UMs share resurrection miracle at Easter

By Rachel L. Toalson
Staff Writer
Fredericksburg UMC schedules a 6:30 a.m. Easter sunrise service at the downtown Marketplatz—just so the town’s visitors can experience the miracle of Christ’s resurrection.
Sometimes the weather keeps people from coming. But many years, the crowd numbers nearly 200 people, said the Rev. Jarrell V. Sharp, senior pastor of the 1,059-member congregation.
“You can’t reach out unless you go out,” he said. “So we’re attempting to engage. If we’re serious about telling the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, why in the world would we want to keep it to ourselves? We go to our community and offer the opportunity for people to come to the marketplace.”
Fredericksburg UMC plans various celebrations during Holy Week—the period from Palm Sunday (March 16) to Easter (March 23). Those include Palm Sunday services at 8:30 and 11 a.m. to mark Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, a Maundy Thursday service—recalling Jesus’ last supper with his disciples—at 7 p.m. March 20 and a Good Friday service—marking Jesus’ crucifixion—at 7 p.m. March 21.
Additional Easter services at the church are to follow the sunrise service downtown. Those services are scheduled for 8:30 and 11 a.m.
Other Southwest Texas Conference congregations are planning similar services to observe the most significant events in the Christian liturgical year.
The Rev. Mickey T. McCandless, pastor of Bracken UMC, Garden Ridge, said his congregation plans special Holy Week activities because they help develop a deeper understanding of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
“The purpose is to allow people to move through the sacrifice of Jesus to the resurrection that allows people to understand the full scope of the power of the resurrection in their lives,” McCandless said.
In addition to four Easter services March 23, Bracken plans an Easter egg hunt March 22 at 10 a.m. and a Maundy Thursday celebration March 20 at 7 p.m.
The Maundy Thursday service is to be guitar-based, McCandless said. The style provides an “alternative perspective and worship atmosphere” from what the congregation traditionally experiences.
Other Holy Week activities include:
> Medina UMC—a Palm Sunday service March 16, a Holy Thursday service March 20, Easter egg hunt March 22, SONrise service March 23 at Deer Creek Camp at 7 a.m. and a regular Easter service at 11 a.m. at the church.
> First UMC, Corpus Christi—traditional Palm Sunday worship, with the children’s choir carrying palm fronds to lead the celebration during the 10:50 a.m. service; a Maundy Thursday service March 20, during which the chancel choir is to do a dramatic and musical presentation; Good Friday noon meditations March 21; and Easter services March 23 with special music presentations.
> Oak Island UMC, Corpus Christi—two Palm Sunday services March 16, a Good Friday service March 21, an Easter Sunday sunrise service led by the youth group at 7 a.m., and a regular Easter service at 11 a.m. with an Easter egg hunt immediately following.