COUNTDOWN TO EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 20, 2025

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PLAN A VISIT

WHY SHOULD I COME?

TO EASTER AT BENSON MEMORIAL UMC

A FAMILY TRADITION

Many families celebrate Easter together, and attending church can be a powerful tradition that fosters faith across generations.

A MESSAGE OF RESURRECTION

Easter Sunday offers a message of victory over sin and death, emphasizing God’s love and grace.

A SENSE OF BELONGING

Whether you’re a regular attendee or haven’t been in a while, church is a place to connect with others in a warm, welcoming environment.

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EASTER EGG HUNT

Sunday, April 13, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Courtyard and front lawn

Everyone Come to Our Free Easter Egg Hunt!
You’re invited to a free Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 13, at noon. Bring your friends, neighbors, and Easter baskets!

 

Easter egg hunt with 1000 eggs!  |  Free candy for the kids

Free sandwiches, chips, and drinks  |  Family photos

Free face painting  |  Fun for the whole family

100% Free and open to the public

 

We’ll have a designated “hunt” area for children ages 3 and under, and another one for ages 4 and above. Each child will be able to find and keep a dozen eggs. After the hunt, we’ll have lunch of subs, chips, and drinks. We’ll also have a face painting table and a designated place for family photos! We hope you’ll join us! Plan your visit now so your kids don’t miss out on all the fun. We can’t wait to meet you!

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WHEN & WHERE?

 

Sunday, April 20  |  8:45 & 11:00 AM

4706 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, NC 27612

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HOLY WEEK EVENTS

Palm-Passion Sunday

April 13, 2025

8:45 and 11:00 a.m. worship services in the Sanctuary

 

Celebrate Palm-Passion Sunday at Benson Memorial. We join with the crowds waving palm branches and shouting acclamation as Jesus enters the holy city of Jerusalem at the beginning of his last week on earth. Hear the story that unfolds during the rest of Holy Week. Reflect on where you have seen and felt God during Lent. Pause as we prepare to mourn but also anticipate the joy of Easter.

Holy Thursday Worship Services

April 17, 2025
12:00 p.m. (noon) & 6:30 p.m.  |  Sanctuary

 

We will observe Holy Thursday with two services. Each service will allow time to remember what happened on this holy and tragic night by reading scripture, sharing prayer, and celebrating Holy Communion. Come and hear of the betrayal of Jesus but also experience God's grace and love in the midst of trials.

Stations of the Cross

Good Friday, April 18, 2025
Self-guided Stations in the Fellowship Hall throughout the day (10 a.m. until 3 p.m.)

 

Come out and walk the Stations of the Cross, the way of sorrows. Designed to remember Jesus' journey along the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem as he bears his cross toward Calvary where he will be crucified. The Stations of the Cross are 14 scenes of Good Friday before which participants can ponder and pray.

Good Friday

April 18, 2025
7:00 p.m. worship service in the Sanctuary

 

The suffering is great on this day. Jesus, found guilty in a kangaroo court, is sentenced to death and crucified on a cross, hanging between two common criminals. My God, my God why have you forsaken him? Jesus' body is then removed from the cross and laid in a tomb. Darkness falls, It is finished.

 

We will observe this terrible day in worship at Benson Memorial. Our service is called Tenebrae, a service of darkness. Join us as we read the story from scripture and extinguish candles as Jesus dies. Mourn among the believers. Weep together.

Easter Sunday

April 20, 2025
8:45 and 11:00 a.m. worship services in the Sanctuary

 

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?" This was the question the angels at the tomb of Jesus asked the women who had come there that first Easter morning. Yes, the resurrection was surely unexpected. The women could not have imagined it as a real possibility. They were not alone. Leaving the tomb and rushing to tell the disciples of all that they had seen and heard, their story was dismissed as an idle tale. The disciples did not believe what they heard.

 

Yet Peter, the one who had just days before denied even knowing Jesus, ran to the tomb. Maybe he ran because of his grief or perhaps he went to the tomb filled with hope. Whatever the case might have been, when Peter looked into the tomb, it was empty and Peter was amazed. Jesus is risen! He is risen indeed!

 

Come, praise God whose love conquered death and whose grace saves us not only from sin but also gives us a new way to live. Join us (wear your Easter best or come as you are) and place flowers on the cross. Sing hymns with great joy. Feel God's presence grow in your life. The tomb is empty. Jesus is risen!

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