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Church NewsMinistry Highlights

Churches Combine for Good Friday Service

ROCHESTER, Minn.—Calvary Baptist Church hosted a Good Friday service with three other congregations: First Baptist Church of Kasson, Cornerstone Baptist Church of Pine Island, and Victory Baptist Church of Rochester.

This was the first time the congregations had collaborated for such a service, which focused on the theme “Considering the Cross of Christ.”

Each church was responsible for planning and then performing or leading two songs. In addition to those music selections, a choir of more than 50 people from the combined churches sang an arrangement of the hymn “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded.”

Throughout the service each pastor read and reflected on one of four Scripture passages: Genesis 22, Exodus 12, Psalm 22, and Isaiah 53. Each passage shed light on why Christ had to die. (And as he opened the service, Greg Linscott, pastor of Calvary, said of the pastors, “I’ve told them it’s a reflection; it’s not a sermon. We’ll see how well they listened.”)

After the service, which had begun at 7:00 p.m., everyone gathered for refreshments in Calvary’s fellowship hall. People lingered late into the evening, renewing relationships with friends from the other churches and making new friends.

Greg reminded the congregations of the foretaste of eternity the service presented. “We may be different congregations here, but we’ll be together in Heaven—and like tonight, we’ll be singing together!”

Many people commented on how encouraging they found the service. Esther Heath, a member of Calvary, appreciated the “wonderful music and teaching of God’s Word.” Pastor John Todor of First Baptist agreed. “God was praised indeed!”