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By Barbara Dunlap-Berg*

1:00 P.M. EST March 29, 2010 | FRISCO, Texas | UMNS

Aby and Thomas Stoeckert pose with their butterflies at Grace Avenue United Methodist Church, Frisco, Texas. UMNS photos courtesy of Grace Avenue UMC.
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Look at the typical calendar of United Methodist Holy Week events, and you’re likely to find worship services on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and, of course, a festive Easter celebration. You might even discover an Easter-egg hunt for the children and a youth-led sunrise service.

Grace Avenue United Methodist Church, 10 years young, takes things to a new level.

This 1,100-member, Dallas-area congregation begins Holy Week with a palm processional during services on Palm Sunday and the preceding Saturday. Children lead in the excitement of worship and are encouraged to take the palm branches home to remind them of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

After worship that weekend, toddlers through fifth-graders hunt for Easter eggs, symbols of Christ’s resurrection, and enjoy outdoor games and a picnic with their families.

But that’s not all. Throughout Holy Week, four prayer stations are available for reflection and renewal as people of all ages break from their routine and focus on their relationship with God and Jesus’ journey to the cross.

Scripture comes alive

This marks the third year for Tuesday’s Seder meal. Youth and adults re-enact the traditional Hebrew meal Jesus observed the night before he died. The Seder had its origins in the Jewish festival of Passover, marking the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt and observed by the Hebrew people for 4,000 years. Eighty to 100 people participate, the Rev. Billy Echols-Richter said.

On Maundy Thursday, members and friends celebrate Holy Communion around tables of 12. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word meaning “mandate,” to stress the importance of gathering together and remembering Jesus’ sacrifice.

Later that evening, Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper painting comes to life in a dramatic performance of “Master, Is It I?” Actors from the church portray the 12 disciples as each tells about his relationship with Christ.

“We inherited the Last Supper tableau from Kirkwood United Methodist Church, Irving, Texas,” Echols-Richter said. “They had done it for several years and wanted another congregation to take it on. We adopted and retooled it for our use. We expect about 400 people to attend this year.”

Children’s minister Kristen Lane coordinates the butterfly release at Grace Avenue Church. A UMNS photo courtesy of Grace Avenue UMC.
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Good Friday experience

Echols-Richter stressed the importance of observing the solemnity of Good Friday before celebrating the risen Christ on Easter. “It is really hard to experience the fullness of Easter without experiencing Good Friday,” he said.

A Service of Darkness on Good Friday features special music. As church staff read the seven last words of Jesus, they extinguish candles.

On Holy Saturday, the church’s regular worship service focuses on baptism. In the tradition of the early church, worshippers anticipate Christ’s Resurrection by celebrating a service of baptism. This year about a dozen people will be baptized.

The next day, three types of Easter Sunday services—sunrise, traditional and contemporary—reach out to the faith community and beyond. Each worshipper is invited to bring a flower to transform the cross on the church lawn.

Frisco is home to many busy, young families with overloaded schedules, and an Easter butterfly release has proven a great way to draw newcomers.

“The butterfly release started five years ago,” Echols-Richter recalled. “We heard about a company that does this for weddings and thought, ‘Why not try this on Easter?’ as a way to involve children.”

At the conclusion of the 11 a.m. services, each child receives a butterfly –a symbol of new life through Jesus Christ—to release into the sky.

“Our Holy Week calendar has evolved as we’ve added new events,” Echols-Richter said. “We know we can expect a crowd on Easter. It’s important to offer a variety of options because in a community like ours, not everyone comes to everything.”

*Dunlap-Berg is internal content editor for United Methodist Communications.

News media contact: Barbara Dunlap-Berg, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5489 or newsdesk@umcom.org.