Holy Week… Historically and traditionally, it is a mystical mix of public and private moments of faith. It’s as public as a Palm Sunday processional into Jerusalem and a crucifixion at the crowded crossroad of town. It’s as private as a last supper with friends, nighttime prayers in a garden and a resurrection in the still of the morning. Thus, our celebrations of Holy Week reflect both a private and public nature.
We invite you to some private moments of prayer as we walk the Stations of the Cross during Holy Week. The Stations of the Cross—artistically hand-carved in the Holy Land—now hang in Carpenter Chapel of First Baptist. During Holy Week, members of our church staff will guide you through prayerful meditations of the Stations. Meditations are scheduled three times a day during most days of Holy Week—morning, midday and afternoons. You may sign up for these guided meditations online at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4daaad2da2f58-stations You may also prefer to walk the Stations alone. Prayer guides are provided at the entrance to Carpenter Chapel, and the Chapel is open during office hours.
We also invite you attend two shared, public celebrations of Holy Week: Maundy Thursday Service at First Baptist Greenville and Good Friday Service at Fernwood Baptist in Spartanburg. As has become our tradition, we will celebrate Maundy Thursday ay 7:00pm in our church parlor—a sort of ‘upper room.’ If you have not attended this service with our Sanctuary Choir circling the room and the elements of communion in the center of the room, you’ve missed a holy and inspirational hour. Join us this year as we remember the evening before Jesus’ crucifixion. Then, at 7:30pm on Friday of Holy Week, we will gather at Fernwood Baptist Church in Spartanburg, SC, to remember and reverence the day of Jesus’ crucifixion – Good Friday. Members of our Sanctuary Choir will join with the choir of Fernwood to provide us with a meaningful and memorable worship experience.
Holy Week is a mix of public and private expressions of faith. Live fully into this sacred time…and then let us celebrate the resurrection on Easter Morning!
— Jim