Dear Friends,

Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday, is the beginning of Holy Week. The season of Lent, forty days long, comes to an end with the sixth Sunday and the most sacred few days in the Christian year is upon us. The events of Holy Week are those which gave rise to the Christian faith. It is because of those events that a worldwide faith began which gave form to many of the values and moral principles of the Western world. It is from Holy Week and Easter that the New Testament writers preserved for us the life and teachings of Jesus. This is to say it was because of the redemption work of the Christ that the world has been blessed with a faith and religion called Christianity.

There is an intense concentration of spiritual energy in Holy Week for those who reenter its events through participation in worship, prayer, study and acts of contrition. I hope that you will become spiritually and physically active in the worship/prayer activities offered by The Church of the Pilgrimage beginning with Palm Sunday and which reach their apex in our celebrations of the Resurrection of the Christ.

This Holy Week we make great use of our new hymnals, Hymns of Truth and Light. Last Sunday we dedicated these marvelous new hymn books just in time for their use during Holy Week/Easter, 2004. Hymns of Truth and Light contain about 200 hymns which were in The Pilgrim Hymnal and an array of hymns which have been composed since its last edition in 1958. I am excited about having the new hymn books as we express through music the faith which grew out of the Holy Week/Easter events and which help us carry that faith into the perplexing realities of the 21st century.

Last Sunday the focus of our worship was on music at The Church of the Pilgrimage. The committee which made the eventual recommendation of Hymns of Truth and Light has done a splendid work on our behalf and has done so with sensitivity and cheerfulness. On Sunday Bill Harting and Louise Brown were recognized for their hard work and the grace with which they managed the long process of a hymnal selection. May God bless them and all who helped in making the process as painless as possible.

Our service last Sunday also featured our magnificent and beloved choir, organ, soloists and strings in a stunning performance of the seasonably appropriate Bach Cantata #4. We are blessed with wonderful music at The Church of the Pilgrimage for which I personally give thanksgiving unto God. Through music director Bill Richter I thank all who routinely carry us in music to the very gates of the heavenly kingdom!

The music during Holy Week will be present, often in the somber tones reflecting Christ's Passion, and it will be there in the exalted strains of triumphant gladness on Resurrection Day. Join us as together we give expression in word, music and mission to our glorious and redeeming faith!

Love,

© The Church of the Pilgrimage in Plymouth, MA Inc., all rights reserved.

(Daylight Savings Time Begins)

Palm Sunday Communion Breakfast: 8:00 A.M. in Allerton Hall

Morning Worship 10:00 A.M. Rev. Gary Marks, Preaching; Procession of Palms.
The Children will attend church school following the Procession of Palms.

Deaconess of the Month: Joanne Cole

Greeters: Diane and Dave Cowie

The Pulpit Flowers are in loving memory of Marion Walker given by Mahlon Walker.

Church School: All children participating in the Palm Sunday Worship and Procession of Palms should meet their teachers in Allerton Hall at 9:30 A.M.

All are invited to join us for Coffee Hour downstairs in Allerton Hall following the worship service. Volunteers are needed for coffee hour. Please look for the sign-up sheet on the coffee hour counter.

Greeters are needed for the month of May. Please call the church office to volunteer to greet or look for the sign-up sheet, which will now be located on the Membership and Evangelism Bulletin Board. We encourage all new members to sign up to greet. This is a great way to be recognized and meet other members of your church family!

Pew Pads: Did you know you can learn the names of visitors so that you can introduce yourself by reading the pew pads? Visitors follow our lead. Please make sure the pew pads are filled out and passed along. If you include your address, visitors may do the same! As always, try to welcome newcomers at coffee hour. Thank you, the Membership and Evangelism Committee.

Office Hours: M-F 8:45 A.M.-3:45 P.M. Thursday's 8:30 A.M.-3:00 P.M.

CHURCH RECORD

Hospitalized: Timothy Mee, Jordan Hospital.

Baptism:
On March 28, 2004, Lacey Kathleen Martin, daughter of Dale and Lynette (Weston) Martin, was baptized during the worship service.

Wedding:
On March 27, 2004, Rev. Marks conducted a wedding service for David W. Richardson and Debra Michelle DePersia in the church sanctuary.

In Memoriam:
On March 30, 2004 Rev. Marks conducted a funeral service for Eldean Bumpus. Our sympathies are extended to her husband Rolland and her beloved family.

THIS WEEK

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME

Sunday, April 4: The Palm Sunday Communion Breakfast, 8:00 A.M. in Allerton Hall; Morning Worship 10:00 A.M., Rev. Gary Marks Preaching.

Monday, April 5: Rev. Dan's office hours 10:30 A.M.-12:30 P.M.; Aerobics, 9:00 A.M. in Allerton Hall; Girl Scout Tr. 1128, 6:00 P.M. in Church House; Pilgrimage Women's Fellowship, will meet at the Loring Library Annex at 7:00 p.m. for a tour. Then it is off to Ernie's Restaurant for dessert and coffee.

