Dear Church Family,
Spring is here! At least, I keep telling myself that it is. If I say it enough, perhaps the snow will stop. Spring is a time of new life. It is a time of resurrection and a time of hope. During this time, we get ready for the big event—Easter Sunday, when resurrection and hope became real to us. We have a lot of great ways for you to celebrate!
As they have for the past 43 years, Young Spirits will perform on Palm Sunday weekend. Performances are on Saturday and Sunday at 7:00 PM in the Milton Union School Cafetorium. The theme this year is “Change the World.” I have been given the opportunity to direct two of the songs that they will be singing this year. Come and support this vital ministry to our teens and community.
The Good Friday service sponsored by the Milton Union Council of Churches will be held at Hoffman this year. It will be at 7 PM on April 18th. I hope you will be here and make our visitors from other churches feel welcome.
This year, Easter is on April 20th. I hope that you will join us for our Easter services. In addition to our normal worship schedule (9:00 and 11:15), we will have a sunrise service and breakfast. Don’t forget to invite your friends and family to join you. This Easter, I believe God wants to do something special in our community and in our church. Throughout Lent, we have looked at the last 24 hours of Jesus’ life. On Easter Sunday, I am going to give a summary of this series and show some of the pictures so that our visitors can enjoy them. Then, I will conclude by celebrating the fact that the last 24 hours of Jesus' life are not the end of the story.
Then, after Easter, I am going to let YOU create the sermon series. That’s right, I am going to let you have input into the sermons that I preach. Here is how: I am inviting you to submit questions about God, the Bible, theology, the world, etc. that you have always wanted to know. You can submit the questions in one of three ways: e-mail them to me, put them in my mailbox, or put them in the designated box (details to come). I look forward to your questions. Obviously, I will not be able to address ALL of your questions during this series. While you can submit your questions anonymously, if you would like for me to follow up with you regarding a question, you will need to put your name somewhere on the question. This should be an exciting series.
This summer, I will be leading music at the Mission u conference, which is held at Ohio Northern. Mission u is like a church camp, except it includes adults, youth and children. People from all over our conference gather together and learn to put their faith into practical action in the current world context. Mission u reflects the practice of joining faith and action. It is all about Changing the World. This year’s spiritual theme is “How Is It With Your Soul?” There are two options for the missional theme—The Roma of Europe or Ministry to People with Disabilities. Through worship, in-depth study, music, prayer, sharing and exploring, Mission u provides an opportunity for you to grow in your understanding of the mission of the church.
There are three options for participating in Mission u. The Four-Day Program is Monday, July 7-Thursday, July 10. The Weekend Program is Friday, July 11- Sunday, July 13. The One Day Sampler is on Saturday, July 12. I hope you will consider taking part this year. Let me know if you are interested in more details.
As we look forward to Easter, may we begin to see where we can begin to change the world around us to offer hope and love to those around us!
Yours in Christ’s Service,
Pastor Justin
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