EASTER SUNDAY:

3/31/24

Centering Music:

Air from Water Music by Handel

Geoffrey Stemen, organ

Hymns:

UMH #302 Christ the Lord Is Risen Today vv. 1-4

UMH #304 Easter People, Raise Your Voices

Scripture:

Mark 16:1-8

(8:30 a.m.) Ken Irby

(11 a.m.) Linda Brown

Sermon:

"Fully Alive While Dying"

Rev. Katie McKay Simpson

Offertory:

UMH #327 Crown Him with Many Crowns vv. 1 & 4

Postlude:

Allegro Maestoso from Water Music by Handel

Geoffrey Stemen, organ

Join Us Online on Our YouTube and Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/universitymethodist

https://www.youtube.com/uumcbr

Appointment of a New Associate Pastor:

Appointment of a New Associate Pastor

University United Methodist Church

March 28th, 2024

Beloved,

I hope this letter finds you in a centered place in your mind and spirit as we all prepare to observe Holy Week— Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday together. I know some of you will be joining us for services in person and online, and others on vacation, or traveling to see family. However you choose to celebrate, I pray that this rich and powerful story of God‘s love found in Christ’s sacrifice reigns in your hearts and brings you peace wherever you and your loved ones can be found.

I'm writing to you because I have some good news to share! Bishop Delores Williamston and our District Superintendent, Rev. Karli Pidgeon have chosen to appoint Reverend Mary Rachel Moore as our new Associate Pastor effective July 1, 2024. Mary Rachel will be serving part-time in our congregation and part-time at the Wesley Foundation as its new Director. Mary Rachel is no stranger to University United Methodist Church as you can see from her biographical description included below, she is an alum of LSU and was a part of our worshipping community in the early 2000s. I have spoken with Mary Rachel briefly, and she is excited about this new chapter in her ministry and for the life of her family. 

I am so thankful to the Bishop and our Cabinet for understanding this as the right time to invest valuable resources into our church for this critical and exciting moment in the life of our Vision process. Through this appointment, we will officially re-engage our relationship with the Wesley Foundation of LSU, expand our opportunities for worship leadership, deepen our reach in congregational care, and continue building a dynamic staff team for ministry that holds great promise for the future.

I know you may have questions. I assure you, there will be more information in the coming days, not only about our plans to welcome her and what impact this addition to our team will make. For now, your Staff Parish Relations Committee and I ask that you begin praying for Mary Rachel, Shane, and their two boys, Jack and James as they begin this transition in their lives together.

We continue to be a church with open hearts and an outward faith! May we trust in God that this change among others will help us to carry on that work with greater capacity and possibilities for the shared journey ahead.



With gratitude and great hope,

Reverend Katie McKay Simpson

Click Here to Read the Introduction from Reverend Mary Rachel Moore

LABYRINTH WALKS:

For worship on Good Friday, we are partnering with University Presbyterian Church to continue the story. Join us at 6:30 p.m. in the UUMC Sanctuary. During this service, we will reflect upon the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus. Members of UUMC and UPC along with the UUMC and UPC choirs, will lead us through the lessons.

Easter Sunday:

As we prepare for Easter Sunday together, let us take a moment to reflect upon all this week has to offer. On Easter Sunday, we gather for worship at 6 a.m., 8:30 a.m., and

11 a.m. At 9:30 a.m., we will gather in the Fellowship Hall to enjoy an Easter Brunch. All are invited to bring a dish to share amongst friends. We look forward to spending Easter with you and your family.

Stations in the Street:

Throughout Holy Week, until March 30th, we invite you to experience the Stations of the Cross, which is a practice of pilgrims retracing Jesus' actual final steps from Jerusalem to the place where he was crucified. For people who couldn't make it to Jerusalem, churches began offering stations of meditation to reflect on those final moments of Jesus' life. 

This artwork by Scott Erickson will be featured alongside the front of UUMC and we invite all to engage to participate in this meaningful practice.

The invitational video linked here is a great way to get more information about Stations of the Cross. Share this video with anyone who you think may connect with this meaningful practice.

Parents & Professional Social:

Due to scheduling, the social scheduled for April 7th will no longer be taking place. Save this calendar for our upcoming socials remaining this year as we plan to continue this way of connecting.

If you have any questions about attending please email Lauren LeBoeuf at lauren@universitymethodist.org

Practicing Resurrection:

Join us through April for a series on why the gift of Christ’s resurrection matters in our daily lives. This reality invites us to have hope, allows us to see beyond the boundaries life gives us, and reminds us of the way we are called by God to lead in the world. Our accompanying weekly devotional guide will be available on our website and in the bulletin.

