April’s Sisterhood Get-Together will be Monday, April 20 at 6:00 p.m. at the Bennigan’s Grill and Tavern in downtown Rock Island. All women are invited to come, and all are encouraged to bring a friend as well. There will be a devotion, dinner, fellowship, and a fun time with friends. Contact the church office at 309-788-9384 for more details. Bennigan’s is at 226 17th Street in Rock Island. Each month the ladies’ group decides to meet at a different restaurant in or around Rock Island.
Author: Pastor
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Bennigan’s on April 20 at 6:00 p.m.
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Holy Week
Easter Sunday is April 5. It is the holiest day of the Christian year, and a day of great rejoicing. The best way to experience the power and joy of Easter though, is to experience the rest of Holy Week.Palm Sunday – 4:00 p.m. Two Rivers Church and The Center For Living Arts present Godspell. A 4:00 p.m. presentation of the energetic musical will be a great way to begin the Holy Week eperience.
Maundy Thursday – 6:30 p.m. The worship service will be the telling of the story of Jesus’ last days. It is a responsive reading, beautiful in its simplicity. Similar to a Christmas service of lessons and carols, this Maundy Thursday service combines readings and solemn hymns. The service includes Communion and the stripping of the altar.
Good Friday – 3:00-6:00 p.m. The church will be open for people to do a self-guided reflection. There will be stations throughout the church for people to do reading, prayer, and reflect on the crucifixion.
Easter Sunday.
6:30 Sunrise Service meets in the south parking lot, with a spectacular view of the rising sun.
7:15-8:30 Pancakes and Sausage will be served by the United Methodist Men.
8:30 Easter Egg Hunt for the kids in the sanctuary
9:30 Worship the risen Christ with beautiful traditional service. Trumpets and organ will welcome the empty tomb. New members will be welcomed into the Two Rivers family, and all will be invited to Christ’s Table of Grace.
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#tryLENT photo journal
This Lent, the people of Two Rivers United Methodist Church are encouraged to participate in a new discipline. Starting on Ash Wednesday, people are encourage to participate in this photo journal. There is a theme for each week from Wednesday to Wednesday. Over the course of the week, people can take pictures and post them on Facebook, Instragram, Pinterest, or Twitter. All pictures posted should include the hashtag #TRYLent.Each weekly theme coincides with the sermon that will be given at Two Rivers on the Sunday of the week. This way, pictures that are posted before Sunday can be shared at worship. Then, after the worship experience, people can continue to ponder the theme for the week for a few days before moving on. Each major theme is a song from the musical Godspell. Under the main theme are several smaller ideas that you can capture over the course of the week.
Each Sunday in Lent Pastor Robb will be talking about a song, theme, or story from the musical Godspell. Two Rivers and The Center for Living Arts are working all through Lent on producing the musical on Palm Sunday at 4 p.m.
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Mardi Gras Worship Feb 15
Sunday, February 15 promises to be an extraordinary day of worship. The last Sunday before Lent has a long history of being a day of celebration. We will come together with music, dancing, and praise. Renowned jazz trumpeter Edgar Crockett will join us in worship. In addition to the first-class jazz, our new youth dancing ministry, Happy Hearts, will make their worship debut. The combined kids’ and youth choir will also join in the fun. We will also celebrate the commissioning of Jim Prather as a Certified Lay Minister. At the service, Jim will officially become our Minister of Senior Adults. -
4:00 March 29 — Godspell
Two Rivers United Methodist Church and the Center For Living Arts are teaming up for a special 4:00 p.m. Palm Sunday presentation of Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell. The musical, directed by and starring Dino Hayz as Jesus, sets the gospels of Matthew and Luke to music, skits, and heartwarming fun.The cast of 32 is made up of longtime members of Two Rivers, some new to the Two Rivers family, and veterans of The Center for Living Arts. Tom Vaccaro, a well-known face in the Quad Cities theater community, is a leading player in the show. Pastor Robb McCoy, choir director Mark Swessinger, and children’s choir director Tammy Baugh are all a part of the cast as well.
“You might see another show with more talent. You probably will see another show that is more polished,” said McCoy. “You will not see a show where the cast is having more fun.”
Godspell is not a narrative in the classic sense, and cannot really be described as a passion play. It is an event. It is the coming together of a community of people, right out of the congregation of those gathered. As the community comes together, they plea for salvation with “God Save the People.” They long to see Jesus more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly in “Day by Day.” There is bitter sadness as Jesus’ most devoted follower slowly turns on him as he sings “On the Willows.” Finally, in the rocking, driving climax of the story, Jesus is crucified. After his death, silence falls over the sanctuary until it is finally broken by the lone voice proclaiming, “Love Live God.”.
The performance has an added significance because it will be on Palm Sunday. Serving as a great way to start the holiest week of the Christian year, the performance of Godspell will end with an invitation to experience the rest of Two Rivers Church’s Holy Week services, including a service on Thursday at 6:30, a chance for self-guided reflection on Friday from 3-6 p.m., an Easter sunrise service at 6:30, and the full Easter worship service at 9:30 a.m. on April 5.
DIno Hayz (left) stars in and directs “Godspell.” The cast includes 32 people of varying ages and experience levels. The show promises to be a wonderful way to celebrate Palm Sunday, and a powerful start to Holy Week. The Center for Living Arts (centerforlivingarts.org) is located at 2008 4th Avenue in Rock Island. Just a few blocks from Two Rivers, Dino and Tina Hayz produce several children and youth musicals a year. This spring they are currently working on a youth production of West Side Story and a children’s production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. West Side Story will show at The Center in April. Joseph will show on May 1-2 at The Center, and will be at Two Rivers on May 8-9. More is coming about this growing relationship between Two Rivers United Methodist Church and The Center for Living Arts.
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TRY Winter Retreat
CLICK HERE TO RSVP ON FACEBOOK TO THIS EVENT
Two Rivers Youth (TRY) will have an overnight retreat at Camp Milan on February 20-21. The youth will meet at Two Rivers at 7:00 p.m. to attend the Simpson College Choir Concert. After the concert, Pastor Robb and Brianna Pollock will provide rides to the youth to Camp Milan. All youth involved will need to fill out a special permission form for purpose of getting a ride, and staying overnight at Camp Milan.
The retreat will include games, food, devotions, and time for reflection. Youth need to bring their own bedding and toiletries. Outdoor activities will be dependent on the weather. The youth will be brought back to Two Rivers on Saturday evening. The details of the weekend will be available soon.
Volunteers are needed. We are need of one more woman adult who can stay overnight. We are also in need of help with breakfast and lunch on Saturday. If you are interested in helping out with the retreat, please contact the church office as soon as possible.
All youth at this event must have permission release form signed by their parent/guardian. All youth must RSVP either by going to the Facebook link above or by calling the church office at 309-788-9384. We need to know how many youth are coming so that we have the proper amount of chaperones, rides, and food.
