Usher Board #2 will be celebrating their 64^th Anniversary on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 4p.m. 

We will present a mother and daughter team in concert; Sis. Lillian Robert & Sis. Traci Smith. 

Don’t miss this great event!  Bro. Richard Watson

Elevate Church

By Rev. Larry L. Wilson | Released: Mar. 27, 2012 | In: Blog Feature

Printed in Wesleyan Life

Most Christians never read the Bible outside of church. So when you have an opportunity to read Scripture aloud during a worship service, you are providing all the Scripture most people will hear that week. That makes Scripture reading a critically important part of any worship experience.

Too often we think of the public reading of Scripture as a perfunctory part of the service or as a fill-in between the offering and the sermon. That's tragic, because Scripture reading has always been a cornerstone of worship among Christians, and it is always an opportunity for God to speak.

Reading the Bible aloud is more difficult than it seems, however. When I was a seminary student, our first assignment in preaching class was to read Scripture to the class. "This will be easy," I thought. "You just stand there and read it." I didn't bother to prepare. Read the rest of this entry

WHEN IS EASTER ?

2012 April 8 (Ash Wednesday February 22)

WHAT IS EASTER ?

Easter is the celebration of Jesus Christ's rising from the dead (His Resurrection) after His crucifixion which took place on what we now term Good Friday.

Easter is usually celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the Vernal or Spring Equinox on March 21st. This can be any Sunday between March 22nd and April 25th. It is the most sacred of all the Christian holidays or celebrations.

Christ's return (or rising) from death is called the Resurrection. According to the scriptures, Christ's tomb was empty three days after His death, which is commemorated on Good Friday. His followers saw Him and talked to Him after this. Christians therefore believe that they have the hope of a new life (an everlasting life in Heaven) after their earthly death.

HOW EASTER WAS CELEBRATED IN ANCIENT DAYS ?

Although of course Easter is a Christian festival, it has many pre-Christian, Pagan traditions. While the origin of its name is uncertain, some scholars accept the derivation proposed by the 8th-century English scholar St. Bede, also know as The Venerable Bede, whose tomb is in the magnificent Durham Cathedral in North-East England. Bede believed the name probably comes from Eastre, the Anglo-Saxon name of a Teutonic goddess of spring and fertility. A month was dedicated to her, corresponding to our month of April. Her festival was celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox and traditions associated with the festival live on in the modern day Easter rabbit, a symbol of fertility, and in colored Easter eggs. These were originally painted with brilliant colors to represent the warmth and sunlight of spring, and used in Easter-egg rolling contests or given as gifts.

Easter festival celebrations probably embody a number of other traditions occuring at around the same time. Most scholars speak of the relationship of Easter to the Jewish festival of Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew. The Passover celebrates the safe flight of the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea, lead of course by Moses, and as described in the Book of Exodus.

Read the rest of this entry

Attention Flipper Family…Rehearsal for the Easter Program will be on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 12 noon.  Please be on time.  Bro. Keith Lewis, Superintendent (Sunday School)