Sunday Worship Bulletin, April 7 2024

Veradale United Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation

Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – Working for Justice & Peace

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”

April 7, 2024

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10:20 Gathering and Prelude

Wayne Shull, Music Director

Charlie Salt, AV

Tom Cuilla, AV and Usher

Jerry Brines, Usher

Tom Cuilla, Scripture reader

_________, Candle lighter

Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor

Sue Ferrozzo, Fellowship Set-Up

Naomi Hanvey Fellowship Clean-up

Rev. Genavieve Heywood, Pastor 

10:30am Land Acknowledgement

We worship on the unceded traditional territory of the Spokane, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Coeur d’Alene, and other tribes. We acknowledge the history of indigenous genocide, removal, and erasure that continues to this day.  We recognize the role that Christian communities played in these injustices, and we recommit ourselves to seeking more peaceful, just, and neighborly ways of sharing this land with all who call it home.

10:30am    Worship begins:

God answers ...all the time!  All the time...God answers!

Service and Fellowship Opportunities 

String-A-Lings practice Monday 6pm 

Bible Study Monday at 7pm 

Silent Prayer, Tuesday 9:00 to 9:30am

Sing-A-Lings (a.k.a.Choir) practice Wednesday 6:30pm

 Community giving this month: Coats for Kids

Welcoming the Light of Christ

*Hymn: Seek Ye First 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God
And His righteousness;
And all these things shall be added unto you.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!

Ask, and it shall be given unto you;
Seek, and you shall find.
Knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!

 We shall not live by bread alone,
But by every word
That proceeds out from the mouth of God.
Hallelu, Hallelujah!

Community Prayer

105 (Sing Book)

Ferry our prayers across the water, kindle our hopes a lighthouse flame. Amazing grace is most amazing, praying for those we cannot name.

Prayers of Gratitude 

Ferry our prayers across the water, kindle our hopes a lighthouse flame. Amazing grace is most amazing, praying for those we cannot name.

Prayers of Concern

Ferry our prayers across the water, kindle our hopes a lighthouse flame. Amazing grace is most amazing, praying for those we cannot name.

Prayers in Silence

Ferry our prayers across the water, kindle our hopes a lighthouse flame. Amazing grace is most amazing, praying for those we cannot name.

 Lord’s Prayer

Response:  Sing Amen

(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God

(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God

(Sing Amen) Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,

we praise your name, O, God

A Time of Offering

 An Invitation to Share

Dedication Hymn: What Does the Lord Require

1. What does the Lord require of you? What does the Lord require of you?
2. Justice, kindness, walk humbly with your God.


3. To seek justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.

Dedication Prayer

Loving God, receive this offering of time, talent, and treasure. May these help our witness in this time and place to thrive. May you be known in our actions and our words.  Amen

Listening for God

Acts 4:32-35 

 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold.  They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

John 20:19-31 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Message:  Welcoming the Honest Thomas

Silence

Sharing Holy Communion

Hand sanitizer passed around.

Pastor: Friends in Christ, we gather at our many tables mindful of the presence of God’s Spirit that is here with us.  We seek to honor the request of Jesus given in the scripture.  Of all the teachings Jesus gave to our ancestors, this he asked them and us to do for him to remember him. 

When Jesus and his friends sat together at a Passover meal, Jesus took bread; giving God thanks and praise, he broke the bread.  He gave it to his friends saying, “Take this all of you and eat of it.  This is my body that is broken for you.  Do this in remembrance of me.”

After the meal had ended, Jesus poured out the cup and again he gave God thanks and praise.  He gave the cup to his friends and said, “Take this all of you and drink from it.  This is the cup of the new covenant.  Do this as often as you drink of it in remembrance of me.”

Let us pray.

All: Loving God, you are with us in questioning and learning.  We thank you with humble hearts. Let your presence be felt among us.  Come, Holy Spirit come.  Bless this bread and this cup and all who have gathered in your Spirit.  Refresh us and renew us as Christ’s body in the world today.  In the name of Jesus, we pray.  Amen.

Silence as all who want to receive come forward. We will break bread and share a common cup or you can receive the packaged bread and drink,

Prayer of Thanksgiving

All: We thank you, God, for your presence at all our tables where we remember and experience the presence of Christ.  Help us to live more fully the way of Christ. Strengthen our faith, increase our love for one another, and let us show forth your praise in our lives, through Jesus Christ our Savior.  Amen.

