Community Sunrise Service
The community Easter sunrise worship service sponsored by the Rockbridge Area Ministerial Association will be held on Easter Sunday, April 20, at 7 a.m. at Lexington Presbyterian Church.
Participating in the service will be clergy from several local churches and organist William McCorkle. The sermon will be delivered by the Rev. Reginald Early of the Randolph Street United Methodist Church.
Following this early service, there will be a breakfast in Dunlap Auditorium.
Haines Chapel
Haines Chapel, 2682 Tye River Turnpike, will host its old-time church and Easter sunrise service beginning at 6:30 a.m.
Violet Cash, organist, will play prelude music on the pump organ beginning at 6 a.m. Kenmar Alexander will play piano music during the service.
For more information, call (540) 460-1078 or email: earl. [email protected].
Marlbrook
Marlbrook Baptist Church in Raphine will be having an Easter sunrise service at 8 a.m. followed by a full breakfast at 9. The Easter worship service will start at 10:30 a.m. There will be a free gift for all who attend.
St. Paul’s
St. Paul’s Anglican Church will commemorate Maundy Thursday at 6 p.m. with Holy Communion and Stripping of the Altar.
Holy Week services will continue on Good Friday at noon with Stations of the Cross and The Great Litany.
The Easter Sunday service, which starts at 11 a.m., will include Holy Communion. An Easter potluck luncheon will follow.
Trinity
Trinity United Methodist Church’s Maundy Thursday service will start at 6 p.m. and will include Holy Communion and prayer stations. This service will feature a piano/ flute duet by Adam Kelly and Angie Rader of “Lamb of God” by Joel Raney.
On Good Friday at 6 p.m., Trinity will welcome Randolph Street United Methodist Church for a joint service reflecting on the Passion of Christ.
On Easter Sunday at 11 a.m., the church will present “Amazing Love,” a cantata recalling Christ’s sacrifice, by Lloyd Larson and Joel Raney. Adam Kelly will be the featured pianist with Becky Edmondson on harp; Angie Rader on the flute; and Laney Milton, soloist.
Oronoco
On Easter Sunday, Oronoco Church will be having a carry-in breakfast at 8 a.m. and morning worship will follow at 11.
Timber Ridge
The Timber Ridge “Old Stone” Presbyterian Church will host the following Easter season services: April 17, 7 p.m. -- Maundy Thursday service with communion.
April 20, 7 a.m. – Easter sunrise service on the front lawn of the church, followed at 11 a.m. by the morning worship service with communion.
Rockbridge
Church
Easter Festival
Rockbridge Church will present its annual Easter Festival on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Brewbaker Field in Lexington.
The egg hunt will feature over 10,000 eggs with age separated egg hunts - 0-4 years old, 10:15 a.m.; 5-7 years old, 11 a.m.; 8-9 years old, 11:45 a.m.; and 10-12 years old, 12:30 p.m.
The event will also include face painting, tattoos, games, a petting zoo, inflatables and a food truck. Everything is free except for the food truck.
Lexington
Presbyterian
Lexington Presbyterian Church will mark the observance of Holy Week with a concert and several worship services.
Today, Wednesday, April 16, there will be a Music at Noon concert in the church sanctuary. Organist William McCorkle, assisted by baritone Michael McLaughlin, will perform organ compositions inspired by the tunes of great hymns for Lent and Holy Week.
On Thursday, April 17, Lexington Presbyterian pastor, the Rev. Drew Ditzel, will lead a Maundy Thursday service of prayer, song and reflection at 7 p.m. in the church’s Brady Chapel.
On Good Friday at noon, there will be a service reflection. Pastor Ditzel will lead the congregation in scripture readings and prayer. In additional to congregation hymns, the service will include special music by organist William McCorkle with guest vocalists, Scott Williamson and Michael McLaughlin.
The resurrection of the Lord will be observed on Easter Sunday, and will begin at 7 a.m. with the annual sunrise service held by the Rockbridge Area Ministerial Association, followed by a breakfast.
Lexington Presbyterian’s Easter 11 a.m. worship service will include the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, as well as traditional Easter hymns. Pastor Ditzel, reading from Luke’s gospel, will deliver a sermon entitled “The Least Boring God.” Director of Music McCorkle will lead the choir in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ anthem “Let All the World in Every Corner Sing,” the traditional Easter song, “This Joyful Easteride,” and “Surrexit Christus,” a joyful refrain from the Taizé Commnity in France. McCorkle and Mayumi Smitka will lead the Lam Handbell Choir in “Bwana Awabariki,” a rousing African blessing, arranged by Susan T. Nelson. Also participating will be trumpeter John Brodie. The service will conclude with the “Hallelujah” chorus from G. F. Handel’s Messiah.
Grace Episcopal
During Holy Week, Grace Episcopal Church will offer a service at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday in observance of Maundy Thursday and the Last Supper; Good Friday services at noon and 6:30 p.m.; and an Easter Vigil on Saturday, starting at 6:30 p.m., with a Festival Lamb Dinner to follow in the parish hall.
Holy Eucharist will be offered at the Maundy Thursday and Easter Vigil services, with Holy Eucharist on Easter Sunday at the 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services. For the Saturday dinner, a donation of $15 is requested to cover the cost of the meal.
During Easter Week, readings from the illuminated volume of The Saint John’s Bible will continue, with readings from the Acts of the Apostles starting at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22, and Wednesday, April 23. Members of all local congregations and the general public are invited to drop in, listen, meditate or take part in a reading and to stay for as long as they wish. The readings will continue throughout the afternoon on both days.
Members of the community are also invited to come see and explore the Bible at their own times for the duration of the month of April, before the volume returns to its home at Saint John’s Abbey and University in Collegeville, Minn.
For more information on services, the Saturday dinner, or to schedule a time to visit the Saint John’s Bible, call the Grace office at (540) 4634981 or email office@gracelexva. org.
TOPPER the donkey was a special guest in the processional this year. (Joann Ware photo)
ATRIO of musicians from Virginia Military Institute’s regimental band leads the processional east on Nelson Street. The bagpipers played both sacred and secular songs, including “Shenandoah” and “Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee.” (Joann Ware photo)
THE REV. DR. DAVID COX reads from the book of Matthew 21:1-11 in Hopkins Green this past Sunday. He is joined by First Baptist Church pastor McKinley Williams. (Joann Ware photo)
