Join Us for Lent
Important Notice: In-person worship is currently on hold due to public health concerns.
Join us via Livestream here at 10 AM on Sundays.
Lent at First Congregational Church in Winchester is a season of reflection, prayer, and ritual that deepens our journey along Jesus’ way and renews our commitment to God’s work in the world. We encourage various spiritual disciplines during the six weeks of Lent, offer opportunities for study and prayer together, and celebrate with joy the resurrection of Christ and the analogous rebirth of Spring that comes on Easter morning.
Ash Wednesday Service
February 17, 7:00 PM
We hope you received a mailing from the church containing a Lenten Devotional featuring Henri Nouwen, a child’s Lenten Guide (if you have children), a little bag of ashes and some instructions and inspiration from Rev. Will. At 7:00 pm on February 17, we will gather via Zoom to share an Ash Wednesday blessing and make the sign of the cross on our foreheads with the ashes supplied. You can anoint yourself or share this moment with members of your family. This is a good opportunity to include children in this tradition.
Join us on Zoom for Ash Wednesday.
Tuesdays with Jesus: A Book Read with Soup
Starting Tuesday, Feb 23, 6 -7 PM
This Lent we will continue our tradition of “Tuesdays with Jesus” by reading and discussing a book entitled “Trouble the Water: A Christian Resource for the Work of Racial Justice” while we share soup and bread together. Each week you will receive an email zoom link from the Adult Faith Exploration Ministry to attend our gathering on the following Tuesday at 6 PM along with a tried and true soup recipe from someone in the congregation. Those who are able are encouraged to make the soup so we can enjoy the same meal together while we read and discuss each week a chapter from the first section of the book. Read more…
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Palm Sunday Worship Service
3/27: Saturday
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- 10 am – noon Palm Pickup
Members of the ministry team will be giving out palms to members and friends and maybe a few passersby. We will be located near the sidewalk at the bottom of the walkway up to the main Sanctuary door. There will be a palm related activity for kids during the Palm Sunday worship service on Zoom at 10am the following day.
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- 11 am Palm Delivery
Be at the church at 11:00 a.m. to get names and places for delivery. Hope to see you on the 27th.
March 28, 10:00 AM
Remembering Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem for his final week and his passion, our worship opens the gate to Holy Week and prepares us for the coming of Good Friday and eventually Easter. Palms are distributed, songs of praise lifted, and a foreshadowing of what is to come draws us prayerfully toward the heart of our faith. Live, in-person, Zoom service to celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The link is here.
Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service
April 1, 7:30 PM
Gather with us on Zoom as we share in the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples before his death and then listen to the story of the Passion According to the Gospel of John as candles are extinguished and we gradually descend into the darkness with Him. At the end of the service we’ll depart in silence as the 15 hour vigil begins.
Maundy Thursday/Good Friday Overnight Prayer Vigil
April 1, 9:00 PM – April 10, 12:00 PM, Sanctuary
From Maundy Thursday evening through Good Friday at noon, we keep watch in the sanctuary before the single candle lit at the end of the Tenebrae service. This commemorates for us the disciples being asked to watch and pray with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was crucified. This year, despite the pandemic and the church building being closed, we will still maintain the sanctuary vigil since we can do so in a socially distanced, safe way. Beginning at 8:00 p.m. the Sanctuary will be open for Vigil. Slots will be for 1 individual or 1 pod at a time. Each will be 45 minutes long allowing for time in between for the air to settle and to ensure safety during change overs. Here is a link for the sign up. Those who have signed up will receive an email with guidelines.
Good Friday Overnight Vigil Closing Service
April 2, 12:00 PM
After almost 17 hours of prayer from Maundy Thursday through the wee hours of Good Friday we come to a simple and quiet moment where we read of Jesus’ death, accompanied by prayers of thanksgiving and hope. Join us on Zoom as we close our Vigil Service.
Easter Lily Memorials & Distribution
You are invited to donate a chancel Easter plant as a memorial or as a gift. Plants will be distributed to our shut-ins on Saturday, April 3. The cost of plants is $20.00 each. All orders are due by Palm Sunday, March 28. Order here
Saturday, April 3 10:00 am- 10:15 am Easter Plant delivery
You can pick up a plant at the church (Dix Street Door) on April 3 from 10:00 am to 10:15 am. Names and locations of recipients will be available at the church.
Easter Morning Egg Hunt
Stepping Stones and the Forumites are proud to be working together on this year’s Easter Sunday egg hunt! Sign up here for a slot for your family. The egg hunt will be in the nursery playground, and each slot has space for three families! While there will be supervision from volunteers, we ask that you stay and enjoy the hunt with your children! If you have any further questions, please email Jake.
Easter Sunday, April 4
Outdoor Easter Worship
6:00 AM, 8:00 AM, and 10:00 AM (live-streamed!)
Vine Street Parking Lot
We will hold a simple Easter Sunrise service for early-risers who are inspired to greet the rising sun and the Risen Son. Then there will be two more traditional Easter services with triumphal music pouring out of the windows of our sanctuary and a quartet from the choir leading our hymns and offering special music. The services will be at 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00. Please feel free to bring a chair if you would like. The link to sign up is below. ALSO, there will be streaming of the services similar to Christmas Eve, so you can be part of Easter from anywhere that has internet access. Signup here!
