A comprehensive collection of resources to help individuals and congregations prepare for Lent and Easter are now available at the General Board of Discipleship (GBOD) website.
The collection, titled His Resurrection, Our Life, provides specific information and materials to aid clergy and laity as they organize services for Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Other resources on the website are designed to help small groups, individuals and children and youth groups prepare for the Easter season.
“Preparing to once again experience the tragedy of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and the glory of His resurrection is an important part of every Christian’s worship life,” said Steve Horswill-Johnston, Executive Director of Communications and Brand Strategy at GBOD. “We hope these resources will help to make that experience more meaningful for everyone.”
The resources, which were compiled by staff members at GBOD, are available at www.GBOD.org/easter and include new and traditional print resources, as well as downloads for music scores, videos and bulletins covers and artwork.
The categories of resources available on the website are:
• Ash Wednesday – Lectionary planning aids, including meditations, prayers, videos and reflections
• Holy Week – More than 40 resources about worship, Liturgy, music and drama for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, along with articles about and suggestions for worship at church and home
• Lectionary planning helps – Articles and aids for planning worship for Lent and Easter
• Music for Lent and Easter – Dozens of downloadable music scores for worship services
• Video resources for Lent and Easter – Seven downloadable videos including "His Resurrection, Our Life," and Chuck Knows Church episodes about Lent, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, Easter and foot washing
• Books and related resources – Information from Upper Room about available books, devotions and reflections about the Easter season
• Resources for families, children and youth – Study guides, devotional series and fun and creative daily activities to help youth, young people and their families prepare
• Devotions and reflections – Daily Lenten devotionals and meditations and information about a Lenten e-Retreat.
• Lent and Easter planning – Guides and articles for planning and worshiping during Lent and Easter
• Liturgy and worship – Specific worship services and songs for use during the season
• Bulletin covers and art – Free downloadable artwork for use in Lent and Easter worship services
The Easter resource collection also includes a special video featuring Chuck from Chuck Knows Church, which will take viewers from the grave to new life in Christ.
GBOD’s mission is to support annual conference and local church leaders for their task of equipping world-changing disciples. An agency of The United Methodist Church, GBOD is located at 1908 Grand Ave. in Nashville, Tenn. Visit www.gbod.org for more information or call the Communications Office at (877) 899-2780, Ext. 1726.