Welcome to this "online service" of Bethel UMC in Tallahassee. As it comes on the day after our "Community Easter Celebration" yesterday, we hope that there may be some among you who are visiting this site because of that event. Although the 11:00 service in the church is the best way to become familiar with this community of believers, this online service will try to provide an introduction to the current format and content of the church service. The "Photos" link above may also prove useful in doing that.
Today is
Palm Sunday, the sixth and last Sunday in Lent when Jesus and his disciples are welcomed into Jerusalem by an excited crowd to begin a 7-day period we call
Holy Week. There are traditions about each day in this week as they progress to Jesus' crucifixion on "Good Friday", and beyond, leading to
Resurrection Sunday,
Easter Sunday, next week. The graphics at the top of this page provide access to information about many of these traditions. If you place your cursor on top of one of the graphics you will be shown a short description of its information...clicking on a graphic will open a page of information with links to additional topics. (
Use your browser's "back arrow" to return to this page.)
Maundy Thursday and
Good Friday are perhaps the most significant among these days. In the past, Bethel has had an evening meal on Maundy Thursday hiliting the traditions of the Seder Meal that Jesus and His disciples shared...and Trinity UMC in downtown Tallahassee has a continuing tradition of hosting, along with the NW District of FLUMC, a Good Friday service at Noon on Friday (
which is also streamed live this year from their web site).
The UMC Discipleship Minisries also has provided service formats for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday in their Lenten series. These services are included in the materials on the online service
Resource Page, accessed thru graphic links at the top of the resource page. The last two link to the
Maundy Thursday and
Good Friday services.
Taken together, we hope that these will help you understand and prepare for the
Good News that comes from
Resurrection Sunday.
NOTE: Each part of this online service consists of an audio file and, for most, a
Link to a pdf file of "projection slides". Click on the symbol to play the audio file under a separate browser tab
or in a new window. Then select the "Bethel 03/24/24 Service" browser tab or return to this window to open the Link to the "slides". It is best to stop the playing of one Audio segment and close its tab or window before starting another.
We hope that you will fully participate in the service provided here, taking the time to raise your voice or read along with the hymns and responses, and listening to the recorded messages and songs that have been prepared for you. Realize that, though not
meeting face-to-face, you are virtually gathering with many others for this time of
worship, celebration and spiritual refreshment.