Sundays February – April

Eastern Hills welcomes everyone. We enjoy simple services following the liturgical calendar. Please feel free to join us at 10:15am for a Fairtrade cuppa before the service begins at 10:30am. 17-19 Surrey Road West, Croydon.
There are no evening dinner services this season due to a church camp and Easter services. There is no service on Sunday March 8.
We have optional programs for kids from 12 months to primary school running during the teaching time of our services. Every second Sunday there is a youth bible study time during the teaching time of the service. Please refer to the youth page on this website for dates.

Dates and Details

February 1 – 10:30am
The People around Paul series cont – Barnabas.
Text: Acts 10
 
February 2 – 10:30am
Eastern Hills 12th Anniversary Celebration.
 
February 15 – 10:30am
Ash Prayer Journey & Communion.
Text: Psalm 51
 
February 22 – 10:30am
Lent Week 1 – Jesus prepares.
Text: Mark 1:9-15
 
March 1 – 10:30am
Lent Week 2 – The way of the Cross.
Text: Mark 8:31-38
 
March 8 – NO SERVICE AT CCC due to church camp.
You are welcome to join us for a 10am Communion at Balnarrang.
Contact Tol Morgan for details on 0438 087 206.
 
March 15 – 10:30am
Lent Week 4 – Into the Light. Mothering Sunday.
Text: John 3:14-21
Community Lunch Meeting to follow.
 
March 22 – 10:30am
Lent Week 5 – Glory.
Text: John 12:20-33
 
March 29 – 10:30am
Palm Sunday celebration for all ages.
Text: Mark 11:1-11
 
Good Friday April 3 – 8:45am
Tenebrae – Communion Service of Shadows.
Please wear dark colours as a symbol of mourning.
Hot-crossed bun breakfast to follow.
 
April 5 – 10:30am
Easter Sunday Celebration for all ages. Jesus has Risen. Flowering cross.
Text: Mark 16:1-8
 
April 12 – 10:30am
Second Sunday of Easter – Empty Tomb.
Text: John 20:19-31
 
April 19 – 10:30am
Third Sunday of Easter- Jesus’ New Body. Communion.
Text: Luke 24:36b-48
 
April 26 – 10:30am
Fourth Sunday of Easter – True Vine.
Text: John 15:1-8
 

Lent

Lent has a long history. It began in the early church as a time for those who were going to be baptized to prepare themselves for baptism and full acceptance into the church. It was a time for fasting and prayer as well as a time for them to study and learn about Jesus and what it means to be a part of the church. (Baptism happened only once a year on the day before Easter)  Eventually everyone in the church joined in this practice as a way of showing fellowship and support for the new believers. It became an official season of the church calendar and was established as a 40 days of preparation to celebrate Easter. The forty days are representative of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness preparing for his ministry.
It is a time to reflect on Christ’s life and example, to turn from sin, to renew our commitments and our faith, to celebrate God’s redemptive and life-giving presence with us. The church has traditionally made this journey through a focus on prayer, (justice towards God) fasting (Justice towards ourselves) and giving (Justice towards others).
So the time of Lent is really about growth. The word Lent means “Spring” or “springtime”. Just as spring is a time when we plant seeds and bury them in darkness it is a time when we plant ourselves in God and focus on and repent of the darkness in ourselves and in our world. It is a time when we can grow and become a thing of beauty and restoration to the world around us.
Lent is really about going through a process that should change us, that should bring us closer to being fully the people God has called us and created us to be.
We hope that this journey to Easter draws us together as a community and draws us deeper into the truth of our faith and the reality of what God has done and is doing.
As a church community we will begin Lent with an Ash service and celebrate Holy week with a Palm Sunday service, Good Friday Tenebrae service and Easter Sunday Celebration. This season we also explore some meaningful Lenten traditions in the context of small groups. (See ‘events’ page). We hope this is a refreshing, challenging and bonding experience as we explore some different traditions within Lent.
Information collated from Dennis Bratcher http://www.crivoice.org/index.html and Beth Stedman http://bethstedman.wordpress.com/2008/01/29/lent-an-introduction-a-little-bit-of-history
Small group ideas inspired by Jane Butcher’s ‘Family Fun for Easter.’