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Senior Pastor News

Posted by blaineoffice on Mar 28, 2023 in Church News & Events, Lenten Season, Pastors' Columns, Photos, Sunday Worship, Weekly Calendar

**Easter Egg Hunt |** Last year’s Easter Egg Hunt was welcomed with excitement after two years of not having an egg hunt due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We look forward to your participation at this year’s Egg Hunt in the Courtyard!

New life is all around us!

By Rev. Karen Yokota Love, additional photos courtesy of Wikipedia

The season of Lent is coming to an end; the days are getting longer, the sun is shining more, the cherry blossoms are in full bloom, and signs of new life are starting to appear all around us. For Christians, the season of Lent prepares us to receive new life, in particular, one that we experience in the resurrection of Jesus celebrated on Easter Day. New life is all around us as Blaine Memorial UMC reignites activity through our many ministries! The campus is full of activity as gather together as a faith community while outside groups are utilizing our campus. The vibrancy at Blaine is energizing. Sukiyaki Dinner preparations are underway and we are thrilled to announce joyfully that we will host a Sukiyaki Take-Out Event on Saturday, April 29 from 2pm-6pm!

As we close-in to the end of this 40-day Lenten journey, the walk of Holy Week draws us deeper into the story of God’s profound love for the world. We will journey through the events of Palm Sunday and Maundy Thursday when our emotions will range from gleeful joy to humble wonder to dark sadness. Good Friday will bring us to the broken, pain-filled sorrow of death.

On Easter Day, the resurrection of Jesus Christ reveals God’s gift to us in the truth of the new life of Jesus: the truth that God is a God of love who walks with us and brings us to a place of wholeness, a place of possibility, a place of new life. New life that is grounded in hope and compassion. New life that is deeply connected to God’s love and passionate about sharing that love with the world. New life that reveals God’s justice in ways that transform not only our lives, but the whole world.

I invite you to join us in the rituals of Holy Week!

Palm Sunday

April 2, 2023 at 10am

Celebrate Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem with palm fronds!

Good Friday

April 7, 2023 at 7pm

Will will remember Jesus’ sacrifices and unwavering love for us. It will be wonderful to worship, collaborate, and reunite with our friends from Japanese Baptist Church. Join us at 6pm for a simple soup supper meal.

Easter Sunday

April 9, 2023 at 10am

Celebrate the resurrected Christ with song and word! Bring flowers for the flowering of the Cross before worship. Children and youth are invited to an Easter Egg Hunt in the Social Hall.

Peace to you during this Lenten and Easter season. My prayer: may your life be transformed by the new life of Jesus, by God’s justice, by God’s love and passion, and by this truth: Alleluia, Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!

More news from our Senior Pastor

For the first time in a long time, the New Federation of Asian American United Methodist Caucus (NFAAUM) met on March 2, 2023 for a NFAAUM General Assembly Meeting in Nashville, Tenn. at the GCFA Denman Building. This was the first time the group met in person in more than seven years. We discussed a new name change, financial matters an implications and the future of a vibrant church. NFAAUM is one of the five officially recognized racial ethnic caucuses of The United Methodist Church and seeks to empower and advocate on behalf of Asian American United Methodist laity, clergy, local congregations, and ministries at all levels of The United Methodist Church. Rev. Karen is the chair of the National Japanese American United Methodist Caucus.