KALEIDOSCOPE

A joint production of the Network of Religious Communities and the Video Institute of Canisius College

Kaleidoscope airs monthly on various local stations and is archived on Vimeo.

Episode Details

Date: April 2015

Topic: Wesleyan Church Easter Traditions

Episode Segment #: 1

Starts at: 0:00

Link:  (can vimeo link to start spot?)  https://vimeo.com/124199215

Student Editor: (student) Spring 2018

People

Host: Dr. Stan Bratton
Guest: Rev. Kimberly Gladden, ZionQuest Fellowship

Summary

Dr. Bratton spoke to Rev. Gladden in an effort to learn more about the Wesleyan Easter traditions. Rev. Gladden is the founding pastor of the ZionQuest Christian Fellowship and a member of the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church. In her early adulthood, Rev. Gladden discovered that she had a personal call to ministry and upon pursuing that call, became involved in a myriad of religious leadership positions including missions pastor at Eastern Hills.

Rev. Gladden was originally ordained at the United Holy Church of America, which is a small, independent pentecostal denomination. She grew up in this faith tradition and her grandfather actually served as a minister for this religious tradition for a number of years. However, upon being introduced to the Eastern Hills Wesleyan Church, Rev. Gladden felt a calling to join this tradition and has since become an ordained pastor in the Wesleyan church.

Rev. Gladden defines the Wesleyan tradition as a blend of Protestant, Evangelical, and holiness that has its roots in the Methodist faith. When asked why Easter is important to christian denominations, Rev. Gladden responded that she believes it reminds us that we have a “triumphant, living god” and as believers in him, we too can have this triumphant power of god. While each christian tradition incorporates different elements in their service, but every service has a common element of extreme joy and jubilation. While the lenten season and Good Friday are solemn occasions, Easter serves as the most joyful day because it serves as a symbol of redemption for christians.

As a whole, the Wesleyan faith celebrates Easter in a very similar fashion to other christian denominations. However, Rev. Gladden indicates that because the “tag line” of the Wesleyan church is “made new”, the importance of Easter is almost magnified in this faith. Easter reminds christians that they have the opportunity to be made new every day through God. Easter is a reminder miracles can happen in every day life.

Discussion Questions

1. What distinguishes the Wesleyan tradition from other christian denominations?
2. After watching this interview, do you agree with Rev. Gladden about the importance of Easter in the christian faith? Or do you think another religious event is paramount?
3. Does the Wesleyan faith have any traditions specific to their Easter celebration that other christian denominations do not?

Bibliography

1. “Our Beliefs & Core Values.” The Wesleyan Church, www.wesleyan.org/about/our-beliefs.
2. “About Us.” ZionQuest Christian Fellowship, www.zionquestchurch.com/what-we-believe/.
3.“Our Mission.” Eastern Hills Church , www.easternhillschurch.org/new-here/our-mission.
4. Greathouse, William M., and H. Ray Dunning. An Introduction to Wesleyan Theology. Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, 1989.
5. Willimon, William H. This We Believe: The Core of Wesleyan Faith and Practice. Abingdon Press, 2010.

Tags

Wesleyan Church, Easter