Markings.

It was a glorious Easter Sunday here at FUMC!  The spirit here truly expressed our thanks to God and proclaimed the Good News of eternal life in Christ brilliantly.  Tremendous thanks to all who participated in the service.  Special appreciation goes to our staff:

• Linda Keill, Director of Music for coordinating the guest musicians, and directing the choir and congregation with exuberance.
• Barbara Vella, organist and accompanist extraordinaire for her fantastic array of Easter music and pulling out all the stops to play the very difficult Toccata by Widor.
• Sharon Ericksen for managing all the details of printing, mailings etc as our office manager and for arranging for all the visuals for the Holy Week and Easter Services.
• Thank you Sanctuary Singers for your devotion to rehearsing and bringing to Easter worship the best of anthems and choral music.  You were here early Sunday morning to rehearse.
• Special thanks to Patti and Lindsay Munoz for their generosity and efforts in providing refreshments for 150 people at the Friendship Time.  And kudos to Patti for her leadership as the chair of our worship ministry toward Easter.
• Much gratitude to Virginia Coleman, Donna Brandt and our dedicated teachers for providing our children and youth with the best experience of Celebrating Easter and the good news that Jesus lives.

What a grand way for me to celebrate Easter in what is likely my last as an appointed pastor in a local church.

This Sunday, May 1 is Holy Humor Sunday which has its roots in history.  For centuries, in Catholic Orthodox and Protestant countries, Easter Monday and Bright Sunday (the Sunday after Easter) were observed by the faithful as "days of joy and laughter' with parties and picnics to celebrate Jesus' resurrection.

Church members and pastors played practical jokes on each other, drenched each other with water, sang and danced.  It was a time for both clergy and people to tell jokes and have fun.

The custom of Easter Monday and Bright Sunday celebrations were rooted in the musings of early church theologians (like Augustine, Gregory of Nyssa, and John Chrisostom) that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead.  Easter was "God's supreme joke played on death."

"Risus pachalis - the Easter laugh," the early theologians called it.

You can be sure we will have fun this Sunday with Holy Humor a plenty and laughter to boot.

This is also the Sunday when the FUMC Foundation will be giving $6,000.00 to 6 seniors from our local High Schools who are going on to advanced education.  Our own Ofa Hautau is one of the 6 recipients.

I look forward to seeing you in Church,

Mark

This week at FUMC PG...

"You'll notice your pews have a new feature this morning.  Sit down and buckle up."

This Sunday

 THIS Sunday, May 1, 2011

12:00noon - 3:00pm

at the home of Neil & Nancy Edwards

368 Calle De Los Amigos in PG

Click here to see a map
to the Edwards' home 

EVERYONE is invited to a farewell party for Mike & Diane Kennedy as they make the move from Pacific Grove to the Seattle area in Washington State. Goodies will be provided.

Mark your calendars and consider meeting a friend

at the church and carpooling to the party as parking

is limited at the house (its on a cul-de-sac).

Additional parking will be available in the driveways across the street and at the house next door to the south.

Thank goodness for great neighbors!

Pacific Grove Methodist Foundation

On Sunday, May 1, the Foundation will present scholarships to deserving local public high school seniors. 
It isn't too late to contribute.  Note "scholarships" on your check and help a student realize his/her  plans for
the future.

YOUTH NEWS!

Last Chance Mercantile  (not in Marina - in the Youth Room!)

Do you like to shop?  Do you like to find interesting books or furniture?  How about an upright grand piano that needs a lot of TLC?  You are invited to take a look inside the NEWLY PAINTED youth room and help us to unclutter the space.  Your donations in exchange for treasures found will be put into the youth fund.  After May 15, unwanted items will be donated to the church mouse or taken to the dump. 

Worship Update:

Thanks to Bonnie Van Hise and Maribee Boone who organized and facilitated a wonderful "lay reader" training.  It was attended by 6 people who will be participating in our worship services in the near future.  Thanks to all who participated, and we hope to train more of you in the coming year. 

If you are interested in being a lay reader and were unable to attend the training, please contact Maribee or Bonnie for information.  

Once again, thank you all for your service!   

A big thank you to all who participated in the Good Friday prayer vigil.  I hope that you felt the power of united prayer.  It is amazing how that half hour can have a profound effect on us, and on those for whom we are praying.  The results of united prayer can have far reaching results. 

Bless you all,

Linda Lyford

A big thank you to Linda Lyford for organizing the Good Friday Prayer Vigil.  For those of you who participated I am sure you experienced a deep sense of God's presence and power in our beautiful sanctuary.  Thanks to those who were there to open and close the doors.  Thank you to Sharon and helpers for the visual impact of the bare and black cross.  May you all be blessed with the Good News brought to us on Easter!

 Thank you, 

 Patti Munoz, (Worship Chair)