Sunday School and Nursery Care

Old North Church welcomes children of all ages on Sunday mornings! Children are welcome in the sanctuary for the entirety of the service. Our nursery for children 3 months to 4ish opens at 9:50 but you may bring your little ones there at any point in the service. Sunday school (for kids aged four through 12) begins partway through the church service, following the "Moments with Children" during worship. 

This Week in Church School

This week in church school, Rev. Christine and Flory Denhard will be leading the children in an exploration of spiritual disciplines and the practice of walking labyrinths.

Lenten Meditation Sundays – April 6 & 13

*** New Time: 9:15am-9:50am***

Come be in a small sacred candle lit circle to rest, pause, reflect, sit in stillness & meditation each Sunday of Lent. Feel free to drop in for 10 minutes or an hour. Everyone (new & seasoned meditators) are welcome! Meets in The Parlor, the cathedral ceiling room at the top of the stairs & just to the left of the elevator. Led by new member, Maryellen Solomon-Auger, and Rev. Christine.

Ecumenical Lenten Study: Richard Rohr's The Tears of Things, Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage (Wednesdays 7-8:30pm)

Join clergy and members from other MHD churches for a Lenten book group. Upcoming meetings will be held at St. Andrew's April 9.

About the book: “How do we live compassionately in a time of violence and despair? What can we do with our private disappointments and the anger we feel in such an unjust world? In his most personal book yet, Richard Rohr turns to the writings of the Jewish prophets, revealing how some of the lesser-read books of the Bible offer us a crucial path forward today.” 

Easter Lilies

We have placed envelopes in the pews for those who wish to order lilies for the April 20th Easter services. Please return your envelopes by Sunday, April 6 for orders to be placed. Easter Lilies are $26 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!

Saturday April 5 Live Concert

Did you know Leah Waldo is the local country artist Elisa Smith? A 3x Country Artist of the Year nominee at the Boston Music Awards and 2x nominee at the New England Music Awards, she will be performing a live concert at Old North on April 5th at 7:00pm for her Kickstarter for her new album ‘Perfume’ with 10% of the proceeds raised donated to Rosie’s Place. Come enjoy an evening of original country-Americana music and stories all for a great cause. To learn more about her music and the Kickstarter, go to https://www.elisasmithmusic.com/

Make music and make a difference!

Save the Date!

Our Annual Lenten Choral concert featuring Requiem For the Living, by Dan Forrest will take place on Palm Sunday, Apri1 13, at 7:30pm. This concert marks the beginning of Holy Week and was established to offer members of the community a program of musical reflection by candlelight. The singers and instrumentalists assembled for this performance – many returning and many new – look forward to sharing this exquisite choral work for chorus and orchestra. The concert is one hour with no intermission. Please arrive early to enjoy a prelude performed by harpist, Sorana Scarlat. Admission to the concert is free; a free-will offering will be gratefully accepted at the door.

If you wish to remember a loved one in our In Loving Memory section of the concert program, the deadline has been extended to Monday morning, April 7. Please download the donation form here.

Please visit www.oldnorthfestivalchorus.org. for details. Thank you for your support!

Music News

All singers who are interested in joining the choir for Holy Week/Easter services are welcome to join the senior choir. Repertoire will include Lenten Hymns, Anthems and the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.

For more information, please reach out to Maria at vankalken@gmail.com

The Holy Week schedule is:



Wed, April 15:  7:30pm- 9pm rehearsal

Thurs, April 16:  7pm warm-up; 8pm, Tenebrae service

Sat, April 19: 10am-11:30am, rehearsal with brass quartet, timpani & bells

EASTER SUNDAY: 8am warm up; 9am Worship Service

                           10am breakfast in Parish Hall

                           11am –Worship Service 

Please mark your calendar now to attend or participate in our upcoming Jazz Sunday Service on Sunday, May 11th at 10am!

Maundy Thursday Services

Join us April 17th at 5pm for an Intergenerational Maundy Thursday dinner and simple service in the Parish Hall. We'll celebrate a simple communion at the dinner table followed by an optional footwashing. We're excited to offer a new way for this church to explore Maundy Thursday. All ages, infant through elder are welcome. Dinner will be provided, but please RSVP here so we're sure to have enough food.



Our traditional Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service will be held April 17th at 8pm in the Santuary, where we gather in the darkness for an evening candlelight service of song, scripture, reflection, and Communion. We will tell the story of Jesus' last day: his betrayal and abandonment by his friends, his mistreatment by the government and religious authorities. We take the time to witness his suffering--and the suffering throughout our world--before the joy of resurrection on Easter Sunday.  

Become a Member of Old North Church!

We're welcoming new members during our church services June 1, and we'd love you to consider it! If you're interested in joining the church--or want to know more about what that means--talk to one of the ministers. 

North Shore Youth Ministry (NSYM)

The NSYM typically meets Sundays and rotates Church host locations. Middle school age youth (6th-8th grades) will be meeting from 3:30-5:30pm and High School (9th-12th grades) from 6-8 pm. April dates and activities will be available soon.

Confirmation Classes – Seeking 7th, 8th, and 9th graders!

This year, we will be beginning confirmation with our 7th and 8th graders (though any older youth who have not been confirmed are welcome to join!) The confirmation process is a chance for young adults to learn more about the Christian faith, deepen relationships in the church, grow in their spirituality, and decide for themselves whether they want to become a member of the church.



We will set the time of the meetings to best work with the schedules of the youth who are involved, so please be in touch with Lindsay if someone in your family is interested in confirmation!  

Prayer Shawl Knitters

Prayer Shawl continues to meet the second Wednesday of each month in 2025, 10:30-12 in the Great Room at Stacey Street. Upcoming dates are:

April 9 & May 14

Please join us — we have yarn, pattern + needles.

Scrabble Group



The Scrabble Group meets weekly on Wednesdays from 2-4pm in the Great Room at the Stacey St. office building. Newcomers are always welcome to join in the fun!

Help Fill the Shelves

of the Marblehead Food Pantry

As a church we are now focusing on the build up to Holy Week but for about 85 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 , thanks to your kind contributions, we have successfully achieved this in a more efficient way. 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. Alternatively, you may prefer to make an on line donation to Old North Church website with the same specifications. 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).

New eBook for Eco-Friendly Living in Marblehead

Mark Adams has co-authored an eBook that is the ultimate toolkit for reducing energy, enhancing efficiency and saving money in your home. Written by and written for Marblehead residents, it will provide you with ways to make practical and impactful changes that will enhance your home's efficiency and support a healthier planet. It includes links to tools that can help you estimate the cost savings from green upgrades, community services for sustainable living and a complete list of all of the rebates and incentives available. Check it out on the Sustainable Marblehead homepage at www.sustainablemarblehead.org. 

Green Tip of the Week

This week’s “Green Tip of the Week” – Each year, around 640,000 tons of books end up in landfills — the equivalent weight of about 320,000 cars. This translates to an astonishing 300–500 million books discarded annually. Paper in landfills will decompose and release methane, a potent greenhouse gas. If you have unwanted books, consider donating them to Little Free Libraries around town, donate hardcover books to Magic Hat Thrift Store, or pass the books onto friends and family to enjoy. By giving books a second life, we can reduce waste and support literacy in our communities.

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.

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.