Holy Week services mark run- up to Easter

Holy Week services mark run- up to Easter

news@theeveningtimes.com

About 200 folks congregated at the Marion United Methodist Church (MUMC) Monday at noon to observe Holy Week. The West Memphis and Marion Ministerial Fellowship sponsored the event and Missouri Street Church of Christ Pastor Mike Seale delivered the message.

MUMC Pastor Robert Cloniger hosted the event and extended greetings.

“I am grateful that you all have come to spend this lunch hour worshipping our Lord and Savior, remembering his death, burial and awesome resurrection that we will celebrate this Sunday,” said Cloniger.

The offering went to the ministerial fellowship’s benevolence fund. Calvary Baptist Pastor Gary Hair explained the love offering and men from the 8th Street Mission for Jesus Christ served as ushers and passed the plates.

“We use this offering to help travelers coming through and for other benevolent needs here in West Memphis,” said Hair.

“We try to be very careful stewards of it.”

Fitting for Holy Week, Seale turned to one of the great Christologies in the New Testament. After reading from the second chapter of Philippians and providing pertinent background leading to the occasion of the letter, Seale zeroed in on a refrain which he regular strummed like a bass instrument to effectively punctuate the message.

Appealing to Paul’s purpose in writing to the Philippians, Seale appealed to 4:9, “The things you have learned and seen in me, practice these things, do and the peace of will be

with you.”

“Are your practicing the things you’ve learned” Seale asked as he began the beat.

Seale wondered if people today practiced prayer and praising in times of adversity like Paul and Silas did inside the Philippian jail.

He preached pointing out the joy of salvation brought to the entire household of the jailer, then drew a contemporary comparison and contrast.

“Have you learned that God always finishes what he started in salvation,” asked Seale. “What happens to us when we live our lives in such a way as we say Jesus is not enough,” asked Seale. “Are you practicing the things you’ve learned and seen? Think about that. Do we live our lives as if Jesus is not enough?”

While Seale set a highwater mark with his Monday

the runoff results.

sermon, local lunchtime Holy Week observances are scheduled at different churches each day featuring a variety of preachers.

Calvary Baptist Church opens its doors today with 8th Street Mission Pastor Larry Brown bringing the word. On Thursday Josh Hall will be heard at the Missouri Street Church of Christ. Hall is the Associate Pastor at West Memphis First Baptist. Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church holds the Good Friday Observance featuring Pastor Fr. Charles Thessing of St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church.

All services start promptly at 12:05 p.m.

By John Rech