Dear Centenary Church Family:

We have not spoken or sung the word “Alleluia!” in our Worship since Ash Wednesday, in keeping with the ancient liturgical traditions of the church. But this Sunday we will sing and shout “Alleluia!” as we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. I hope many of you will join in the celebration…

We will begin at 6:30 AM with an Easter Sunrise Service in Orr Chapel (indications are for sub-freezing temperatures at dawn, so we are planning to meet indoors this year). We will sing songs of Easter accompanied by Ed Stern on guitar; hear the glorious Message of Resurrection from John 20:1-18; receive Reflections on Resurrection from Assistant Pastor Terrilisa Durham Bauknight; and, share in the Sacrament of Holy Communion together.

An Easter Breakfast will be available in Room 20 beginning at 7:15 AM, prepared by our Children’s Ministries. The breakfast will remain available throughout the morning until after the conclusion of our 10:30 AM service. A $3.00 per person contribution is requested by those sharing in the breakfast.

The Festival Brass will welcome us to our 9:00 AM Easter Worship Service. Children, youth and teachers of our Sunday School will bring a special Easter Sunday Message, The Glorious Rainbow of Easter, in word, visuals and music. With them, we will sing many of the hymns and songs of Easter. (Child Care will not be available during the 9:00 AM Service.)

Our second Easter Sunday Service will be at 10:30 AM in the Sanctuary. We will be welcomed again with special Easter music from the Festival Brass. I will share an Easter message with the children who are present. (Child Care will be available during our 10:30 AM Service.)

Just a Reminder of Good Friday Services today and tonight (Our Church Office is closed today in observance of Good Friday):
12:00 Noon to 3:00 PM – Ecumenical Good Friday Preaching Service at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (Middlesex Avenue at Oak Street in Metuchen)
7:30 PM – Good Friday Service of Tenebrae in our Sanctuary. Readings from the Passion Narrative in John 18:1-19:42 interspersed with chorales from The Passion of St. John by J. S. Bach, sung by our Chancel Choir and the congregation.

Special: “Care Packages”: The Higher Education Ministry Team is still collecting items to send ‘care packages’ to our students at various institutions of high learning for the Easter Holiday. A donation of the following items is greatly appreciated: Oodles of Noodles, pocket size tissue packs, small snack bags (popcorn, cheese doodles, etc.), holiday sweets (candies and the like), soup, notes of inspiration, granola bars and such. We are preparing to pack some 13 packages, so whatever you can donate is greatly appreciated. We will continue our collection through Monday, April 9th and pack boxes on Tuesday, April 10 at Church. You may leave items in the box in the Church Narthex or in the Church Office. Shipping and delivering will occur on Tuesday afternoon. If you have any questions, please see Mrs. Candi Kline or Assistant Pastor Bauknight. Thank you for your support of this special ministry.

Lenten Coin Folders: You are encouraged to return your filled 2007 Lenten Coin Folders this Sunday. You may place them in an offering plate during Worship or mail/bring them to the Church Office. Our Lenten Coin Folder offering is designated for support of The Fellowship Fund of The United Methodist Homes of New Jersey. These funds are used by our UM Homes to assist elderly residents whose financial resources have been depleted to remain in residence in our homes. (Note: If you choose to return your coin folder with either a check or paper bills [instead of quarters], our counting team will not be averse to your doing so…but we appreciate your gifts in whatever form they may be shared.) We are deeply grateful for your generous and sacrificial offering during these forty days of Lent.
Centenary women will be on a special Spiritual Retreat Friday, 20 April – Sunday, 22 April 2007 at The Ocean View Inn at Ocean Grove, New Jersey. At the this time 15 women have stated both their interest and ability to attend. Retreat participants can begin arriving at the Inn between 5:00– 9:00 PM. We will return to our homes after breakfast on Sunday. Our theme remains Out of the Whirlwind, with our text reference being Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World: Finding Intimacy with God in the Busyness of Life by Joanna Weaver. Rev. Bauknight will order the book for any and all who wish a copy (participating or not). Please keep this weekend in prayer for all the participants and the purpose for which they gather. If you have questions, concerns, or want to participate in this Women’s Retreat, please contact Pastor Bauknight at 732-419-4101 or at RevTDB395@aol.com.
Stephanie Kline’s MSWalk: Once again this year (on April 22), Stephanie Kline will be participating in the MS Walk in Hershey, PA, and she is inviting her sisters and brothers in Christ at Centenary to join her team and make a donation on her behalf. You may sponsor Stephanie with a secure donation by going to the following Web page: http://main.nationalmssociety.org/site/TR?px=1835958&pg=personal&fr_id=2110&et=12xNxIvNmI1NLcmOUNPwug..&s_tafId=2932 You may also sponsor Stephanie with a check made payable to “National MS Society” (or “NMSS”), and given to her or mailed to her at 40 Hillcrest Avenue, Iselin, NJ 08830. Your contribution can, and will, make an immediate difference for everyone who must face the unpredictable nature of multiple sclerosis. Because of your help, each stride Stephanie and others make in the MS Walk becomes more powerful and brings us closer to ending the devastating effects of Multiple Sclerosis.

