From Pastor
I have a question for you, “What is the Easter Season?” For Christians, Easter is not just one
day - it's a season of 50 days, a week of weeks, derived in its length from the fifty days between Passover and Pentecost (which means fiftieth) in Judaism. Easter season begins at sunset on the eve of Easter and ends with Pentecost, the day we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. Read Acts 2 in the Bible to help you better understand.

Easter season is more than an extended celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. In the early
church, Lent was a season when persons who wished to become Christians were learning how to live the way of Jesus and preparing for baptism on Easter Sunday. Christians have referred to this time of formation as "catechesis" or "echoing the way of Jesus." The original purpose of the Easter season was to continue the formation of new Christians in the faith. Christians have historically referred to this formation process as "leading people into the mysteries."

Today, this extended season gives us time to rejoice and experience what we mean when we
say Christ is risen and that we, as the church, are the body of the Risen Lord. It’s a season for
focusing on the core doctrines and mysteries of the faith and for preparing for the ministries the Spirit has empowered us to undertake in Jesus’ name.
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That being said, prepare yourself to serve Christ by serving others beginning this Easter season and all the year through. After all, we are Christians, believers of Jesus! Let’s spread the miracle of Christ everywhere!

Reflections...
March just blew through my calendar, and I bet yours too. We are growing, both in numbers and spirituality. Let us all praise God for it. Any growth we experience is a gift from God.

I want to thank everyone for keeping me and my family in your prayers. We needed your
prayers and they were felt. Currently, all is going forward and both Terry and Jessica are
improving. Thank you for taking your time to pray for us and love on us.
Another thing will have been completed when you read the April newsletter is the Quarterly
Planning meeting on March 29th. I will give a detailed report about the meeting in the May
newsletter.
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Let me not forget to mention the Manor Area Religious Alliance Pot Lunch on March 28th. I’ll share the happenings of this fun event in the May newsletter too.

Upcoming Events...
On May 3rd, our Adult Sunday School Class will begin. It will start at 9 am each Sunday morning and be held in the fellowship hall. Thom and Kathy will be taking turns leading this class. I hope you decide to participate. Being a part of a Sunday School Class helps you grow spiritually and it builds fellowship. This has been a prayer of mine to get Sunday School started and now it is happening! Praise be to God!

Anna will also begin offering a Mother’s Bible Study. Here is just a short description of the study:
Have you ever longed for a community of other moms? A place to grow in faith, build
friendships, and dive deeper into His word together? This will be a 5-week study beginning on May 12 and ending June 16. The first week is a special introduction week! More details will be shared throughout the upcoming weeks. If you know of any young mothers with children that would like to participate, please let Anna know or share this email address with them:
[email protected] so they may contact Anna themselves.

Scripture...
The Scripture for the Easter Season is: John 11:25

“I am the resurrection and the life.

Anyone who believes in me will live, even if they die.”

What did Jesus mean when he said this? He reassures us that all those who trust in him, death will not be the end of the story. Life eternal is found in a relationship with Jesus. This is a basic truth of the gospel.

Here is the list of verses for April:
• April 5 – Acts 10:34-43, Jeremiah 31:1-6, Psalm 118 1-2, 14-24, Colossians 3:1-4, John
20:1-18, Matthew 28:1-10
• April 12 – Acts 2:14, 22-32, Psalm 16, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31
• April 19 – Acts 2:14, 36-41, Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19, 1 Peter 1:17-23, Luke 24:13-35
• April 26 – Acts 2:42-47, Psalm 23, 1 Peter 2:19-25, John 10:1-10

Birthdays...
Our April birthdays are:
7th – Everett, 22nd – Jewell, 22nd – Steve
Please make sure to share birthday greetings with each of them!
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Closing...
Let us live out our lives expressing our gratitude to God for sending us Jesus, raising him from the dead, and allowing us, his children to have life forever with him. AMEN.
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Blessings to all,
Pastor Joyce Ann