Family Newsletter:

Palm Sunday and Holy Week

Week of April 2, 2023

Holy Week & Easter Schedule

Sun, April 2 : 9:00-10:00am : Palm Sunday Fellowship

Sun, April 2 : 10:00-11:00am : Palm Sunday Worship for All

(younger child story time in the Chapel during the Passion Narrative: see below)

Sun, April 2 : 9:45-11:15am : Drop-off Nursery Care for ages 0-3

Thu, April 6 : 6:15-7:30pm : Maundy Thursday Dinner & Worship

Fri, April 7 : 12:00 & 7:00pm : Good Friday Worship

Sat, April 8 : 7:30-9:00pm : Great Vigil of Easter

Sun, April 9 : 9:00-10:00am : Easter Festival Worship

Sun, April 9 : 10:00-11:00am: Easter Fellowship

Sun, April 9 : 10:30-10:40am: Easter Egg Hunt

Sun, April 9 : 11:15-12:15pm: Easter Festival Worship

Easter Morning Drop-Off Nursery Care will be available (for ages 0-3 only) during both services (8:45-10:15am and 10:45am-12:15pm).

Important Information for Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday--April 2-- is the beginning of Holy Week. On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem and then turn our eyes to the deep and holy days ahead.

Our tradition is to begin the morning with an all-church Fellowship time in Hadley Hall between the two services of worship. Please join us beginning at 9am. We will have hot cross buns, and activities for children.

Shortly before 10am, we begin our worship service in Hadley Hall, with a Blessing of the Palms and procession with palms into the sanctuary.

This Sunday is a "First Sunday," where all ages worship together, so there isn't regular Church School. However, we are offering a break-out session in the Chapel for younger children during the Passion Narrative. The Passion Narrative is a dramatized reading and musical recitation of Jesus's arrest and crucifixion which takes the place of the sermon on Palm Sunday; it is a powerful piece of worship and beginning to Holy Week, but it can be a bit intense (or long) for our littlest friends. Therefore, we are offering an alternative for our younger children, those in preschool and lower elementary. Parents, you are the best judge of what age is best for the Passion Narrative or what age would prefer to come to the Chapel.

After the procession of the palms, all children will stay in church for the first ten minutes, and then we will lead out any young ones who would like come to the Chapel for an alternative telling of the Holy Week story. This Felt Board story does include the crucifixion, but comparatively lightly -- after Jesus is arrested "in the morning they hung him on a cross, and he died," and they bury him in the tomb. But, we don't stop there, as is done in the Passion Narrative or Good Friday services; we move immediately to the rest of the story and Jesus resurrected. In short: we will tell the full story of Holy Week, Good Friday, and Easter, but in a way that is briefer than in church, without details, and we don't end with death but with life.

--Bryn

Holy Week Family Resources

The events of Holy Week -- Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, the waiting, and the Resurrection -- are core to our faith, but they can feel awfully big (or theologically complex) to tackle with children. You know your children best, and there are many ways to approach these big stories and big ideas.

Here are some favorites; you can download them here digitally, or pick up a hard copy in the back on the sanctuary (near the Children's Worship Bags) this Sunday, or anytime during Holy Week.

Walking the Way of the Cross Through Nature: A Good Friday Practice for Families This simple version of the Stations of the Cross can be done anywhere, as it relies on natural objects (some families use the Fells, or even their backyard). This is a good way for even young children to explore Good Friday.

Storymakers Holy Week Zine This is a fairly comprehensive walk through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday. Done in the style of the Storymakers Church School curriculum, join Bao the bunny in a journey through scripture, graphic novel, and social-emotional prompts.

Easter Sunday: Worship, Fellowship, and Egg Hunt

Please note that our two festival worship services on Easter Sunday are at 9am and 11:15am. Both of these service times are different from regular Sundays.

At 10am, we hope you will join us for a festive reception in Hadley and the Cloister Garden, and at 10:30am we will enjoy an Easter Egg Hunt together! Children should meet Bryn in Hadley Hall at 10:25 for directions.

If you're a grown-up who would like to help with the hunt, please email Bryn at bhollenbeck@3crowns.org.

The Poet Thinks About the Donkey,

by Mary Oliver

On the outskirts of Jerusalem
the donkey waited.
Not especially brave, or filled with understanding,
he stood and waited.

How horses, turned out into the meadow,
leap with delight!
How doves, released from their cages,
clatter away, splashed with sunlight.

But the donkey, tied to a tree as usual, waited.
Then he let himself be led away.
Then he let the stranger mount.

Never had he seen such crowds!
And I wonder if he at all imagined what was to happen.
Still, he was what he had always been: small, dark, obedient.

I hope, finally, he felt brave.
I hope, finally, he loved the man who rode so lightly upon him,
as he lifted one dusty hoof and stepped, as he had to, forward.

Graduation Sunday: May 21

All seniors graduating from high school are invited to be part of Graduation Sunday at Epiphany, on May 21. Please let Janelle know if you (or your child) are graduating and would like to be recognized.

Serve with Epiphany at The Dwelling Place: Families and Children of All Ages

On Saturday evening, April 29th, from 4:30-6:15pm, Epiphany will be serving at The Dwelling Place, a soup kitchen in Woburn for those experiencing food insecurity. Volunteers will be needed to set up, serve, and clean up on that evening (Families and kids all ages are welcome!). We will also have a cook day in the Epiphany kitchen to prepare the meals the day before. Interested in the cooking team or the on-site at The Dwelling Place team? Sign up below!

Dwelling Place Sign-Up

St. Luke's Community Kitchen: Opportunity for Families to Serve

Great news for Epiphany parishioners and friends who are interested in volunteering at St. Luke’s–San Lucas Saturday Community Kitchen in Chelsea! After closing for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the soup kitchen is reopening! Established in 2009, the Community Kitchen is a partnership between St. Luke’s–San Lucas and four congregations from the Mystic Valley Deanery, including Parish of the Epiphany. Epiphany volunteers can prepare, cook, and serve a hot breakfast or lunch to Chelsea residents on the third Saturday of every month, starting on Saturday, April 15.

To accommodate everyone’s busy schedules, volunteers can sign up to work the 8:00 am – 10:30 am shift or the 10:30 am – 1:00 pm shift. Please know that we welcome family members of all ages (recommended age of 8+). If interested, please click here to sign up. For more information, please contact Claudia Bell.

Childcare for Infants & Toddlers During 10am Worship for Ages 0-3

Our nursery is open! Parents and guardians may drop off their young children -- ages 0-3 years -- in the Dewart Room during the 10am service. Our paid and experienced nursery caregivers will be ready to receive babies and toddlers beginning at 9:45am. Parents and guardians must pick up their children by 11:15am, and must remain in the building at all times.

Children need to be registered in our system (one-time registration) in order to be dropped off. This gives us important information about allergies, needs, and who may pick up your child. Please register here:

Nursery Care Registration

Summer Camp at BCH: Registration is Open!

The Barbara C. Harris Episcopal Camp is offering sleepaway camp for those entering grades 4 and older, as well as a fun Family Camp long weekend this summer. Parish of the Epiphany loves BCH!

At least two Epiphany kids are going the week of July 31!

If your child or family would like to sign up for a camp experience this summer, please reach out and let Bryn know. We might be able to help coordinate some of our children's weeks together!

Find out more at BCH's Website: The Barbara C. Harris Camp

Church School Registration

Church School registration is always open! This gives us important information like allergies and opting into/out of photo permissions. We re-register each year to keep our information current. Thank you!

Church School Registration