Holy Week Services and Activities

Tuesday March 30:

Bible Study at Gloria's house in Amesbury at 7pm. Call the church for directions.

Quilt Group at church at 7pm

Thursday April 1:

Choir rehearsal 3-4pm

Emotions Anonymous 7-8pm

Joint Maunday Thursday Service at Merrimacport UMC at 7pm

Friday April 2:

Special Service to remember the Last Words of Christ at 1:45 - 3pm

Saturday April 3:

The church will be open from 8am to 8pm for prayer and reflection

Sunday April 4:

Easter!

Sunrise service at Carey Park in Merrimacport

9am Worship at People's

Bible Study March 9

March 9 (Tuesday) Bible Study will be at Jane's house, 22 Parker Ridge, at 7pm.

March 14 Worship at the Sullivan Building

Join us at 2pm on March 14 at the Sullivan Building in Newburyport for a special worship service!

March 2010

Tuesday March 2:

There will be Bible Study at 4:30pm at LeeAnn's home. There will also be Bible Study at Beverly's home at 7pm. Both groups are starting Growing Older and Wiser.

Regular weekly events:

• The Angel Gabriel Quilters meet Tuesdays at 7pm at the church.
• Emotions Anonymous meets Thursdays at 7pm at the church
• The Choir rehearses at 3pm on Thursdays at the church.
• A special Cantata choir rehearses at 4pm on Sundays at the church. They will present a Palm Sunday Cantata on March 28.

Upcoming Sermons:

March 7 (Third Sunday of Lent): Praying from the Belly of the Great Big Fish - Jonah 2:1-10

March 14 (Fourth Sunday of Lent): The God of the Second Chance - Jonah 3:1-4

March 21 (Fifth Sunday of Lent): About Face! - Jonah 3: 5-10

March 28 (Palm Sunday): We will celebrate Jesus' entry into Jerusalem with Palms, then end the service with preparation for Jesus' trials on the cross.

Lenten Events:

April 1: Maunday Thursday service at Merrimacport UMC at 7pm

April 4: Sunrise Service at Carey Park in Merrimacport at 6:15am

April 4: Easter Worship Service at 9am at People's UMC

January 2010

We have welcomed the First Church of Christ - Scientist Newburyport to our building. They meet at 11am on Sundays and on Wednesday evenings. We enjoyed meeting together over coffee in January, and are so happy to be able to provide them a temporary facility.

We are collecting supplies and cash donations to send Health Kits to Haiti through UMCOR. Joan Eaton is leading this effort. So far she and her family have assembled 56 kits that are ready to send!

Be sure to tune into the Opportunity Works Lend-a-Hand Auction on February 20 to see Pastor Pam auction off items from our sponsored table.

THANK YOU to the Newburyport Five Cent Savings Bank for your generous grant sponsoring one month of meals for the Meals on Wheels program.

Bible Study will be meeting at Beverly's house, 25 Parker Ridge, on Tuesday at 7pm. There is also a Bible Study at LeeAnn's house at 4pm followed by prayer shawl group meeting at the church at 7pm.

Spring into Ministry at PUMC

As spring arrives in Newburyport, our church is responding! Our new sign has been delivered and will be installed this month, allowing us to finish our landscaping project. As you may have seen in the Newburyport Daily News, church member Joan Eaton continues to sew school bags and collect supplies for children in Africa. The Wednesday weekly Bible Study group continues to read The Shack, while our smaller monthly group studies Psalm 23. We are inspired by our vision to live out our faith each day.

May 3: Communion and Semon: "Tough Love"

May 5: Bible Study at LeeAnn's, 4:30 pm, followed by Prayer Shawl group at 7pm at the church

May 6: Bible Study at Beverly's house at 7pm

May 10: Mother's Day service, blessing for our youth participating in the 30-hour Famine

May 17: Sermon: The "Kirk" of Jesus Christ (includes a short video from Star Trek)

May 24: Sermon: Our Love

May 31: Pentecost! The congregation is invited to wear red today. Sermon: A Violent Wind

For those who would prefer a weekday service, the Merrimacport United Methodist Church (also served by Pastor Pam) will start meeting on Tuesday evenings at 7pm.

Holy Week

During Holy Week (April 5 - 12) we will be offering several opportunities for reflection, prayer, fellowship and celebration.

April 5: Palm Sunday worship, 9am. This is an especially good service for children, who will receive a Palm Branch and learn about Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem

April 5: Choral Cantata, 5pm, First United Methodist Church in Amesbury (146 Main St
Amesbury, MA 01913). The Hopeful Cluster of Churches (Byfield Community UMC, East Parish UMC in Salisbury, First UMC in Amesbury, Good Shepherd UMC in Haverhill, Merrimacport UMC and People's UMC in Newburyport) will present Worthy! by Marty Parks. This is a free event, and a wonderful way to kick off Holy Week! A reception and fellowship time will be held after the concert.

April 9: Maunday Thursday service will be held at Merrimacport UMC (39 High Road, the corner of River Rd and High Street, Merrimacport, MA) at 7pm. This service will focus on the Last Supper and Jesus' preparation for the crucifixion

April 10 - 11: A vigil will be held from noon on Good Friday through Saturday night, the time when Jesus was in the tomb. The sanctuary will be draped in black and the church will be open for personal prayer, reflection, reading devotionals and quiet meditation. Sign up for a half hour or longer by calling the church office.

April 12: PUMC's Easter Celebration Service will be held at 9am. There is also an Easter Sunrise Service (~6:00am) held at Carey Park in Merrimacport.