The Holiest of Weeks
New Baptismal Font
Family Promise
Annual Parish Meeting
Easter Flowers and Music
Coffee Hour Signup
Holy Comforter
Prayer

The Holiest of Weeks

This month we celebrate the highlight of the Christian year, the victory of life over death with the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning. I am sure the church will be full, as it should be, for this grand and glorious celebration.

The finding of that empty tomb on that first Easter morning so many hundreds of years ago was a dramatic moment. But to fully appreciate the power and meaning of the resurrection, one has to understand what happened in the days before it – the betrayal and abandonment of Jesus by  his friends, his arrest, torture and murder.

Every year, the church reenacts those events from the final week of Jesus’ life during Holy Week, the week before Easter. The church is not so full for those services, but those who come to them inevitably comment on how moving these liturgies are, and how their journey through Holy Week deepens their appreciation of the miracle of Easter morning.

I invite you to journey with Jesus through Holy Week this year. Here is the schedule of services:

Palm Sunday (April 9, 8:30 and 10:45 a.m.) At the later service we begin in the Beech Grove and process into church waving palm fronds and shouting “Hosanna” as we remember Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. After the Eucharist, the mood of the service changes as we read the Passion Gospel, the story of Jesus betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion. After the reading is over, we leave the church in silence. Note: No Coffee Hour this day.

Maundy Thursday (April 13, 7 p.m.) Maundy is from the Greek word meaning commandment. On this day we remember Jesus’ command to his followers on the last night of his life – to love one another as he has loved them. As a sign of that love, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples that night. Part of our service recalls that with the (voluntary) washing of feet. The service also includes the Eucharist, and ends with the stripping of the altar, leaving everything bare for Good Friday.

Good Friday (April 14, 7 p.m.) The service for this most somber day of the Christian year includes prayers and the reading of the Passion from the Gospel of John.

Easter Vigil (April 15, 7 p.m.) This dramatic service begins at the foot of the cross in the Memorial Garden, with the lighting of the fire from which the Paschal, or Easter, candle is lit. We process by candlelight into the darkened church to hear scripture stories of God’s acts of salvation. Midway through the service we turn on the lights, ring bells, and proclaim that Lent is over and Christ has risen.

A special addition to the service this year is the blessing of our new baptismal font (which our artists promise will be ready), and the baptism of Nate Palmer.

The celebration continues after the service with a cake and champagne reception in the parish hall.

Easter Sunday (April 16, 8:30 and 10:45) Come celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on this most festive day of the Christian year.

Tricia

New Baptismal Font

When we celebrated our 50th anniversary in 2014, one of the ways we marked the occasion was by commissioning a new altar, lectern, and shelves (and the fox and woodpecker). The one major liturgical furnishing that we did not do was the baptismal font.

Last year we received a generous bequest from the estate of Dorothy and Charlie Yates. The vestry unanimously agreed to use a portion of that gift to commission a new baptismal font. Dorothy and Charlie’s adult children are delighted with the decision.

The same artists who made the other furnishings, Timothy Sutherlin; his daughter, Timera Temple; and son, Shan Sutherlin (who also made the sculpture for the Memorial Garden) are now at work on the new font. It will include a pottery bowl and pitcher made by Athens-area potter Alice Woodruff.

Our hope is that everything will be completed in time to bless the new font at the Easter Vigil. That is an especially appropriate time because that service, which is the Church’s oldest liturgy, was traditionally the time that new Christians were baptized (following three years of instruction!). New member Nate Palmer will be baptized at that service.

Family Promise

Hotel St. Dunstan’s opens its doors on April 23 for Family Promise, the program to provide shelter to homeless families. At this point, we know we will have at least two families staying with us that week. One or two more may be added before their arrival date. If you can help by cooking and/or serving dinner, spending the night, or helping to set up or take down rooms, please sign up on our website, www.stdunstan.net. The Family Promise Sign Up Genius button is on the footer of each page.

We have been one of 11 “host congregations” for Family Promise since the program began here in mid-2013. In 2016, emergency shelter was provided for 18 families, for a total of 2,607 nights. The “graduation rate,” meaning families that left the program to move into permanent housing was 93 percent. The number of kids who stayed in school was 100 percent.

Since mid-2013, Family Promise has provided shelter to 115 kids and 64 adults. We may not be able to solve all the problems of homelessness, but we can help individual families get back on their feet.

Many thanks to all who volunteer their time and gifts to Family Promise. And special thanks to our coordinators: Mimi Gold, Vivian Siggers, and Ellen Taratus.

Annual Parish Meeting

Mark your calendars now for the Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, April 30, at 9:30 a.m. We will review the year just past, look ahead to our hopes for the future, and affirm new vestry members.

Easter Flowers and Music

Remember or honor someone special by a gift for Easter flowers or music. Special envelopes are provided in the pews and the Easter bulletins will contain a list of those gifts received by Monday, April 10.

Coffee Hour Signup

One of the most important times of the week at St. Dunstan’s is Sunday morning Coffee Hour. It is a chance to catch up with friends, and offer hospitality to guests and visitors.

We are changing the way coffee hour hosts are assigned to an entirely voluntary system. You may sign up in the parish hall on Sunday morning, or on our website, www.stdunstan.net. The Coffee Hour Sign Up Genius button is on the footer of each page. We encourage everyone to sign up two or three times a year.

On Sundays that do not have hosts, we will still provide coffee and drinks for the kids.

Holy Comforter

It is our turn to provide Wednesday night dinner at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church on April 5. Many of Holy Comforter’s parishioners live in group homes. Their Wednesday night worship and dinner are an important highlight of their week. If you can help, please sign up in the narthex or contact Gilda Morris at gildamorris@me.com.

Prayer

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

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