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- April 17, 2025
April 17, 2025
Happy Easter!!
In This Edition:
Good Friday Tenebrae Worship Service
Experience the powerful moments of Jesus’s suffering and death in this special service of worship on Good Friday at 7 pm. Featuring soloist Natalia St. Jean and led by Pastor Shepherd, this service will be sure to inspire and prepare you for the joy of Easter Sunday. You can attend in person in the Sanctuary or online via livestream.
With brand-new 18 foot tall banners, we’re making a statement: we want people in our community to know about our Easter services, and to be invited to them. With the success of Significant Other Sunday a couple weeks ago, we’ve proven the power of a personal invitation. That wasn’t just a one-off: you can invite someone to service every Sunday…but especially for Easter Sunday!
Open and Affirming (ONA)
Members of the ONA Task Force will host another Congregational Conversation on Sunday, April 27 at 11:45 a.m. in the parlor following worship. Joining the session will be consultant Kathie Carpenter, who has been advising the Task Force. Kathie brings her first-hand experience and expertise from the South East Conference for churches discerning the ONA process. Please join us!
Townwide Cleanup
Members of UCC, friends, family are welcome to join a town wide litter clean - up. Our outreach committee is meeting in church parking lot at 10 am on Saturday 4/26/25 to do our part. We will provide trash bags. If you would like a pincher for litter clean - up see Chris Weylman.
Popup Thrift Shop
We are planning our thrift shop for May 3rd. Please bring your donations starting April 21st. If you would like to help, please get in touch with Christine Bemko ([email protected]).
Music Notes
Our Easter worship service will be BURSTING with wonderful music! We will have beloved favorites like “Hallelujah” from our choir, and "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee” by the Handbell Choir. We’ll also be welcoming our friend Heather Gallagher as guest soloist, along with tenor David Bozon, who previously sang at our Christmas Concert. He will lead the congregation in the joyful Easter tune “The Lord of the Dance” after the sermon, as well as performing a glorious Puccini aria. This Sunday, we will truly make a “joyful noise” in celebration of our risen savior.
Sermon Snippet
On Easter, the women who discover Jesus’s empty tomb are told plainly: “He is not here; he has been raised!” But they don’t seem to understand at first. The angels who speak to them have to remind them of Jesus’s own predictions about his resurrection. It’s only then that “They remembered his words” and went to tell the good news to the other disciples.
That’s why you gotta be in church this Sunday: we need to hear the words, to sing the hymns, to be reminded that Easter is good news not just this Sunday, but every Sunday.
Holding in Prayer
This week, as a community of faith we pray:
for Rachel Traughber, as she undergoes chemotherapy
for Shirley’s niece Karen, as she undergoes treatment for pancreatic cancer
with joy, for a fun trip the movies last weekend
for Vir, as he travels to India to help his family
for Richard Trudeau, who died at Union last week, and for his family and friends who mourn his death.
for the Grant and Lassen families, as well as Ingrit Meyer, and all who mourn the passing of Dick Grant.
with joy, for Lauren’s recovery from shingles and getting temporary employment
for Laurie’s aunt Mary and her husband Jerry Recker, as Mary enters hospice care, and Jerry struggles with dementia.
for Ben Kerns, as he takes final exams.
for traveling mercies for those traveling for Easter and the runners in the Marathon
for Margie’s aunt and uncle, who are struggling with health challenges and dementia.
for Natalia’s roommate, who is recovering from surgery.
for the Farris Family, and all who mourn the death of Bob Hood
for Dave Walsh, who is in need of healing from arm pain.
for Pastor Shepherd’s cousin Rachel and her husband Adam and their newborn daughter Lorelei, who is recovering from multiple neurosurgeries.
for healing for Lew’s brother Richard, and his wife Paula.