Holy Week Worship Schedule

Sunday, April 2 - Palm Sunday - Services at 8 and 10am

Thursday, April 6 - Maundy Thursday - Service of Tenebrae at 8pm



Sunday, April 9 - Easter Sunday

Sunrise Worship at 5:45am at Old Burial Hill

Services at 9 and 11am in the Sanctuary

Walk With Us Through Holy Week: A Devotional

All of the human heart in one week.



Throughout Lent we have explored the Atlas of the Heart by Brene Brown. It offers insight into the over 7 dozen identifiable human emotions. All of them are experienced in the people and events of Holy Week.  Over the year scripture scholars have looked closely at the Gospel accounts of Jesus last days.  Using their in-sights we have developed a daily devotional for the week that has our best guess of what Jesus and the disciples were doing and experiencing each day. 

We invite you to take a few moments each day during Holy Week to join the journey. You can download the devotional HERE.

Children's Faith Formation

The children will go to the classroom during the second Hymn.



Childcare for Infants to 3 1/2 years old are welcome to join Rey and Donna Weiner, upstairs in the First Church Meeting House room, beginning at 9:50 and anytime during the service.

Easter Lilies

We are providing envelopes in the pews for those who wish to order lilies for the April 9th Easter services. All orders must be in by Friday, March 31st Plants are $24 this year and if paying by check, please make it out to Old North Church and write "Easter plants" on the memo line. Plants may be dedicated in honor or memory of someone and may be picked up following the 11:00 am service on Easter morning. You may place your flower envelope in the offertory or orders can be mailed or dropped off at the church office at 8 Stacey St.. Thank you!

Sunday Flowers



Thank you to everyone who has donated fresh flowers for our sanctuary. It is a pleasure to read the dedications each week. We have a few openings still available, so if you would like to dedicate flowers please email Bonnie MacDonald at bonnietim@comcast.net.

March Family Movie Night

Mamma Mia!

This Sunday, March 26 at 4pm

Come join Community Life Ministry Board on Sunday, March 26^th in the Parish Hall and be magically transported to a tropical Greek Isle replete with beautiful scenery, the illusion of warmth and the chance to sing along with your favorite Abba tunes in the family favorite - MAMMA MIA. The fun begins at 4:00 PM with popcorn, pizza and soft drinks. The cost is $5.00 per person. 

Reservations aren't mandatory, but we would appreciate an RSVP to make sure we have enough to munch on. Contact Linda Duvel at linda.bill.duvel@gmail.com or 781-631-1703 or sign up after coffee hour. Hope you'll join us on our adventure!!!

Little Plants of Cheer

The bleak mid winter is now in our rear view mirror and the joy of spring, new birth and warmer days is knocking at our door inviting us to explore and enjoy life. But not everyone is able to appreciate such joy … at this time. If you know of anyone, either here at Old North or in the Marblehead community, who might appreciate a little cheer, the Community Life Ministry Board would like to reach out with a little plant and a friendly note.  Please contact Lynda Hare at hares8carrots@hotmail.com if you know of someone.

Grief Class With Else Wiersma

Final Session This Sunday in the Great Room

For 40 years, Else Wiersma and her husband, Charles Navle, offered a course on death and dying at Salem State University called Life and Living. She brings the insights of this course to our church for a 4-part series for Lent: She writes: “This course will discuss how we can find both the courage and awareness to encounter death in the face of loss, grief, and fear, core deliberations, as we exchange points of view. Scientific fact falters before death. Yet to live means to die. There are important questions to ask: Why does our faith not strengthen and enlighten us? Why do we fear death so? Does the human inclination devoutly to hope for an afterlife say more about human nature than it may say about God? What does it mean when we speak of life after death? These are a few questions to which our discussions will attempt to respond.

This four-week course meets on Sunday mornings, after the 10:00 A.M. service. The remaining session will be held this Sunday March 26, in the ‘Great Room’ at the Stacey Street Office. Essays will be e-mailed prior to meeting, and hard-copies will be made available in the church office. A ZOOM-option is planned.”

If you plan to attend let Else know: elsewiersma@comcast.net or contact the church office (781-631-1244) or: office@onchurch.org

See No Stranger

Remaining Session Thursday March 23

“You are a part of me that I do not yet know”.  Valarie Kaur in her book, See No Stranger, dives into a concept of revolutionary love. She writes from a perspective of compassion and justice delving into how we can love others, the opponent and ourselves. Her insights are extraordinary and her storytelling is compelling.  

We’ll gather via ZOOM on three evenings in Lent to explore each of these dimensions of revolutionary love. Join us for remaining sessions on:

·Thursday, March 23 @ 7pm book Part 3: ‘breathe and push: loving ourselves’

Topic: See No Stranger

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us-east-2.protection.sophos.com?d=zoom.us&u=aHR0cHM6Ly91czAyd2ViLnpvb20udXMvai84MjM0MDYyNTYwMD9wd2Q9Y2pSdk9VVkhkVXh3YVVWNFNrY3ZiVFpqVGtwSlVUMDk=&i=NWUxNjMzMGI0YmU5ODAxMTNhNDE2ZjEz&t=b09QV0xtMEZPSVVIVndFNzNKL3VmUU00S1FUTmNab0VVR0pvY21LaEFVbz0=&h=c4de99e5a9af4a3998db2d4ddcff9ee8&s=AVNPUEhUT0NFTkNSWVBUSVZ-GOLHmEfhY9w5av_nJsL_qNL_nUZ_ae9gOBtMSuEjCg

Prayer Dice

There is an interesting way to engage in daily prayer. We talked about this in worship and in our Lenten brochure. You can do it from home even if you haven't been able to get dice and a card at church yet. Here's how:

Once a day, once an hour, or once a week roll the dice. Look at the number on top of the die when it comes to rest. Find that number in the list below and let the question guide your prayer and reflection:

1. Name 3 good things for which you are thankful. Give thanks to God.
2. Offer a prayer for God to guide our church faithfully into it’s next chapter.
3. Is there something for which you feel regret, shame or guilt? Release it into God’s mercy and tenderness.
4. Name a person or situation that you want to bring to God for healing and wholeness.
5. What Blessing would you like to ask God to bring into your life or the world.
6. Share in prayer something about God that amazes or delights you.

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to announce that over 80 singers – plus our professional soloists – are participating in the upcoming Lenten Choral Concert, and we enthusiastically invite your attendance and support!

Members of the Old North Senior Choir and Old North Festival Chorus are currently rehearsing the glorious choral masterpiece – Requiem in D minor, K 626, by W.A. Mozart – preparatory to our performance on Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 7:30pm! The singers and instrumentalists assembled for this performance – many returning and many new – look forward to sharing this monumental work with you, universally recognized as among the most poignant and breathtakingly beautiful pieces of the sacred choral repertoire.

Our performance marks the beginning of Holy Week and a long-held tradition at Old North to offer members of the Marblehead community a program of musical reflection by candlelight. Over the years, the performing ensemble has more than doubled from its original forty singers; we are inspired to present challenging      and extraordinary musical programs on this special occasion. The concert on Sunday, April 2, at 7:30pm,    is free and open to the public, though a free-will offering will be gratefully accepted.

This very special performance – dedicated in loving memory to Gordon Hall III, a long-time Festival Chorus member and fan of the music program at Old North – is supported, in part, by a combination of the Music Patrons and Festival Chorus Funds at Old North Church. This funding, combined with the free-will offering collected at the door, will cover only part of the expenses to produce this program. If you would like to help defray the costs of our Mozart Requiem performance, we would be thankful for your contribution – in any amount.

If you wish to have your name listed as a Sponsor of the program AND if you wish to remember a loved one in the In Loving Memory section, please fill out both lines of the “Lenten Concert Dedications & Donations” form. If you are interested in listing only the name of a loved one, please fill out only that line. In the unlikely event we have questions, your contact information has been requested; thank you for sharing that as well. Please note that you do not have to be a member of the Festival Chorus or Old North Church to become a sponsor or list a loved one. Feel free to invite others to support our concert in this manner, if appropriate.

Donations are due no later than Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Please mail your check (payable to Old North Church – with “Lenten Concert” in the memo) – to arrive no later than Wednesday, March 29, 2023– so that you can be included in the Program. Thank you for your support!

The Music and Festival Chorus Committees

Simply fill out the Lenten Concert Dedications & Donations form, and return to:

Attention: Maria van Kalken

OLD NORTH CHURCH, 8 Stacey Street, Marblehead, MA 01945

Food Pantry



April is round the corner which means that once again it is Old North’s turn to fill the shelves at the Marblehead Food Pantry. I have spoken to the head of the pantry and have learned that approximately 70 families are still relying on it as being their primary source of food and personal items. Your generosity back in November was amazing and in addition to the food that we provided, we also sent a check for $800 to carry them over into December. Alas the pot is now empty and we have no money to kick off our April 1st shopping spree.  If you are inclined to make a donation and could do it before then, that would be so very appreciated. 

If you have any questions please contact Lynda Hare at 781 639 0107 or hares8carrots@hotmail.com. 

Thank you!

Clothing Drive for South Africa



Our church group going to South Africa next August will be taking gifts of clothing for the Pholela Congregation to share among their 25 villages. We are looking for donations of good used items that include:

• Good Condition Used Reading Glasses
• Shirts (T’s and button down for boys and men, pants for boys and men ONLY)
• Sweaters, sweatshirts, blouses and dresses for girls and women (NO pants for women)
• Warm baby clothing, especially knitted caps and sweaters, shoes for small children only.
• Anything fleece like vests, jackets, warm hats, gloves, lightweight jackets and coats
•  NO heavy items please
• I will be purchasing fleece blankets for the elderly so donations of those will be appreciated. 

Bags of donated clothing may be left at the church upstairs in the small classroom next to the Music Room. Contact Ginny von Rueden, rvonrueden@comcast.net or 781-631-7898 for more information. Siyabonga!! (Thank you in Zulu)

Lectio Divina

A monastic practice of scripture, reflection and prayer dating back to the 4^th century, at Old North lectio divina has been adapted and practiced for more than ten years on every Tuesday morning from 9 to about 10:30 am. When Dennis was here, he led the practice. Since his leaving, we all take turns being the leader to select the readings. We have welcomed newcomers, some not from Old North, who seem to find soul food in the practice and the shared reflections that are part of it. We meet at 9 am both in person in the “Great Room” on Stacey St. and on zoom.

We begin each meeting with a context-setting call to worship. Then we pair a scripture reading with a poem, chosen by the leader for the day and read aloud. We then move into 21 minutes of silent meditation, marked by chimes, and finally we share in “safe space” our responses – personal and intellectual. We end each session with prayers for healing and the Lord’s Prayer.



It is a rich time of being together in community and quite like no other. We invite you to give it a try.