Meditation in Music

Hymn: “Bless Be the Tie that Binds” 393 (NCH)

Bless be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love. The sharing of a common life is like to that above.

Before our God we come and pour our ardent prayers. Our Fears our hopes, our aims are one, our comforts and our cares.

We share each other’s woes, each other’s burdens bear, and often for each other flows a sympathizing tear.

When we are called to part it gives us inward pain, but we shall still be joined in heart, and hope to meet again.

Benediction 

Communal Blessing

Be Yourself.

Grow in Christ.

Live with Compassion

Easter Sunday Bulletin, Mar 31 2024

Veradale United Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation

Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – Working for Justice & Peace

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are

welcome here!”

March 31, 2024 • 10:30 a.m.

Easter

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

10:20 Gathering and Prelude

Wayne Shull, Music Director

Charlie Salt, AV

Joe McSwain, AV and Usher

Jerry Brines, Usher

Joe McSwain, Scripture reader

Naomi Hanvey, Candle lighter

Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor

Sue Ferrozzo, Fellowship Set-Up

Naomi Hanvey Fellowship Clean-up

Rev. Genavieve Heywood, Pastor

10:30am Land Acknowledgement

We worship on the unceded traditional territory of the Spokane, Cayuse,

Umatilla, Walla Walla, Coeur d’Alene, and other tribes. We acknowledge

the history of indigenous genocide, removal, and erasure that continues to

this day. We recognize the role that Christian communities played in these

injustices, and we recommit ourselves to seeking more peaceful, just, and

neighborly ways of sharing this land with all who call it home.

Worship Begins

God lives among us . . . all the time!

All the time . . . God lives among us!

Service and Fellowship Opportunities

String-A-Lings practice Monday 6pm

Bible Study Monday at 7pm

Silent Prayer, Tuesday 9:00 to 9:30am

Sing-A-Lings (a.k.a.Choir) practice Wednesday 6:30pm

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Community giving this month: Mardi-Bras

One Great Hour of Sharing – donating to global helping ministries.

Flowering the Cross and Welcoming the Light of Christ

We sing and flower the cross. You are invited to share the blessing of

peace with those around you as you place flowers on the cross.

Hymn: “Christ the Lord, is Risen Today” 233 (NCH)

1. Christ the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! Mortal tongues and angels say,

Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, glad heavens, and

earth, reply, Alleluia!

2. Let the Victor’s people sing, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now your sting?

Alleluia! Dying once, Christ lives to save, Alleluia! Where your victory, O grave?

Alleluia!

3. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won,

Alleluia! Death in vain forbids Christ rise, Alleluia! God has opened paradise,

Alleluia!

4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head,

Alleluia! Made like Christ, like Christ we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave,

the skies, Alleluia!

Community Prayer

Taize chant: Where love and caring are there is God. (Repeat)

Prayers of Gratitude

Where love and caring are there is God. (Repeat)

Prayers of Concern

Where love and caring are there is God. (Repeat)

Silent Prayer

Where love and caring are there is God. (Repeat)

A version of The Lord’s Prayer from

The New Zealand Prayer Book

Eternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is

and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is

heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The

way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your

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heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of

peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the

bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one

another, forgive us. In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us.

From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is

evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now

and forever. Amen.

Response: Sing Amen

(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God

(Sing Amen) Amen, we praise your name, O, God

(Sing Amen) Amen, amen, amen, amen, amen,

we praise your name, O, God

A Time of Offering

An Invitation to Share

Dedication Hymn: “Give Thanks”

Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give

thanks because God’s given Jesus Christ, the son. (Repeat) And now

let the weak say, “I am strong!” Let the poor say, “I am rich because

of what the Lord has done for us!” (repeat)

Give thanks. Give thanks.

