Holy Week & Easter
Holy Week is the ancient Christian practice of walking through the last days of Jesus' life before arriving at Easter.
Location: Church of the Ascension • 2300 Carolina Forest Blvd
Holy Week begins with a procession. We gather outside at 4:00pm, receive palm branches, and enter the church singing. The mood shifts quickly—the same crowd that welcomed Jesus into Jerusalem called for his crucifixion days later, and the Palm Sunday liturgy holds both together. The service includes a dramatic reading of the Passion Gospel with parts taken by the whole congregation. The palms are saved and burned to make ashes for next year's Ash Wednesday. The service concludes around 5:15pm and is followed by our regular pot-luck feast together.
(This will be a family service, with Nursery available only for our youngest children.)
Location: Carolina Forest Senior Center • 2246 Carolina Forest Blvd
For many people, this is their favorite liturgy of the year. The evening begins with a simple dinner, then moves into a liturgy centered on the Last Supper. Feet are washed—clergy washing the feet of the congregation—and Holy Communion is celebrated. The service ends with the Stripping of the Altar: all ornamentation is removed, the church is left in darkness, and the congregation departs in silence. Plan to leave quietly.
(A Nursery room will be available for parents with young children.)
Location: Church of the Ascension • 2300 Carolina Forest Blvd
At 6pm, the Church will gather for a special liturgy consisting of prayers, a short homily, and the “reproaches”, a responsive reading from Lamentations. After this the congregation leaves in silence. The liturgy will last around 45 minutes.
Location: Church of the Ascension • 2300 Carolina Forest Blvd
Christ is risen! Alleluia! Easter Sunday is the happy end to a full week. We gather at 4:00pm for Holy Communion—the central act of Christian worship, and on Easter the most joyful expression of it. Following the service, children are invited to an Easter egg hunt on the playground behind the church (weather permitting).