Join us during Lent!

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday, February 22 - 7:00pm - Sanctuary

Palm Sunday

Sunday, April 1 - 8:30a, 9:30a & 11:00a - Chapel & Sanctuary

Maundy Thursday

Thursday, April 5 - 7:00p - Sanctuary

Good Friday

Friday, April 6 - 7:00p - Sanctuary

Easter Sunday

Sunday, April 8 - 8:30a, 9:30a & 11:00a - Sanctuary

A Letter from Josh Phelps, Director of Worship & Music

Dear Church Family,

 A brief quotation from one of the great hymns of the church reminds us that Sunday’s palms are Wednesday’s ashes as another lent begins.  As we begin our journey to the cross together, I would like to invite you to set aside a few important dates so that you are sure to be in attendance at our special Lenten and Holy Week and Easter services, which I know you will not want to miss. 

This year’s Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday on February 22. As is our tradition at Westminster, an abbreviated service featuring imposition of ashes of the palm branches used in last year’s Palm Sunday procession will take place in our sanctuary at 7:00pm on that day. Members of our chancel choir and bell choirs are busy preparing Lenten worship offerings, which will include regular presentations by our chancel choir and special presentations by our soloists, bell choirs, resident brass quintet, and other guest musicians.

 Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday worship on April 1. Sanctuary worship services on that day will include our traditional palm procession and a special presentation by our children’s choir as well as the chancel choir and guest instrumentalists. 

The sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated in our Maundy Thursday worship in the sanctuary at 7:00 pm on April 5. 

This year ‘s Good Friday worship service will differ from years past in that our chancel choir, soloists, and orchestra will present The Seven Last Words of Christ by Theodore Dubois throughout  the course of that worship service. This is a service that you will not want to miss! The Seven Last Words of Christ is a full-scale oratorio for choir, soloists, and full symphonic orchestra. This work is sure to be a very moving center piece for Good Friday worship as it features dramatic musical settings of seven scripture accounts of the end of the life of Christ. It will be sung in English with scripture readings interspersed between the musical movements. All of this will take place in the space of our traditional one-hour Good Friday worship at 7:00 pm on Friday, April 6. Members of our chancel choir began working on this music in January and are very excited to present it to you in what is sure to be a unique and powerful worship experience on Good Friday. As I’ve said already, this is a worship service that you will not want to miss!

 We will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord in three Sanctuary worship services which will take place at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00 am on Easter Sunday, April 8. Please make note of these special service dates and times so that you are sure to be in attendance for these very important services in the life of our community of faith as we journey to the cross together, re-live the trials, mourn the death, and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord.

Yours in Christ,

Josh Phelps

Director of Worship and Music