30 Mar Easter at Our Church: Roseville, Ontario

Randy Magnus (right), senior pastor, Roseville UB church (Roseville, Ontario)

For decades Roseville UB Church has partnered with Grace United Church around the corner (it used to be Evangelical United Brethren) to do an Easter sunrise service and breakfast. Normal attendance was 40-45 with 10-15 from our church. Grace closed last June, so we prayed about what to do on Easter this year.

Gerry Drews, our Men’s Ministry coordinator, suggested we move our scheduled men’s breakfast from March 20 to 9 am on Easter Sunday, and open it up to everyone. We had 112 show up for breakfast (our average attendance is about 90). Joel Plato, one of our young adults, gave a presentation about a mission trip he had participated in with Power to Change.

We then moved upstairs for our Easter worship celebration and focused on Jesus as the Giver of Life. With several more visitors in the crowd, we topped 120. Best of all, we had two adults make a decision to follow Christ! What a great day!

Tell us about the Easter season at your church.

30 Mar Easter at Our Church: Mt. Hermon UB in Pomeroy, Ohio

A crowded sanctuary at Mt. Hermon UB on Easter Sunday.

Adam Will, senior pastor, Mount Hermon UB Church (Pomeroy, Ohio)

At Mount Hermon, we began our Easter Sunday with a breakfast that was well attended. We then had a packed worship service with many guests and people who have not been frequently attending for some time. We had nearly 40 kids in our children’s ministry, who had an egg hunt following the service.

This year we used the Easter season not so much to be an outreach to those who aren’t saved, but to reach out to those who have “given up” on church. We really hit home how the resurrection is still relevant for us as Christ followers today.

Tell us about the Easter season at your church.

30 Mar Easter at Our Church: Mt. Zion UB in Wayne, Ohio

Mark Ralph (right), senior pastor, Mt. Zion UB church (Wayne, Ohio)

On the Thursday evening before Easter, Mt. Zion hosted a Maundy Thursday service, with open communion from 6:30 – 8:00 pm. Many came and spent time either at the altar or in their seat to celebrate The Last Supper.

Our Good Friday service, at 7pm, was a wonderful time remembering what the cross meant to each of us personally.

We held our Easter morning Sunrise Service at 7 am. Songs of the faith and Scripture reminded us that Jesus is Alive! Breakfast followed our Sunrise Service. So many came that we had to set up more tables. That was a good problem.

Our 9:30 Easter service was packed with people, and filled with music and God’s Word.

30 Mar Easter at Our Church: Manchester, Pa.

Dawn Spangler, senior pastor, Strinestown UB church (Manchester, Pa.).

Strinestown UB Church celebrated Resurrection Sunday several ways. Our Sonrise Service included a drama by some of the women. The men cooked a pancake breakfast with all the trimmings. Our morning service used Luke 24:1-12 to focus again on the use of women to go and tell.

The climax came as we received six new members by profession of faith who have already been actively serving in the church. The children enjoyed an Easter egg Hunt following the morning service. The Holy Spirit has been anointing our services in a special way for the past few months. God is Good!

28 Mar Easter at Our Church: First UB in Columbus, Ohio

Al Carter (right), senior pastor, First UB church (Columbus, Ohio)

We experienced the most participants in an Easter Egg search in the last 20 years. Scripture verses were placed in the eggs along with candy. We also handed out bags to pick the eggs that contained information of church services and up-coming events. The Sunday morning service was well attended with several new attendants.

28 Mar Easter at Our Church: Renew Communities (Berea, Ohio)

Andy Sikora (right, senior pastor, Renew Communities (Berea, Ohio)

We had a wonderful time worshiping together and celebrating the resurrection! We used on John 16.33, with Jesus saying “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” We focused on the invitation Jesus extends to us as his followers to unite with him, take heart, and have peace.

We shared the video above of our friends from Renew, Neil & Katie Frohnapple. It tells about the troubles they’ve faced in this last year and how clinging to the resurrected Jesus has carried them through.