On Sunday January 19, 1868, Pleasant Grove Methodist Episcopal Church was dedicated to be a “shining light for Christ to the community.” For 150 continuous years, Worship has been held every Sunday, where the Word of God has been shared by many pastors to thousands of people.
We are remembering and celebrating our past while boldly looking forward to the future. We trust that God will continue to raise up faithful disciples of Jesus so that our future is certain.
On New Year’s Eve 2017, we rang the steeple bell for the first time in over 40 years. It is exciting to hear the bell which was built in Baltimore, MD in 1892. Each Sunday a member of the congregation rings the bell.
During this year some of the former pastors of Pleasant Grove UMC will be speaking and helping us to re-remember our Christian legacy. As of this date, Rev. Dr. Sue Shorb- Sterling will be with us on February 25th. Rev. Chip Wright will be with us on March 11th and Rev. Carol Yocum will be with us on April 22nd.
Included in this newsletter is a calendar of events for our celebration. A key note is that Bishop LaTrelle Easterling of the Baltimore Washington Conference will be leading worship at 10:30AM on March 11, 2018.
I want to encourage all of you who have been affiliated with Pleasant Grove UMC to make a special effort to come to church and help us share the Word of God with the community as we celebrate the faithfulness of the founding families of our church.
Lent Feb 18th – March 18th
Lent is the span of time in the church calendar that starts with Ash Wednesday and ends with Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday commemorates the beginning of Jesus’ 40-day fasting and temptation in the desert, and Easter Sunday commemorates Jesus’ resurrection from the grave after his crucifixion. Lent, then, is generally observed as a time for Christians to reflect, repent, and pray as a way of preparing their hearts for Easter. It is commonly observed by many Christian denominations—Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, and others—although not every Christian church or denomination does so. Because Lent is not officially instituted in Scripture, observing it isn’t in any way a “requirement” of Christianity. However, Christians from many different theological persuasions choose to observe it as a way of focusing their thoughts on Jesus Christ during the Easter season.
Museum of the Bible
In mid-spring 2018, the UMW will sponsor a day trip to Washington DC to visit the new Museum of the Bible. Because of the enormous extent of the Museum of the Bible, we will only visit the museum and take a lunch break at the museum. Exact date and time and cost is still being determined. For any questions call Vola Osborn – 410-429-3922
What is the Museum of the Bible?
In November 2017, the Museum of the Bible, a 430,000- square-foot building, opened at 300 D Street in Washington, D.C. The museum houses thousands of pieces of biblical lore, including fragments from the Dead Sea Scrolls, pieces of papyrus displaying early copies of the New Testament, and Elvis Presley’s personal Bible, as well as a garden and Bible-themed restaurant at which biblical foods like date honey will be on the menu.
The exhibitions intend to offer a scholarly perspective on the impact of the Bible in history.
Each of the six floors in the museum contain a different exhibit which emphasizes different aspects of the Bible’s history or impact.
Bishop LaTrelle Easterling
Bishop Easterling is the first woman bishop to lead the 233-year-old Baltimore-Washington Conference. She was elected as a bishop in The United Methodist Church in July 2016.
An Indiana native, Easterling worked in the human resources field and as an attorney before being ordained a Deacon in 1995 and an Elder in 1997. She served at Union UMC in Boston’s historic South End, Pearl Street UMC in Brockton, Mass., and Old West Church, UM, in Boston. From 2012 to 2016, she oversaw 57 congregations as superintendent of the Metro Boston Hope District in the New England Conference. In 2016, she was named Dean of the Cabinet in the New England Conference.
She received a Bachelor degree from Indiana University and a Law degree from Indiana University School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude in 2004 with a Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology.
During her ministry, Bishop Easterling served as co-chair of the Board of Global Ministries, and as a delegate to the 2012 and 2016 General and Jurisdictional Conferences. She is a published author and frequent teacher and speaker.
She is described as an inquisitive, collaborative and transformational leader. Bishop Easterling is married to the Rev. Marion Easterling Jr., pastor of Wesley Grove UMC in Hanover, MD., and the former pastor of Parkway UMC in Milton, Mass. They have two sons, Garret Walter and Miles Teronza.
Bell Tower Project
Over the past several years, it has been our mission to renovate, repair and give a facelift to the Church building and the Social Hall. To that end, our last project of 2017 was the removal and reconstruction of the bell tower framework and bell framework to allow for the ringing of the bell. This project was completed in early December, 2017 and the bell was again functional. The bell was rung during the Christmas services.
– Pleasant Grove UMC Trustee