Lent and Easter 2021
Overview
CUIC is happy to offer these resources for your local congregational use in this year’s Lenten and Easter seasons. As Christians everywhere prepare themselves for, then celebrate, the resurrection power of Easter, we have prepared Bible studies and sermons for your use. Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Church offers words of greeting and encouragement. The following Christian educators offer Bible studies you may use with your congregation:
Dr. Rhonda Blevins, ICCC
Dr. Julia M. O'Brien, Lancaster Theological Seminary
Bishop Othal H. Lakey, CME
Dr. Vernon Meyer, UCC
Dr. William Samuels, ICCC
The following Christian leaders offer sermons you may also use for your online congregational worship services:
Bishop Anne Henning Byfield, AME
Rev. Andrew Foster Connors, PCUSA
Press Release
Churches Uniting in Christ Release Resources for Lent 2021
Birmingham, AL: Bishop Teresa Jefferson-Snorton, Chair of the Coordinating Council of Churches Uniting in Christ announces the release of new, ecumenical resources for the use of local congregations for this year’s Lenten and Eastertide services.
Lent is the traditional time period in the church calendar during which Christians prepare themselves for Easter and the celebration of resurrection. The Lenten season contains several important days of commemoration, such as: Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Easter is the day Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and recognize, with God’s power, life wins over death. The Eastertide season continues for 50 days after initial celebrations.
Resources to help congregations understand and observe these events can be found on the Churches Uniting in Christ website: www.churchesuniting.org/teaching-and-preaching. There you will find an introduction video by Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, and Bible studies by leading theologians such as: Dr. Rhonda Blevins (ICCC), Bishop Othal H. Lakey (CME) and Dr. Vernon Meyer (UCC). There are also sermons you may use for your online worship services offered by Bishop Anne Henning Byfield (AME) and Rev. Andrew Foster Connors (PCUSA). Bishop Jefferson-Snorton, who is also the Ecumenical Officer for the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, encourages all local congregations in the United States to use any, or all, of these resources as they commemorate this year’s Lenten and Easter seasons.
Churches Uniting in Christ (CUIC) was formed in 2002 as the former Consultation on Church Union (COCU) decided to stop “consulting” and start living their unity in Christ more fully. CUIC is now a covenant relationship among ten Christian communions that have pledged to live more closely together in expressing their unity in Christ and combating racism together. The member churches include: the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, The Episcopal Church, the International Council of Community Churches, the Moravian Church (Northern Province), the Presbyterian Church (USA), the United Church of Christ and The United Methodist Church. For more information go to www.churchesuniting.org.