Holy Week and Easter

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Collaborative Worship for Holy Week 
For this Holy Week, St. Mark's is partnering with our neighbors at St. Michael and All Angels to create a vibrant series of worship services for our congregations to share. The clergy across the street serve both at St. M&A and at St. James of Lafayette Park. Each service for Holy Week will take place at a different one of our worship spaces. Leaders from each congregation will shape the liturgy in their tradition and include opportunities for guests to take part in readings and music. After every service, we will share a meal where we can connect in conversation. Mark your calendars now, so that you can be sure to walk this journey of praise and fellowship with our neighbors in faith. 

Would you like to take a leadership role one of these liturgies? Write to Vicar Claire at vicar@stmarksbaltimore.org

Maundy Thursday
Head across the street to share a Maundy Thursday worship service with the congregation of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Deacon Nathaniel Gibson has planned a simple, spare liturgy from the Book of Common Prayer that will dip us into the contemplative spirit of Holy Week. Vicar Claire will preach, lectors from both congregations will read, and all clergy members will offer a foot washing as an opportunity to embody the humility of Jesus and practice serving one another. When worship concludes, members of St. Michael and All Angels graciously invite all who attend to join them for a free, homemade community dinner in their parish hall.

Maunday Thursday, April 14 at 5 pm
St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church
2013 St Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
*Park in the St. Mark’s Lot!​

Good Friday
Venture across town to Lafayette Square, where St. James Episcopal and St. John’s AME, partner congregations of St. Michael and All Angels, welcome us to take part in a powerful Good Friday worship service. Good Friday marks the height of Holy Week in the black church, and this service is designed to convey the depths of Holy Week. The liturgy will be centered on the Seven Last Words of Christ, with meditations offered by seven gifted preachers, including Father Richard Meadows of St. Michael and All Angels. When worship concludes, all who attend are welcome to enjoy a fish fry on the square prepared by the congregation of St. John’s AME.


Good Friday, 4/15 at 12 pm
St. John's AME Church in partnership with St. James Episcopal Church
810 N. Carrollton Ave
Baltimore, MD 21217
*Plan time to find a parking spot on the street

followed by

$20 Fish Fry
The congregations of St. James and St. John's invite all who attend service to pre-order a home cooked Fish Fry meal to enjoy after service on Good Friday. See flyer to order. ​

Easter Vigil 4/16 at 7 pm
St. Mark's

Easter Vigil
Perhaps the most dramatic worship service of the church year, the Easter Vigil will be celebrated at St. Mark's Lutheran. This evocative liturgy moves us from the shadows of the tomb to the bright lights of the resurrection. We will light a new fire outside the church, process into a darkened sanctuary carrying candles, hear the stories of the ways God has rescued and saved us, and with the ringing of bells, celebrate the resurrection at the communion table among lilies and alleluias.

We are excited to Karen González, author of "The God Who Sees," will be the preacher for our Easter Vigil.

Details:
-Children are most welcome and are invited to wear pajamas so they can be ready for bed following the service.
-Bring a small bell to ring!

-There will be a reception afterward hosted by our Fellowship Committee, of appetizers and small bites! You are welcome to bring a finger food to share. Items that are easy to pick up or pre-sliced for easy serving are encouraged to keep us Covid-safe.
​

Easter Vigil, 4/16 at 7pm
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
1900 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

festive reception to follow

*park in the St. Mark's lot!

Karen Gonzalez is a speaker, writer, storyteller, and immigrant advocate, who herself immigrated from Guatemala as a child. Karen is a former public school teacher and attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology. For the last 12 years, she has been a non-profit professional, currently working for an organization based in Baltimore, MD that serves refugees and other immigrants. She wrote a book about her own immigration story and some of the immigrants found in the Bible: The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey to Belong (Herald Press, May 2019). She also has bylines in Sojourners, Christianity Today, The Christian Century, and others. Karen is currently working on her second book, Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in our Christian Response to Immigration (Brazos Press, October 2022). She is also the co-host of the Latina-focused podcast Cafe with Comadres. You can reach her via her website Karen-Gonzalez.com or on social media at @_karenjgonzalez. ​

Easter Sunday
Alleluia! Christ is Risen! We will celebrate Christ's resurrection with song and drum, alleluias and lilies! This festive Eucharist will include festive hymns and choral anthems, the story of Jesus' defeat of death, and high mass at the altar.

Children are more than welcome and will receive a special Easter treat at the conclusion of the service.

There will be a festive Fellowship Hour after the service hosted by our Fellowship Committee, of appetizers and small bites! You are welcome to bring a finger food to share. Items that are easy to pick up or pre-sliced for easy serving are encouraged to keep us Covid-safe.

Easter Sunday, 4/17 at 11am
St. Mark's Lutheran Church
1900 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218

festive Fellowship Hour to follow

*park in the St. Mark's lot!

Join Us for Worship

Sunday
Holy Communion in the Church at 11:00 AM



EELK Baltimore Markuse Kogudus (Estonian)
3rd Sunday in the Church usually at 2:00 PM

1900 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-752-5804
admin@stmarksbaltimore.org

Free Parking Available!

Click here for directions