Journey to Easter

God in our hearts, God in our lives… We are traveling home.

Lent: A Journey into Hope

This Lent, join us in our journey to Easter.

What is Lent anyway? In the church, Lent is the season of the year that leads up to Easter. Lent is a time to deepen our relationship with God. It’s a time to remember your life comes from God, and God’s love for you is greater than you can imagine!
As you seek to deepen your relationship with God during Lent, it’s a good time to try something new. Try adding a regular prayer time to the day or try reading one of the gospels in the New Testament. Lent is also a good time to connect with a church, try a Bible Study or to go to special services. We hope some of the events we are offering at First Presbyterian will help you make the Journey to Easter.

Ashes to Go! Wednesday, Mar. 5. Drive in to the Church Tower Portico!

It has long been the custom at the beginning of Lent to be marked in ashes with the sign of the cross. The ashes remind us that we are dust; we are mortal. We need to turn to God and trust God’s creative power to heal the brokenness in our lives and make us new. Our turning to God marks the beginning of our Journey into new life and our journey toward Easter joy.

We’re offering ”Ashes to Go” to the whole community on Ash Wednesday as a “drive through devotional experience” because we want to share the blessing of this day with everyone. We all need God’s healing power all day long, every day!

“The Chosen,” a Lenten Sermon Series, Sundays Feb 16 – Apr 6

Pastor Sally is taking a deep dive into season three of the film series “The Chosen,” which can be viewed on Amazon Prime or at https://www.thechosen.tv/en-us. Each week during Lent, in the Sunday morning sermon, we will explore the biblical themes presented in season three of “The Chosen.” Join us each Sunday for this unusual series during one of our morning worship services!

9:00 AM Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary

11:00 AM Journey Café Worship in the lower level Café.

“The Chosen” Bible Studies, Monday at 6:30 PM, Wednesdays at 8:30 AM

Want to dive a little deeper into “The Chosen?” Pastor Sally is offering two Bible studies to supplement the Sunday sermon series. The Monday Night Bible Study (6:30 PM) will actually view the films each week in the lower level Coffee House and then discuss the film and related scripture passages in small groups around tables. The Wednesday Morning Men’s Bible Study (8:30 AM) will view the films ahead of time at home and discuss the film and related scripture passages together when they gather on Wednesday morning. Bible studies are open to the public.

Annual Ukrainian Easter Egg decorating, Sunday, Mar. 16 (2 – 5 PM)

Ukrainian Egg Decorating is back again by popular demand! Pastor Sally will be teaching us the ancient art of Ukrainian Easter egg decoration called Pysanky on Sunday, Mar 10. The egg decorating is done on raw eggs with metal tipped styluses warmed by candle flame and dipped in beeswax. The designs are then drawn on the eggs and dipped in successive dyes to create a truly extraordinary egg. The public is encouraged to attend. Call the church office to reserve your seat: 574.264.3109. An free will offering will be taken to support the continued work of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in Ukraine and relief aid for war victims in Gaza.

Palm Sunday, Sunday, Apr 13.

On Palm Sunday we remember Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem with great joy and excitement! Join us for worship as we remember the Jesus’ Triumphant Entry. We will decorate with palms at the 9:00 AM Traditional service and at the 11:00 AM Journey Café service, and there will be palms to take home after each service. (Cross folders will be at the door if you would like your palm stem folded into a cross.)

Maundy Thursday Journey to the Cross, April 17 at 6:00 PM.

Journey back in history to Bible times and join Jesus’ disciples through the events leading up to Jesus’ death and burial. We will join the disciples toward the end of the Passover Feast (Last Supper), keep watch with them in the Garden of Gethsemane until his betrayal and arrest, go with Peter to the home of the High Priest, overhear his trial, and arrive at his tomb in time to see the stone rolled in front of the entry. Yet Mary seems to have hope even in the darkness. We will have to wait until Easter Sunday to celebrate the Resurrection.

This is a child friendly event. The actual crucifixion will be acknowledged but not seen. We will get a passing glimpse of the empty cross on the hill on our way to the tomb.

Good Friday Tenebrae, April 18 at 7:00 PM

Good Friday is the day of the cross. It’s a hard day for Christians but an important day as we remember the lengths God was willing to go to demonstrate his endless love for us. This year at First Presbyterian we will gather to read the story of Jesus’s passion with music and candlelight in a Tenebrae service. The word Tenebrae means shadows. Together we will mark the growing shadows of the events of the first Good Friday as the candles are gradually extinguished and the sanctuary grows increasingly dark. Is there any hope? There is always hope with God. Come be part of the God’s story on this holy night.

Easter Sunday, Apr 20 (9:00 AM, 11:00 AM)

Join us for Easter joy in worship with glorious music, the Easter Story, communion, beautiful flowers and God's message of Hope! The resurrection of the Jesus brings us hope for our personal lives and hope for our world. God’s love never leaves us alone!

We worship in two services on Easter Sunday:

9:00 AM Traditional worship in the sanctuary

11:00 AM Journey Café Worship in the Café, with children’s Easter celebrations.

Children’s Easter Egg Hunt! (Easter Sunday at 10:15 AM)

We are happy to provide a little extra fun for children on Easter Sunday. Our Easter Egg hunt is open to the public as well as children of the church. Have your children meet Anna on Easter Sunday morning at 10:30 at the back of the Sanctuary for a special Easter Egg Hunt inside the sanctuary of the church!

Check out our Children and Youth happenings!

Our Children’s and Youth programs have lots of special things happening during the Lent and Easter Season. Music and More (our kid’s music club) will be working toward a special Easter performance and enjoying some special Easter crafts as we approach Easter Sunday. Our Youth Group (grades 5 – 12) always has lots of fun activities for young people on Sunday nights. It’s the perfect time for your kids to try out some of the fun offerings at First Presbyterian. You can check out our programs for kids here!

Children's Ministry

Youth Ministry