Dear Friends and Family of Sedona UMC:

Spring is in the air and activities are a fever pitch right now with Easter just around the corner! What an incredible  weekend we have in store for you—Ready? Here we go—

We begin Saturday morning April 1st—NO FOOLING! We will gather beginning at 9a.m. at the church and each hour until Noon send groups out into the neighborhoods surrounding the church to pray for our neighbors while we enjoy the beautiful weather and get some exercise. No special training needed—just show up and we will point you in the right direction and you can silently pray as you walk for the people surrounding the church. This is so powerful—people won’t know how or why but they will feel our prayers—guaranteed! This activity has made an amazing difference in multiple lives and communities around other churches we have served—I have personally heard the testimonies!

Sunday morning— Pastor Fred continues a Lenten Sermon Series—“He Chose the Nails” in a sermon entitled “He Chose to Love Us!” Discover again God’s Gift of amazing love shown to us through His only Son Jesus Christ—See the lengths which God continues to go to ensure we would always know and remember his amazing affection for all of creation. We will culminate our worship by celebrating Holy Communion and all are welcome at the Table of Christ!

Immediately following worship we will gather together in our Fellowship Hall for a delicious lunch featuring barbequed pulled–pork sandwiches, potato salad, coleslaw, chips, and great desserts. The SET and Worship Teams have been cooking and preparing all week for this so don’t miss it—and invite your family and friends.

And as if that weren’t enough—after lunch at 12:30 PM we return to the sanctuary for the much anticipated encore performance of the award winning group Crosby Lane out of Nashville Tennessee. This is a 45 minute to 1 hour worship/concert you won’t want to miss—and invite, pick up, and bring your friends and neighbors. CD’s will be available for purchase. Please come and let’s welcome them in a BIG way—the band has travelled many miles to share God’s message and music with us.

A tremendous amount of prayer and effort has gone in to planning and making this weekend possible. It really is a great opportunity to invite, pick-up, and bring neighbors, friends, and family. I have invited a number of guests myself for Sunday and anticipate many will come. And I am counting on all of you to help me by going the extra mile—maybe even stepping out of your comfort zone by inviting and bringing a guest or two with you. I believe there is not a finer church or congregation in the Sedona or the Verde Valley and if people come and give us a try—we will grow in amazing ways and we will honor and glorify God by “Making Disciples’ of Jesus Christ for the Transformation of the World.

I can’t wait!—I look forward to making it a great weekend alongside all of you—

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Fred