

First Church Family,     I pray that you are doing well. We are a month and a half past Christmas and well into the New Year. While that is hard to believe, I am remembering the areas of growth and challenge we experienced in 2022 as we followed Jesus.     And I must say that I’m tremendously excited about the places God is going to lead us in 2023.     Over the past weeks in worship, we have been exploring Jesus’ Beatitudes. The word “beatitude”…

February News

First Church Family:               Happy New Year! It seems almost too late to share that, doesn’t it, as we are already well into 2023. But the happiness I wish for you is the happiness that Jesus talked about in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) – the passage on which we will focus in worship over the coming weeks; for the term “blessed” that Jesus used really means “happy,” though in a different way that we usually think about it. Please be…

Easter Announcements

First Church Family: What a blessed Lent we have had, through the Palm Sunday’s “The Last Supper Tableau”! Tonight at 6:00PM, we will continue to walk with Jesus to the Cross, as we participate in a Maundy/Holy Thursday Communion Service. For the first time in two years, you will have the opportunity to receive elements of bread and juice from the pastors. (The cellophane, pre-packaged wafers and juice will also be available, should you prefer that.) Then tomorrow, we will gather at St. Stephen’s…

Holy Week

First Church Family:      After church on Palm Sunday, I sat in my office after experiencing our Last Supper Tableau program. I was exhausted but fulfilled, having had the privilege of serving with fellow followers of Christ during the program.      At the close of the service, each one of Jesus’ disciples abandoned Him, leaving Him with the weight of the world on His shoulders. Can you imagine the darkness, pain, and discouragement He experienced, having everyone betray, deny, and…

Spring Is Coming

First Church Family,     I pray that you are enjoying seeing March flowers bloom. Spring will be here soon!     Our Lenten worship theme is “The Bible: Full of Failures”, with a special focus on those who failed Jesus leading up to His Crucifixion.     All of our worship will be directing us to a powerful experience of Holy Week, beginning on Palm/Passion Sunday, and extending through Easter Sunday, April 17.     Please put the date of Palm/Passion Sunday, April 10, on your calendars…

In-Person Worship

First Church Family, What a glorious Easter season we enjoyed at FUMC! Easter Sunday was the first Sunday we didn’t rigidly limit the number of people in our Sanctuary, but we were well under our maximum of people limited by COVID protocols. And what a great feeling it was to be together! Our total worship attendance (including those worshiping with us online) was well over 400 persons. Many thanks to staff and volunteers who worked together to ensure our safety as they encouraged COVID-19…
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