Top 5 @ SPUMC

We are in the midst of the holiest week in the Christian year
and we want you to be able to worship with us as fully as possible.
Here is the schedule and some ways you can plug in.

Maundy Thursday
April 9 @ 7pm on Facebook Live
We will be celebrating Holy Communion together on this night when we recall the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. You’ll need to gather your own elements – bread of any kind and grape juice (no one will be checking fermentation levels) – and you’re also invited to create a sacred space in your home by lighting a candle, placing a cross and/or setting up your own simple altar. Rev. Lee will share the evening’s message.

Good Friday
April 10 @ 7pm on Facebook Live
Rev. Carissa has designed a special service to help us enter into the passion of Jesus. We’ll get to hear the story of Jesus being led to the cross where he is crucified and ponder the meaning of such self-sacrificing love through scripture, music, prayer and a short message.

Easter Sunday: Sunrise Service at 6:30am & Festival Service at 10am
April 12 on Facebook Live
We’ll begin Easter Sunday in our garden to welcome the early morning light and celebrate the good news of resurrection. Then, we’ll pull out all the stops (as many as we can at the moment!) for our 10am Festival Service broadcast live from the Sanctuary. Rev. Ron will be preaching and you’re invited to bring your Resurrection Rocks (you’ll hear more about them in the coming week)!

VIRTUAL COFFEE BREAK!!
Hang around with us for a few minutes after worship on Easter for a virtual cup of coffee and conversation with friends via Zoom. The link will go live about 7-8 minutes after we conclude our worship service. We had a good time and turnout for our first try so we’re back it. (Use Link AND Password Below)
Click the Zoom Link Here
Meeting ID: 139 201 831
Password: 562056
By phone: Call +1 301 715 8592 and enter Meeting ID 760 360 042.

The BWC Palm Sunday Service was filmed at our church last week and is now available via YouTube. Check out this powerful and moving service that includes our own Chris Dillard as one of the featured musicians and a reading of the passion narrative by all of the District Superintendents. This would be a great resource for anytime throughout Holy Week.
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#1 PALM SUNDAY RECAP
Palm Sunday was a joyful celebration highlighted by the Children’s Remote Palm Processional (thanks to all families who sent footage & Rev. Carissa for editing), great music on cello (Preet Saund), organ (Nicola), guitar (Chris) and a Flute/Piano Duet (Holly Slack & Shawn Reese) to go along with a powerful message from Rev. Byron. Families continue to use our great Sunday School resources that Erica has been helping to assemble with her teachers and you can access them anytime. We held our first Virtual Coffee Break and it was so much fun we’re going to do it again on Easter Sunday. To top it off, we had a small group of teens hold a “safe-social-distance” picnic in the parking lot from the roofs and backs of their cars, which may have been the highlight of the day for me! If you missed the service yesterday, check out the recorded version of our Livestream. For more pictures from Palm Sunday, visit our Facebook page.

#2 GET READY FOR WORSHIP THIS WEEK
Several of our worship services this week will require a little advance planning on your part for you to be able to fully participate. On Maundy Thursday, we are encouraging everyone to gather bread and grape juice (no one will check the fermentation level…) to be able to celebrate communion with all of us who are gathered together. You may also want to create an altar area with candles, a Bible, a cross, a plate and chalice — whatever makes the space feel sacred to you. Get creative and send us pictures of your home altars! You can use the same set-up for any of our upcoming livestream services. And sometime this week, find a rock or stone for yourself and each member of your family. Have it with you when you tune in on Easter Sunday to see what we are going to do with our Resurrection Rocks over the coming weeks and months.

#3 ONLINE MORNING PRAYER & BIBLE STUDY
Join Rev. Carissa this week for a brief time of morning prayer every weekday at 8am. We’ll read a scripture, share joys and concerns, and end with a blessing. Call in or video in, whichever you prefer!

To join with video: Download the Zoom app and then return here and click this link: https://zoom.us/j/760360042
By phone: Call +1 301 715 8592 and enter Meeting ID 760 360 042.

We’re also continuing to offer online Bible studies via Zoom on Tuesday nights at 7pm. This past week, Rev. Carissa led a study on the first Palm Sunday and the parable of the vineyard. This week, Rev. Ron will take us deeper into Holy Week with selections from Luke 19-23 in Luke 14 & Luke 15. This week, Rev. Carissa will be teaching on Palm Sunday & Holy Week texts.

To join with video, download the Zoom app and then return here and click this link: https://zoom.us/j/881734557
To join on the phone, call (301) 715-8592 and enter Meeting ID 881 734 557

#4 SERVING OUR NEIGHBORS & SPUMC
Two Saturdays ago, the Heaven’s Kitchen Team headed up to Community UMC in Brooklyn Park to hand out brown bag lunches and toiletry kits. About 50 people were served by the masked/glove crew of Chip & Hope Linehan and Jerry McNerney. You can help equip the AAMC medical staff with badly needed PPE by sewing face masks. Or if you have some time to be able to call fellow church members, we’d love to have you become part of our Care Team. Contact Beth Frank to volunteer and help us stay in touch with each other during this fragile time.

#5 SUPPORTING EACH OTHER
During this time when the church is closed for our normal gatherings and business, your pastoral team and staff will remain available to you. You can reach us by email or phone and we will continue to respond to your needs in as caring and compassionate a way as we can. Feel free to reach out to any of us and we also encourage you to stay in touch with neighbors, particularly those who are most vulnerable, during this uncertain time. Here are the contact links and numbers for our pastoral team:
Rev. Ron – email – 240.672.1321
Rev. Carissa – email – 301.642.9729
Rev. Byron – email – 443.924.4669
Rev. Lee – email – 410.562.9811

Your giving and support of our church remain critical during this time and we a grateful for the outpouring of generosity in these first few Sundays out of our building. We encourage you to continue to send in your offerings via mail or through multiple options we have for digital giving (direct debit, credit card and text giving). Many Thanks!!

To contact the Church Office with questions or information, please email Beth Frank.