Welcome!
Grace and peace to you! Benson Memorial United Methodist Church has been a beacon of welcome and hospitality and force for good in the neighborhood of mid-town and North Raleigh for 50+ years. We would love the opportunity to be a part of your lives!
Holy Week Worship Opportunities
You are invited to join us in worship during Holy Week, April 14 through April 21, as we observe the most sacred days in our Christian tradition: Palm Sunday, Holy (Maundy) Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. Mark your calendars, and plan to be with us. We'll be looking for you!
HOLY THURSDAY
Worship service at 7:00 p.m., Fellowship Hall
Join us for this casual and family-friendly Holy Thursday service as we re-enact the experience of the disciples with Jesus during the Last Supper with Holy Communion and an opportunity to share in the servant act of foot washing. Pastor Kelly Lyn will provide acoustic music.
GOOD FRIDAY
Tenebrae service at 7:00 p.m., Sanctuary
Join us for the dramatic reading of Christ’s passion narrative in the Gospel of John with hymns of the cross. The service begins where the Holy Thursday service leaves off with Jesus and the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane and takes us through Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial. As the readings are shared, 14 candles, plus the Christ candle, are extinguished. “Tenebrae” means darkness, and so the service ends with the darkness of Christ’s tomb as we await the sunrise and glory of Easter morning.
EASTER SUNDAY
Worship services at 8:45 and 11:00 a.m., Sanctuary
Join us for the celebration of Christ’s Resurrection and the beginning of our celebration of the Great Fifty Days of Easter that continues through the Day of Pentecost. Our Chancel Choir will present special music at both services. You are invited to bring (or purchase) freshly cut spring flowers from your yard to the courtyard to be added to the Flowered Cross that will be bursting with the beauty and joy of this Easter Day.
Vacation Bible School Registration is Open!
Join us for Vacation Bible School at Benson Memorial UMC! The dates are June 24 through 28, 9:00 a.m. to noon. Links to our registration forms may be found at the top of our Forms page. More information about VBS is on the Children's Ministries page.
From the Bishop
Dear United Methodist friends,
Grace and peace to you as the General Conference concludes the Called Session. The Session was tumultuous, demonstrating the difficult intersections of Biblical interpretation, contextual ministry and the global nature of our church. The Traditional Plan was affirmed by 53% of General Conference delegates with strong support from conservative regions of the global church.
It will take some time to accurately share all the implications of the actions of the General Conference. We will continue to follow Christ faithfully here in eastern North Carolina, welcoming all people into the loving embrace of our good and gracious God.
With gratitude for Christ’s ministry we share,
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward