Holy Week Schedule

If you will be in the Orlando, FL area this Holy Week we at FCCWP invite you to join us for some or all of our upcoming events. If this will be your first time visiting please know that ALL are welcome. We at First Congregational are proud to be a home for the LGBT+ community as well as all of those who, for whatever reason, have felt alienated or cast out of Church.   

Palm Sunday is the official start of Holy Week, when we remember Jesus's entrance into Jerusalem. If you would like to be part of our palm processional we invite you to gather on the church steps at 9:45, before the 10:00am service, where palms will be distributed to all who would like to carry one. We have palms of ALL sizes so that all ages and abilities can be part of the fun! And after the service, make sure to stay for our annual "Eggstravaganza"!

Immediately following the Palm Sunday service, brunch will be served in Fellowship Hall. Brunch is $15 for adults and youth, $5 for children through 5th grade. Register Now to reserve your spot!

During brunch there will be an Easter Baskets silent auction. This is a fundraiser for our FCCWP youth group and they will have themed baskets for all ages and interests. Highest bidder wins!

Once the Silent Auction winners are announced and brunch is finished it is time for the egg hunt!

Toddlers through 5th grade are invited to participate.

To be part of the egg hunt you will need to provide the following:

• 12 plastic eggs filled with age appropriate, individually wrapped goodies for each child.

• Each bag of eggs should be marked with the age of the child, for example "Mary, age 4". 

• Bags of eggs should be left in the chuch office or on the marked benches by the education building BEFORE church. (eggs will be hidden during the church service).

• If your child has a PEANUT ALLERGY please mark the bag as such, and hand it directly to Kerry Weisner to prevent any cross contamination. If your allergic child has a sibling that will hunt in the same area their eggs must also be peanut free. 

Have questions? Email Kerry Weisner at sunshineday365@aol.com

Holy Week services continue with a Tenebrae Service on Maundy Thursday.

 "Maundy" is the English form of the Latin word meaning "commandment".  Jesus' new commandment to "love one another" is the focus of Maundy Thursday.   Tenebrae is from the Latin word for darkness, and is an ancient service that includes the extinguishing of candles until we are left in near total darkness to contemplate the death and burial of Jesus. The light of Easter is is even more joyous after experiencing the darkness of the crucifixion. Join us for this solemn and powerful service as we journey toward the good news of Easter. (all denomination's differ slightly in their observance, but this VIDEO from the United Methodist Church gives a good overview of what a Tenebrae Service is like)

"I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  John 13:34-35 

Jesus rising on Easter is a profound, powerful reminder that whenever the world seeks to silence Truth, to kill Compassion, to diminish Justice, God responds with something far more powerful and life-giving.  To celebrate this we will have not one, but two Easter Morning services, as well as a beautiful breakfast provided by our Membership Board.

The Sunrise Service will be at 7:00am at the lake behind The Rollins Museum of Art. This location is approximately half a mile from FCCWP for those who would like to park at the church and walk.

Our second Easter service will be held in the Sanctuary at 10:00am. Special activities for children will be provided, including a butterfly release! Doors open at 9am.

We encourage you to bring flowers to decorate our FCCWP Easter Cross, which will be outside the Sanctuary by the main entrance.

Breakfast will be served between the two services, from 8:00am to 9:30am in Fellowship Hall. Please come and enjoy the loverly offerings presented by our Membership Board.