Check out the leaders of our services this month:

April 7th - Rev. Ken Irby (Communion Sunday)

April 14th- Rev. Katie McKay Simpson

Preview of UMC General Conference at 9:45 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall

April 21st- Members of our Youth Group (Youth and Senior Sunday)

April 28th - Dr. John Fletcher (Laity Sunday)

United Methodist Church:

Want to know what is happening in the life of the United Methodist Church?

Rev. Katie is a clergy delegate for General Conference 2024. She is one of three clergy that is a delegate from the Louisiana Annual Conference. One of the main topics being discussed is the Regionalization of the United Methodist Church. To learn more about this, click here.

Have questions about how this affects UUMC? Leave your questions in our UMC General Conference 2024 Google Form!

Youth Volunteer Opportunity:

Are you looking for meaningful volunteer or service opportunities? The Youth Ministry at UUMC is looking for people to donate snacks or to provide a meal for our young people. A heart for service and passion for people are all we require.

Here is a list of suggested snack ideas to help get the ideas going:

• Individually wrapped snacks are best. (ex. multi-packs of chips, granola bars, protein bars, etc.)
• Individually portioned drinks (ex. Caprisun pouches, canned sodas, Koolaid pouches, apple juice bottles, orange juice bottles, etc.)
• If there are nuts or peanut butter, please have that specified.

Want to provide a full meal? Sign up here under the Snack/Supper Volunteer slot.

Bring any snack donations to the church office with a note that says it is for the Youth Ministry.

Your willingness to serve the next generation strengthens the fabric of us all. Thank you in advance.

Joseph LeBoeuf

Director of Youth Ministries

youth@universitymethodist.org

Suicide Prevention and Intervention Walk:

Rise Against Hunger 2024:

For those of you who are not familiar with Rise Against Hunger, it is an organization that sends individually packed meals to people throughout the world. Rise Against Hunger meals represent the hopes and dreams of people worldwide. Volunteers, such as ourselves, are the heart of Rise Against Hunger’s mission to end hunger. The organization sends millions of pre-packed meals around the globe each year. 

Come and join us for this fulfilling event. Let’s do our part to help end hunger!

Use the following link to sign up: https://rah.my.salesforce-sites.com/events/homepage?id=7018c000001DmhfAAC

To learn more about Rise Against Hunger click here. More information will be available soon for all who plan to participate in this mission.

LSU Fun Day:

Mark your calendars! Our students deserve some fun! Join us on April 27th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Roux 61 for the LSU Student Fun Day. We will enjoy lunch together and then the fun begins! More information will be available soon.

Annual Easter Egg Hunt:

Our annual Easter Egg Hunt was a blast! We enjoyed ice cream and played some fun games together. A family who lives nearby even won the giant jelly bean filled with jelly beans for a lifetime! We truly enjoyed meeting all the families whom we have yet to connect with and spending time with our familiar friends and family members. Thank you to all who made this day possible and we can't wait till the next event of fun.

Kids Hope:

Our 5th grade Garden Team is hard at work potting up basil, mint, cilantro, dill, zinnias, and cosmos to sell at our upcoming Garden Party! They can’t wait to show you our garden on April 12th.

Louisiana Inspired Book Club discusses 'Braiding Sweetgrass'

Listen to the video linked above as McKinley Elementary Teacher of the Year, Kylie Altier, speaks from the heart about the impact our garden had on her students’ education. She begins speaking at about 17 minutes into the video.

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Garden Party which will celebrate two big events for our church: our 40th year as Partners in Education with McKinley Elementary and the Grand Opening of our fabulous new school garden that the students named the Jaguar Jungle.

The seeds that we have faithfully sown together over the last 40 years through countless hours of volunteering, student/teacher support, and prayers lead us to these momentous milestones. 

We hope to see you all there!

Shirley Flake

Kids Hope Director

Employment Opportunities at UUMC:

UUMC will be hiring a new Director of Children's Ministry this spring. If you are interested in the position, please use the link below to see the full job posting on the UUMC Website. Directions to apply are included in the job posting.

Director of Children's Ministry -Job Posting

Prayer List:

Bobbie Barbier, Brother Cliff King, Kari Behan, Robert Blackledge, Marc Blackwell, Myrtle Branning, Doug and Gail Braymer, Bob Buchanan, Beth Courtney, Blaire Dickey, Janet Grace, Kerry Hawkins, Kristine Hawkins, Elliot Irby, The Family of Arnold Jackson, Linda & Ulysses Joseph, Dana and Curt Kinard, Katie Love, Rev. Mary Rachel Moore and Family, Sonni Muller, Sally Perry, Jan Phillips, Cristy Reed, Vanessa and Brooklyn Rives, Jessica Roux’s Ukrainian Host Family, Jessie and Herbert Sibley, Leah Stewart and Family, Mary Tinsley, Jim Traynham, Garrett Ward, Wesley Foundation Leadership all of those in our congregation who are in nursing homes or homebound.