The?church?yard work morning?is tomorrow,?Saturday, 9-noon. ? We will?NOT have a wood?chipper?on hand after all. ?Hence, this will be?a quieter work day, more conducive to chatting with others you are working near. ?Come if you can, please, for all or some.

SPRING INTO ACTION! LUNCHEON & AUCTION. You are invited to support MCUM at their annual fundraiser. During a fun-filled afternoon at the Bloomington-Monroe County Convention Center, guests can bid on an exciting array of items in the silent auction, enjoy a catered meal, and learn about MCUM through a short formal program. This year’s event is scheduled for Sunday, April 30 from 12:00-2:00 p.m.

Tickets are $35 for adults, $25 for youth ages 5-11, and free for children under 5 years old. Tables of eight are also available for purchase for $200.

You can purchase a ticket through the website http://mcum.ticketbud.com/springluncheon2017 or contact me at sarahjanelagrange@gmail.com

SACRED CONVERSATION ON RACE (SCOR) – NO MEETING ON EASTER. The Sacred Conversation group will not meet next Sunday, 4/16/17.? If you would like to start the day with a good discussion of Easter scriptures, please stop in Room 6, where the Revised Common Lectionary group will be doing just that!? SCOR will resume its usual biweekly schedule on 4/30/17.

EASTER BREAKFAST AND EGG HUNT. To celebrate Easter next Sunday (the 16th) everyone is invited to join us for a light Easter Breakfast in Fellowship Hall at 9:30 a.m., to be followed by an Easter egg hunt for children of all ages at 10:00 a.m.? All kids who will be singing in the Easter performance should be in the sanctuary by 10:25 a.m. for a final rehearsal before church starts.

THE PASCHAL TRIDUUM

The Paschal Triduum (Lat. 3 days) begins with the commemoration of Jesus?s last supper with his disciples before the agony of the crucifixion at the hands of the Roman Empire.? It continues through Good Friday, which commemorates that dreadful event and concludes with the celebration of the resurrected Christ.

At First United, we will begin with our Maundy Thursday service where we gather for a simple supper coupled with a solemn retelling of the passion of Jesus along with singing and prayer.? The event begins at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 13.

The ecumenical Good Friday service will be held at First United this year beginning at 12:10 p.m. on Friday, April 14. This solemn occasion marks the nadir of the Christian story, when Jesus?s disciples were afraid, desolate, and unsure of the future.? Many believe that the glory of the Resurrection as we celebrate it on Easter morning can only be fully understood when coupled with the observance of Jesus?s torturous death.

The Triduum concludes with the celebration of Easter, which falls on Sunday, April 16 this year.? We hope you will be able to join us for as much of the Triduum as your schedule allows.?

CHURCH TOUR, April 9 after morning worship.? A member of Building and Grounds will have keys in hand to give a tour of our church building after the Palm Sunday service.?? You are invited to come and see, whether it is your first visit to our church or if you?ve attended for years and years.? The tour will start from the pulpit area of the sanctuary and should last about fifteen minutes.?

ADULT STUDY CLASS – SCIENCE AND RELIGION SERIES. Please join us on Tuesday, from 10:00 to 11:30 am as we continue a new video series that will explore the interplay between science and religion.? In addition to a presentation and discussion, there will be coffee and snacks.?

YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO HOST A STRANGER…

The Organizing Committee of the Fourth Street Festival of the Arts and Crafts is seeking host homes for artists. Hosts would provide sleeping accommodations for artists the Friday and Saturday nights of Labor Day weekend (Sept 1 & 2.) ?No meals are necessary. Visit 4thstreet.org and click on “Would You Like to Host an Artist During the Show” for a short questionnaire regarding your home (space, pets, non-smoking etc.) This is an easy way to get to know someone from outside Bloomington, and get a glimpse into the life of a festival artist. Questions? Contact Elizabeth Busey (ebusey@yahoo.com or 812-345-3840.)

NEEDED COFFEE HOUR HOSTS ALL OF APRIL. One of the ways we build our community of faith is through our coffer hour or fellowship time immediately following Sunday services.? Hosts help with this important aspect of our community life by showing hospitality to members, friends, and guests of First United Church. ??Coffee hour hosts typically leave Sunday services at the end of the sermon to brew the coffee and put out the snacks.??The Church provides all supplies for coffee hour.? If you sign up for coffee hour, a friendly member of the Board of Christian Worship will explain where to find the supplies.

FRIDAYS AT FIRST UNITED?

Play Friday: Our next Play Friday will be on Friday, April 14 from 6-8 p.m. We will have a small indoor egg hunt and an Easter/spring related craft. As usual there will be an assortment of games to play and yummy pizza to eat! It helps with food planning if you can RSVP to Hopi Stosberg at hopi@stosberg.com or, if you are on Facebook, to the Facebook event page at: https://www.facebook.com/events/345435315857965/

Play Friday is a recurring family friendly event on the 2nd Friday of each month. This event is fun for all ages!

Just Friday: Our final Just Friday discussion in the series of stereotypes and bias will be on April 28 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. We will focus our media and discussion that night on the importance of communication between groups and methods of effective communication. Starting in May we will continue Just Friday discussions focused on a new justice related topic (TBA). Just Friday is an adult discussion group focused on discussing issues of justice. We meet on the 4th Friday of each month from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Desserts and drinks will be available, no childcare is provided.

MINISTER OF CARE FOR THE WEEK OF APRIL 09, IS NORA SULLIVAN.? A minister of care is a church volunteer who visits members in their home.