Grace Lutheran in Oak Ridge announces Holy Week services, Easter egg hunt
Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, 131 W. Gettysburg Ave., Oak Ridge, invites people to join in celebration of the Easter season during Holy Week, March 23-March 31. All are welcome.
On Saturday, March 23, Grace will sponsor an Easter egg hunt at 2 p.m. for ages toddler to fifth grade.
Palm Sunday (March 24) services will be held at 9 a.m. (contemporary) and 11:15 a.m. (traditional). Parishioners will gather in the parking lot to proceed into the church waving palm leaves to celebrate the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. In the event of rain, the procession will start in the Fellowship Hall.
On Wednesday, March 27, there will be two healing services at 11 a.m. and at 6:15 p.m., where participants will have an opportunity to receive an anointing for healing.
Maundy Thursday, March 28, the services will be at 11 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. in remembrance of the Last Supper. At the late service, First Communion students who have completed their training will receive communion for the first time. Both services will end with the somber stripping of the altar.
Good Friday, March 29, will feature two different services. At 11 a.m., a Tenebrae services will feature The Passion reading (characterized by gradual extinguishing of candles, and by a "strepitus" or "loud noise" taking place in total darkness near the end of the service). At the 6:15 p.m. service we will use Solemn Reproaches of the Cross to commemorate the death of our Lord.
Holy Week will culminate on Easter Sunday, with three services beginning with a sunrise service at 7 a.m. in the Memorial Garden patio area. A buffet breakfast will be served 8 to 11 a.m. The contemporary service will be at 9 a.m. and the traditional service at 11:15 a.m. Each service will have special music and songs as we celebrate the resurrection of the Lord. At the traditional service, a brass trio and tympani will accompany the liturgy and hymns. At the 9 a.m. service, the praise band New Creation will welcome trumpet player Michael Hulsey as they provide celebratory music.
Grace Lutheran Church is a Christian church dedicated to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in a diverse community by loving our neighbors as ourselves, developing vibrant ministries to meet current and emerging needs, and helping people know Jesus. Grace Lutheran is the only ELCA congregation in Oak Ridge and Anderson County. The ELCA is a mainline Protestant denomination headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, call 865-483-3787 or visit us on the web at www.graceoakridge.org.
This article originally appeared on Oakridger: Grace Lutheran in Oak Ridge announces Holy Week services, egg hunt
