Join Us for Lent
Lent at First Congregational Church in Winchester is a season of reflection, prayer, and ritual that deepens our journey along Jesus’ way and renews our commitment to God’s work in the world. We encourage various spiritual disciplines during the six weeks of Lent, offer opportunities for study and prayer together, and celebrate with joy the resurrection of Christ and the analogous rebirth of Spring that comes on Easter morning.
Ash Wednesday
Ashes To-Go
If you are unable to attend our evening Ash Wednesday Taizé service, please connect with Rev. Will and Rev. Maeve to receive ashes on the morning or afternoon of February 18 at home.
February 18, 7:30 PM, Ripley Chapel
Live in-person ONLY from the stunning Ripley Chapel at First Congregational Church, Winchester. First Congregational Church offers a poignant and meditative Ash Wednesday service, featuring the ecumenical prayers and music of France’s Taizé community. All denominations are welcome…read more
Join us in Ripley Chapel for Ash Wednesday.
Lenten Devotionals & Tuesdays with Jesus
Tuesdays through Lent Beginning February 24th through March 31st
6:30-8:00pm – Tucker/Palmer Rooms
The start of Lent is right around the corner. This year we are making Lenten Devotionals available to you both in hard copy or as a pdf. The devotionals are called Discipleship in a Divided Age: A Lenten Journey Through Matthew’s Gospel. They do a beautiful job of offering daily thoughtful reflections that will surely bless your Lenten journey and help deepen your encounters with scripture and the Holy in your day to day lives… read more here and signup to make some soup
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FCCW Family Night
Friday, February 27 from 5:30-7 PM
Chidley Hall & Palmer Room
The Children and Faith Formation Ministry invites you to join us for an evening of fellowship, faith, and fun for the whole family! Adults will have a chance to connect with each other and talk about faith at home, while kids enjoy a movie night complete with pizza, popcorn, and fun. RSVP Today!
- Movie & Pizza for Kids – Chidley Hall
- Appetizer Potluck, Social & Faith for Adults – Palmer Room
Questions? Ask Maggie or a member of the Children & Youth Faith Formation Ministry
Build-a-Bed Project
Sunday, March 15th
11 am-1 pm in Chidley Hall
Join us for fun, fellowship, snacks, and service at our annual Build-A-Bed event after service Sunday, March 16 from 11 A.M. to 1 P.M. in Chidley Hall — with a lunch break (pizza, fruits, and drinks) at noon! We are looking for 30-40 volunteers to work together and build ten beds for children in need. Invite your friends and family, and sign up now!
Jazz Celebration of the Palms
March 29, 9:40 AM, Sanctuary
To mark the beginning of Holy Week, we will gather on the Town Common to experience our own version of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Our jazz trio, Jane Potter, keyboards; Lenny Bradford, bass; Rick Forzese, drums will offer “prelude” jazz music beginning at 9:15 am. At @ 9:30, we will assemble to bless the palms, to read the scripture, to sing, and to march joyfully up the stairs to the Sanctuary for our 10:00 am Palm Sunday worship service.
Palm Sunday Worship Service
March 29, 10:00 AM, Sanctuary and Online
Remembering Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem for his final week and his passion, our worship opens the gate to Holy Week and prepares us for the coming Friday and eventually Easter Sunday. Palm leaves are distributed, songs of praise lifted and a foreshadowing of what is to come draws us prayerfully toward the heart of our faith. We will worship live and in-person; and the service will also be live streamed.
Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service
April 2, 7:30 PM, Sanctuary
Gather with us in person or through live stream as we share in the Last Supper that Jesus had with his disciples before his death and then listen to the story of the Passion according to the Gospel of John as candles are extinguished and we gradually descend into the darkness with Him. At the end of the service, we’ll depart in silence as the 15 hour overnight vigil begins.
Good Friday Overnight Prayer Vigil
April 2, 9:00 PM – April 3, 12:00 PM, Sanctuary
From the close of the Maundy Thursday evening service through Good Friday at noon, we keep watch in the sanctuary before the single candle lit at the end of the Tenebrae service. This reproduces for us the experience the disciples being asked to watch and pray with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before He was Crucified. Beginning at 9:00 PM the Sanctuary will be open for vigil. Two individuals or pods are needed as anchors for each hour – sign up here to be an anchor to ensure that we have coverage throughout the night. All others are free to come at any time and stay as long as you would like. No sign up necessary.
Sign up for here for the Good Friday Vigil
Good Friday Overnight Vigil Closing Service
April 3, 12:00 PM, Sanctuary
After almost 17 hours of prayer from Maundy Thursday through the wee hours of Good Friday. We come to a simple and quite moment where we read of Jesus’ death, share reflections from our Vigil experience, and offer prayers of thanksgiving and hope. Whether you followed the Vigil or not, you are invited to join us in the sanctuary at noon as we close the Vigil Service. There is no live stream for this service.
Easter Lily Memorials & Distribution
You are invited to donate a chancel Easter lily as a memorial or as a gift. Plants will be distributed to our members at home and in assisted living centers on Easter Sunday. The cost of plants is $25.00 each. All orders are due by Palm Sunday, March 29. Paper forms and envelopes are available in the church office lobby and at the back of the Sanctuary. Or you can pay and order using this JotForm.
Want to celebrate the Easter season with members of our church community? Consider signing up for lilies deliveries! Bring your family and loved ones, give back, and make someone’s day.
Annual Easter Egg Hunt
Saturday, April 4
at 10 AM, Church Lawn
Hop on over for some family fun! Meet the Easter Bunny, win prizes & help the EnKA Food Pantry stock their shelves! Please bring a box of cereal to donate.
Easter Sunday, April 5
Wright Locke Farm
5:15 AM Yoga in the Barn; 5:45 AM Worship Outside
As the women gathered around Jesus’ tomb in the very early hours of the Sunday after He had been buried, we will gather for a joyful and celebratory service. When we greet the sunrise we know that there is also the eternal Son Rise of our Savior. A spiritual and inclusive half hour of Yoga will prepare us for welcoming Jesus’ resurrection.
10:00 AM Easter Morning Worship Service, Sanctuary and Online
Easter is the most sacred and the most meaningful of all the Christian Holidays. We will hold a traditional and joyful Easter service. Our hymns are familiar yet each year they proclaim Christ’s Resurrection with new enthusiasm. The Sanctuary will be fragrant and beautiful from the Easter flowers. This family service will include a Time for the Young and will end with our usual singing of the Hallelujah Chorus. Join us in-person in the Sanctuary or on our livestream.
