Click HERE to enjoy a little church history with Pastor Daniel and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.
Discover the Civil War history of Frederick, with this … the site of one of the most infamous stories from the period.
Did you know that we have over 15 different types of plants and flowers on the grounds of ERUCC? Join Peter and Jack and Pastor Barbara, as they take us on a tour of the gardens and grounds of Trinity Chapel and all around our main building at 15 West Church Street! Thank you for the tour of our beautiful grounds!
CLICK HERE to watch the tour
Join us for worship on Sunday, May 24 at 10:30 a.m. at https://boxcast.tv/view/sunday-1030-service-525168
Seventh Sunday of Easter                                                              Â
Jesus makes clear in Acts 1: 6-14, that the role of a disciple is to be Jesus’ witnesses throughout the world, under the power of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel lesson, John 17: 1-11, is part of Jesus’ final prayer with the disciples, preparing them for their lives as witnesses to the saving love of God.           Â
CLICK HERE to read the full Thursday, May 21 Thursday Thoughts
Dear Congregation:
Today is Ascension Day. Ascension Day is the 40th day of Easter and commemorates the ascension of Jesus into heaven 39 days after resurrection on Easter Sunday. You will find the Biblical accounts of the Ascension in Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53 and Acts 1:6-11.
During the 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and his ascension, it is believed that Jesus preached and spent time with the apostles and his followers. Ten days after Ascension Day is Pentecost when we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus.
In the beginning of Acts, the risen Lord instructs the disciples to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. This they do for 40 days, recalling Moses on the mountain, receiving the law and experiencing the glory of the Lord. “Lord,” they ask Jesus, “is this the time that your kingdom is going to come?” “No,” Jesus says, “it is not for you to know that. . . . But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”
Then Jesus ascends to heaven, and two men in white robes ask the disciples, “Why are you looking up to heaven? He is going to come back!”
There was a time when the Ascension of Jesus was a big deal at Evangelical Reformed Church. In the narthex of our main sanctuary, you can see this photo of the chancel, elaborately decorated for worship in marking the Ascension of Jesus. In reading the bulletins from the ministry of Rev. Kieffer, our pastor from 1910-1946, you find announcements such as this one from 1919, “The annual Sunday School Festival will be held on Ascension Day (Thursday of this week), 7 o’clock. This is one of the most important services of the year and all members of the congregation are invited to be present.â€
Join us for worship on Sunday, May 17 at 10:30 a.m. at https://boxcast.tv/view/sunday-1030-service-525168
Sixth Sunday of Easter                                 Â
The Gospel lesson for this morning is John 14: 15-21. As Jesus promised, God’s presence abides in us through the Spirit – our advocate, comforter, and encourager – and the practice of love. God’s nearness in Spirit blesses us in our witness. The hallmark of this relationship is love expressed in word and deed. The nearness of God’s presence is underscored by Paul’s address to the Athenians, recorded in Acts 17:22–31. As Paul’s witness proclaims the saving love of God in Christ, a church forms and grows. Even when God’s presence is unrecognized, God in Christ draws near.
As you prepare your worship center for this Sunday, place your heart on your table as a reminder that we are called to be faces of God’s love.   Send a photo of your worship center to Pastor Daniel at bkdaniel@erucc.org  Â
Click Here for your May 7, 2020 Thursday Thoughts
Dear Congregation:
Yesterday afternoon, Governor Larry Hogan held a press conference announcing that our state was moving into Phase 1 of Maryland Strong: The Roadmap to Recovery. In Phase 1 more retail and manufacturing operations may be open. For many of us, the news that hair salons and barber shops can open is one of the best pieces of news we have heard in a while.
As the Governor stated, in Phase 1, houses of worship may open with 50% capacity but there is a strong recommendation to meet outside. I have to admit that the 50% was confusing – 50% of what? The 300 + our sanctuary holds? We are certainly not there yet and those kinds of numbers do not appear in the plan until Phase 3.
Alongside the Governor’s announcement, we also received an announcement that the Frederick County Executive Jan Gardner and the mayors and burgesses of every municipality in Frederick County have agreed to coordinate how and when to implement any proposed changes to the current stay-at-home order.  “The mayors, burgesses and County Executive will need time to evaluate the options and capability to thoughtfully and effectively implement whatever the Governor proposes at his 5 p.m. press conference today. There is agreement that local health data will guide decision-making.â€
Join us for worship on Sunday, May 3 at 10:30 a.m. at https://erucc.org/visit-us/sunday-live-stream/
Fifth Sunday of Easter
In 1 Peter 2:2–10, the readers are thought to have been Gentiles who became followers of Jesus. They are scattered throughout the lands of the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas under the rule of the Roman Empire and its culture. This letter aspires to guide and inspire them in their daily lives as they are grown into the ways of being God’s own people, recipients of God’s mercy and inclusion. The language/theme of rocks/stones continues through this passage with Christ being portrayed as both a precious cornerstone for those who trust in him and as a stumbling block to those who don’t. This theme connects in part to today’s gospel reading, John 14:1–14. Jesus, as part of his farewell discourse before betrayal and execution, speaks words of reassurance to his disciples.                                                                                                               Â
For Your Worship Centers on Sunday, have your candle and Bible, and include the heart that came in your packet from the church this week. Add some fresh flowers from your garden. You may also consider adding a stone to represent Christ as the cornerstone for our lives and faith.
Take a photo and post it on Facebook or send it to bkdaniel@erucc.org
Click Here for your May 7, 2020 Thursday Thoughts
***Please note that the 8:30 Service and 9:30 Educational Classes are suspended.
The 10:30 service can be viewed online at:https://boxcast.tv/channel/bzioh0xyyacgq5fmjnoi
11:30 a.m. Virtual Fellowship: https://zoom.us/j/153605864?pwd=M2VSRjZsRDdFd1Q4bms0RExzam5SUT09&status=success PW:  007681
Dear Congregation:
Thanks to all of you who were able to participate in last Sunday’s annual meeting via Zoom Call. It was great to see your faces, watch you greet one another, and see how we could interact with this technology.
As I shared in my sermon on Sunday, we are in what some call a “liminal†or threshold time. Susan Beamont, author of How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You Are Going describes these days as a liminal season. “Liminality refers to a quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs during transition, when a person or group of people is in between something that has ended and something else that is not yet ready to begin.  She refers to liminal seasons in the Bible such as the journey of the people of Israel through the wilderness, Jesus’ time in the desert, the time between Easter and Pentecost.
We are entering a new world on Sunday with our annual congregational meeting being held online via Zoom. Here are the details for the meeting that will begin at noon on Sunday:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/355462527?pwd=LzdBbmdraVp4V2F5c1Q4TGVvTEwyUT09Â
Meeting ID: 355 462 527
Password: 360547
Download Zoom on your preferred device before the meeting.
If you’ve never used Zoom before, check out this Zoom video tutorial https://youtu.be/hIkCmbvAHQQ
Try and sign on at 11:45 so that we can help you troubleshoot any difficulties you have with sound.
A few more quick notes:
If you have a question, you can use the chat box feature at the bottom of your screen. Or raise your hand. I will be helping our Consistory leaders monitoring the chat box, questions, and flow of the meeting.
Looking forward to “seeingâ€â€ you on Sunday.
