Covenant Presbyterian Church Invites All to Palm Sunday Service March 20

Buckhead’s Covenant Presbyterian Church (www.covpresatlanta.org) has announced its schedule of activities for Holy Week beginning with Palm Sunday, March 20. The 11 a.m. Palm Sunday worship service will be a joyful one with inspiring music and the waving of palms. As is traditional at Covenant Presbyterian, the congregation will gather outside the church’s front entrance on Peachtree Road where the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem the week before his crucifixion will be read. Following the reading, the congregation will reenact the event by processing behind the choir into the sanctuary.

The following Thursday evening, March 24, the church will hold a 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday service in the chapel. The service commemorates Jesus’ final Passover celebration with his disciples (the Last Supper), prior to his arrest and crucifixion. It will include a traditional Tenabrae Service which is designed, through the reading of scripture narratives, to recreate the emotional aspects of Jesus’ final days from the gathering in the Upper Room to the crucifixion, to the tomb, and will conclude in darkness as the church lights are dimmed.

Holy Week concludes with a joyful Easter celebration Sunday, March 27 at 11 a.m., preceded by an Easter Egg hunt for children age 4-elementary school at 10:15 a.m. on the church’s playground.

“Holy Week incorporates the full range of emotions associated with Jesus’ final days on earth,” said Rev. Dr. Richard Hill, interim pastor of Covenant Presbyterian. “First, we remember his joyful entry into Jerusalem with rousing music and the waving of palms. From there, we move to the sobering feeling of Maundy Thursday, when the shadow of Jesus’ impending betrayal hung over his final supper with his disciples. Good Friday focuses on the despair and grief of his crucifixion that appeared to be the end, until finally, the break of dawn on Sunday morning produces the joy of the resurrection, celebrated on Easter. The week of services takes us on a spiritual journey, plunging us into the darkness of reality and bringing us back into the light of hope. We invite everyone to share the journey with us.”

About Covenant Presbyterian Church
For nearly a century, Covenant Presbyterian Church has served the city of Atlanta through its mission of “Equipping the people of God to serve Christ in the world”. Covenant Presbyterian Church is a member of Presbyterian Church (USA) and opened its doors in downtown Atlanta in 1904 as Harris Presbyterian Church. Twenty years later, the church community moved to its present location at 2461 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, where it holds Sunday morning and evening worship services. The church is led by Interim Pastor Rev. Dr. Richard Hill and Rev. Dr. Jill Ulrici, associate pastor, and will celebrate its 90th birthday on May 1, 2016.

Today, Covenant is home to a welcoming congregation that seeks, serves and celebrates together. The church boasts a lively youth group, hands-on mission work, a women’s spirituality ministry and a strong music program, as well as offering public lectures, social events, educational opportunities and more. Currently, the church supports numerous organizations including Buckhead Christian Ministry, the Central Night Shelter, ChildSpring International, Habitat for Humanity, The Open Door Community, Earth Covenant Ministry and Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta. Covenant also takes a leadership role in the LaGonave Haiti Partners, a more than 20-year partnership with the Episcopal Church of Haiti. Ongoing Haiti projects include a community health center, as well as programs for education, agriculture, adult literacy and children’s nutrition. www.covpresatlanta.org