Area churches plan variety of Holy Week services

Several Fairfield and rural churches are planning special Holy Week and Easter events.

Rural churches

Prairie View United Methodist Church, near the intersection of Highway 78 and Packwood Road, will have Palm Sunday worship, with Communion, followed by fellowship at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Faith United Methodist Church in Libertyville will have a Parade of Palms at 11 a.m. Sunday. The church also will have a Tenebrae service at 7 p.m. Thursday. A Tenebrae service is a ?service of darkness.? Readings and music focus on God?s love for mankind, a love that took Jesus all the way to Calvary?s cross and into death itself. The sanctuary grows gradually darker as each candle is extinguished, and as the service ends, only the Christ candle remains lighted. The church will have a brunch and children?s Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 8, followed by worship at 11 a.m.

Stockport United Methodist Church will have a children?s Easter program, ?A Banner Easter: The Musical,? at 8:15 a.m. Sunday. The church will have a sunrise service at 7 a.m. Easter Sunday, April 8, with breakfast to follow.

Birmingham United Methodist Church will host the third of three ?Living Last Supper? presentations at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Other ?Living Last Supper? presentations are set for 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Bladensburg Church and 7:30 p.m. Monday at Milton United Methodist Church. The presentations are open to the public.

Fairfield churches

Fairfield Friends Church will hold a Good Friday service, ?My Jesus ... Rejected, Tortured and Crucified,? at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. Easter Sunday service will be at 9 a.m. April 8, at the Fairfield Middle School. Brunch and an egg hunt follow the service.

First Baptist Church is hosting the presentation, ?Christ in the Passover.? at 7 p.m. today. The ecumenical worship and lunch is at noon, Tuesday.

First Christian Church (United Church of Christ) celebrates Palm Sunday with a Loving Hands offering and worship at 10:45 a.m. On Easter Sunday, April 8, a continental breakfast will be served at 9:15 a.m. and worship is at 10:45 a.m.

First Lutheran Church will celebrate Palm Sunday with a Palm Sunday worship and a first Communion class at 9 a.m. The Maundy Thursday service with Holy Communion is at 7 p.m. Good Friday Tenebrae service is at 7 p.m. An Easter vigil will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday. An Easter breakfast will be served by the youth at church at 8 a.m. April 8, followed by Easter worship with Holy Communion at 9 a.m. Easter Sunday.

First Presbyterian Church will have Palm Sunday worship with Communion, at 10:30 a.m. The presentation, ?Christ in the Passover,? is at 7 p.m. Monday. A Maundy Thursday service will be at 7 p.m. On Easter Sunday, April 8, there is a SonRise service at 7:45 a.m.; Easter breakfast and an Easter egg hunt for children preschool to fifth grade at 9:45 a.m.; and an Easter celebration service with bells, brass and choir at 10:30 a.m.

First United Methodist Church is hosting a chicken noodle soup, ham and bean soup, chili and cornbread lunch, at noon, Sunday. A free-will offering will help with funds for the summer youth mission trip. The community, ecumenical worship and lunch service is at noon, Monday. Maundy Thursday worship and Communion is at 7 p.m. Good Friday service is at 7 p.m. A service of darkness and light in the labyrinth is at 8 p.m. Saturday. A 6:30 a.m Easter Sunday sunrise service will be led by the youth; Easter breakfast is at 7 a.m. April 8.

Foursquare Gospel Church will host the ecumenical worship and lunch service at noon, Wednesday.

Immanuel Lutheran Church will have a children?s palm processional at its 10:30 a.m. Palm Sunday service. A Holy Thursday divine service with Holy Communion is at 7 p.m. A Good Friday Tenebrae service is at 7 p.m.

Living Stones Fellowship will celebrate a Palm Sunday service with an opening processional, Hosanna and sharing praise reports with a message by New Heart Ministries, Mark and Suzanne Tanner, at 10 a.m. A special healing/deliverance service is at 7 p.m. on Good Friday.

St. Gabriel and All Angels Church welcomes everyone to services. Holy Week observance begins with a 10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist service on Maundy Thursday. Good Friday services begin at 8 p.m. Holy Saturday services are at 11 a.m. and include the blessing of the fire and Paschal candle, and an ordination, baptisms and confirmations ceremonies. A solemn benediction will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday. Easter Sunday services, with Bishop William Downey presiding, include a 9:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist service and an ordination; an 11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist service followed by a potluck lunch with Downey in the church?s community room, April 8.

St. Mary Catholic Church is hosting the ecumenical worship and lunch at noon, Thursday.

Word of Life Lutheran Church will have Palm Sunday services with Holy Communion and a procession of palms at 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. A Maundy Thursday service will include Holy Communion at 7 p.m. The church is hosting the ecumenical worship and lunch at noon, Friday; and will hold an evening Good Friday service at 7 p.m.