April 1, 2007

Morning Worship

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-11 (Scripture Reader: Arlene Groen)
Lenten Sermon Series: "The Madness of the Gospel"
Message: “The Madness of the Humble King” (Pastor Jeff)
Offering: Unity Ministries
Lead Worshiper(s): Bryan De Groot

WELCOME TO UNITY CHURCH! “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless him. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” - Psalm 118:24-29
Today begins our celebration of the passion of Jesus. This is Palm Sunday, the day we reflect on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before he went to the cross. Because of his obedience even to death, we worship this king who demonstrated for us what it means to be truly humble. May we have the same mind and attitude as that of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Passion Week Worship

We will remember and reflect on the death of Christ on Good Friday, April 6. As part of our worship together we will be participating in Communion. This will be in place of our regular practice of having Communion on the second Sunday of the month. We will not be taking the Lord’s Supper on Easter Sunday.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR

150th Anniversary of the CRC Sesquicentennial Celebration
April 22 at 4:00pm at Willmar Evangelical Free Church

The Weekly Calendar

View The Monthly Church Calendar

Today (1st Sunday):
10:00am: Morning Worship
Children ages 3-preK and in K-1st grade will be invited by announcement to go to Children’s Church.
After Church - Kids’ Handbell Choir Practice (See Announcement)

Monday:
4:45pm: Worship Planning Meeting
7:00pm: Friendship Class, Lesson 2 at Willmar CRC

Tuesday:
9:30am: Ladies Bible Study

Wednesday:
7:00pm: Youth Group (9-12)
7:00pm: Ladies Bible Study
7:00pm: Men’s Jail Ministry
7:00pm: Men’s Wild at Heart 7:00pm: Cadets at First CRC

Thursday:
8:00pm: Gospel Class

Friday:
7:00pm: Good Friday Worship

Next Sunday (EASTER):
6:00am: Easter Sunrise Service at First Reformed - Willmar
8:45am: Adult Sunday School - Gospel Class at Duininck Bros
9:00-9:30: 3 years-3rd grade practice singing
9:30-9:50: 4 years-5th grade practice bells
10:00am: Morning Worship - No Children’s Church
6:30pm: Combined Easter Service at First CRC - Prinsburg

Reminder for Kids and Parents

Kids ages 4 years through 5th grade are playing the handbells on Easter morning! Please plan to stay after church TODAY to practice. We will also practice on Easter morning before church. Kids ages 3 years through 3rd grade have been practicing to sing in church on Easter morning!

Membership Class – After Easter

If you are interested in what it means to be a member of Unity Church, please join us for the next session of the Gospel Class. The three weeks after Easter we will explore the issues related to church membership and look at some of the specifics of being a member of this Church. You can choose to go to the class on either Thursdays at 8:00pm or Sundays at 8:45am - April 12 (or 15), 19 (or 22), and 26 (or 29).

CRC 150th Anniversary Celebration

“Grace Through Every Generation” is the theme for the 150th Anniversary of the Christian Reformed Church of North America. The celebration of “Remembering” will be Sunday, April 22 at 4pm at the Evangelical Free Church in Willmar.

CRC 150th Volunteers Needed

Unity needs a few volunteers for the Sesquicentennial service on April 22. Our deacons will be serving with the deacons from other churches. We also need two people to serve in the nursery with members of Raymond, Willmar, and Emden. We are also looking for anyone who is willing to help with clean-up after the service and fellowship time. If you would like to serve in any of these ways for our time of celebration, please contact the church office.

Solid Rock Youth Group Mission Trip 2007

July 14 - 22 we will be traveling to a Christian retreat center in a remote area NE of Salt Lake City, Utah to help with repairs and upkeep. We will also spend some time in the City. We will be partnering with Mountain Springs Community Church (Marion Menning, former Minnesota State Senator who some of you may know, is the pastor). We will be doing some physical labor, spending some time being educated on Mormon culture and how we as Christians can witness to Mormons, and taking time out for devotions and working to develop a more vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ. (Please note that youth group members will be writing fund raising letters in the next months asking for your support.)

SRYG Lock In

Solid Rock Youth Group lock in has been scheduled for the evening of April 20th through Saturday morning April 21st. Youth group members are asked to keep the date open--more information to follow.

Couples Needed To Host Dinner Guests!

