Worship Video Here April 5!

April 5 worship is ready to view!

A note to parents - my computer suffered a mechanical failure yesterday, so the Children's Time part is unfinished. Please help your children sing along to "Hosanna Loud Hosanna," when it appears on the screen. Thank you!

This link begins the worship playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojXFkHcKfuQ&list=PLhUmKHi6TDbzGrU_OEdJlwDqAWsMeo5g-

Watch this space for our April 5, Palm Sunday Communion Service video, to be posted here Sunday morning! 

Wait - how can we have Communion?

As before, our churches' worship video will be posted right here this Sunday morning, April 5. And I will serve Communion that day - and not "virtually."

Some background: Since the very early days of the early church, it has been affirmed that once the Communion elements are properly consecrated, then after being served to the worshiping congregation, the table may be "extended" to persons of the congregation who are ill or infirm and could not come to the worship service. Extending the table in that manner is formally recognized as a proper practice of the United Methodist Church - and pretty much every other church worldwide.

As you will see in Sunday's video, I took the Communion bread and wine (grape juice) with me to Gideon UMC's sanctuary, where I consecrated it using a liturgy  based on that which was emailed to ministers of the Conference by our bishop, Bill McAlilly, a few days ago. As you will see, although you may be viewing on a computer, the consecration was done by me in person, with the Communion elements in front of me on the altar table.

How you may receive Communion this Sunday: I have purchased and consecrated 350 pre-filled and "pre-wafered" Communion cups from Broadman Church Supply.

The cup has the grape juice and sealed atop it is the bread, or wafer. I have not opened the box. When I do, I will take necessary precautions and will serve the cups using tongs, not my fingers.

So here is my offer:

I will setup in both Greenbrier's and Gideon's parking lots - Greenbrier at 1 p.m. this Sunday, in the upper lot, and Gideon at 2 p.m. While it turned out not to be feasible to do drive-in worship, we can do drive-thru Communion service, as many other churches are also doing.

It's not ideal, I admit, and I look forward to the Sunday when we can meet together again - and no matter the day of the month, that service will be a Communion service. In the meantime, we will extend the table in this way.

When you drive to my table in the parking lot, I will use the tongs to hand the cups to the driver for each person in the car. Then I will pray with you. If you wish to consume the wafer and juice then, please do. I will also have a place to deposit them when they are empty.

Of course, you may take one or more cups with you for other members of your family.

Fortunately, the weather forecast is very favorable! The Lord is good!

UPDATE: Lil Rossiter will also set up a giving station in the parking lot so that everyone will be able to drop off tithes and offerings - again, it will be done in accordance with all precautions. We will also have such a station at Gideon.

Now, about the video:

Thanks to an email lesson from Greenbrier's resident engineer, Michael Finch, this Sunday's video is actually a series of videos on one playlist. That way I can incorporate copyrighted music without violation, because those videos are simply linked to on the playlist. So a full Palm Sunday Service! I hope you will join us!