"Light in the Darkness" Workshop:  Hope Lutheran Church in Jacksonville is hosting an awareness workshop regarding human trafficking on Saturday, April 29 from 9am-1pm. Flyers and details are available at church or at https://mid-southlcms.org/light-in-the-darkness-2/. 

Our LCMS Mid-South District is gathering funds for the mercy ministries of the District and congregations in areas of Arkansas and Tennessee affected by recent tornados. On Easter Sunday, we gathered a Door Offering at church to contribute to the fund. To learn more and to contribute toward this Tornado Relief Fund, please Click Here to visit our District website.

In the 6:30pm Good Friday service on April 7, worshippers will have the opportunity during the first part of the service to write down any sins they'd like to confess or prayers they'd like to offer to the Lord and place them on a cross at the front of the sanctuary. The notes will not be read and will be burned following the service. On Easter Sunday, the same cross will be transformed with color and life. Please bring cut flowers from your yard or garden (or storebought flowers, if you'd like) to decorate our Easter flower cross this year! Additional flowers will be on hand for those who do not bring them. This will take place at the beginning of the 10am Easter service.

You are invited to spend the evening of Weds, April 5 in personal prayer at church. St. Matthew will be open from 5:00-7:00pm for prayer. You can use this time to pray for personal needs, for those impacted by recent tornados, for God to bless our Holy Week services and Easter celebration, and more. Printed resources will also be provided to provide direction and ideas for your prayers. 

A suggested devotional resource for you this Holy Week is the "Passion History." This is a harmonization of the accounts of Jesus' suffering and death as recorded for us by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It is divided into seven devotional readings focusing on Jesus life and death on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Click the link below for a pdf of the Passion History to read this Holy Week.

History of the Suffering and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Four Evangelists