Tuesday, April 6: Rev. Marks will be in the church office following a service at the Newfield House; Rev. Dan's office hours 10:00 A.M.-Noon; Aerobics, 6:30 P.M. in Allerton Hall; Advisory Board, Maundy Thursday rehearsal in the sanctuary, 7:00 P.M.

Wednesday, April 7: Aerobics, 9:00 A.M. in AH; Staff Meeting, 10:00 A.M.; Rev. Dan's office hours 10:00 A.M.-Noon; The Plymouth Area Interfaith Clergy will meet at Christ's Church at noon; Choir Rehearsal, 7:30 P.M. in the Sanctuary; Troop 47, 7:00 P.M. in the Church House; Missions Meeting, 7:00 P.M.

Thursday, April 8: Rev. Dan's office hours 10:00 A.M.-Noon; Girl Scout Troop 1227, 4:00 P.M. in the CH; Aerobics, 6:30 P.M. in AH; ; Maundy Thursday Service of Tenebrae, 7:00 P.M. in the Sanctuary.

Friday, April 9: Rev. Marks will be in the sanctuary, 9:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M.; Aerobics, 9:00 A.M. in AH; Women's Guild will meet at the church at 1:00 P.M. to carpool to the Library at 1:15 P.M. The tour begins 1:30 P.M.; Celtic-inspired Good Friday Service, 7:00 P.M. in the Sanctuary.

Saturday, April 10:

PLEASE NOTE

Please call the church office if you are aware of persons hospitalized or in need of pastoral care. It is especially important to let the ministers know about out-of-town hospitals. Hospital listings prepared for clergy at the Jordan Hospital, too, have been irregular in availability. Thank you for your help.

We hope that many of you will attend the Holy Week/Easter Services which are planned.

The Palm Sunday Service will feature a Procession of Palms at which time the children of the church will distribute Palm branches.

Our Maundy Thursday Service is one of the most solemn and impressive services of the year. Following the celebration of the Communion and Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples, the deacons/deaconesses read from The New Testament those events which antedated the events of Good Friday. It is a Service of Tenebrae which means that as the readings progress the church is gradually darkened until finally there is total darkness.

On Good Friday the ministers will lead worshipers to the places along the route taken by Jesus through Jerusalem on the first Good Friday. At different places around the sanctuary the biblical accounts are told and symbols appropriate to those accounts are present. Prayers are said all along the way. We hope that a number of you will want to attend this service as we through symbol and prayer follow Jesus to the Crucifixion.

The services on Easter are the most joyous of the Christian faith and year. They are made the more joyous when set against the events of betrayal and darkness of Good Friday.

This is the last Sunday to place an order for Memorial Easter Lilies!: The joyous Easter season is upon us. By your loving donation of Easter lilies we can enhance the beauty of our church on Easter morning. Sign up in the lower vestibule following the service for the next two Sundays, or call the church office. There will be an insert listing the donors and those memorialized in the Easter week Herald. The suggested price for a multi-flowered replantable lily is $15.00. The flowers may be donated to shut-ins or picked up after the 11:00 Easter Sunday service on Sunday, April 11. Volunteers will be welcomed to take flowers to shut-ins following the service.

March 31, 2004 was the deadline for Annual Reports- If you have not turned your Annual Report in to the office, please do so by April 7th. Any reports received after that date, may not make it into the Annual Report!

An updated budget showing updated figures as of last week has been sent to all chairs. If you have any questions please call David Kegel, Treasurer or Deb Porter, Chair of the Bd. of Trustees.

If you know that you will have an announcement on any given Sunday, it would be helpful to let the church office know (or the ministers) on the prior Friday.

Hymns of Truth and Light. Our new hymnals are in the pews, and that fact is the result of the efforts of many individuals: Paul Scheid kept track of donations and names; Megan Verdugo designed the bookplates, the posters and the ads, Pedro Verdugo managed printing of the bookplates with all those names; members of the choir performed proofreading of hymn texts and musical notation in our supplement, and the heavy lifting of collecting the old and distributing the new hymnals. Pam McNicholas was and remains the person always there to get things done. Most of all, we thank the congregation for their interest, encouragement and participation in the process. It is not too late to dedicate a hymnal. Such gifts will be welcomed as long as there are hymnals available. For the next several weeks we will also exchange a copy of the Pilgrim Hymnal for a gift of $5.00-- Bill Harting and Louise Brown, Hymnal Committee.

ATTENTION: Time and Talent Auction. Saturday, May 8. Save the date please and plan to come and have fun. Sign up sheets for the auction will be available very soon and should be returned by April 25th. This is a major fund-raiser and we are expecting 100 percent involvement of the congregation. Please begin thinking of what you might offer as an item for sale. We all have talents that would be appreciated by others. Services are very welcome. Suggestions: yard work, handyman help, baby-sitting, sponsor a birthday party in Allerton Hall for a child under the age of 7 or so, etc. We hope to offer a dinner on that evening and the details will be forthcoming. