Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday
The Passion Narrative According to the Gospel of Mark
In preparation for worship,
we encourage you to read the Scripture passage (Mark 14:21-15:47)
and reflect on what God’s word might be to you.
JOIN us for WORSHIP from HOME or in the SANCTUARY.
on Sunday at 10:00 a.m.
so you may be comfortable with our health and safety precautions
as we live into Christ’s teaching to love our neighbors as ourselves.
and activities to nurture faith
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Ministry News and Upcoming Events |
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Special Music Featured in Worship this Palm/Passion Sunday |
Holy Week begins with Palm/Passion Sunday. Worship on Sunday will feature the Passion according to the Gospel of Mark set within an extraordinary musical composition. The Partita and Choral Variations on “Ah, Holy Jesus” scored for SATB Choir and Organ was composed by local composer Robert Benson and was premiered by the Oxford Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir on Palm Sunday, 2014. The work is dedicated to Lynn Jacobs.
This multi-movement work consists of five different choral settings (or Chorales) of the hymn, “Ah, Holy Jesus” with each Chorale corresponding to lyrics of the hymn’s five verses. Interpolated between each Chorale is an organ partita (or variation) bearing the following designations: Partita 1: Bucinium-Contemplation of the Cross; Partita 2: Tricinium; Partita 3: Christ Commends His Spirit to the Father; and Partita 4: The Temple Veil is Rent in Twain.
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Thank you for your response to the survey for upcoming worship services over this sacred season. Thank you also for your registrations for worship on Palm/Passion Sunday and Easter Sunday.
Since we’ve reached our in person capacity for the 10:00 a.m. worship service on Easter Sunday, we are adding an earlier worship service as we gather in a joyous celebration of Christ’s resurrection!
A 8:00 a.m. worship service with communion on Easter morning will also take place in the Memorial Church Sanctuary. We will continue our practice of healthy precautions and social distancing. A small team will thoroughly sanitize the worship space between our Easter worship services.
Please register for this 8:00 a.m. Easter Sunday worship service here. If you’ve already registered for the 10:00 a.m. Easter Sunday worship service and would like to join us for worship at 8:00 a.m. instead, please call the church office so that we may assist you with those arrangements.
For those worshipping from home, we will offer the livestream of the 10 a.m. worship service Easter Sunday and every Sunday.
Aware of all that has transpired over the last year, join us for worship on Easter Sunday as we reclaim and celebrate the ultimate hope at the heart of our faith!
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Easter Special Music Fund and Spring Flower Fundraiser |
Spring flowers will be placed at the front of the church on Easter Sunday. Cost is $16.00.
Orders are due TODAY - Friday, March 26
The number of flowers will be limited to the first 30.
Donations and dedications to the Special Music Fund also gratefully received.
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One Great Hour of Sharing - Fish Banks and Special Mission Offering |
Sunday, April 4, Easter Sunday, we will be collecting the familiar Fish Banks as we take up our One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) special offering. Join us in this special offering of the Presbyterian Church (USA) that provides relief to disaster survivors, feeds the hungry, and helps empower the oppressed and living in poverty. In recent years, the offering has supported numerous efforts including tornado recovery in Dayton, COVID-19 relief, clean water access as well as food and shelter for those fleeing civil unrest.
We invite you to give generously on April 4.
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Fellowship in the Virtual Molyneaux Lounge |
Gathering online with our brothers and sisters in this faith community met a deep need for connection, conversation and encouragement while we were worshipping through the livestream alone. Now that we are worshipping again in person, much of the fellowship is taking place outside in the courtyard and along Church Street.
With this need for fellowship being met in person, we will offer a concluding time of fellowship online this coming Palm/Passion Sunday after worship at this link on Zoom.
Throughout this pandemic, our ministry has sought to be responsive to the needs of our congregation. If you wish to participate in fellowship online following worship over the weeks to come, please contact our church office. We want to hear from you and nurture the bonds of this beloved community.
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"So, Should we Recycle?" Discussion: |
Our CE and C4C teams will host our final discussion in our Lenten Podcast series on Sunday at 11:45,
Our final discussion will focus on the 2 part NPR Series "So, Should We Recycle." Link here to listen.
Information for Zoom Meetings is here (please scroll to bottom of document for more information)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Join us this Lent as, again and again, we bring all of who we are to Christ and trust that God will meet us with hope, time and again, along the way.
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Copies Available of Rebecca Barnes-Davies' Book! |
An important part of Rebecca Barnes-Davies "50 Ways You can Help Save the Earth" (copies available in the church office) is the idea of rest, or jubilee. Our Caring for Creation Team invites you to engage an unique opportunity for digital and electronic rest tomorrow, Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 p.m. when millions of people around the world switch off their lights for one hour in support of nature and our planet. Put it on your calendar, and enjoy a meditative hour. More information here.
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Confirmation Meets on Monday, March 29 |
Our next confirmation class will be meeting this coming Monday, March 29 in the Seminary Building at 7:45 p.m. Carla Blackmar Rice will be leading a lesson on Caring For Creation. For more information, please contact Pastor Marc.
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The Community Meal is back and in the Seminary!
Kind of.
Wednesday, March 31 -- 5:30 p.m.
We will be serving people in a drive-by fashion on Popular St. If you would like to help out by supplying a pot of chili or a pan of cornbread or a plate of cookies, please call or e-mail Bill Fisher at 524-4504 or fisherwf@miamioh.edu.
Please drop off food by 5:00 p.m. at the Seminary.
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Eradicating System Poverty Team - Advocacy Training Days |
Imagine! God’s Earth and People Restored
April 7-9 | Virtual Event
The ESP Team invites you to to learn along with them how to organize and advocate around environmental justice! Compassion, Peace and Justice Training Days offer an opportunity to support this global movement centered on and led by the people and communities most vulnerable to climate impacts due to historic racial and colonial inequities.
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Saturday, April 10 -- 9:00 a.m.
Memorial Church courtyard
Most (perhaps all) of your pruning questions will be answered while we spruce (no pun intended) up the trees and shrubs around the church. Dick Munson will demonstrate proper pruning techniques and tell you why we do what we do. All are invited to attend. Please wear a mask and bring your favorite pruners if you have any. Some equipment will be provided. Work gloves are suggested. Hope to see all you budding (pun intended) horticulturists on the 10th.
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Connecting as the Beloved Community |
Nancy Wilson is happily announcing the arrival of great grandchild number 16! She also has 16 grandchildren - the Wilsons are doing their bit to add good people to our planet. Many of them had gathered in Kansas City for a wedding last July which warmed Nancy’s heart. Balance problems are plaguing her, along with some lumbar pain which makes her visits to the chiropractor very welcome.
Dennis and Janet Stuckey spent four months of the pandemic in Chicago with daughter, Pam, and her family. Pam and her husband, Jack, are both band directors; Claire is in fourth grade, twins William and John are kindergarteners. Everybody was online, with unexpected router problems making life interesting. Janet and Dennis kept the chaos manageable as best they could. Perhaps Dennis used some of the skills he learned as city manager to instill order. Janet’s disciplinary methods were invaluable. Dennis is the chef and the children soon became Grandpa’s best friends in the kitchen.
Kathy and Larry Hardy are happily settled into their new home in Hamilton. It is a blessing to have family members nearby that made the August move so much easier for Kathy and Larry. As much as they loved their home on Nichols Road the many steps were too much of a challenge for Larry. His recent eye surgery has resulted in multiple trips to the eye doctor at UC as his progress is monitored. They were “tickled to death” to be back in the sanctuary last Sunday and look forward to Palm Sunday and Easter in person.
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Love in Action - COVID Vaccinations |
Ohioans 16 years old and above are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccinations. Navigating the process required to schedule a vaccine appointment may take persistence and patience. As a result, volunteers from our church family are ready to assist and guide you through the appointment process. If you encounter any difficulty in this endeavor, please contact the church office.
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"We are called to assist the earth, to heal her wounds, and in the process heal our own."
-Wangari Maathai
Your time, talent and treasure are truly vital to this ministry. If you are worshipping with us via the livestream, in lieu of a contribution to the physical offering plate, we would encourage you to mail your pledge/tithe to the church office or give through one of these digital avenues. To give online both conveniently and securely, you may access our online giving opportunity from your computer at https://onrealm.org/oxfordpresbychurch/Give.
To give via QR code, scan the code in the image below with your phone and follow the brief prompts. View a video tutorial here on giving through QR code.
To give via text message, text opc1825 and your designated amount to 73256. For example, text "opc1825 25" to 73256 for an offering of $25 and follow the prompt. View a video tutorial here on giving via text message.
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Living Into Hope
"I believe in the sun even when it's not shining.
I believe in love even when I don't feel it.
I believe in God even when he is silent."
- found etched into a wall at Auschwitz
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Oxford Presbyterian Church | 101 N. Main Street, Oxford OH 45056
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