Solid Rock Youth Group has an idea, and we want you to do it for us (typical teenage stuff huh!) We are looking for couples or a pair of single seniors that are willing to host a group of four youth for Sunday noon lunch on April 29th. We will provide you with a short discussion guide for use after lunch. This guide will help facilitate both a devotional time and some story sharing. Please inform Kirk Vander Pol (Unity) or Renae Kleinhuizen (Willmar) if you would be willing to volunteer to host a group of 4 youth.

YOUTH GROUP: Please remember to check out www.bigdig07.com.

THE GOSPEL CLASS

THURSDAY NIGHTS 8:00 P.M. OR SUNDAY MORNINGS 8:45 A.M.
Next Week: “Does it matter if Jesus really rose from the dead?”
Two Weeks: “What must you believe to be a Christian?”
Three Weeks: “What does it mean to be Reformed?”
An introductory look at the essential beliefs of the Christian faith. Each topic seeks to answer key questions about God and faith. You are invited to attend any session at any time. Readings are provided each week, which you may use as much or as little as you’d like. The goal of the class is: to know God better and have the gospel shape every part of our lives.

Prayer Corner:

The overall health of Jan deteriorated this week. Please be in prayer for Bob and the family. Please remember all those in need for healing in your daily prayers. If there is someone we should include (with their permission) as part of our prayer corner, please contact one of the pastors or the church office. Thank you.

GEMS Ladies Tea

The Ladies Tea is coming soon! Wednesday, April 11 at 3:30 p.m. Join us for an afternoon of food, fun, and fellowship. More details will be in your mailboxes soon.

Combined Choir Rehearsal

The combined choir for the CRC Sesquicentennial Celebration which is scheduled for April 22 will have another rehearsal on Sunday, April 15 at 4:00 PM in Prinsburg, and will be held at the CMCS Music Room. Mrs. Michelle Mulder will be the director. We are singing two songs, "Fairest Lord Jesus" and "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" and invite all those who enjoy singing to join us.

Senior Citizens “Fun Times”

Plan ahead if you missed the play “Church Basement Ladies”. We are offering another opportunity, Thursday, April 26th matinee. Its lots of laughter. Also, sometimes we like surprises so we have a “Mystery Trip” planned for June 12-16. There are some very interesting stops that the men will enjoy - we didn't forget the ladies! Please call Ardy for reservations.

West Central Christian Singles

We are attending "The Promise" pageant at the Willmar E-Free church on Friday, April 6, meeting in the church gathering area at 6:30pm and then going to McMillans afterwards for coffee/conversation. Each person will need a ticket for this event. The ticket is FREE, but is needed in order to attend. Tickets can be picked up at the Willmar Good News Bookstore, Willmar E-Free church or by emailing to wccs.willmar@yahoo.com. There will be a free-will offering at the event. (the pageant is on the life of Jesus Christ; there will be live animals too. The event after that will be movie night on Friday, April 27 @ 7:00 pm. We will see the movie, "One Night With The King". Cost is $2; pop and popcorn will be provided.

Good Friday Service

The Emden Christian Reformed Church in Renville invites you to their Tenebrae Service on Good Friday evening at 7:00 pm. The church choir will be presenting a sacred concert entitled "Shadows of Sacrifice". Please join us as we remember and experience our Lord's suffering and sacrifice for our sins. We will also be sharing Holy Communion together.

FRIENDSHIP BIBLE MINISTRY NEWS

We would like to invite anyone interested in getting involved in Friendship to come and visit one of our last meetings. There are many opportunities, Mentors, serving lunch, music, helping with our annual Retreat. We want to thank our faithful Mentors and Subs this year, and thanks to Marianne and Laura for leading our lessons. And thanks to all who support us with financial gifts and prayers. Monday night groups last meetings are, April 2, 16, and 30. The Tuesday night will meet every week in April. If you have any questions call Sandy Moorlag or Helene Dykstra.

Millions are Waiting! Bible Translation Banquet

You are cordially invited to join Peter & Sue Westrum for an evening of inspiration and insight as Sue shares about their 36 years in ministry of Wycliffe Bible Translation. Come Friday, April 27th, 7:00pm at the Kandi Entertainment Center. For banquet reservations and complimentary tickets please contact Lois Cook.