This is Pastor Tim’s article that appeared in the Evening Leader on Monday, April 11, 2022
Today I have an invitation for you. This weekend is the weekend that we celebrate what sets Christianity apart from any other group. Christmas is awesome; celebrating Jesus being born is fantastic and wonderful. But it is Easter that really makes the difference. Everyone was born at some point. So far, only One of us has returned from the grave. The empty tomb of Easter Sunday and the subsequent appearances of Jesus give us hope of life that goes beyond the limitations of this mortal body we all inhabit.
In response to this great news known as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I want to give all of you a special invitation to join your community in worship. The ministers in St Marys would like to invite you to Sunrise Service this coming Sunday at 7:00AM. This particular Sunrise service is a special one because we are going to be meeting at the Chapel at Elm Grove Cemetery. Our plan is to gather like we do for Memorial Day, around the chapel. We will have some prayer and scripture readings to commemorate the greatest moment in human history. We will also celebrate Holy Communion together. We will bless the elements and invite everyone to file through the Chapel to receive communion inside that 100-year-old building.
We decided that a cemetery is a great place to gather to commemorate to resurrection of Jesus Christ because that is where the women were on that first Easter Sunday when they realized Jesus was no longer in the grave. Many of us have a loved one buried in Elm Grove Cemetery. To gather close to their resting place to remind ourselves that we will be reunited again is a powerful statement of hope. And that is exactly what we intend to do.
Also, as a preparation for St Marys bicentennial celebration next year, the Association of Ministers is going to spearhead a movement to restore that chapel to make sure it is a part of the St Marys community for years to come. We want all of you to see it now so that when we do tours of the renovated chapel next year, you will be able to see just how improved the structure is.
It will be a wonderful time to be together, but Sunrise service is not the only community event planned for this special weekend. This Saturday, there will be an Easter Egg Hunt in Memorial Park starting at 10:00AM. Kids of all ages are welcome to come and participate. That will be followed by SMART’s bunny trail that will go from Memorial Park down Spring Street toward Wayne Street. We hop all of you will come out and be part of these fun community events.
Of course, any of the churches around the St Marys community would be more than happy to welcome you to their regular Sunday morning services on Easter. We will all be proclaiming the Risen Christ and would be so very happy to have you join us in celebration of the Greatest News ever given. This would be a nice Sunday to have all of our churches filled to capacity as we come together in great celebration.
Churchfinder.com lists 15 churches in the St Marys community, all with St Marys addresses. That means that there must be one near you. If you don’t have a church home, this is a great time of year to choose one. If you have strayed away from your church home and it has been a while since you have connected with your home congregation, then make it a point to get back this weekend. Connection to a church family is a vital part of being spiritually healthy, so make being in church a priority for this Sunday. Without a doubt, it is the best Sunday of the year!
I hope to see you this Sunday out at Elm Grove Cemetery at 7AM, or maybe at Wayne Street for our regular services!