Palm / Passion Sunday

Message from Pastor Mori 

Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church The Weekly Newsletter    Message from Pastor Mori Dear RFUMC Family,   Palm Sunday Greetings from MORI! This year Lent was very special for me. Last year we could only meet online, but this year we will have a hybrid worship and have a chance to holding the palms in person.  Palm Sunday is also called Passion Sunday and the United Methodist Church speaks about Palm Sunday in this way: It starts off a week of remembrance for Christians, often referred to as Holy Week. The week ends with the celebration of Easter, and throughout this week we mark the different events that led to Jesus' Resurrection and Easter. This means that Palm Sunday is a kind of paradoxical celebration. At worship services, there is likely a festive atmosphere. I have been part of many services where children wave palm branches and parade around the worship space shouting "Hosanna!" The paradox is that we celebrate knowing full well what came next in the story, after Jesus' triumphal entry: he was rejected, betrayed, and crucified. I am always touched by the fact that the Gospel reading begins with Christ triumphantly entering Jerusalem, with the people shouting "Hosanna, Hosanna." However, only three days later, the same crowd of people shouted out, "Crucify him; crucify him!" And through the story, I see the lives of many people, too, who devasted and fear the unknown future in this pandemic world. However, this Sunday is a celebration of wonder. We celebrate that God continues to surprise and welcome us in the miracle to come: the miracle of Resurrection. Let's remember the Psalmist's song: "I thank you because you answered me, because you were my saving help. The stone rejected by the builders is now the main foundation stone!" — Psalm 118:21-22, CEB We will gather at the entrance door on Palm Sunday and celebrate the love that led Jesus down the road to the cross, a love that led to Jesus's suffering and death on our behalf, and a love that binds Jesus's resurrection to our salvation and eternal life.  So come, together, we can do something beautiful for God. In Christ, Pastor Mori  Prayer: Loving God may our shouts of hosanna come from our heart and from our understanding of who you are, not who we want you to be. Thank you for loving us, may we be strengthened by your sprit as we walk with others toward the cross and beyond. Blessed is the King of Peace, Amen!      Give on PayPal   Community Info & Links                  Palm Sunday                            This Sunday, April 10th, is Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday is sometimes referred to as Passion Sunday, and marks the beginning of Holy Week which concludes on Easter Sunday.  Please join us in person, if you are able or online through Zoom.  Worship service begins at 10:30 am.      Easter Lily Order                                                         Easter Sunday is April 17.  Our sanctuary will be decorated with beautiful Easter Lilies, adding to the joy and beauty of this special day.  If you would like to order an Easter Lily, please click here to order. The cost is $15 per plant.  You may order in MEMORY or HONOR of a loved one.  The deadline to order is Sunday April 10.                                                                    Lenten Daily Prayer                                                                                                               Mon - Friday Every Morning 8:00 AM                                           Please join us during the season of Lent, for a daily prayer group.  It is a wonderful way to begin the day!  If you would like to be a scripture reader during the morning prayer, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0449A9AE2AABFB6-lent4   Here is the Zoom link to join the Daily Lent Prayer group:   https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89205361750                                                Holy Week Worship Service                     We will have in person and Zoom worship service on Good Friday, April 15th.  The service will be at 7:00 pm.       Easter egg hunt Candy Donation                     Easter Sunday is April 17, 2022.  Please join us in person, if you are able, or through Zoom.  Worship service begins at 10:30 am.  We will have an Easter egg hunt outdoors for all to participate, weather permitting (an indoor alternate plan will take place if inclement weather.).  If you would like to participate by donating candy, please bring candy small enough to fit inside the typical plastic Easter egg, and deliver it to the church office                                                                     Registration for the 2022 Northern Illinois Annual Conference is open with early- bird registration through April 29. The cost is $80. Registration increases to $95 from April 30 to May 29. Please note there will be no on-site registration. *Make sure you have a file copy (jpg, jpeg, png, bmp, gif) of your proof of vaccination card handy to upload during registration, which is required. Annual Conference will meet in person June 8 - 10 at the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center. The AC Committee is diligently working to make this a safe gathering for everyone while continuing to monitor COVID-19 infection rates for the area. For current requirements for AC members to attend, please read the health and safety statement.   Communications Learning Week  Communications Learning Week United Methodist Communication (UMCom) has announced a week-long ecumenical training opportunity launching this spring for anyone in ministry seeking to enhance their communications skills. Communication Learning Week: Taking the Next Step will be held May 9-13, 2022, and is designed with busy schedules in mind. All of the learning week content will be recorded and stored in a learning portal that participants will have access to for six months following the event. Registration opens April 12. Learn more.   Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration                         Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration - (May 22) 4 - 6 pm at First Korean United Methodist Church, 655 E. Hintz Rd., Wheeling. The program featuring Bishop John L. Hopkins will be followed by dinner. This event is in partnership with the Northern Illinois Conference Fellowship of Asian Americans and the ACST Anti-RacismTask Force. No cost to attend but please register here.                                            Sermon by Phone service                                                                         If you do not have computer access or cannot access our Sunday worship service through a smart phone, we now have a sermon by phone service, which is available at any time! The phone number is (773) 219-0861.  You can listen to a recent version of Pastor Mori's Sunday sermon and it's free!          RFUMC Building Ministry                                                                                                 Ravenswood Fellowship UMC April 2022 Calendar click Here. Church Room Reservation Form  (to request use of the common areas of the church) Click Here                                                                                                   Links for Worship                                     Join Zoom worship by going to this link at 10:30 AM on Sunday: https://zoom.us/j/806489040. Or call in at 1-312-626-6799 (Meeting ID: 806 489 040).  Let's boost our worship! Please sign-up for Worship service Bible reader Sign-Up here. March and April Scriptures and sermon titles are here Young People's Bible Study. Ages 12-18 are invited to join the Zoom discussion of Jesus stories at 9 AM on Sunday mornings. Join the Zoom call here (Meeting ID: 828 2305 3546, One-tap mobile+13126266799) Want prayer? During our Prayers of the People, we will read your prayer requests. Submit your prayer requests here. Download. Get your bulletin here. Having trouble? Try logging off and logging back on to Zoom during the video. Or simply log off and call in.  Missed last week? Check out the Facebook Live video on our page here.    Give on PayPal Our mailing address is: 4511 North Hermitage Ave. Chicago, IL 60640 Contact us at: ravfelumc@yahoo.com (773) 561-2610 Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

This email was sent to ravfelumc.church@blogger.com why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Ravenswood Fellowship UMC · 4511 N Hermitage Ave · Chicago, IL 60640-5303 · USA