Listen now… 

Listen now…

Global Mission Emphasis video for February 19, 2012:

Listen now…

Global Mission Emphasis video for February 19, 2012:

Presented by Easter Community Theatre: “Godspell”
Directed by Jason Hansen and Kathryn Kidwell

Performances:

Thurs. April 19, 7:30 p.m.
Fri. April 20, 7:30 p.m.
Sat. April 21, 7:30 p.m.
Sun. April 22, 1 p.m.

Ticket Prices:

$8 for Adults
$6 for Students (12 and under) and Seniors (62 and older)

Purchase Tickets:

Tickets will be available between worship services (9:30-10 a.m. at Easter on the Hill and 10:30-11 a.m.
at Easter by the Lake, and after Saturday worship each weekend March 24 & 25 through April 14 & 15.

Auditions:
February 20-21, 6 p.m., Easter on the Hill  (map and directions)

Casting:
Adults and high school ages throughout the Twin Cities  List of characters
**Also looking for tech crew to get involved.

We will cast adults and high school students for all parts and a small ensemble of singers.  During the audition, you will be asked to read from a scene and sing a song from the show. No need to prepare anything in advance! Cast list will be posted here by Monday, February 27.

Rehearsals begin March 5 and will be held most weekday nights (except Wednesdays) from 7-10 p.m., with a slight ramp up before shows begin.

LIKE and SHARE “Easter Community Theatre” on Facebook!!

Contact Jason Hansen at 651-452-3680 or jason@easter.org if you have any questions.   Press Release

GODSPELL is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. 421 West 54th Street, New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-541-4684 Fax: 212-397-4684 www.MTIShows.com

John 5:1-18
5After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2Now in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate there is a pool, called in Hebrew Beth-zatha, which has five porticoes. 3In these lay many invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. 5One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; and while I am making my way, someone else steps down ahead of me.” 8Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” 9At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk. Now that day was a sabbath. 10So the Jews said to the man who had been cured, “It is the sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your mat.” 11But he answered them, “The man who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your mat and walk.’” 12They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Take it up and walk’?” 13Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had disappeared in the crowd that was there. 14Later Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “See, you have been made well! Do not sin any more, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath.

17But Jesus answered them, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” 18For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God.

Featured Book Study: Sundays – Worship, Dinner & Study - after 5 p.m. Benediction, Easter on the Hill

Additional Book Studies:

Mondays, 7-8:30 p.m., during Chick Talk, Easter on the Hill
(starting February 20)

Tuesdays, 9-10 a.m., Easter on the Hill (starting February 21)

Wednesdays after noon worship (with soup lunch),
Easter on the Hill (starting February 29)

Wednesdays, 6-7 p.m., Easter on the Hill (bring the kids to Church School and participate in the book study while you wait!) Done in time for mid-week 7 p.m. worship! (starting February 29)

Thursdays, 9:30-11 a.m., during Chick Talk, Easter by the Lake
(starting February 23)

Pick up a copy of the book in the church office for $15 or purchase from your favorite book seller (Amazon.com, bn.com, etc).

Christ’s Peace! A little report on our time with Pastor Mwafute, so you know what he’s been doing.

We picked him up from Jessica on Friday afternoon. Word is he likes McDonald’s, and hey, who wouldn’t? And, he rode a horse. He was in great spirits, and very interested in everything. And if there’s something we’ve got in America, it’s things. So – lots to talk about.

First, we took him to our kids’ school where he talked to the 2nd grade class. He did a good job of answering questions, and Sara did some helping to interpret what the kids were asking! I showed him the ice rink at the school, the chapel, etc., and he had some questions.

We came home and made some popcorn. He enjoys learning about how things work – the zamboni, the popcorn popper. He likes the popcorn – says it reminds him of home. Same with soup – at least, the chicken soup Sara made seemed to be a hit. Actually, he has eaten everything we’ve given him; I hope it’s not too much of a shock to his stomach.

From there, he went to Life Group at the Reishus’s, and I believe he got a good opportunity to share with that group about Tanzania with the help of some pictures and video. He was – as always – energized and positive when he got back. He had a full day!

