May 14: Mothering Sunday

​ Join us on Sunday, May 14th for “Mothering Sunday”—as we celebrate both our mothers and our Mother Church. 

In the Middle Ages, churches around the world celebrated a pilgrimage day, where you returned to the church you were baptized at. If you were baptized or grew up at FPCE, we invite you to return for this special service to remember your baptism and the church community you grew up in. 

Mother’s Day can be a difficult day for those who have lost their mothers or never had the chance to become a mother. Our hope for Mothering Sunday is that we can embrace and commemorate a broader definition of motherhood. 

In Britain, Constance Adelaide Smith advocated for a revival of this tradition, where all friends and family are invited to return to the church in which they were baptized. She encouraged churches to focus on the Mother Church, Mary the mother of Jesus, and Mother Nature as some of the other mothers in our lives. 

As a Matthew 25 church, we are celebrating Mothering Sunday this year to embrace “Caring 
Relationships,” another mark of being a Vital Congregation. Everyone wants a place to belong—people  who care about us. Mothering Sunday is our invitation for anyone who grew up at FPCE or was baptized here to return for this Sunday, as a family reunion. 

​Caring Relationships in Christ require true agape love; a sacrificial, self-emptying, perfect love—the love of a mother. On this Mothering Sunday, we invite you to worship with us—to let us walk with you in tragedy, rejoice with you in your triumphs, and sit with you as we hear your stories. The love of Christ and the Mother Church is unconditional, so come without hiding or holding back who you are. You are part of God’s family and ours as well.