Holy Convocations

"The Lord spoke again to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘The Lord’s appointed times which you shall proclaim as holy convocations—My appointed times are these: ...'" (Leviticus 23:1-2)

"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."
(Hebrews 10:19-25)

See below this section for details about our weekly services. All appointed times of the Lord, specified in Leviticus 23, begin at sunset the night before and carry on into the next day until sunset. The weekly Sabbath and the Appointed Times of the Lord are days when we should not do any work, we should not buy or sell, we should not cook or clean, and we should not kindle a fire, but rather we should seek after the Lord with all of our heart and delight in Him, His Word, and His Way. We should spend the time studying the Word, worshipping the Lord, enjoying fellowship in the Lord with one another, and feasting on the delights the Lord has given us from His abundance, with the exception of Yom Kippur, which is a fasting day. Corner Fringe Ministries has an amazing teaching series on the Sabbath, which is God's Fourth Commandment, and toward the end the series Pastor Daniel explains these simple commandments that bring joy to our hearts when we do them. Do you want to learn more about God's Appointed Times in general? Watch a First Fruits Ministries teaching, called "Why Celebrate God's Biblical Feasts?"

View our Event Calendar For Day-By-Day Details

Weekly Shabbat (Sabbath)

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it."
(Exodus 20:8-11)

General Itinerary

10 a.m. Arrival, prayer, contemplation.

10:15 a.m. In Person First Fruits Ministries Service: What to expect: Initial worship. Torah Portion Summary. (15 minutes)

10:30-10:35 a.m. In Person and Livestream First Fruits Ministries Service. What to Expect: Liturgical Readings, 20-30 minutes of Worship, a 45-minute to one-hour message from Pastor Andrew, prayer, liturgical songs, a blessing for the children, a blessing for the congregation and a blessing over the fellowship to come and the bounty the Lord provides for our celebration.

We are a small congregation, so we currently do not have a bar-bat program. Well-behaved children may remain with parents in the sanctuary. Children who may distract others are welcome to play downstairs while one or both of their parents watch the livestream on our available TV and join the congregation later for fellowship.

Noon-2:30 p.m.: Oneg, which is Hebrew for "delight." This is a time of fellowship, edifying discussion, prayer, interaction with children, and a pot luck lunch. Pastor Andrew is also available during this time for one-on-one meetings and counseling, which can carry on into the second service if needed. (PLEASE NOTE: All foods contributed should honor God's Levitical 11 dietary commandments (Leviticus 11, Deuteronomy 14). See "What should I bring?" for more information).

~2:30-3 p.m. to ~5 p.m.: Corner Fringe Ministries Livestream Rewind Service. What to expect: This is an online, second service from our affiliate church that takes place on the same day. The worship, sermon and prayer section of Corner Fringe Ministries Sabbath service will be replayed. This section of our service will begin at a different time each week.

3 p.m. Teens may choose to participate in Corner Fringe's youth group livestream in the classroom, or they may participate in the Corner Fringe Ministries Livestream Rewind Service.

Until 5 p.m. During the second service, or if the service ends early, we may have a second time period of fellowship, discussion, prayer, interaction with children and leftover food from lunch that is offered for those who have interest in staying longer. Starting at 5 p.m., we should be cleaning up together and heading out the door. We must be out the door no later than 6 p.m.

Additional Instruction

First Fruits Ministries encourages additional Bible study and learning at home outside service hours. Please see our Media Page for more information.

Shabbat services every Saturday
Doors open at 10 a.m.
Service begins around 10:15 a.m. in person and around 10:30 a.m. online
Service times for feast days may vary
(See below as the days approach, or subscribe to the church bulletin.)
60 Bailey Ave., Manchester, NN 03104
(We rent space from Calvary Chapel Manchester. There is a large parking lot with designated handicapped spaces. Handicapped access is via a ramp in the front for the sanctuary.)
603-722-0258
(JOIN US ON YOUTUBE LIVE)

What should I bring?

View our special events and meals planning calendar

Many people bring their Bibles as well as a notebook for taking notes during our two services. When it comes to Oneg, every week we enjoy lunch together at noon after the first service. Each person/family is encouraged to bring a dish to share with all visitors. All food should be prepared before sundown on Friday and nothing should be purchased during the Sabbath to bring to Oneg. First Fruits Ministries observes the Biblical dietary laws found in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14, and we believe the Bible is clear as to what God defines as food for humans. We encourage you to read through the Corner Fringe document that details these commandments as well as watch Corner Fringe's sermon series on the subject, called "Peter's Vision." We ask that you kindly do not bring unclean food into the building. Please also note that some of our members are vegans or vegetarians and we ask that you please respect their choices per Paul's exhortation in Romans 14.

What should I wear?

Being a part of God’s kingdom, we have an obligation to honor the Lord and one another by how we dress and to not be a stumbling block for our fellow sisters and brothers in Yeshua (Jesus). Generally, our attire should be modest in nature.

Men should follow the following guidelines:
▪ No shirts with inappropriate pictures or writing on them.
▪ Clothing should be securely fastened to your body, but should not be form-fitting.
▪ No tank tops/sleeveless shirts.
▪ Shorts should be at least knee length.

Women should follow the following guidelines:
▪ No low-cut tops exposing cleavage.
▪ No mid-drift tops, no strapless tops or spaghetti strap tops unless wearing something to cover the shoulders; straps on tops should be at least 3 fingers wide.
▪ No shirts with inappropriate pictures or writing.
▪ Skirts, dresses, and shorts should be at least knee length.
▪ Leggings or skinny jeans must have at least a knee length skirt over them.
▪ No form fitting clothes of any kind.

Still have questions?

Find Pastor Andrew during Oneg and ask for a one-on-one meeting, or fill out the form on our Contact page and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.

Appointed Times

Please remember to take off of work for these festival sabbaths, starting at sunset the day before. *

Passover (Pesach)/First Day of Unleavened Bread (Day 1 & Day 7) *

"In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the LORD's Passover" (Leviticus 23:5). The Passover meal includes bitter herbs and unleavened bread and is eaten to commemorate the Israelites leaving Egypt in haste. It points to Yeshua, "For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." (1 Corinthians 5:7) (Learn More: Passover 101. Download the Corner Fringe Ministries Passover Liturgy (Haggadah)).

"Then on the fifteenth day of the same month there is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread." (Leviticus 23:5) The Israelites left Egypt in such haste their bread did not have time to rise. We are instructed to remove all leaven (sin) from our homes during this week and mediate on Yeshua's sacrifice for our sins. (Learn More: Passover 2016 (3 parts)).

Pentecost (Shavuot) *

"You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of fine flour, baked with leaven as first fruits to the LORD" (Leviticus 23:17). Shavuot commemorates three things: the day the first fruits of the wheat harvest were brought into the temple; the day the Law was written on stone by the Finger of God (Holy Spirit); and the day the Law began to be written on hearts through the Holy Spirit. (Learn more: The Giving of the Torah and the Holy Spirit).

Day of Trumpets (Yom Teruah) *

"...In the seventh month on the first of the month, you shall have a rest, a reminder by blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:24). This day is known by many names: Yom Teruah, Day of Noise, Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah. It is celebrated by blowing the shofar, a ram's horn. It points to the second coming of Messiah, as we read in 1 Corinthians 15:52, "In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (Learn more: Jesus is Coming Soon!)

Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) *

"On exactly the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement; it shall be a holy convocation for you, and you shall humble your souls and present an offering by fire to the LORD." (Leviticus 23:27) Yom Kippur is a day of prayer, fasting, and repentance pointing us toward judgement day. We traditionally wear white to symbolize purity and forgiveness. "... though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isaiah 1:18) (Learn more: The Day of Atonement; Yeshua and the Two Goats).

Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot—Day 1) & Eighth Day (Sukkot—Day 8) *

This is an eight-day celebration. Many people spend this week camping and living in temporary dwellings. Others build a sukkah in their yard "so that your generations may know that I had the sons of Israel live in booths when I brought them out from the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 23:43). Sukkot points toward the millennial reign of Yeshua and the eternal rest with Him in the New Jerusalem (8th day). (Learn more: Sukkot Message 2013). (Check out this Sukkot devotional written by Corner Fringe Pastor Kraig Dorney and his wife Heather.)

Memorials

Purim

Purim is not a God-commanded festival, however, we read in Esther 9:28 that "these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants." (Learn more: The Story of Esther).

First Fruits/Counting of the Omer

"...then you shall bring in the sheaf of the first fruits of your harvest to the priest." (Leviticus 23:10) This is the day when the first fruits of the barley harvest were brought into the temple. It commemorates the day Christ rose from the dead as the First Fruits of the resurrection giving us hope of eternal life. (Learn More: 2018 First Fruits and the Counting of the Omer.)

"You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the LORD" (Leviticus 23:16). These are the fifty days between Passover and Shavuot. They remind us of the link between Passover (which commemorates the exodus and the resurrection) to Shavuot (which commemorates the formal giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai and the giving of the Holy Spirit). (Learn More: 2018 First Fruits and the Counting of the Omer.)

Feast of Dedication (Hanukkah)

Hanukkah is not a God-commanded festival. However, scripture shows Yeshua in Jerusalem at the time of the Feast of the Dedication (John 10:22-23). It is an eight-day celebration to commemorate the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem during the Maccabean Revolt of the second century BC. (Learn more: Prophecy and History of Hanukkah)

Do you want to learn more about God's Appointed Times in general? Watch a First Fruits Ministries teaching, called "Why Celebrate God's Biblical Feasts?"