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A one-hour service of quiet meditation ending with a Prayer of Intercession.

This year we will combine the meditative practice of a Taizé service with our traditional Ash Wednesday service.

The Rev. Dr. Ed Horstmann will be preaching.

During the season of Lent, Immanuel members and friends will offer a time of fellowship and faith formation classes for all ages on Thursday evenings.

5:45pm: Gathering
6:00pm: Soup and Bread supper
6:30pm: Classes begin for all ages.

Choose from the following: (Descriptions to all classes are here.)

• Sacred Conversations on Race offered by Roland Axelson and Deb Hovey
• The Soul's Daily Bread: Sessions on Paul's Letter to the Romans offered by the Rev. Dr. Ralph Ahlberg
  (Feb. 25, March 11 and 18)
• The Gospel of Luke offered by the Rev. Audrey Chapman
• Exploring Hymns and Our Hymnal offered by Donald Funk (Feb. 25 and March 4)
• The Handbell Choir offered by Ehren Brown
• IMM*Arts offered by Ali Lurie
• Youth Fellowship offered by Mark Singleton and Jeffrey Vanags

Passion Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. As early as the fourth century, the church in Jerusalem began the custom of reenacting the entry of Jesus into the city. At the Mount of Olives, people gathered to hear the gospel passages about the triumphal entry. A procession then followed into the city. People held palm branches and sang, “Hosanna!” The tradition spread and has taken on many different expressions throughout the Christian church.

A Children’s Procession will lead into this service, and all children and youth are invited to gather on the front steps of the Sanctuary at 9:45am.

The Rev. Ed Horstmann will be preaching.

Volunteers are needed to be on the Auction Committee. This will involve helping to solicit auction items, setting up the day before the auction and helping out on auction Sunday. Please consider donating an auction item. The items that received the most interest at prior auctions include: donation of services, artwork and crafts, tickets to sporting events and theater performances, vacation home getaways, and gift certificates. Proceeds from the 2010 Auction will once again go towards funding the IMM*Arts program. Additional proceeds will help to fund the important work of the Social Action and Missions Committee. If you are interested in helping out on the Auction Committee or have an item to donate, please contact Rob Biddleman at 860-561-9665 or at robbiddleman@comcast.net.

You are invited to join a small group of Immanuel members in a three-day fast during Holy Week. Fasting has been a part of every major religion. Its purpose is threefold: to aid in the process of turning inward, away from the world, towards a reality which is not physical; to purify our bodies, to cause a process called “autolysis” and facilitate the removal of toxins; and to align us with the one third of the world that goes to bed hungry every day. Fasting is done in community, in a prayerful fashion. Participants will discuss how they have chosen to fast and what their goals are for the experience. Reasons not to fast and precautions to observe during the fast will be reviewed. We will pair up and agree to contact one another throughout the duration of the fast. It is our tradition at Immanuel to conclude our Holy Week Fast with a Service of Communion following the Good Friday Procession through Asylum Hill, and then join together for a light meal of soup and bread.

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter. Christians remember it as the day of the Last Supper, when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the ceremony known as the Eucharist. Tenebrae (Latin for ‘shadows’) is a service of scripture readings that tell the story of Jesus’ trial, crucifixion, and burial, accompanied by the gradual extinguishing of candles. The Tenebrae service begins with the church in candlelight. There are as many candles as there are readings, plus a white Christ candle. After each reading, one of the candles is extinguished, until only the Christ candle remains. Then a reader speaks the first part of Psalm 22, which Jesus quoted on the cross. The Christ candle is then extinguished, leaving the congregation in near total darkness. At this point, the service ends. There is no benediction and the congregation departs in silence. The purpose of the service is to recreate the betrayal, abandonment, and agony of the Christ. It is left unfinished, so that the story may carry forward to Easter Day and our celebration of the good news of Christ’s resurrection.

Members of the congregation will observe thirty minute periods of silent meditation, at home, beginning immediately after the Maundy Thursday service and continuing until noon on Good Friday. The focus of our Prayer Vigil for this year will be greater reliance upon the power of non-violence in our lives, the life of our city, and throughout the world. You may sign-up for the Vigil in Fellowship Hall.

Good Friday is the Friday before Easter and it commemorates the execution of Jesus by crucifixion. Historically, Immanuel has participated with other neighborhood churches in a religious walk through the Asylum Hill community, with brief worship services at each church. The procession has always begun at noon at the Trinity Church on Sigourney Street arriving at Immanuel at approximately 2:45PM. More information will be available soon. Look for it in the Order of Worship.

A round the world before dawn on Easter Sunday, faithful followers of Jesus gather in churches, in wooded groves, in cemeteries, in parking lots, parks, and on mountain tops and beaches for sunrise services. Whatever shape the services take, at the center are images of new life and the resurrection of Christ symbolized in the dawn of a new day and the rising of the sun. More information regarding this service will be available shortly. Look for it in the Order of Worship.

The season of Lent culminates in the Easter Celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and his victory over sin and death. It is a day when hope is triumphant. In the early Church, the celebration of the Resurrection was associated with the Jewish Passover, the holiday commemorating God’s saving grace in freeing the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. Indeed throughout most of the non- English speaking world, the Easter celebration is known as Pascha, or Pasch from the Greek for Passover. For many, Easter is not only a day of resurrection joy but also a day to remember that Jesus offered his life on the cross – suffering for all, so we might all live more abundantly in right relationship with God. Often symbolized by a butterfly emergent from the cocoon, Easter Resurrection is the promise of light after darkness, hope after despair, life after death.

The Rev. Ed Horstmann will be preaching.

Organ Preludes

On the Sundays of Lent, the organ preludes will be ten minutes long. Please consider coming early to Church and listen to music appropriate to the solemnity of the season.

February 28, 4:00PM:
CONCORA: BACH!

CONCORA and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra continue their immensely popular collaboration. This concert, “Motet Madness” is the incurable and insatiable urge to perform all six of J.S. Bach’s motets in one afternoon.

For tickets, please contact the CONCORA office at 860-224-7500 or online: www.concora.org

Tuesdays in March
12:05 PM

Woodland Concert Series
SUITES BEFORE LUNCH
presents

BACH’S LUNCH

All Bach All the Time
March, 2010

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Tuesday, March 9
Chorales from St. John’s Passion Voce Chamber Artists

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Tuesday, March 16
Suite # 6 in D Major
Eric Dahlin, Cellist

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Tuesday, March 23
Preludes & Fugues
from The Well Tempered Clavier Arthur Villar, Pianist

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Tuesday, March 30
Two Motets
“Der Gerechte Kont un”
“O Jesu Christ, meine Lebens Licht” Voce Vintage

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These concerts are 30 minute programs beginning at 12:05 PM.

They are free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Lunch immediately follows each concert, and it is at our customary bargain price of $5.oo per person.  

All performances take place at: Immanuel Congregational Church
10 Woodland Street , Hartford

860/527-8121