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We had a great Epiphany party after our joint service of Holden Evening Prayer at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church this evening. Here are some photos:
Pictures of Epiphany party
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Tag Archives: ecumenical
Epiphany Evening Prayer at St. Elizabeth’s
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Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church and St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church are teaming up to present an Epiphany service at 6:30pm on January 6. Epiphany celebrates the coming of the Magi (or “wise men from the East”) to visit Jesus when he was young, bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We’ll celebrate using Holden Evening Prayer.
Afterward, join us for an Epiphany party! We’ll have a traditional Epiphany “King Cake” and snacks, and one lucky person will be crowned the “King” of Epiphany! Kids will also have a chance to search the church for hidden treasures.
It’s going to be both fun and meaningful. Invite your friends and neighbors to join us on Friday night!
It’s Good to be Gathered!
Our Scattered and Gathered Worship Event was a great success, with visits to at least ten different congregations and a wonderful potluck dinner, worship service, and conversation that is helping us think carefully about hospitality and worship. I wrote some thoughts on the church website, so take a minute to look those over and offer your own observations in the comments section at the end of the article.
This Sunday, our worship team is back to bring us the Sunday Gathering we know and love. We’ll be concluding our five part series on “Big Questions for a New, Emerging Church” with How shall we live together?
Take a minute to think of someone you know – maybe a neighbor or a friend – who doesn’t currently have a church they attend, and invite them to join us Sunday morning for worship. The worst that could happen is they say “no,” and if they come they’ll get a chance to experience the community that you and I enjoy every week.
May you encounter Jesus in other people this week,
Pastor Ted Carnahan
P.S. – If you have a favorite Christmas Eve worship tradition, please share it with me by replying to this email. I can’t promise we’ll use every idea, but I’m curious about what you know and love.
Area churches benefit from new partnerships
Update: this release ran in the Holdrege Daily Citizen on Friday, November 18. Thanks, local newspaper!
PRESS RELEASE
Contact:
Pastor Ted Carnahan
ted@tedcarnahan.com
722 Fifth Ave
Holdrege, NE
Ph: 308-999-9027 (mobile)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Area churches benefit from new partnerships
Holdrege, Nebraska – November 17, 2011 – Local congregations are growing together through new partnerships that are drawing people together in service and learning. Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, a new mission church in Holdrege, has reached out to other local congregations as it develops its ministries.
“When our congregation was getting started, we didn’t have a suitable place to hold Sunday School,” said Pastor Ted Carnahan, mission developer at Spirit of Grace. “We were blessed when First Presbyterian Church offered to partner with us and let us participate in their Sunday School.” Since January, children and adults from Spirit of Grace have joined First Presbyterian’s Sunday School before walking across the street to the chapel of Holdrege Memorial Homes where they worship.
“Doing the joint Sunday School with Spirit of Grace has brought new life into our Sunday School programs,” said Rev. Dr. Kirwin Stewart, pastor of First Presbyterian. “It’s given us broader perspective on our Christian faith and has led to more variety and excitement.”
A new partnership between St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church and Spirit of Grace has led to the development of Grace Place, a community meal and children’s program on Wednesday nights. “We had the leadership and lots of volunteers who love kids, but we didn’t have the space to do a program like this. St. Elizabeth’s has a great facility and people who really care that children in our community receive the message of grace,” said Pastor Carnahan.
Spirit of Grace is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The denomination has full communion agreements with several American denominations, including the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), The Episcopal Church, and the United Methodist Church.
ABOUT SPIRIT OF GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH:
Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church is a synodically authorized worshiping community of the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. To find out more about Spirit of Grace Lutheran Church, you can visit their website at spiritofgraceholdrege.org.
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Scattered and Gathered: Recap
Last night we held our Scattered and Gathered Worship Event. Instead of coming to the chapel on Sunday morning, we asked our participants to scatter out into the surrounding community and attend worship in another congregation. Then, last night, we gathered for a potluck, a brief service of Holy Communion, and conversation around worship and hospitality. Here are some of my thoughts from the night:
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