Easter Letter 2017
We are entering into my favorite week of the year—Holy Week. I invite you to join me as we usher in Holy Week waving our palm branches and rolling out a makeshift red carpet of clothing for Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Most of the ink in the gospel is used to tell of Jesus’ final week of life— the cleansing of the Temple, a handful of parables about readiness, tears shed over Jerusalem, a meal shared among friends, Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ prayer in the garden of Gethsemane, his arrest and trial, Peter’s denial and the painstaking events that surround his death on the cross and burial in a borrowed tomb. While the drama picks up in during Holy Week, it also provides us with moments to slow down and deepen our own relationship with God and with one another.
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
At 7pm on Holy Thursday, we will be joined by the Hurlbut Memorial Community United Methodist Church as we share in a service of Foot Washing and Holy Communion and hear the inspired preaching of the Rev. Carmen Perry. On Good Friday, let us join together at noon at Moore Park with other members of our community for our annual Cross Walk. Please take a moment to sign up with LeAnn in the church office as we continue the beautiful tradition of keeping Easter Vigil.
Every year in anticipation of Christ’s resurrection, I spend some time between Good Friday and Easter morning reading one or more of the gospel accounts of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross. I have found that doing so, allows me to proclaim with a renewed sense of wonder “Christ is risen” and it deepens the hope and promise of new life offered to us in Christ.
Easter Blessings,
Pastor
Holy Week Services- 2017
“Egg”cellent Easter Celebration – April 8th
10:00 – 12: 30 event for children
Palm / Passion Sunday – April 9th
8:30 Service & 10:45 Service – Cantata
Holy Thursday – March April 13th – 7:00 PM –
Combined service with Hurlbut @ FUMC
Good Friday – April 14th – Noon
Way of the Cross – Moore Park
Easter Eve Watch
Sat., April 15th – 6 PM to Sun., April 16th – 6AM
We are asking you to set aside 1 hour, either in the church sanctuary or in your home, to take time to pray.
There will be a sign up sheet outside the office so we can “cover” the entire 12 hours with prayer. There will also be packets available for prayer/scripture reflections that you can use.
For those that would like to pray at the church and need a key, please contact the office.
Easter Sunday – April 16th
8:30 & 10:45 (both services in the Sanctuary) – Communion
*Remember to bring flowers to put on the cross
What Should I Give Up for Lent?
What Should I Give Up for Lent?
“For whoever wants to save [their] life will lose it, but whoever loses [their] life for me will find it.” – (Matthew 16:25)
dropped her children off at her sister’s house, asking God, “What should I give up for Lent?”What if you turned Kimberly’s question into your own? What areas of your life would you cut out or cut back on? Would you go out less often to restaurants? Would you give up chocolate or another sweet? Do you cut out needless hours of mindless television? Do you go to bed earlier? What would you give up for Lent?
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Christmas 2016
When I was growing up, the Christmas tree was never completely finished until we ran it through my mom’s squint test. All you had to do is squint your eyes so that the colored Christmas lights came out of focus just enough to form a halo around the bulb. My mom’s squint test would make it easy to see where there were too many light bunched up or where lights needed to be moved closer together. The tree was never fully complete until the Christmas lights were evenly placed throughout the entire tree.
When you watch a Christmas move or sitcom you will see it. When you send or receive Christmas cards you will encounter it. Maybe on Christmas Eve with the glow of a lit candle in hour hand while softly singing “Son of God, love’s pure light; radiant beams from thy holy face…” you will experience it. Cameras magically come out of focus. Artists soften and blur
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Pastor Report 2016
Report of the Pastor
CHARGE CONFERENCE
WRITTEN BY REV. NICHOLAS PERRY
01 NOVEMBER 2016
“When he had finished speaking, [Jesus] said to Simon,
‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’”
(Luke 5:4)
The late William Sloane Coffin once shared,
There was a story told in Lincoln’s time of a man asking the pilot of a Mississippi riverboat how long he had been plying his trade.
“Twenty-six years,” the pilot replied.
“Then,” he said to the man, “you know where all the rocks are, all the shoals, and sandbars?”
“No,” said the pilot. “I just know where they ain’t.”
Several years ago, I was white water rafting with the youth in one congregation that I served. We tried as best we could to navigate the waters of Letchworth State Park, but sometimes we would get caught upon rocks where the water was shallow [due to a lack of rain]. Although the experience was fun and I would certainly do it again, I didn’t like being stuck in my rubber raft on a pile of rocks as others passed by.
It is amazing to me how the theme of water flows from the Old into the New Testament perhaps encouraging us to explore its depths. In fact, during Holy Baptism we recall numerous accounts of water in the Scripture:
Old Testament New Testament
Creation Jesus’ birth
During the flood Jesus’ baptism
Parting of the Red Sea Jesus’ death and resurrection
Passing through the Jordan Holy Spirit’s baptism on believers
We live in shallow times. We continue to find ourselves and/or others stuck on the rocks unable to move. The good news is that we have a Savior who knows not only where the rocks, shoals, and sandbars are but far more importantly Christ knows where the deep water is (and how to get us there). We also come from a faith tradition that has provided tools for going deeper and exploring the great depths and vastness of God’s grace.
st
Weird Animals: Where Jesus’ Love Is One-of-a-Kind. I have had plenty of opportunities to attend various meetings from Taking Off Pounds Sensibly
- Bible Studies such as Adam Hamilton’s The Way Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus and our forthcoming Advent Study Under Wraps by Jessica LaGrone.
- Small Groups United Methodist Women I, United Methodist Woman II, Voices of Westfield, Sunday School classes.
- Cornerstone District Events such as Road Trip and/or Catch the Spirit.
- Building Connections with the Apple Seed Pre-school, the Westfield Community Kitchen, and the Westfield Food Pantry.
- Stewardship to be 100% sustainable (without dipping into our investments) to promote a holistic understanding of giving through sermons, articles, and testimonials.
We can point out where the rocks, shoals, and sandbars are. We know that tune well. However, we must also hear the clear invitation from Christ to “’Put out into deeper water, and let down the nets for a catch’” (Luke 5:4). We, I believe, as a church, are poised to allow the Holy Spirit’s breath to fill our sails and to lead us out into deeper waters.
Personally, I am excited to see that our Sunday School program is teeming with new life. Just this morning, I had a conversation with someone with plans that are already underway for a Junior Church to operate during the Second service. I suspect that other plans will begin to emerge as we push off from the shoreline and learn together some of the timeless teachings of John Wesley, our Methodist heritage, and their impact and usefulness for modern-day disciples who desire to go deeper.
Blessings,
Pastor
Hagah over scripture
“As a lion or a young lion growls over his prey…” Isaiah 31:4
During my time in school I was jealous of those students who could speed read. They were able to read multiple books and comprehend what they read in the time it took me to get through part of a book. Dismayed I researched techniques to speed up my reading pace only to find out years later that the Christian faith encourages us to read Scripture imaginatively, thoughtfully, prayerfully and slowly.
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