Welcome to this Easter service!
The main part of the service is included below in one video of our live zoom worship on Sunday morning at 9:30 AM on April 4, 2021.
In the video you will hear beautiful, uplifting hymns and choral and instrumental music, a fun Story Time with Danette Harris and Joey Hawkins, the resurrection story from the Gospel of John, plus an Easter reunion communion, our first sharing of the bread and cup in over a year.
You will also see below some portions of our worship that were not included in the live zoom service, including the text of a double haiku by Mel Goertz, a few announcements and the offering.
Thank you for being part of our church community! If you would like to join us on our Sunday morning zooms click here, or on our Thursday Heartfulness Contemplative Training Circle zooms click here. If you would like to be added to our weekly newsletter list please let us know at unitedchurchofstrafford@gmail.com
You can respond with thoughts about the service or with anything you would like to say by using the comment feature at the end of the post or by emailing us. You can also bring others into this experience by sharing the link to this webpage by email or social media.
Whoever you are, wherever you are on your journey, you are welcome here and in our church community.
Pastor Tom Kinder Call to Worship “Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46
Here is an Easter double haiku by Mel Goertz:
This force called Beauty.
It opens the heart
like the petals of a rose.
This beauty
I open my door in the morning.
It is everywhere.
Let us worship together.
Readings:
The scripture readings for this Sunday are verses from Psalm 118 and John 20:1-18. You can read or download them here: 4-4-21 Service Readings
The Live Zoom Service Recording The text of the service is below the video along with three illustrations to the morning’s Story Time and the Order of Worship.
Service Text: Here is a pdf of much of the service including the Story Time poem that goes with the illustrations below: 4-4-21 service text pdf
Illustrations by J. Moria Stephens:
Order of Worship:
- Easter Proclamation Pastor Tom Kinder
- Introit “Alleluia” Annemieke McLane, Becky Bailey and Deadra Ashton
- Call to Worship
- Hymn Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain
- Announcement and Lord’s Prayer old version
- Story Time Joey and Danette reading a story and leading a conversation about it
- Lords’s Prayer new version
- Hymn Now the Green Blade Riseth
- Scripture Readings Selections from Psalm 118; John 20:1-18, The Rev. Deadra Ashton
- Anthem “Oriens Alleluia” sung by members of the United Church of Strafford Choir directed by Annemieke McLane
- Celebration of Holy Communion
- Benediction
- Hymn Christ the Lord Is Risen Today vv. 1-5 only
- Postlude Scarlatti K 169/ K 1159/K 380/Thine is the Glory Annemieke McLane, piano
Offering This congregation is a small but meaningful part of the movement to establish God’s realm of peace, justice and care for God’s creation on earth, actively engaged in serving our community and supporting the wider worldwide movement.
One of the ways we work together and increase our strength beyond our individual abilities is by pooling our resources. This is hard to do when we are forced apart by the pandemic, so we hope you will take just a minute to use our online donation service.
To make your offering on line, please click here. (This is a service we are providing through an extremely well established on-line donation company specializing in churches that is recommended by the national United Church of Christ and used by thousands of churches like ours. To read more about our decision to allow on line donations, click here.)
Announcements
To read additional announcements please see our weekly churchwide emails by clicking here.
You can be added to our email list by requesting so at unitedchurchofstrafford@gmail.com.
It is extremely important that we stay connected now. Please reach out by phone or email to neighbors and other members of the congregation, especially those who live by themselves or are struggling or vulnerable. Our Deacons, Becky Bailey, Kim Welsh and Maggie Hooker, are coordinating our Deacons Fund and our outreach to people in need of support, and Danette Harris, Chair of our Mission Committee, is leading our work with the Food Shelf. If you would like to donate or help please email us or use the comment feature on this page.
United Church of Strafford, Vermont 