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This Holy Week, Epworth United Methodist Church is blessed to offer our community the following exciting opportunities to join us! All are welcome. Invite your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to join you for one or all of these noteworthy preachers and original worship cantata. Childcare is available at all Holy Week services.

Palm Sunday - 8:30, 9:45 & 11am

Bishop Al Gwinn

Bishop Gwinn has served Churches ranging from rural, inner city and suburban congregations. For ten years he served as the Senior Pastor of the Centenary United Methodist Church in Lexington, Kentucky, which under his leadership became the largest Church in that Conference. He also served as the Senior Pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Lexington and as the District Superintendent of the Lexington District. He was elected to the Episcopacy in 2004 and served as the Bishop of the North Carolina Conference based in Raleigh.

Wednesday, April 13 at 7pm

Dr. Laurence L. Welborn

Dr. Welborn is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Fordham University in New York City. He is a world- renowned New Testament scholar and is in great demand as a speaker and lecturer worldwide. He holds the Ph.D. in Theology from Vanderbilt University and the Master of Arts in Religion from Yale University. Dr. Welborn has written several best-selling books including; Politics and Rhetoric in the Corinthean Epistles, Paul: the Fool for Christ, An End to Emnity and Paul’s Summons to Messianic Life. Dr. Welborn’s topic will be “The Early Christian Response to Disease Epidemics.”

Maundy Thursday, April 14 at 7pm

Worship Cantata: "A New Commandment"

Featuring the Epworth Chancel Choir, this vocal and instrumental composition has been written for Epworth UMC by Epworth UMC member, Kevin S. Foster. 

"For years I have felt called to compose a choral work for Maundy Thursday.  Each year, in the days leading up to Easter, I am reminded of the incredible, powerful story that is the selfless sacrifice of Jesus for all. I think of those who were there—the disciples, Mary, even Pilate and the passing stranger who carried the cross. I consider how they might have felt as they interacted with Jesus on his journey to the cross. In 2019, I took these reflections and created this work which I am happy to finally be able to share.  A New Commandment is a 7-movement cantata for choir and orchestra that brings to life the perspectives of those characters in new ways, through monologue and song.  It is my hope that through this music and drama, we might find ourselves in this story, in a more intimate way than before."
-Kevin S. Foster, Composer

Good Friday, April 15 at 7pm

Bishop Warner H. Brown Jr.

Bishop Warner H. Brown, Jr. was immersed into the United Methodist tradition from birth. As a youth he began to see the world as his parish and felt a call to service through the church which eventually led to ordained ministry. Over the years, he has served the church as a Pastor, District Superintendent, Director of Connectional Ministries and Bishop. From 2014-2016, Bishop Brown served as President of the Council of Bishops. Since retirement the Bishop has continued to support the work of ministry.he has developed “Impactful Teams LLC. Currently he is the Bishop for the Sierra Leone Annual Conference.  

Childcare will be available for all of our evening services throughout the week. Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

 

Click here to learn about our Easter Sunday worship services. 

Click here to view the current safety protocols we have in place. We strive to make our church a safe environment for you and your loved ones.