LENT 2026

The church observes Lent as a 40-day season (excluding Sundays) of spiritual reflection, repentance, and preparation for Easter. It symbolizes Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, focusing on prayer, fasting, and alms-giving to renew faith. Theme: You Are Here: Between Eden and Easter. We will travel the scriptural locations of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem beginning with the sanctuary of our hearts and ending at the tomb. The season will ask: Where is the location of your heart? Why do we get dislocated? How can we find ourselves on God’s way of salvation in Christ?

HOLY WEEK SERVICES:

Where will you be located for Holy Week? We invite your presence at the following Holy Week worship services by which we will honor the life, death & resurrection of Jesus Christ.

  • Maundy Thursday, April 2 at 7 p.m. | Service of the Lord’s Last Supper with Taize Music & Holy Communion
  • Good Friday, April 3 at 7 p.m. | From Gethsemane to Golgotha, “Where are you now, Lord?” with music by the Chancel Choir
  • Easter Sunday, April 5 at 9:30 & 11 a.m. | Eden in Easter Bloom! in celebration of Christ’s Resurrection; special musicians Northside Brass Quintet with anthems by the Chancel Choir and organist Stephen Uhl

HOLY WEEK EVENTS:

  • Road to Easter, Good Friday, April 3, 9-11:30 a.m. You’re invited! This intergenerational “Egg-straganza” experience walks your family through Holy Week and the Resurrection via themed stations featuring science, crafts, music, games, and story time, followed by an egg hunt and a walking taco lunch. The cost is $5 per person. Sign up here. Located in Wiley Hall and on the front lawn.

PALM SUNDAY

Sunday, March 29 at 9:30 a.m.

Guest Preacher: Rev. Christian Coon
Christian is a native Iowan who has lived in the Chicago area for 32 years. He began his career in non-profit public relations before entering the ordained ministry in 1997. He has degrees from Simpson College, the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. He has served as pastor of Riverside, Deerfield: Christ, and in 2009 he co-founded Urban Village Church, a multi-site church with three locations in the city and one in the suburbs. Rev. Coon has authored three books (Expanding the Expedition Through Church Partnerships, Evangelizing Christians for the Journey, and Failing Boldly) and is a contributing author to three others. He has also been a coach and consultant to several church planters in the UMC connection.

LENTEN STUDY 2026
From Wilderness to Glory by N.T. Wright
Sundays at 10:45 a.m., February 22-March 22, 2026
“Think, pray, and reflect through the stories of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection” with our selected Sunday morning study of From Wilderness to Glory by best-selling author N.T. Wright. Let us be shaped into a more faithful people of God giving witness to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Our study has components for individual daily reflection and weekly group discussion. Each Sunday, participants will come together to ponder the significance of Jesus’ actions, teachings, and relationships.

Sign up on the church app or here.

Study book: $14 as ordered through the church office.