Good Friday | News and Views

Holy Week at Pender UMC

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, the most important week of the church year. At the other end of Holy Week is Easter, the most important day of the church year.

For Christians, this is the big event! And it’s all about the mystery that somehow Jesus Christ makes us one with God.

Palm/Passion Sunday. April 13. 10am. Pender Sanctuary

Join us as we begin the Holy Week journey to Easter with our Palm Sunday celebration. Come together to reflect on the significance of this day and honor the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem!

Holy Thursday Seder Meal. Thursday. April 17. 7pm. PUMC Gathering Place

Chag Sameach! (Happy Holiday!) We are excited to invite you for a warm and meaningful Passover Seder as we gather to experience the symbolism of this meal celebrating the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, a pivotal event in Jewish and Christian history!

Please note that the Seder Meal will not include a full meal. We have timed it for after the dinner hour.

Sign up to attend the Holy Thursday Seder Meal

Good Friday Stations of the Cross. April 19, 10 am, Pender UMC Sanctuary

A contemporary expression of the traditional Stations of the Cross Prayer Walk to enhance your experience of the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice on Good Friday.

Please enter in silence, walk and pray in silence, and depart in silence. Our prayer walk recalls Jesus’ passion. Visit each of the four “Stations of the Cross” in order (left to right). You may pause to pray at anytime using the kneeling rail or seats in our sanctuary. Stations of the Cross is a devotional practice which originated in the early centuries of Christianity.

Good Friday Service. Friday. April 18. 7:30pm. Pender UMC Sanctuary

We invite you to join us for a meaningful service as we come together to remember and reflect on the ultimate sacrifice made for us. The Service will feature a moving combination of drama, scripture, and music, all designed to guide our hearts through the profound story of Christ’s love, suffering, and redemption.

Holy Saturday Prayer Vigil. April 19. 7pm. Pender UMC Parking Area.

We warmly invite you to join us for a special service of prayer, song, and scripture to prepare our hearts for the Easter celebration ahead.

Easter Sunday Celebrations! April 20. Pender UMC

Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the new life we have in Him. Whether you’re a long-time member or a first-time guest, we would love to welcome you!

Sunrise Service with Korean UMC – Koinonia! 6am. Pender Parking area

Sunrise Breakfast! 7am. Pender UMC Gathering Place Please let us know you’ll be having breakfast.

Easter Worship! 10am. Pender UMC Sanctuary with bells, scripture, and special music!

All of our worship is Christ-centered, Biblically-minded and relevant to life today. Pender UMC desires that you feel God’s Spirit nurturing you and that in worship you experience the very real presence of Christ with us. May you be blessed by God as you gather with us.

Where do I enter the building?

First, we want you to know that our church has worked hard to create a building with access for all. Whether you find yourself in a wheelchair or carting babies in a buggy, you’ll find automatically opening doors and large entrances.

As you enter the parking lot, you will notice two doors, both under porticos so that you may get out of the rain if it is wet. To enter through the main sanctuary entrance doors, simply look for the semi-circular driveway.

If instead you enter the sliding glass doors entrance, make a left into the hallway to the end where you will notice the welcome area on your left.

What do my children do?
We invite older children (3rd grade and up) to become fully involved in worship. At the back of the sanctuary are “children’s bulletins” and supplies like crayons.

Our younger children have the option of remaining with their family or being cared for by our wonderful nursery and childcare staff. Childcare is available for children ages birth through 2nd grade in the lower level of our building. Ask an Usher to help you find where to take your children!

Where do I park?
We attempt to have plenty of parking on Easter morning for our guests. However, we suggest you plan to arrive early, and if parking is full on our lot, there is parking on the street.

What if I need further information?
Our friendly volunteers and staff will welcome your questions! Please call our church office at 703-278-8023 between 9 am and 3 pm, Monday through Friday. Once at Pender, ask any friendly face for help! We are here to assist you.

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Posted by MaryO on April 8, 2025 in Easter, Get Involved!, Holidays, Lent, Music, Palm Sunday, Pender UMC, Posts of Interest, Sermon

Tags: Communion, Easter, Easter Breakfast, Easter Story, Easter Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Thursday, Holy Week, hymns, Jesus Christ, Kids' Easter Event, KUMC, Lent, Palm Sunday, Pender UMC, prayer vigil, Sanctuary Choir, sermon, Stations of the Cross, Sunrise service, the Passion

When did United Methodists start the “imposition of ashes” on Ash Wednesday?

14 Feb

While many think of actions such as the imposition of ashes, signing with the cross, footwashing, and the use of incense as something that only Roman Catholics or high church Episcopalians do, there has been a move among Protestant churches, including United Methodists to recover these more multisensory ways of worship. This is in keeping with a growing recognition that people have multiple ways of learning and praying.

Worship that is oriented to the intellect or to the emotions, both interior, leaves out those who engage in prayer through vision, smell, touch, movement, and so forth. We are increasingly aware that people are formed in faith when practices become embedded in memory, nerves, muscles and bone through sensory engagement.

United Methodists have had resources for worship that include the imposition of ashes since 1979 when Ashes to Fire was published as Supplemental Worship Resource 8. This practice became part of our official worship resources in 1992 when General Conference adopted The United Methodist Book of Worship. See the service for Ash Wednesday, p. 321-324. It is, of course, optional and no congregation or individual is required to use it.

Other such practices were adopted in 1992. See The United Methodist Book of Worship for:

footwashing for Holy Thursday, p. 351-354
meditation at the cross for Good Friday, p. 363-364
incense for Evening Praise and Prayer, p. 574

This FAQ was prepared by Rev. Daniel Benedict, Center for Worship Resourcing, The General Board of Discipleship.

The original article is at http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/when-did-united-methodists-start-the-imposition-of-ashes-on-ash-wednesday

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Posted by MaryO on February 14, 2024 in Holidays, Lent, Posts of Interest

Tags: Ash Wednesday, ashes, Good Friday, Holy Thursday, United Methodist Church

Where did Good Friday get its name?

02 Apr

Our name for the Friday before Easter, “Good Friday,” is most likely related to the English and the Dutch, the only two languages that use this term, which etymologists say is likely an alteration of the Germanic word, “Goddes,” meaning “God’s” or “Holy.” That term does not mean “good.” The day is called Holy Friday in nearly all other languages in the world.

A similar process happened with the English word “goodbye,” which was formed over time as a contraction of “God be with ye.”

English speakers are no more saying that “it’s good to see you go” when they say goodbye than they are calling the day of Christ’s crucifixion good when they call it Good Friday. Holy, yes. Good? Not so much.

Good Friday, or Holy Friday as most of the rest of the world calls it in their languages, proclaims God’s purpose of loving and redeeming the world even in the face of human rejection and cruelty through the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is a day that is holy and makes us holy because God was drawing the world to God’s self in Christ.

From https://www.umc.org/en/content/ask-the-umc-where-did-good-friday-get-its-name

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Posted by MaryO on April 2, 2021 in Holidays, Lent, Posts of Interest, Videos

Tags: Good Friday, Lent, video

Stations of the Cross

01 Apr

Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday, marks the last conversation Jesus has with his disciples, a conversation grounded in what he calls a new commandment (mandatum in Latin, hence our English word “Maundy”). He illustrates and underscores the new commandment by washing their feet: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Good Friday, or Holy Friday as it is known in nearly every non-English-speaking culture, we witness the execution of Jesus, recognize our ongoing complicity with the powers of death, and are called to enter the Great Silence of all creation in response to the death of its God and Maker.

7-8pm for a drive-through “Stations of the Cross” with Holy Communion held on our church’s campus. Come and prepare your heart for Easter! Drive through our parking lot to receive Holy Communion from Pastor Will. View Living Tableaux of the Passion of Christ, narrated by Pastor Will with beautiful musical accompaniment by Brian and Uriah.

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Posted by MaryO on April 1, 2021 in Holidays, Holy Week, Ministries, Music, Music Ministry, Pender UMC, Posts of Interest

Tags: Good Friday, Holy Communion, Holy Thursday, Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Stations of the Cross

When did United Methodists start the “imposition of ashes” on Ash Wednesday?

17 Feb

While many think of actions such as the imposition of ashes, signing with the cross, footwashing, and the use of incense as something that only Roman Catholics or high church Episcopalians do, there has been a move among Protestant churches, including United Methodists to recover these more multisensory ways of worship. This is in keeping with a growing recognition that people have multiple ways of learning and praying.

Worship that is oriented to the intellect or to the emotions, both interior, leaves out those who engage in prayer through vision, smell, touch, movement, and so forth. We are increasingly aware that people are formed in faith when practices become embedded in memory, nerves, muscles and bone through sensory engagement.

United Methodists have had resources for worship that include the imposition of ashes since 1979 when Ashes to Fire was published as Supplemental Worship Resource 8. This practice became part of our official worship resources in 1992 when General Conference adopted The United Methodist Book of Worship. See the service for Ash Wednesday, p. 321-324. It is, of course, optional and no congregation or individual is required to use it.

Other such practices were adopted in 1992. See The United Methodist Book of Worship for: