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Centre UMC Newsletter, Vol. II, Issue 4
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CentreNews Rev. Mark Gorman, Pastor
Resurrection Stories
When I was in college, the school newspaper published an article about a new set of buildings being constructed. The headline was, “North Village Apartments Nearing Completion!” The accompanying photo showed a gigantic hole in the ground: no construction at all had happened yet. The headline became a running joke in my circle of friends.
For many of us, Easter can feel like that headline. “Jesus is risen! Everything has changed!” That’s our proclamation. So why does it often feel like nothing has changed at all? Why, 2000 years later, do pain, misery, and death still have such a strong grasp on our lives?
One of the great temptations for those of us who believe Jesus really is alive is to dismiss this world and its problems as meaningless or even bound for destruction. But that’s just caving into our fears, and a cop out for real discipleship to boot. Jesus’ resurrection promises redemption and new life—even here, even now—for even the most damaged parts of God’s good creation.
So if we want Easter to be more than an empty headline this year, we need to do two things. First, we need to learn to identify resurrection stories in our own midst. Twenty years of alcoholism and finally sober? That’s resurrection! A life once headed down the wrong path and now dedicated to Christ? That’s resurrection, too! Relationships healed, families fed, love offered, service rendered—the Lord is risen, indeed!
Second, we need to live according to the new creation Christ’s resurrection makes possible. N.T. Wright, in the book our Wednesday night group is reading, says that Easter is the beginning of the church’s mission. By the Holy Spirit, our mission is to help write new resurrection stories by proclaiming new life in our words and our actions.
What resurrection stories do we have to share at Centre? What resurrection stories is God calling us to write?
In Christ,
Pastor Mark
In Brief…
* Be sure you are checking the church calendar regularly. Follow this link (https://centreumc.org/) to our homepage. You can also print a copy of the calendar if that is better for you.
* Holy Week Services: 4/2 at 7:00 p.m.; 4/3 at noon and 7:00 p.m.; 4/5 at 6:30 a.m. (at Rocks State Park) and 9:30 a.m. (at Centre)
* Youth group will meet the 2^nd and 3^rd Sunday of April. See below for details.
* See below for an important note from the finance committee.
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Announcements
Monthly Prayer: Please make Centre’s monthly prayer part of your daily devotional time. This month, you are asked to pray for the church council as it explores new mission and ministry opportunities. The council received a wonderful presentation by Harford Family House’s executive director Joyce Duffy in February.
The new directory is here! Click on** the underlined text (https://gallery.mailchimp.com/69a6577287c49a350b2087c8a/files/Centre_Directory_2015.pdf)
to download the directory. Please let Pastor Mark know if there are any corrections.
A new Fellowship Lunch Workgroup will begin meeting once a month April 9. We will meet at 11:30 in the fellowship hall to enjoy meal and fellowship together. Following lunch we will work on small projects around the church. All are welcome! Please contact Sandy Barthel or Pastor Mark for more details.
The brand-new church directory is now complete. Copies were emailed along with the electronic version of this month’s newsletter. Hard copies are available in the vestibule; please take a hard copy only if you did not receive the electronic version. If there are corrections to be made, please contact Pastor Mark. Be sure to thank Ann Scaturo for completing the directory!
Holy Week at Centre follows the last days of Jesus Christ, leading to his crucifixion. In addition to our Lenten prayer and study group on Wednesday, April 1, at 7:00, we will have a Maundy Thursday service at 7:00 and Good Friday services at noon and 7:00 p.m.
We will celebrate our Lord’s resurrection on Easter, April 5, with a Sunrise Service at the King and Queen Seat in Rock State Park, 6:30 a.m., and our regular worship service at Centre, 9:30 a.m. We will have an Easter egg hunt for the children after the 9:30 service. Please dedicate this holiest and most joyful day of the year to celebrating Christ’s victory over death!
Because Easter falls on the first Sunday of April, Youth group will meet on April 12 and April 19. On April 12 we will travel to Jarrettsville UMC for a meeting from 6-8pm. Meet at the church at 5:45 for a ride (let Pastor Mark or Nicky Barthel know if you need a ride) or 6:00 at Jarrettsville UMC. On April 16 we will meet at Centre from 5:00-6:30pm and host Jarrettsville’s youth group.
Please remember to make the Food Pantry part of your weekly grocery shopping. Adding just a can or two each week to your trip takes very little on your part and helps sustain the pantry’s efforts from week to week. Regularly needed items include canned fruit, jelly, beans, baked beans, and cereal.
The May Newsletter Deadline is April 23.
Following is a summary report from the Finance Committee. This report is intended to allow everyone the opportunity to see our 2015 budget, treasury report, and how your offerings are used for missions and church related needs. You will see how the budget is derived, how the offerings compare to our needs, and how the treasury meets up to the budget. Please feel to contact Pastor Mark or me if you have any questions.
John Griffin
Finance Committee
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