Skip to main content

Tag: Roser Church

Celebrate Easter with Roser Church

Celebrate Easter with Roser Church

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Churches, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – Congregations may not be able to gather this year due to the governor’s orders to stay at home and not gather in groups of more than 10, but that’s not stopping the Holy Week ministry at Roser Memorial Community Church.

The Holy Week services begin with Maundy Thursday on April 9. Between noon and 2 p.m., the Roser Chapel will be open for a drop-in communion service. During the service, all COVID-19 guidelines will be observed including limiting the number of people in the chapel at any one time, disinfecting and cleaning, and maintaining social distancing of six feet between people.

This year’s Good Friday service, “He Took My Place,” will be broadcast live online April 10 at 7 p.m. on the Roser website. The service also will be available to watch after the live broadcast on the Roser YouTube page.

On Easter Sunday, April 12, the 10 a.m. traditional worship service will be streamed live online followed by the 5:30 p.m. SoulJourn contemporary worship service. During the 10 a.m. service, the flower cross traditionally decorated by congregation members will be in the sanctuary. Once the service concludes, it will be placed outside the church for the public to view, along with Easter lilies, which can be purchased in honor or memory of a loved one for $7. The names of those honored with the lilies will be in the Friday April 10 e-bulletin.

Currently, the church is closed to the public but the chapel remains open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for individual prayer and meditation. A sanitizing station is located inside the door and the chapel is cleaned and sanitized twice daily.

The Roser Food Pantry also remains open to offer assistance to the community. While the food pantry is well-funded financially due to generous donations, the ability of volunteers to purchase items in bulk has been diminished by the current demand on supplies due to the coronavirus’s effect on the community. Volunteers are asking for help in purchasing needed supplies including canned soups, vegetables, beans, meat and fish, peanut butter, jelly, boxed meals such as macaroni and cheese, canned fruit, fruit juice, rice, pasta and cereal. Donations can be dropped off in front of the church office at 512 Pine Ave. in Anna Maria during office hours. A cart for the food pantry is located just outside the office door for donations. A full list of needed items is available online.

To request assistance from the food pantry, contact a pastor or make a prayer request, contact the church office at 941-778-0414 or email info@roserchurch.com.

Related coverage

Holy Week celebrations

Roser Food Pantry needs your help

 

Roser Church moves services online

Roser Church moves services online

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Churches, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – After taking into consideration guidance from the National Centers for Disease Control and the concerns of parishioners, leadership at Roser Memorial Community Church made the decision March 17 to close the church’s doors to the public, temporarily moving all worship services online.

The closure of the church building has caused the cancellation of the popular senior aerobics class RoserRobics and the church’s annual Easter cantata, planned for March 29 as well as other programming.

For now, everyone is invited to join the church online with both the 10 a.m. Sunday traditional worship service and the 5:30 p.m. Sunday SoulJourn contemporary worship service being broadcast live online. Previous worship services can be viewed any time on the church’s YouTube channel.

In addition to the Sunday worship services, regular bible studies also will continue online at the church’s website. Terrific Tuesday bible studies will take place live online at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesdays with previous sessions available to view on YouTube at any time.

All other planned church events and meals are currently canceled.

The Roser Thrift Shop also is temporarily closed due to coronavirus concerns.

The Roser Food Pantry remains open to those in need by appointment only. Please call the church office at 941-778-0414 to schedule an appointment or if you wish to drop off a donation. Recommended items for donation include cereal, soup, canned fruits and vegetables, fruit juices and dried rice, potatoes and pasta. For more information, visit the food pantry online.

Related coverage

Manatee County declares state of emergency

Coronavirus concerns prompt event cancellations

Coronavirus prompts message from Bishop

‘Miracle Baby’ needs help

‘Miracle Baby’ needs help

Written by Tom Vaught on . Posted in Anna Maria Island, Churches, Community News.

ANNA MARIA – A child born three months premature on April 19, 2016, to Roser Community Church Facilities Administrator Charles Wade and his wife, Brenda, still faces a rocky future. Her parents and Roser officials are asking the Island community for help in the form of prayer and money.

Arianna Wade weighed only 11 ounces when she was born and, at that time, she was the smallest ever born at Sarasota Hospital. She became known as the “Miracle Baby” and on Dec. 19, 2016, Arianna came home from the hospital. She was considered to a great Christmas present for Charles and Brenda. On Dec. 12, 2018, Arianna played the part of Baby Jesus in the annual Roser Walk to Bethlehem.

Miracle Baby Arianna Wade
‘Miracle Baby’ Arianna Wade is now three years old.

Arianna has been undergoing ongoing treatment at St. Petersburg Children’s Hospital, and when she recently went in for a routine procedure to open up her airway, doctors discovered there was nothing more they could do for her. They referred her to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

Once again, the church and family are asking for help in the form of prayers and money. Those wishing to help with the upcoming expenses may go to www.roserchurch.com/give to donate online (use the Arianna Miracle Fund line item) or make checks payable to Roser Church and note “For Arianna” on the memo line. Donations can be dropped off at the church office or mailed to Roser Church, PO Box 247, Anna Maria, FL 34216. The money that comes in will be distributed to Charles Wade on a monthly basis.

‘SoulJourn’ shakes up Roser services

‘SoulJourn’ shakes up Roser services

Written by SUN contributor on . Posted in Entertainment.

ANNA MARIA – The pastoral staff at Roser Memorial Community Church is shaking things up, first with the addition of new Praise and Worship Leader Derrick Williams and second with the addition of a new contemporary service on Sunday evenings beginning Oct. 6.

SoulJourn, a casual contemporary service, will be held Sunday evenings at 5:30 p.m. beginning Oct. 6, though a preview of the new service will be held in place of the regular 10 a.m. service on Sunday, Sept. 15.

“We’re very excited,” Rev. Neil Crowell said of the new worship service. “This is something that we’ve worked on for two and a half years. I think it’s just a blessing to have Derrick here.”

Williams joins Roser part-time. In addition to his new position, he’s also the host, creative director and musical director of the weekly music television show “The Gospel Voice” on The Christian Television Network and performs on Sunday’s Soulful Supper. He currently holds the title of Best of the Bay winner for Best Vocalist, Pianist, Singer/Songwriter and Jazz Ensemble.

Williams, who lives in Brandon with his wife Julie and daughter Jordan, said that of all the opportunities offered to him, he felt led through prayer by the Lord to come to Roser and help lead the new worship service.

“I prayed a lot about this,” he said, adding that his wife helped him explore the option of working at Roser and supports his decision. “I’ve learned to listen to my wife.”

“I come from the Baptist south where there was a church on every block,” he said, adding that as a preacher’s son he was brought up both in the church and surrounded by musicians. After joining the military, he said he returned and became a family man. Previously, he’s also been a teacher at a Catholic school, award-winning musician and performer. Williams said he’s been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years. One of his favorite ways to teach and to entertain is through his love of music and his talent of playing the piano, something he hopes to bring to the new Roser service with the help of some talented vocalists and musicians in the community.

The music for the service will be led by Williams while the teachings will be done by Rev. Dr. Bob O’Keef and associate pastor Crowell.

“Roser has done a spectacular job through the years of celebrating traditional worship and we do a really good job of it and it’s a ministry that reaches a lot of people but we’re aware that a contemporary style of worship would attract a whole ‘nother group of people that we’re not reaching. And so, we wanted to offer that new style at the same time that we’re keeping what has worked so well for us,” O’Keef said. “A lot of churches have made the mistake of abandoning their traditional and going all contemporary. We don’t want to do that. We want to do both. We want to offer both and we want to celebrate both styles. The new style of worship will certainly be dramatically different. One of the things, of course, is the style of music. That’s one of the major differences.”

In addition to well-known hymns, Williams said people can also expect to hear gospel, funk, acoustic, jazz, rock and other types of music. He’s really hoping for horn players to join the musicians at Roser. He said he’s really looking for local musicians who want to come share their gifts with the community.

“I think what we can promise folks who come is a really powerful music experience and a really powerful biblical experience,” O’Keef said. “We’re not going to make the mistake that some churches have made of dumbing down the faith. We want our service to be very biblical and one that is also very contemporary in terms of how we experience God’s presence. I think that’ll be really good stuff.”

Roser is looking for volunteers for the new service including musicians, vocalists and anyone willing to work behind the scenes, such as a stage manager. In a talk with The Sun, Williams said he’s open to anyone who wants to share their gifts with the community, including actors, dancers and other individuals. For more information, call 941-778-0414, email info@roserchurch.com or visit www.roserchurch.com/souljourn. Roser is at 512 Pine Ave., Anna Maria.