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Sunday, March 31, 2024
Easter Sunday
Please join us for worship at 6:15am at Old Burial Hill
or at 9 or 11 am in our Sanctuary.
The 11am service will be livestreamed on our website, www.onchurch.org
Gospel Lessons: Isaiah 25:6-9
and John 20:1-18
Rev. Don Remick's sermon: "Running To Resurrection"
Please click here to view the bulletin.
Wherever You Are On Life's Journey, You Are Welcome Here.
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Holy Week Worship Schedule
Thursday, March 28 - Maundy Thursday
Service of Tenebrae at 8pm
Sunday, March 31 - Easter Sunday
Sunrise Worship at 6:15am at Old Burial Hill
Services at 9 and 11am in the Sanctuary
Our Easter celebrations begin with a simple half-hour service on the top of Old Burial Hill. Just as the first Easter Sunday began in a graveyard, we gather together to witness the light coming into the world. Come for scripture, silence, prayer, and a sunrise over the ocean.
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Sunday School and Nursery Care
There will be no nursery or Sunday school on Easter Sunday, March 31. We invite families to worship together at both worship services!
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Holy Week Lenten Devotions
Each day of this week brings new insights, reflections, invitations and challenges as we follow the journey of Jesus towards the cross and resurrection. Out of all the weeks in our year, this one most calls us to pause each day to contemplate and prayer. You can find daily meditations in our Holy Week devotion found here. You can find video versions for each day on our Facebook and Instagram pages. May they speak to your spirit.
-- Rev. Don
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Holy Saturday
The gap we may sometimes feel between the solemn observance of Tenebrae, the supreme sacrifice of Good Friday, and the joy of Easter morning can be a place to reconsider our relation to scripture. This year, on Holy Saturday March 30, the Sanctuary doors will be open for all to come and go as they please.
Starting around 1:30PM, Rhod Sharp will read the gospel of John from beginning to end. This ancient practice which originated with St Augustine and is known as lectio continua, was a mainstay of the early Reformed church in Geneva.
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Easter Lilies
We would like to extend our gratitude to all who donated the beautiful Easter Lilies that will be gracing our sanctuary on Easter Sunday. If you have donated a plant or plants, you may pick them up after the 11am Easter Sunday service if you wish.
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Men's Breakfast - tomorrow
The Men’s Group will meet this Friday, March 29 (Good Friday), in the Stacey Street Great Room for breakfast starting at 7:30 am. Please contact Dave Hostetter at davehracer@gmail.com for more information and to get on the group’s email list. Please let Dave know if you plan to attend the breakfast and if you can bring something to share. Newcomers are always welcome.
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Pulpit Exchange Weekend of April 5th & 7th
Rev. Don will be the guest speaker at Temple Emanu-El: at 6pm Friday evening on April 5th. Services on Friday evening at Temple Emanu-El will be held both in person and streamed on YouTube.
On Sunday morning April 7th here at Old North Church Rabbi Darryl Crystal, will address the congregation of Old North Church during our 10am Sunday morning worship (there will be no 8am service).
For clarity’s sake, these are not “interfaith services.” Rather, each congregation will worship according to its own customs. But having the opportunity to welcome one another into our communal “homes” will expand and amplify the ongoing, special relationship of Covenant between our two communities of faith; a relationship that dates to the earliest years of Temple Emanu-El here in Marblehead.
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Save the Date
For a concert by double bassists Susan Hagen & David Heyes on Friday, April 26, 2024, at 7:30pm. Please join internationally-acclaimed double bassists Susan Hagen – a familiar name at Old North Church as Susan has performed with the Old North Festival Orchestra – and David Heyes (from the UK) in an hour-long concert entitled Koussevitzky Connections to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the birth of Serge Koussevitzky, the famous composer, double bassist, and conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924-1949. Ms. Hagen and Mr. Heyes will perform new commissions and old classics – on Koussevitzky’s actual double bass (!) – in what is sure to be a thrilling and entertaining concert. There will also be a special guest appearance of Sarah Poole, soprano. This concert is free and open to the public, though a free-will offering will be gratefully accepted; your contributions will benefit both the Old North Church and the artists.
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Jazz Sunday
Please mark your calendars now to attend or participate in our upcoming Jazz Sunday Service on Sunday, May 12th at 10am!
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Update from Marblehead Youth Cooperative Ministry
The Marblehead Youth Cooperative Ministry (MYCM) is currently seeking a candidate for our shared position of Youth Minister. This is a part-time opportunity to bring together youth from Old North Church, St. Andrew's, and Clifton Lutheran Church, as well as the wider community. We are also looking at other churches that may want to participate.
Click here to view the job description.
If you know anyone who might be interested, please contact one of Old North Church's Board representatives: Betsey Halbert ( halbertbam@gmail.com), Roy Martin ( 3rdroymartin@gmail.com), Heather Brine Martin ( brine.martin@verizon.net), Richard Thibedeau ( rsthibedeau@verizon.net), and Rev. Lindsay Popperson ( lindsay@onchurch.org).
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Food Pantry
As a church we are now focusing on Holy Week but for about 70 households here in Marblehead, the main focus will be on how to put their next meal on the table. For decades now it has been Old North’s responsibility to fill the shelves at the Marblehead Food Pantry in both April and November. Since the outbreak of the Pandemic we have successfully achieved this in a more efficient way, with your help. If you are able to donate, please consider writing a check to Old North Church (with Food Pantry in the memo) and send it to 8 Stacey Street, Marblehead MA 01945. You may also donate online at our website, https://www.onchurch.org/recurringonetime. Our dedicated shopping team will then use your kind donations to meet the very specific needs of the Food Pantry to include non perishable goods, toiletries and personal items. Any questions should be directed to Lynda Hare (hares8carrots@hotmail.com) on behalf of the Outreach Ministry Board.
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Joining the Church
Are you interested in joining Old North as a member? We're a congregational church, which means that any big decisions are made democratically, with each member having a vote. Being a member of the church also means that you're committing to us, and we're committing to you; we're claiming each other, and also making a statement that--in a world that is increasingly individualistic and fractured--we need each other.
This spring, we'll be officially receiving new members into the church during our worship service on Sunday, April 14. Please contact Rev. Don or Rev. Lindsay if you're interested in joining but that date doesn’t work for you.
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Prayer Shawl 2024
Please join Prayer Shawl the second Wednesday of every month for community knitting. The dates until June would be: April 10, May 8, June 12.
All are welcome to knit prayer shawls (we supply the needles and yarn) for the ONC community or bring your own knitting to join us around the big table in the Great Room at Stacey Street.
For any further information contact Alexandra Garfield: 781.929.0540
Alexandradane@me.com
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Scrabble Group
The Scrabble group continues to meet weekly in the Great Room in the Stacey Street office on Wednesdays from 2-4pm. It’s great fun and can be quite competitive. Join us!
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Donate to Save Lives in Gaza with World Central Kitchen
As we continue our spiritual journey through Holy Week and into the joy of Easter, the Outreach Ministry Board encourages you to join us in helping to save precious lives in Gaza with World Central Kitchen (WCK). The 1.3 million displaced people currently in Gaza, approximately half of whom are children, are now all at risk of at least crisis-level food insecurity- defined as high levels of malnutrition. The UN has stated that over 200 people per day, particularly children, are expected to start dying from starvation. It is a food crisis fare surpassing that seen in Somalia and Yemen.
In the midst of this suffering and the ongoing warfare, World Central Kitchen, a Washington-based nonprofit, has succeeded in providing desperately needed food. Most recently, they succeeded in building a temporary jetty out of rubble to allow the first food shipments by sea. Your Outreach Ministry Board has just sent $1,000 in emergency relief funding to WCK on behalf of Old North Church, and we invite you to join us by going to wck.org and selecting "Donate." WCK is a 4-star-rated charity that impressively spends 98% of donations directly on its food programs.
Thank you for your continued generosity. May you and your families be blessed this Easter season.
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Search Team Update
Our Search Team has met with Rev Alex Shea Will, our Associate Conference Minister, for training, support and orientation. Rev. Don has also been meeting with them as they launch into the process. The Team also had a chance to be in conversation with our congregation after church on March 16th. As they continue their discernment of God's guidance they so appreciate all of your prayers and support.
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Gifts of Cheer
If you know of anyone, either here at Old North or in the wider Marblehead community who is going through a difficult time, the Community Life Board would like to reach out with a little plant and a friendly note. Please contact Lynda Hare at hares8carrots@hotmail.com or 781-639-0107 if you know someone who would appreciate a little extra cheer.
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Lectio Divina
A monastic practice of scripture, reflection and prayer dating back to the 4th 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.
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Office Hours
The church office is open Tuesday-Thursday mornings from 9:30am-1:30pm. If you have an emergency outside of office hours, please send an email to office@onchurch.org.
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Contact Us: 781-631-1244
Email: office@onchurch.org
Church Address: 35 Washington St., Marblehead, MA 01945
Mailing Address: 8 Stacey St. Marblehead, MA 01945
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