Rev. Telos Whitfield of Strafford’s Unitarian Universalist church has prepared a beautiful community Easter Sunrise Service entitled “Embracing the Light, We Begin Again…”  We will meet at 5:45 AM at Confluence, the former Gove Hill Retreat Center, at the top of Gove Hill Road in Thetford.  We will sing, hear scriptures and pray and we will savor a poem by Mel Goertz and a reflection by Rev. Whitfield.  Pastor Tom Kinder, Damaris Tyler, Peggy Burden and Cat Spalding will participate in leading the service.  The sun will rise while we are there, and it will be beautiful whatever the weather is doing.  Dress warmly and dryly!

Please join us for our traditional Easter Pancake Breakfast from 6:15 to 8:15 AM in the Parish Hall.  Let Becky Bailey know if you can help set up, cook or clean up, or email us at unitedchurchofstrafford@gmail.com.

Our 10:00 AM service will be full of joyous words and music.  Pianist Annemieke McLane and the choir will be joined by Laila Reimanis on flute and Timothy Cummings on pipes.  We will hear a favorite poem by another cummings—ee. The sermon will take its title from Jeremiah 31:31-34, “They Shall All Know Me in Their Hearts” and will range from the intimate mysteries of the smallest life forms to the unthinkably massive mysteries of deepest space—all of which can lead us to know God’s power of resurrection in our hearts.  The children will consider the acorns of the thawing woods and what they will become.

We will also read from Psalm 118 (“God’s steadfast love endures forever!”) and the story of Christ’s resurrection in John 20:1-18.  We will sing three beautiful Easter hymns, “Come Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain,” “Christ Is Alive,” and “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.”

The choir will sing “Cristo Vive” as the Introit, “Crown Him Lord on Easter Day!” accompanied by Annemieke and Laila as the Anthem and “Comfort, Comfort Ye My People,” accompanied by Annemieke and Timothy as the Choral Benediction.  If you have ever heard Timothy and Jeremiah McLane rock out on that hymn at one of Annemieke’s Noël concerts, you know the power that will roll away the stone from the tomb this Sunday!

We will hear some gorgeous instrumental music, as well, including Mozart’s Flute Concerto in G, 3^rd Movement with Laila and Annemieke; an instrumental version of “Comfort, Comfort” with Timothy and Annemieke; “The King of Love My Shepherd Is,” St. Columba, with Timothy and Annemieke featuring an arrangement and descant by Timothy; and Annemieke playing a movement from the Italian Concerto of J. S. Bach as the Postlude.

We will have celebratory refreshments in the Parish Hall following the service.  All are more than welcome!

Here is a fun house concert with Timothy Cummings and Jeremiah McLane, just to give you a feel of the gifts Timothy will bring to the sacred music on Sunday.