You Are Invited: Holy Week 2026

From the triumphant hosannas of Palm Sunday to the empty tomb of Easter morning — walk with us through the most sacred week of the Christian year.

Holy Week is the most profound and beautiful journey in the life of the church. It is a week when we slow down, pay attention, and allow ourselves to be drawn into the story that changes everything — the story of Jesus' love poured out for the world. This year, we invite you — wherever you are on your journey of faith — to join us for worship, community, and a table set wide open.

Whether you are a lifelong church member or someone who hasn't darkened a sanctuary door in years, Holy Week is for you. Come as you are. There is room.

The story of Holy Week is not just something that happened once. It is something that happens to us — every year, every time we gather, every time we break bread together. — An invitation to walk the ancient path

Palm Sunday — The Triumphal Entry

March 29

Holy Week begins on Sunday, March 29, with a celebration. We re-enter the ancient story at the gates of Jerusalem, where the crowd spread palm branches in the road and cried out Hosanna! — "Save us!" Jesus rides in not on a warhorse, but on a humble donkey. It is a coronation parade unlike any the world had ever seen.

Join us as we wave palms, sing the ancient hosannas, and begin our walk toward the cross together. Nursery and Children's Church available.

Come ready to celebrate — and to be surprised by where the parade is leading.

Midweek Holy Week Services with the Association of Congregations

One of the most beautiful expressions of Christian unity in our community is the Kinston-Lenoir County Association of Congregations Holy Week Services. Each day, Monday through Thursday, believers from across our city gather at a different congregation for a noon worship service, followed by lunch together.

This is church beyond our own walls. It is a reminder that we are part of something far larger than any single congregation — a community of faith spanning denominations, traditions, and neighborhoods. The offerings collected at each service will be shared equally between Backpack Buddies and the Bible History Classes at LCPS high schools

Daily Schedule

• Monday at Gordon Street Christian Church, 118 E. Gordon Street

• Tuesday at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 800 Roundtree Street

• Wednesday at St. John Free Will Baptist Church, 408 E. Blount Street

• Thursday at 902 Church, 2009 Carey Road

Can you make it to just one? We hope so. These midday services are a gift — a chance to step away from the ordinary rhythms of the week and pause in the presence of God with your neighbors.

Maundy Thursday — Communion: Remembering the Last Supper

On the night before he died, Jesus gathered his closest friends around a table. He broke bread. He poured wine. He washed feet. And he said, "Do this in remembrance of me."

On Thursday evening, April 2, at 7 PM, we gather in the Westminster sanctuary for a Maundy Thursday Communion service — a holy, intimate evening of worship as we remember Jesus' Last Supper with his friends. We will receive the bread and cup together, and we will sit in the weight of what is coming.

A service of scripture, reflection, and Holy Communion. All are welcome at this table.

Maundy Thursday is not a service to rush through. It is a service to linger in. Come and be present.

Good Friday — Community Worship at the Cross

Good Friday asks something of us that our culture rarely asks: to sit with grief. To not rush past the darkness. To stand at the foot of the cross and let it mean something.</p>

 We gather on Good Friday evening at 7 PM in the Westminster sanctuary for a community worship service, led together with our friends and neighbors from the area United Methodist churches. This is a shared service — Christians from across our community coming together at the cross. It is a powerful thing to grieve together.

"Good Friday is called 'good' not because it was easy, but because it was love — the fullest, costliest love the world has ever known."

Easter Sunday — Resurrection Matters

And then — Sunday. The stone is rolled away. The tomb is empty. He is not here. He is risen.

 We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ with not one, but two worship services on Easter Sunday, April 5. Every service is a full celebration. Come to one or come to both!

Our 7 AM Garden Worship is one of the most treasured traditions at Westminster. There is something irreplaceable about gathering in the open air at first light, before the busyness of the day begins — with the dew still on the grass and the first colors of sunrise on the horizon. This is a come as you are service in every sense. Dress for the weather, bring your coffee, and bring a friend. Breakfast follows in the Fellowship Hall.

At 10 AM, we fill the sanctuary for "Resurrection Matters" — a service of joyful, full-throated Easter celebration. We will receive Holy Communion, declaring again that the broken body and shed blood of Jesus are the very foundation of our hope. And we will sing — loudly, gratefully — Christ the Lord Is Risen Today. Nursery and Children's Church are available

"Because of the resurrection, nothing is beyond redemption. No story is too far gone. No life is too broken. Resurrection matters — and it matters for you."

You Are Invited

Holy Week is not a spectator event. It is a journey meant to be walked — in community, with open hands and an open heart. We would love for you to join us at any or all of these services. Bring a neighbor. Bring a friend who's been away from church. The door is wide open.

Christ the Lord is risen today — Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say — Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high — Alleluia!