Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I write these words a couple weeks before we celebrate Easter on Sunday, April 21st. Easter is so much more
than eggs and egg hunts, rabbits and chicks, flowers and baskets, and—yes—even much more than chocolate!
Easter is about the miraculous resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We know this, of course. But it’s about even
more than the proclamation and celebration of this stupendous event in the past. More than? How can
something be more than this great miracle? you may ask. Well, among other things, the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead means that we can live in the present without fear and with continual thanksgiving because
a universal victory has been won on our behalf.
Understood properly, the resurrection of Jesus has great power to inspire and motivate. Confident that God
will honor us, as God vindicated Jesus, we can act in every sphere of life with hope, trusting that God will take
up our efforts, whatever their merits or faults, and use them now and in the hereafter. God wastes nothing. Our
labors are never, in a resurrection perspective, in vain. And just acting with confident hope in life is a powerful
way to bear witness to the promise of resurrection in a world filled with despair.
One way that we, as Christians of Richland Center, are acting with hope in life is through the efforts of
S.O.U.L Kitchen. S.O.U.L. (Serving Others Unconditional Love) Kitchen is a ministry of the Church of the
Nazarene in collaboration with other churches and organizations in the community. The purpose of S.O.U.L.
Kitchen is to serve a meal on a regular basis to the community & provide an atmosphere of fellowship and hope
to all. On the third Wednesday of each month, volunteers prepare and serve a wholesome meal to community
members, free of charge. Everyone is welcome, no questions asked. The meal is served at the Nazarene
Outreach Center beginning at 5:30. S.O.U.L. Kitchen is making a great impact in our community for Jesus
Christ.
This year our special Easter offering will support S.O.U.L. Kitchen. Please consider making a special offering
above and beyond your regular offering this Easter, and remember that God loves a cheerful giver, so give out
of joy, not merely ‘obligation.’ Just use the envelope provided and place it in the offering plate on Sunday
morning or mail it back to the church office by April 28th
.
In Christ’s service, together,
Rev. G. Wiley Gladney