Dear Friends in Christ,
“For God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 1:8)
I am so excited about our return to outdoor worship this Sunday. I have met many of you only on a computer screen, and I am excited about the possibility of meeting in person. And I am excited, of course, as we all are, about sharing the sacrament.
As your staff have planned our worship for Holy Week and Easter, we are also excited about the possibilities of being together. At the same time, we are aware that “together” means all of us—those who choose to worship in person and those who choose to worship on-line. We’ve been using our imagination and creativity, and here’s some highlights of what we hope to do outdoors in addition to our livestream:
- On Saturday, March 27, you’ll be able to drive by the church and pick up palms.
- We’ll add an additional outdoor service at 7:45 a.m. on both Palm Sunday and Easter. (We’ll continue this service after Easter if there is demand for it.)
- On Maundy Thursday, we’ll have a service especially for children and parents at 5:00 p.m. in the amphitheater, followed at 6:00 by an “Agape Picnic”—a socially distanced way (more details to come) for us to be in fellowship with one another.
- On Good Friday, we’ll again have a 5:00 service for children and parents, using our newly created outdoor Stations of the Cross.
- And for our Easter Vigil, we will celebrate Holy Baptism and the kindling of the new fire outdoors before moving indoors for a livestreamed service.
You can review the Holy Week schedule, and more details about each of these services will come.
As we look towards the resurrection of Christ’s body, I hope we can also celebrate this resurrection of the body of Christ that is the church. We are finding ways to connect again. And there will be more to come. I hope you’ll join me in looking forward in hope.
In Christ,
Anne+
P.S. Speaking of meeting outdoors: Would you like to spend some time together with no agenda other than getting to know one another? Join me next Friday, March 19, any time between 2:30-3:30 at Monticello Park (just a few blocks from the church). Bring a mask, a camp chair, and anything on your mind that you’d like to talk about.