Churches collaborate on Holy Week activities
NORWICH – With a strong history of team-ups over the past 60 some years, the United Church of Christ First Congregational, the Broad Street United Methodist Church, and the First Baptist Church parishes are banding together for an interfaith Holy Week celebration kicking off March 24 with Palm Sunday and ending March 31 with Easter Sunday.
The interfaith collaboration among the three Norwich Christian sects dates as far back as the 1950s and the Holy Week Celebration joint action dates back 2003. Holy Week will kick off Palm Sunday with a palm blessing at 10 a.m. at UCC, followed by a procession departing from UCC and traveling across the park to the First Baptist Church for a prayer. Afterwards the procession well head over to the Broad Street UMC for the rest of the day’s service.
“For me, Holy Week really represents the growing collaboration between our three churches,” said UCC pastor Joe Connolly.
The next point of interaction between the three churches will be the following Thursday, March 28, at UCC, followed the next day by a Good Friday service at the First Baptist Church starting 10 a.m. On Saturday, March 30, a Holy Faith Walk will be held for the second time, and Easter Sunday will cap off Holy Week on March 31.
During the Faith Walk, collections will be taken for local food pantries.
“It’s really an example of Christian charity in action,” said Broad St. UMC pastor Nancy Hale.
“The entire community is invited to a participate, not just church members,” added First Baptist pastor David Spiegel. “It is important for us to reach out to the community and this is a very tangible way to do that.”
On Easter Sunday, the three churches will host a Sunrise Easter service on the courthouse steps starting at 7 a.m. The morning service will be followed by a community breakfast at 7:45 a.m. held at the First Baptist Church. If the weather is too harsh, the Sunrise Service will also be hosted inside at the First Baptist Church instead of on the courthouse steps.
“I would like to point out this is the first year where we three are working together to plan the services and to me, especially on Palm Sunday, we are not Methodist, Baptist, or UCCs; instead we are all brothers and sisters in Christ,” said Hale.
“This is really our churches at their best working together as part of the cooperation we participate in all year long, but this week really brings out the best in all of us,” said Spiegel.
“What occurs to me is this honors our history together, the history of Norwich, and the support we have had for the community of Norwich,” said Connolly. “It shows our unity.”
“It speaks against the common misconception that we are in competition with each other,” said Spiegel.
Sometimes members of the three parishes go back and forth between the congregations and the three pastors are not interested in stealing sheep from one another, but instead are just interesting in helping people.
The interfaith collaboration among the three Norwich Christian sects dates as far back as the 1950s and the Holy Week Celebration joint action dates back 2003. Holy Week will kick off Palm Sunday with a palm blessing at 10 a.m. at UCC, followed by a procession departing from UCC and traveling across the park to the First Baptist Church for a prayer. Afterwards the procession well head over to the Broad Street UMC for the rest of the day’s service.
“For me, Holy Week really represents the growing collaboration between our three churches,” said UCC pastor Joe Connolly.
The next point of interaction between the three churches will be the following Thursday, March 28, at UCC, followed the next day by a Good Friday service at the First Baptist Church starting 10 a.m. On Saturday, March 30, a Holy Faith Walk will be held for the second time, and Easter Sunday will cap off Holy Week on March 31.
During the Faith Walk, collections will be taken for local food pantries.
“It’s really an example of Christian charity in action,” said Broad St. UMC pastor Nancy Hale.
“The entire community is invited to a participate, not just church members,” added First Baptist pastor David Spiegel. “It is important for us to reach out to the community and this is a very tangible way to do that.”
On Easter Sunday, the three churches will host a Sunrise Easter service on the courthouse steps starting at 7 a.m. The morning service will be followed by a community breakfast at 7:45 a.m. held at the First Baptist Church. If the weather is too harsh, the Sunrise Service will also be hosted inside at the First Baptist Church instead of on the courthouse steps.
“I would like to point out this is the first year where we three are working together to plan the services and to me, especially on Palm Sunday, we are not Methodist, Baptist, or UCCs; instead we are all brothers and sisters in Christ,” said Hale.
“This is really our churches at their best working together as part of the cooperation we participate in all year long, but this week really brings out the best in all of us,” said Spiegel.
“What occurs to me is this honors our history together, the history of Norwich, and the support we have had for the community of Norwich,” said Connolly. “It shows our unity.”
“It speaks against the common misconception that we are in competition with each other,” said Spiegel.
Sometimes members of the three parishes go back and forth between the congregations and the three pastors are not interested in stealing sheep from one another, but instead are just interesting in helping people.
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