Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday Services this week at Covenant Presbyterian Church

Buckhead’s Covenant Presbyterian Church (www.covpresatlanta.org) continues its schedule of activities for Holy Week this Thursday evening, March 24, when 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. This solemn service is an important component of Holy Week, according to Rev. Dr. Richard Hill, interim pastor of Covenant Presbyterian. “How can you know the elation of Easter morning without first experiencing the valley of the shadow of death?”

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. The service will feature the full compliment of talent from Covenant Presbyterian’s music ministry. Director of Music and Organist Jeffrey McIntyre will be joined by a brass quintet to accompany the service, and the church’s Handbell Choir will provide two selections for the prelude. Both the Children’s Choir and Adult Choir will participate, with the Adult Choir concluding the service by singing the “Hallelujah” Chorus from Handel’s Messiah.

“Holy Week incorporates the full range of emotions associated with Jesus’ final days on earth,” said Dr. Hill. “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