Dedication prayer:

Renewer of Life, bless these offerings of our time, talent, and

treasure. May we live as your people overcoming hardship and

rejoicing in new beginnings. Bless all our gifts to Hope House and

Transitions Women’s Hearth. May our gifts signs of our love and

compassion. With gratitude, we pray. Amen

Listening for God

Message with Young Hearts

Scripture Passages

Acts 10:34-43 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that

God shows no partiality, but in every people anyone who fears him and

practices righteousness] is acceptable to him. You know the message he

sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of

all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the

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baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with

the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing

all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are

witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to

death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and

allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by

God as witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the

dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is

the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the

prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives

forgiveness of sins through his name.”

John 20:1-18 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary

Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed

from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple,

the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord

out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”3 Then

Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two

were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the

tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there,

but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into

the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had

been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a

place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also

went in, and he saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the

scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to

their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to

look into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body

of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They

said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have

taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When

she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but

she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are

you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the

gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where

you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She

turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means

Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet

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ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am

ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 1Mary

Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,”

and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Message: Mary, Why are You Weeping?

Silence

Our Light moves into the World God Loves

Hymn: “ In the Bulb there is a Flower” 433(NCH)

1. In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree; In cocoons, a

hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter

there’s a spring that waits to be, Unrevealed until its season, something

God alone can see.

2. There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody; There’s a

dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will

come the future; what it holds, a mystery, Unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.

3. In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt there is

believing; in our life, eternity, In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a

victory, Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

Benediction and Blessing

Be Yourself.

Grow in Christ.

Live with Compassion.

Easter Sunrise Service Bulletin, Mar 31 2024

Easter Sunrise Worship Service

March 31, 2024 6:15 am

Gathered around the fire, we remember the fire

near which Peter denied Jesus three times.

Greeting

Pastor: Grace to you from Jesus Christ, who was, and is, and is to come.

Dear siblings in Christ, on this most holy morning when we proclaim the

passage of Jesus Christ from death to life, we offer up our songs and prayers

as a new dawn breaks. Through light and the word, we recall Christ’s death

and resurrection, we share Christ’s triumph.

Hear these words:

"Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?"

1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Hymn: “Morning Has Broken” sung a cappella

Words: Eleanor Farjeon, Music: Traditional Gaelic

1. Morning has broken like the first morning; Blackbird has spoken like the

first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!

Praise for them springing fresh from the Word!

2. Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven, like the first dewfall on

the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, sprung in

completeness where His feet pass.

3. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning. Born of the one light Eden

saw play! Praise with elation; praise ev'ry morning, God's recreation of

the new day!

Silent Meditation

Responsive reading based on Psalm 93

One: You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High who abide in the

shadow of the Almighty.

All: We will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

One: God will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly

pestilence.

2

ALL: God will cover us with God’s feathers, and under God’s wings

we will find refuge; God’s faithfulness will be our shield and

rampart.

One: You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

ALL: Let us make the Most High our dwelling— even the Lord, who

is our refuge-

One: For God will command the angels concerning you to guard you in all

your ways;

ALL: We will call upon God, and God will answer God will be with us

in trouble, God will deliver us.

Prayer of Invocation

Powerful and loving God, you have raised Jesus Christ from the

dead. God, raise us too. May fresh life burst among us like buds

awakening to the spring. May shells of distrust and self-hatred that

keep us from loving, be broken away so that new life can emerge.

May new community spring up where fear has kept us from the

stranger. Keep us patient in making peace and building justice.

Teach us to trust the slow process from seed to stem, from stem to

flower, from flower to fruit. Breathe on us with your Spirit, through

the risen Christ. Amen

Hymn: “In the Bulb there is a Flower” sung a cappella

Words and Music: Natalie A. Sleeth

1. In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree; In cocoons, a

hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of

winter there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.

2. There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody; There’s a

dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me. From the past will

come the future; what it holds, a mystery, Unrevealed until its season,

something God alone can see.

3. In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity; In our doubt there is

believing; in our life, eternity, In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a

victory, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

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Blessing of a New Flame

(flame taken from fire)

One: Let us pray.

All: Eternal God, giver of light and life, bless this new flame, that by its

radiance and warmth we may respond to your love and grace, and be set

free from all that separates us from you and from each other; through

Jesus Christ, the sun of righteousness. Amen.

Lighting of the Paschal Candle

(Christ Candle is lit by Joe McSwain with flame from the fire)

ALL: May the light of Christ, rising in glory,

illumine our hearts and minds.

Lighting of Memorial Candles

(At this time, all are invited to come forward and light a candle and speak

the name(s) of those who have died from this life to be born into the next.

You might also light a candle for the death of former ways or beliefs that

have died from your own life).

Listening for God

One: Dear friends in Christ, we have begun our morning vigil. As we

watch and wait, let us seek the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt

among us, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer!

All: Let the Word of God fill us as we hear the reading of the

scripture.

Isaiah 12:2-6 read by Naomi Hanvey

Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust and will not be afraid,

for the Lord[a] is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.”

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say on

that day:

“Give thanks to the Lord;

call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name is exalted.

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Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously;

let this be known in all the earth.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal[b] Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

Mark 16:1-8 read by Naomi Hanvey

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of

James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint

him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen,

they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll

away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked

up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled

back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white

robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them,

“Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was

crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they

laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to

Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and

fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they

said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

And all that had been commanded them they told briefly to those around

Peter. And afterward Jesus himself sent out through them, from east to

west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation. Amen.

Sharing of Thoughts, Poems, and Insights

Easter Prayers

One: Gracious, living God, we come before you with open hearts. On this

Easter morning we are thankful for life and for the victory of life over death. We

are mindful of those who have left this life and we are mindful of how our lives

have changed in this past year. Parts of ourselves have died away. Keep your

promise of new life. Restore us and hear us as we offer you the prayers from

our hearts.

(Anyone who would like to voice a prayer is welcome to do so now.)

Lord’s Prayer

First Raising of the Paschal Candle

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(Joe McSwain carries the Paschal Candle into the narthex and all follow.)

The one carrying the candle raises it and says: “Christ our Light.”

All: Thanks be to God.

Second Raising of the Paschal Candle

(All enter the sanctuary)

One raises the candle and says: “Christ our Light.”

All: Thanks be to God.

Third Raising of the Paschal Candle

(All enter the chancel)

One raises the candle and says: “Christ our Light.”

All: Thanks be to God.

Easter Proclamation

(The candle set in its place)

One: Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels!

Jesus Christ, our Light is risen! Sound the trumpet of salvation!

All: Rejoice, O Earth, in shining splendor,

radiant in the brightness of your Sovereign!

Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Night vanishes forever!

One: Rejoice, O servant church! Exult in glory! The risen Savior shines

upon you! Let this place resound with joy, echoing the mighty song of all

God’s people!

My dearest friends, standing with me in this holy light, join me in asking for

God’s loving presence to be ever among us.

All: With full hearts, minds, and voices we praise the unseen God,

the Eternal Creator, and your only begotten one, Jesus the Christ.

One: For Christ has claimed us as God’s own. This is the morning when

Christians everywhere celebrate how God’s great love overcomes even the

worst of this world. This is the morning when Jesus Christ broke the chains

of death and rose triumphant from the grave.

All: O God, how wonderful your care for us! How boundless your

merciful love! The power of this blessed morning dispels all evil,

washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy; it

casts out hatred, brings peace, and humbles earthly pride. Morning is

truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth

and humanity is reconciled with God!

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One: Therefore, gracious Creator, in the joy of this morning, receive our

praise. May this Easter candle be a pillar of fire that glows to your honor, O

God.

All: Let it mingle with the lights of heaven and let the light in our

hearts continue bravely burning to dispel the shadows! May the

morning star that never sets find our flames still burning. In Christ,

that morning star who came back from the dead, shed your peaceful

light on all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever. Amen.

Hymn “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” sung a cappella

1. Christ the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia!

Mortal tongues and angels say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, glad heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

2. Let the Victor’s people sing, Alleluia!

Where, O death, is now your sting? Alleluia!

Dying once, Christ lives to save, Alleluia!

Where your victory, O grave? Alleluia!

3. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!

Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!

Death in vain forbids Christ rise, Alleluia!

God has opened paradise, Alleluia!

4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!

Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!

Made like Christ, like Christ we rise, Alleluia!

Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

UNISON BENEDICTION

Christ is Risen!

We seek Him no more at the tomb. Creation is made new!

We open our hearts to growth and joy. Christ is with us!

We go out into lives transformed by God’s love. Christ is risen indeed!

Easter 2025, April 20,Sunrise 5:50am, Sunrise Service begins at 6:00am