April  2004

The Pastor's Column
by Rodney Newman

The Pastor’s Column

By Rodney Newman

Easter Again

      Last night I sat in the Freede Center at OCU along with 3,000 other people, all of us mesmerized by the presence of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. This Nobel Peace Prize recipient and leading voice against apartheid in South Africa came to Oklahoma City with a message of hope. He spoke of the inherent goodness of humanity; badness, he said, was the aberration. God has a dream that all of his children would recognize that we are all part of one family and that we would live as such.

      For me, Archbishop Tutu embodies the faith we seek to express in the seasons of Lent and Easter. He knows what it means to go through pain and suffering. He has experienced the darkness of so many of his countrymen killing each other, lashing out under the pressures of an oppressive system. But he also knows the joy of that situation turning around in a relatively short time.

      He told us last night that when Nelson Mandela was elected president of South Africa, many observers predicted a bloodbath spurred by retaliation and vengeance. Mandela had the foresight to appoint Tutu to chair a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. All those who had committed acts of violence under the old system could apply for amnesty for their crimes. In return, they would have to tell the truth about what happened, in a public forum and in the presence of the families of their victims. Instead of retribution, the people of South Africa would engage in the hard work of redemption.

      The feared violence was averted and much of the lingering animosity quelled. By taking the words of Jesus very seriously, the truth of the resurrection burst into our world yet again.

This Month In Worship

We begin April with Palm Sunday this year. This is a day of conflicting emotions. We enjoy the children entering the Sanctuary with waving palms but we also know that the events of Holy Week will bring pain and sorrow. I hope you will plan if possible to be a part of our Holy Thursday and Good Friday services. These are designed to help us understand the meaning of the death of Jesus and prepare us for the grand celebration on Easter Day. We conclude the month by looking at an appearance of the resurrected Jesus as told in John’s Gospel and the familiar image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.                                               Reverend Newman

Sermon Titles & Texts

April 4      Betting on the Loser

 Isaiah 42:1-9

    Palm Sunday

 April 11      Too Good to Be True

                   Luke 24:1-12

                 Easter Day

April 18      Awkward Reunions

                     John 21:1-19

                      Second Sunday of Easter

      April 25      When Everyone’s the Favorite

                       John 10:11-18

                         Third Sunday of Easter

All Church Retreat

May 7-8

An all church retreat will be held May 7-8 at our United Methodist Canyon Camp, near Hinton. We will leave the church around 7:00 p.m. on Friday and return around 5:00 p.m. on Saturday.

There will be time for study,

fellowship, games and

relaxation. Children are

welcome and will have

activities to participate in

as well. Watch for a

brochure with more

information and registration.

Graduating Seniors

We are making plans to honor our graduating seniors. Please contact the church office to let us know of those graduating from high school, college, graduate or technical school so we can be sure to include them in the celebration.

 Endowment Scholarships Available

The Crown Heights UMC Endowment Trustees offer college scholarships to members of our church. Eligible applicants need to be currently enrolled in college for the fall 2004 semester and be a member of this church. If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, please contact Beth at the church office to receive an application. Applications need to be filled out and returned to the church by May 15.

                                   Music Ministry

Palm Sunday Music

 On Palm Sunday, April 4, the music ministry will present special Lenten pieces throughout the service at 11:00. Classical works from Vivaldi’s Gloria and Schubert’s Mass in G, along with more contemporary selections from Hal Hopson and Lew King will be featured. A small orchestra will once again be a part of this service and we always look forward to the children’s palm processional. It should be a thrilling and meaningful day.

Cantata Choir Rehearsals

Just a reminder about our cantata rehearsals: Wednesday evening, March 31, we will rehearse in the Choir Room from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. then move to the Sanctuary until 9:00 p.m. I feel this will assist our guest vocalists hearing the music in the smaller area first. We rehearse again on Saturday morning, April 3, from 10:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and Sunday morning in the Sanctuary ready to begin by 10:15 a.m.

Handbells and Kid's Choirs need to be ready to go at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 4. No other special rehearsals are scheduled for these ensembles.

Easter Sunday Music

Our Chancel Choir will be participating in both services on this day of celebration.

 Children’s Summer Musical

We hope to announce our Children’s Summer Musical by mid-April. Parents, please check and reserve your schedules for this special camp for our kids: Monday, June 14-18, with the perform-ance on Father's Day, June 20, during the 11:00 service.

Transitions

Births

Seth Loy Puffinbarger, born February 25, son of Niki and Bill, and Aaron’s new brother.

In Our Prayers 

·        Larry and Gail Foster on the death of Larry’s mother.

·        Edye Draper

·        Wanda King

·        Betty McWilliams

·        Charlotte Peavler

·        John Roush recovering from a heart attack.

Children’s Ministry

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, April 10 @ 10 a.m.

All children are invited to this annual event. Bring your egg

baskets and have a great time!

We had a great time at CiCi’s Pizza on our special day of fun with the Children’s Choir participants.

All helpers are appreciated for the church workday this Saturday, March 27. If you don’t have an assignment, please join us in the children’s area for some Spring cleaning on windows and in the children’s library room. We’ll start at 10:00 a.m. Childcare begins at 9:45.

After the clean-up day, we may have some children’s furniture for sale. Contact Mary.

Childcare for the Game Night on March 26 begins at 5:45 p.m.

We’re excited about our children participating in the Palm Sunday 11:00 service on April 4. The children need to be in the Sanctuary by 10:15 that morning to practice our processional and music.

Childcare for the Holy Thursday service begins at 6:45 p.m. We do not have childcare scheduled for the Good Friday service. Please contact the church office if you need childcare for this event and we will make arrangement.

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