Saturday, he went to see Annika at her circus class – and he saw the big top in full force, with everything from the trapeze to the high wire, unicycles, you name it. The circus is pretty impressive no matter who you are; he seemed most taken by the high wire. I showed him my bike rollers in the basement, and he took a picture. Again, mechanical marvels. He decided that our family likes to do dangerous things.

We visited with a seminarian at Luther (he came to our house) who grew up, in part, in Tanzania, and was eager to spend some time with Pastor Mwafute. Salim Khaderbaj is his name. We had a good time, and I think it was nice for the guys to spend some time talking in Swahili.

Salim mentioned to me afterwards that Pastor Mwafute was expressing several times his gratitude for all the hospitality everyone has shown him. This is apparent enough from what he says in English, but he wanted to reiterate it through Salim too. By this time, we too were grateful for his visit – he is great with our kids, and we really had lots of fun with him.

But we weren’t done. Salim mentioned too that he was eager to see ice fishing. Which makes sense – they fish, too; there’s a river not far from Nyanzwa, so it’s a familiar activity in a totally different setting. He and I got into the car and went looking for a lake. I had no specific plan for how to find one other than that it’s Minnesota, so I figured . . . And we ran across a lake with a family sitting out fishing in no time. This was a great experience – God took care of our itinerary throughout. We walked out to see them, and as expected they were friendly and happy to explain things. I took a picture of Pastor Mwafute drilling a hole in the ice using a manual ice drill/augur. He was very interested in all the equipment – tip-ups, drills, measuring the ice thickness.

So, the lake we wound up on was just across from an ice arena – I thought we would try to see some hockey. Well, we hit the jackpot. We saw some bandy (most Americans don’t even know what that is – the Roseville oval has one of the only bandy facilities in North America), but then we went inside to the hockey rink and saw the final period of a girls’ state tournament game. He enjoyed it – hockey is easy to understand. Again, he notes that it is dangerous. I think he figures we’re all violent and risk-obsessed. Anyhow, in about 30 minutes of girls’ high school hockey, we saw the losing team score twice to tie the game, lots of penalties, a sudden-death overtime, a penalty shot, and hundreds of screaming fans. As well as many many teams coming and going from the arena – complete with buses and equipment trailers – it was hockey central. He had fun, and I did too.

We got home in time for dinner, and though I gave him a choice of whether to keep going, he wanted to see the African ensemble concert at Macalester. So we bundled up and headed out. It was great! He and I both had lots of fun (too late at night for the kids to join us), and we were able to walk there, since Mac is only a few blocks from us. We stopped in at Dunn Brothers on the way home for some hot chocolate.

And – that’s the report. Scrambled eggs this morning, and we had him on his way to church, where the Agas got him and took him, I believe, to a St Olaf concert.

He loves to take pictures, and has a “real” camera, naturally – ie, it uses film. I feel like someone needs to get his film developed before he goes home, so he doesn’t have to pay a week’s (month’s?) salary to get it all done there. And let’s make sure he’s stocked up on film; he might be running out. I’m happy to do this, or someone can – he is clearly regarding this as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so he is taking a lot of pictures, as he should.

February 12, 2012
The Big Story: Woman at the Well
Global Mission Emphasis:  Guatemala
Easter by the Lake

Pastor Amanda Olson de Castillo, sermon delivered via video – the same sermon was delivered at both the Hill and Lake this weekend, celebrating Global Mission Emphasis (see below)

Here is the Global Mission Emphasis video for February 12, 2012:

February 12, 2012
The Big Story: Woman at the Well
Global Mission Emphasis:  Guatemala
Easter on the Hill

Pastor Amanda Olson de Castillo, sermon delivered via video – the same sermon was delivered at both the Hill and Lake this weekend, celebrating Global Mission Emphasis (see below)

Here is the Global Mission Emphasis video for February 12, 2012:

Listen now…

And here is the Global Mission Emphasis video for February 5, 2012: