Did Easter Sunday inspire you? At First UMC Middletown, the Easter celebration's not done - join us for Eastertide joy!

What a joyous Easter celebration we had - and what a joyous Eastertide we're in! That's right, Easter isn't just one day - it's a season of renewal, in which we celebrate the resurrected presence of Jesus on this earth. Jesus taught and lifted up his disciples for forty days before ascending into heaven, preparing them for God's Holy Spirit to take hold of them fully on Pentecost. (see Acts 1) So if the celebration of new life through faith in Jesus Christ got a hold of your heart on Easter Sunday, why stop there - Jesus didn't!

We invite you and your friends and families of all kinds to continue our Easter celebration through April and ending on May 1st. Come and grow the spirit of Easter joy through original music, prayers, great creative Bible story-telling, Sunday school for children, warm fellowship, and more. God's wants God's story to be our story, so that God can change life here and now, for you, for our community, and for the world. Please join us Sundays, 10AM, at 44 Maynard Street to enjoy the continuation of the joy-filled Easter experience with us.

With lots of stimulating sights and sounds for family, friends, returning members and visitors, Easter worship at First United Methodist Church, Middletown was an exciting and memorable experience. Our altar was graced with beautiful flowers, a colorful new banner, and a symbolic empty stone tomb. Our musical offerings from Music Director Eric Buggie included a rousing rendition of his original song, "I Have Seen the Lord" (see video clip below), and our youth choir sang "He Rose" for our offertory. There were reminders from Pastor Barbara Marks that the grave no longer defeats us - we can turn from "peekers" into the Easter miracle to full seekers of transformative life in Christ. And, of course, those great Easter treats afterwards! Jesus lives! More photos and video below.

Whether you're ready to shout out a full-bodied "Alleluia!" or just peeping in to see what Easter is all about, there's a place for you in our Easter worship this Sunday, 10 AM, 44 Maynard St. in Middletown, CT. Easter is the celebration of new life on this earth. In faith, we can trust in God's promises through the resurrection and eternal life of Jesus Christ - proof of God's desire to love us no matter what, to bring us back in to the wholeness of God's way on earth. Even death will not separate us from this love - on Easter, we celebrate the death of death!

There will be beautiful music, warm fellowship, and the presence of God to invite us into lives transformed through faith. Families and singles of all kinds are welcome to join us every Sunday, but especially on this joyous day when we can lift up our voices and our hearts in celebration of everything that life brings us through a God who loves us through all time.

Holy Communion, dramatic readings of the Passion of Christ from the gospels by First UMC Middletown members, and stirring music were important elements of our commemoration of Maundy Thursday in our parsonage. As each member finished a reading, the candle before them was doused, leading to near total darkness at the end of the service. Our Music Director Eric Buggie made the worship service complete with a closing original song, "Can Any Good Come From Death?" As we approach Easter in somber and humble gratitude for the love of God offered to us in Jesus Christ, we can reflect on this service of Tenebrae as a moment of consecration for ourselves, our renovated parsonage, and our church. Easter worship will be at 10AM, 44 Maynard Street. We hope to see you then to celebrate with great joy the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

This Thursday, 7PM at our parsonage, First UMC Middletown will be honoring Maundy Thursday with a Tenebrae service, a moving enactment of the Last Supper of Jesus and his disciples. The service will include the sacrament of Holy Communion, which all are invited to receive, and readings from the gospel that tell the story of Jesus' love in spite of his betrayal. Do you want to draw closer to God during Holy Week? This is a great time to do so. 221 Ridge Road in Middletown - you're invited!

Our Palm Sunday worship service featured First UMC Middletown members of all ages enacting the dramatic and spirit-moving story of Jesus' last days, as told in the Gospel of John. The enactment brought to live the seven major symbols of Jesus' Passion -the palm leaves of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the jar of ointment poured upon Jesus, a bowl of water and towel used by Jesus to wash the disciples' feet, the bread and cup of the Last Supper, the thirty pieces of silver paid to Judas for Jesus' betrayal, the cross and nails of Jesus' crucifixion, the linen cloth used for Jesus' burial. Our members were moving and moved by these performances, and also by music from guests Tim and Josh Pfeiffer, who performed "Were you There, a bassoon solo by Stephanie Buggie, a full choir, and two original songs performed by Eric Buggie, our Music Director. This worship service was living proof that disciples living the story of Jesus are the heart of the church - no matter where the church decides to be the church. More photos below. Our thanks to all for their dedication to Christian faith.

First United Methodist Church, Middletown had a strong showing at the latest meeting of the Middletown Refugee Resettlement Coalition meeting Wednesday night at the Russell Library. The coalition is a volunteer efforts being managed as a collaborative volunteer effort between several churches in the Middletown area, with financial support contributed both from private and public donations. 

The coalition is preparing to sponsor three refugee families expected to arrive in the next few months, from war and terror zones such as Syria and Iraq, or from other regions as required. Each family is likely to have at least two children, so the needs that they will have to have addressed are many. In conjunction with IRIS, a New-Haven-based refugee resettlement organization, the three families will be given several months of support to help them to become self-supporting residents of the U.S.

First UMC Middletown has joined a team to support one of the expected families, but the skills required to support all of the families will overlap, and may come in use for each of them, since they will all be arriving at different times. Specific needs that will have to be addressed and that require skills and resources include:

• Fundraising
• Family contact coordination
• Employment
• Housing
• Furniture and furnishings
• Clothing and household items
• FInance
• Education/ESOL (for children and adults)
• Health
• Transportation
• Hospitality/Acculturation

If you would like to learn more about this effort, please contact Pastor Barbara Marks via the church office, or email us at outreach@fumcmiddletownct.org.