Children of all ages are invited to join a special Easter Egg Hunt event being held at the church on Saturday, March 28th, promptly at 11:30 a.m. We will meet in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. Please be sure to bring your own Easter basket.

Our Food Ministry staff, along with our amazing Dinner Belles and Beaus volunteers, prepare excellent meals at very reasonable prices. Enjoy fellowship around the table with family and friends.

The menu for Wednesday, April 1st, is lemon pepper chicken, rice pilaf, asparagus, broccoli slaw, rolls, and dessert. For the kids – chicken tenders and French fries. Dinner service hours are 5 to 6:30 p.m., with to-go boxes available from 6 to 6:30 p.m.

The prices for Wednesday Night Dinners are:

• $10.00 for adults (including seniors and from 11 years up);
• $7.00 for children 10 years and younger;
• $30.00 for family meals (nuclear family members only – husband, wife, and their children under 18 years);
• $7.00 for salad bar only, which includes the salad bar, a choice of baked potato or sweet potato, dessert and a drink.

Credit/debit card payments, as well as cash and checks, are accepted. Menus are subject to change.

PLEASE NOTE: Our dinner on April 1st will be the final Wednesday Night Dinner in Hinton Hall for the Winter/Spring 2026 season. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you back in Hinton Hall on Wednesday nights in August as we kick off our dinners.

Join us on Wednesday evenings at Duluth First UMC for the following activities for everyone and all ages :

• Wednesday Night Dinner: 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. in Hinton Hall, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Book Bunch for kids (ages 3 – 4): 6:15 to 6:30 p.m. in The Louise McDaniel Memorial Library, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• DuluthKids (ages Kindergarten through 5th grade): 5:45 to 7 p.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall;
• Youth Bible Study (grades 6 – 12): 6 to 7 p.m. in room F149, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Parent Connection Group: 6 to 7 p.m., room F207, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• “The History and Archaeology of the Bible” Class for Adults: 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in room F145, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Yarn Art Ministry: 6 to 7 p.m. in room F205, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Happy Sacks: 6 to 6:15 p.m. in room F152, 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Handbell Ensemble Rehearsal: 6 to 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary;
• Wednesday Night Food Drive: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. outside of the main entrance to Hinton Hall, 2nd floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center;
• Chancel Choir Rehearsal: 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Don Lee Music Suite.

The Wednesday Night Food Drive at Duluth First UMC for the Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op is our weekly mission project, combined with the many Wednesday evening activities offered at the church.

Items needed during the month of April are:

• April 1st: spaghetti or pasta

A table for donated items will be located outside of the main entrance to Hinton Hall.

Join us for a delicious dinner and fellowship in Hinton Hall, pick up a to-go dinner for your family, join us for any of our Wednesday evening activities, and drop off food items to help other families in need. We thank you for your support.

Make plans to join us for a Good Friday service on Friday, April 3rd, beginning at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Our Good Friday service will include a Passion narrative with musical reflections. It will be a contemplative service offering an opportunity for deep and personal prayer. 

It is a wonderful service to bring a neighbor or a friend. Childcare, for ages newborn through Pre-Kindergarten, will be available in Childcare Corner during the worship service. The service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

Sunrise Service with Communion: 7:00 a.m. in front of the church
Join us Easter morning at 7:00 a.m. in front of the main entrance to the Sanctuary for our Easter Sunrise Service with Communion. This service includes singing, prayers, devotion, and Holy Communion. The 7:00 a.m. Sunrise service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

PLEASE NOTE: We will not be holding our 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship service on Easter morning. Please make plans to join us at the 7:00 Sunrise Service and/or at either of the 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship or Traditional Worship services.

Easter Morning Fellowship: 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall
Join us on Easter morning for a time of fellowship from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. All ages are welcome! Pastries and coffee will be available.

Contemporary Worship Service with Communion: 11:00 a.m. in Hinton Hall
The worship band, technical team, prayer team and pastor will be energized and ready to join with you in the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Worship service in Hinton Hall, located in the Sheldon Family Life Center, will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Contemporary Worship page on Facebook.

Traditional Worship Service with Communion: 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary
At the Traditional Worship service in the Sanctuary, the music will be as glorious as the day deserves with the choir lifting praises to God, ending with our annual Easter acclamation, Handel’s Hallelujah! The 11:00 a.m. Traditional Worship service will be live-streamed on the Duluth First UMC Worship channel on YouTube.

PLEASE NOTE:  Childcare, for ages newborn through Pre-Kindergarten, will be available in Childcare Corner for all worship services, and during the 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday School hour.

One of the Easter morning traditions at Duluth First UMC is when family and friends have their pictures taken in front of the resurrection crosses outside of the Sanctuary and in Hinton Hall to remember the joy of the day. We would like you to share your best picture with us, and they will be posted at a later date as a photo album on the church’s Facebook and Instagram social media pages.

Please select your best/favorite family and friends picture from the morning and please email it (just one picture please) to Ken Willi, Director of Communications, by e-mail at kwilli@duluthumc.org. Please put EASTER PICTURE in the subject line of your e-mail and include your family’s name or the names or the friends in your group. Please submit your Easter picture no later than Friday, April 17th.

If you work during the day and would like to find an opportunity to serve in your community, the Missions Ministry has the day for you. If you would like a chance to serve in your community with your children, we’ve got just the day for you too! Join us on Saturday, April 18th, as we will be serving at the Hands of Christ Duluth Co-Op from 9 a.m. to noon. The Duluth Co-Op is located at 3649 Rogers Bridge Road in Duluth.

If you would like to be a part of this day, please click on HANDS OF CHRIST and sign up. We can’t wait to see you there!

All are invited to attend an interactive seminar on brain health and the power of gratitude, being held at Duluth First UMC on Saturday, April 18th, from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Dorothy L. Rainey Fellowship Hall. Join us and our friends at Senior Provisions as we explore how to keep our minds sharp.

The main topics of discussion will include:

• Brain Health: Warning Signs of Cognitive Decline and Prevention. We will discuss the top 10 warning signs of memory loss or cognitive decline, and learn to recognize when it might be time to get a baseline. There are real things you can do daily to help reduce brain aging and maximize your thinking capacity.
• Power of Gratitude: The Impact of Gratitude on Aging. God created us with an internal system that works in beautiful balance. When we endure increases in stress due to change and circumstances, our bodies get out of balance. We will look at depression in aging and the physical impact on body and mind. We will explore how God defines gratitude and how putting it into practice not only is a biblical precedent, but serves to improve our overall health and well-being. You will learn practical ways to implement thankfulness in your community.
  

Snacks will be provided, and we invite you to make a donation to offset supply costs. To register and request childcare if needed, please contact Rev. Dr. AnnaKate Rawles by e-mail at arawles@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 128, by Wednesday, April 1st.

Parents of Christian Beginnings Preschool & Kindergarten kids are invited to a Parents Coffee Get-Together, with coffee provided by Break Coffee Roasters, on Tuesday, May 12th. Come hang out together beginning at 9:45 a.m. and enjoy a hot cup of coffee in the cul-da-sac area outside of the church offices located on the 1st floor of the Sheldon Family Life Center.

We thank Break Coffee Roasters, with locations at 3122 Hill Street NW in Duluth and 235 N. Perry Street in Lawrenceville, for providing the coffee.

Mark your calendars and save the date for “Rainforest Falls: Exploring the Nature of God” Vacation Bible School. Registration is underway for the 2026 Vacation Bible School, being held Monday, June 22nd through Friday, June 26th, at Duluth First United Methodist Church. Vacation Bible School, held from 9 a.m. to noon each day, is for kids going into pre-Kindergarten (age 4 as of September 1st) through rising 6th graders. The cost is $30 per child with a maximum of $70 per family. Each day participants will participate in Bible story time, sing songs, play games, make crafts, and eat snacks.

In addition to registering participants, we are also registering adult and youth volunteers. We especially need shepherds, who are adult volunteers in charge of a group of 6-10 kids. Shepherds do not need to prepare anything in advance. They lead their group to the various activities where other volunteers are in charge. If you would like to help but are only available one or two days that week, you can put your available dates on your registration. We often need substitute shepherds. Also, the Childcare Corner is available for the children of volunteers if you have a child who is not old enough to be a participant.

Everyone who registers by May 24th is guaranteed a VBS t-shirt and copy of the music. All Vacation Bible School participant registration forms, as well as volunteer forms, are available by clicking on VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2026.

For more information, please contact Leslie Yokeley, Director of Children’s Ministries, by e-mail at lyokeley@duluthumc.org, or call 770-476-3776, ext. 138.

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