On Good Friday afternoon from 12 noon till 3:00, the Sanctuary will be open for prayer and meditation, but there will be no worship service at that time. For the first time ever, the congregation will gather at 7:00 for Good Friday evening worship.

The Good Friday service will be a Taizé service. “Taizé” is the name of a village in southern France that, since World War II, has been a worldwide center for pilgrimage and a place of spiritual growth. Taizé is home to a Protestant intentional community that follows some of the monastic traditions of the Roman church. Taizé-style worship has attracted visitors from all over the world, especially young people. Thousands of youth flock to Taizé each year for Easter services.

The centerpiece of Taizé worship is a style of simple singing known as chants. Taizé chants are short, many only a line or two. They are repeated many times over, until the singing of them becomes second nature, and the mind and spirit are free to wander over the spiritual landscape of our relationship to God.

The Chancel Choir has been learning the chants that will be used in the Good Friday service, and will lead the congregation in singing them.

Taizé chants are hauntingly beautiful. We invite you to come experience them, and to look on in awe and wonder at the gift of our Lord’s sacrifice for us. The goal is that we depart the service not in morose sadness, but filled with a quiet joy in the Lord, as we await the Good News of Easter morn.