Centenary Book Club—Saturday, April 14 @ 9:30 AM: The Rapture at Canaan and The Messiah of Morris Avenue in the Sunshine Room.
Food Collection—Sunday, April 15: Please bring cereals, staple food items in plastic jars or cans, and paper products to share with persons in need in our area. We are deeply grateful for your generous sharing. Special Appeal for Diapers and Infant/Toddler Food for Amandla Crossing: Your assistance is needed to provide diapers (sizes #4, #5 & #6…not pull-ups) and infant & toddler food for children at Amandla Crossing. Please bring the items to Centenary and leave them in the boxes provided in the Narthex. Thank you. —Your Mission Committee

The Art of Muriel Harris at Centenary During Lent: We have been blessed during the 2007 Lenten Season to have a number of Muriel Harris’ collages adorning the walls of our Sanctuary. These smaller collages have served as the inspiration for a number of her larger paintings. You will want to take time to pause this Sunday to view these special works based on the indicated biblical passages, and reminding us of the themes of creation, liberation and justice. Muriel Harris, a long-time member of Centenary UMC, has received many awards and high recognition over the years for her artistry. Although in recent years she has endured the loss of much of her eyesight to age-related macular degeneration, Muriel Harris continues to create new art using a number of different media. We are grateful to Muriel Harris for sharing the gift of her art with us once again this year.
Refreshment Sponsors Needed!: Persons are invited to sponsor the time of coffee and refreshments following our Sunday Worship services. Please consider sponsoring a refreshment time and signing up for one of the available weeks on the 2007 Refreshment Chart posted in the Narthex. Thank you for providing hospitality on a Sunday morning.
2007 Summer Camp Programs at Aldersgate Center and Pinelands Retreat Center: Information about the 2007 Summer camping programs for children and youth (and some specialized adult and family programs) are posted on the Children’s Ministry bulletin board in the hallway alongside the Sanctuary, near the Narthex. Please check out the dates and programs to see if your elementary-age child or Junior/Senior high youth may want to participate in a summer camp experience at Aldersgate Center (Swartswood, NJ) or Pinelands Retreat Center at Mt. Misery (Browns Mills, NJ). You may also check out the offerings and register online at either www.aldersgatenj.com or www.mtmisery.com. Scholarship assistance is available through the Church. Please speak with Children’s Ministries Director Cathy Jean Savoia or Pastor John Painter to get additional information about these programs and appropriate registration forms.

Some Thoughts for This Week:

Good Friday is the mirror held up by Jesus…it turns us to that cross and to his eyes and we hear these words, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” – Robert G. Trache

In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. – John Bunyan

Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. – Vernon Law

“Mile by mile it’s a trial; yard by yard it’s hard; but inch by inch it’s a cinch.” – Anonymous

Let everyone sweep in front of his [or her] own door, and the whole world will be clean. – Goethe

Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light. – Albert Schweitzer

If you have made mistakes, even serious mistakes, you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call “failure” is not the falling down, but the staying down. – Mary Pickford

Next Sunday, April 15, 2007:
9:00 AM – Adult Study: The First Easter (Sunshine Room)
10:15 AM – Worship and Sunday School (Pre-K through 12th Grade)
Preacher: Terrilisa Durham Bauknight Theme: Seein’ Ain’t Believin’
Lectionary Readings: Acts 5:27-32 Revelation 1:4-8
Psalm 150 John 20:19-31
11:30 AM – Fellowship Time (Room 20)
5:30 PM – Junior Choir Rehearsal (Music Room)
6:30 PM – United Methodist Youth Fellowship (Youth Rm./Rm. 20)

Prayer for the Week of April 8: Rise in grace within our life together, Jesus Christ. Tell your truths deep within the tombs of our doubts and fears and reveal yourself in ways that surprise us into faith. Come, loving Jesus, come. Amen.

Now Comes the Good Part! A family was watching a movie of the life of Jesus on television. Their 6-year-old daughter was deeply moved as the movie maker realistically portrayed Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Tears ran down the little girl’s face as they took him from the cross and lay him in a borrowed tomb. She watched as a guard was placed outside the tomb. And then suddenly a big smile broke on her face. She bounced up on the arm of the chair and said with great anticipation, “Now comes the good part!”
In the past eight days we have waved the palm branches welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem; we have shared a last supper with him, and we have watched with tears as he poured out his life on Calvary’s cross. Now comes the good part!
[Kent C. Miller, “Living the resurrection life,” Trinity Presbyterian Church Web Site, Trinitypresdenton.org. Retrieved October 23, 2003, and quoted in “animating Illustrations” in Homiletics (March-April 2004), p. 60.]

I look forward to joining with you to receive and celebrate the good part of the Passion Story this Resurrection Sunday at Centenary!

Shalom, John

John D. Painter, Pastor
Centenary United Methodist Church
200 Hillside Avenue
Metuchen, NJ 08840-1900
Church: 732-549-7266, Ext. 11
Home: 732-549-1786
Cell: 201-463-5552
Fax: 732-548-6256
Study: 732-516-9226
Visit Centenary on the Web: www.CentenaryUMCnj.org