ESUMC Update

Dear friends in Christ,

I pray that God's blessings and peace have been upon you and your loved ones in this holy season of Lent. May this time of repentance and renewal refresh your spirits and remind you of the merciful love of God.

Below you will find information and updates regarding our ministry this month. Please allow me to highlight the following:

• This Sunday, 17 March at 10:30, we will celebrate a special joint worship service with our fellow Christians from the Fünfhaus Gemeinde. Joining us for worship shall be members of the UMC Central Conference Executive Committee who will be meeting in our building during the week. Our guest preacher shall be Bishop Stefan Zürcher, the newly elected bishop for our episcopal area. Special music will be offered by our African Singers and Drummers. We ask ESUMC members and friends to bring finger foods to share during the fellowship hour after worship.
• On Saturday 23 March, all are invited to participate in "Growing Together: A Study of First Corinthians," a spiritual retreat to bless our Lenten journey, to be led by the Revd Dr. Robert Kinney and sponsored by the ecumenical English-speaking community in Vienna. ESUMC is the host for this event; details can be found below. Registration closes this Sunday 17 March.

And during Holy Week, we shall gather for worship at ESUMC as follows:

• Sunday 24 March at 11:15, Palm Sunday with the procession of the palms
• Thursday 28 March at 18:30, Maundy Thursday service of Footwashing and Holy Communion
• Friday 29 March at 12:30, Ecumenical Good Friday service (at Christ Church Anglican, Jaurèsgasse 17-19, 1030 Vienna)
• Friday 29 March at 17:30, Good Friday service
• Saturday 30 March at 20:00, lighting of the Holy Fire in the church courtyard
• Sunday 31 March at 11:15, Easter Sunday service of Holy Communion

Join us for worship in this holy season, and may the peace of Christ be with you all.

Yours in Christ, Pastor John