Rev Dr. David King is a our guest preacher this week as we celebrate communion together.

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I am out of the office for a few days visiting my daughter Paige. She is running the princess half marathon at Disney World on Sunday. She invited me out to be her race support and how could I pass up the possibility to be at Cinderella's Castle at 6am to cheer her on? 

Disney has been a place our family has gone regularly thought out the years. We mostly went to Disneyland because my dad's family was from California. The picture at the top of the article is from a 1979 visit where I got my first Mickey ears.

Every time I go on a Disney experience I am reminded about all the other times.  There are layers of memories and family and stories. Thinking about little Paige’s obsession with all of the Disney Princess barbies, who needed to be put in the pajamas my mom sewed for them each night and then sung a lullaby. Remembering our Disney cruise celebrating my mom’s 70th birthday and my 40th. Thinking about Disneyland Paris and the French miscommunications we had.

The same happens with our faith. The churches we have attended, the classes where we have learned, the Christmas Eve services shared with friends and loved ones all build a network of story and knowledge and memory. Lent is a time when we focus on our faith and giving some quality time to our faith formation. It’s sort of like my trip to Disney World this week. This is a season to strengthen and grow, to build new experiences and deepen our relationships.

I hope you find ways these week to dwell in the goodness of God and to remember to tend to strengthening your faith.

Blessings,

Pastor Eilidh

Each week during Lent, we’ll introduce a new devotional to complement our Lenten series, The Dirty Work of Hope.

A word from Friends of Trees and important volunteer information can be found on the event page on our website. Please click the "Read More" button below to learn how you can support this wonderful annual event at VanFUMC this Saturday. 

Join us as we work on the church grounds from 9am to noon on Saturday March 28th. 

Feel free to bring your own tools if you'd like. Help us make the grounds sparkle! 

Coffee & donuts will be provided. 

All skill sets welcome! 

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Gene Walters passed away on Tuesday February 24th. 

We do not have any information at this time about a memorial service, but will provide updates as appropriate when we receive them. 

Celebrate Easter by taking home a colorful 4-inch spring flower for $10 after worship on Easter Sunday. Flowers may be dedicated in honor or in memory of a loved one, and those names will be printed on Easter Sunday. To participate, contact the church office or leave a note with your payment in the offering plate. Orders must be received by March 18, so be sure to sign up soon!

Have you noticed fewer or irregular emails from the church recently? You aren’t alone.

Our tech support team shared that within the last month and a half, several major email providers (including Gmail, MSN, Hotmail, Live.com, and Yahoo, as well as a few international providers) implemented a large security update. Typically, these companies notify third-party platforms—such as our website provider, Mailchimp, and others—before making changes so adjustments can be made in advance. Unfortunately, this time no advance notice was given.

As a result, many third-party platforms are currently experiencing issues with emails not being delivered. They are actively working with these major email providers to resolve the situation, but it may take some time to fully sort out.

In the meantime, if you’re not seeing our weekly newsletter in your inbox, you can always access it on our website under the “News” section. From there, you’ll find all recent issues available to view.

Learn more about this month's action steps and how the Christian community sees all human beings as equal and precious.