April 18, 2025
Dear Peachtree Road Family,
I hope you are well. Let me begin this week’s note by thanking all who participated in last week’s Palm Sunday celebration at Peachtree Road UMC. Our sanctuary was filled with worshipers at four services with nearly 2,000 persons present (we even ran out of worship bulletins!) and another 1300+ worshiping by livestream; we received 59 members of this year’s Confirmation Class at the 10:00 am service in the sanctuary; 9 new members joined our church at the 11:15 am service in the sanctuary; and an overflow crowd of over 500 joined us for a delicious meal and great fellowship afterward in Grace Hall. The day exceeded all our expectations! Thank you! What other church has a live donkey leading the procession? The energy you brought to worship made it a Palm Sunday to remember. We are now set up for an exciting Easter celebration.
We will bring the season of Lent to a close later today at the Community Good Friday Service at 12:00 noon at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. Members from Christ the King Roman Catholic, New Hope African Methodist Episcopal, Second Ponce de Leon Baptist, and Wieuca Road Baptist will join those from Peachtree Presbyterian and us for a somber ecumenical service. We will be considering the journey of Christ to the cross, and each church’s minister will offer a reflection on a reading. I hope you will join us for this particularly meaningful time of worship and prayer with our friends from throughout the community.
The Annual Peachtree Road UMC Easter Egg Hunt will take place on Saturday, April 19, at the home of Bob Hill from 10:00 am until 12:00 noon. All families with children between the ages of 1 and 5th grade are invited to participate in the hunts that are being held throughout our campus. I understand the Easter Bunny will make an appearance, and we will have inflatables, a petting zoo, bounce houses, and inflatable slides in addition to egg hunts on site. Fifth graders will have their own scavenger hunt. Please bring the whole family.
On Easter Sunday morning, we will gather to celebrate the Resurrection – God’s decisive act that, for all time, conquers sin and death. We especially need the message of Easter in the midst of the economic uncertainty of these days. The services will feature a joyous procession as we sing “Christ the Lord is Risen Today,” a stirring anthem by the Chancel Choir accompanied by the Atlanta Brassworks (the anthem actually is the world premiere of a piece commissioned for this occasion by our member Warren Kinnett II for the Peachtree Road Chancel Choir and Scott Atchison), and the singing of “The Hallelujah Chorus” at the close of worship. We will be offering four services on Sunday:
6:30 am – Sunrise Service beginning in the Columbarium
8:15 am – Easter Festival Worship in the Sanctuary
9:45 am – Easter Festival Worship in the Sanctuary
11:15 am – Easter Festival Worship in the Sanctuary
| Please note the times for these services as they are a departure from our regular Sunday services. They are set to provide an extended time for the changeover between services as folks find parking and attend the service that best suits their schedule. Several Special Notes for Easter: Complimentary Continental Breakfast – after the Sunrise Service, breakfast will be available in Grace Hall for worshipers from 7:00 am until 7:45 am. Online Worship – if you are unable to attend one of our Easter services in person, I certainly hope you will join members of your church family at Peachtree Road UMC online at www.prumc.org. All services will be broadcast live and available later in the week. Easter Cross of Flower Cuttings – covering the cross in front of the church on Peachtree Road with flowers is an Easter tradition that is enjoyed by our whole community. It is a stunning symbol of the Resurrection and testifies to our faith in Christ. This year, we are asking you to participate by bringing your fresh-cut flowers, greenery, and flowering branches to the front of the church on Saturday, April 19, between 9:00 am and 12:00 noon. Drive up in front of the church (on Peachtree), and volunteers will receive your cuttings. Thank you for your participation in this Easter tradition! The Lenten Offering – in recent years, we have been designating the Lenten Offering to provide financial support for some of our ministry partners here in the Greater Atlanta community. Your gift will help a child have food to eat; a veteran struggling with addiction to find hope and help; a single parent to have a place to call home; and a returning citizen to receive a job and life skills that will restore self-esteem. I challenge each of you to give a gift of $200 or more to this year’s offering (that’s just $5 a day for each of the 40 days in Lent!). Please join us in supporting our vision of a better Atlanta. You may make your check payable to Peachtree Road UMC, mark it for the “Lenten Offering,” and mail it to the church office, or give online here. Thank you for your generous support. Together, we are changing lives! Invite Others to Worship with You this Sunday – recent surveys of Americans have found that the uncertainty of our time has left people searching for something that will anchor their lives. They are looking for a reminder that “the worst thing is never the last thing.” They need the inspiration of Easter. Think about someone who might need to hear that good news, and encourage them to worship with you this Easter at Peachtree Road UMC. Thank you for all you are doing. Thank you for your participation in worship, your fervent and regular prayers on behalf of others, your compassionate service and acts of kindness to strangers, and your generous sharing of your resources in the name of Christ. I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday as we celebrate together the Resurrection. Grace and peace, Bill |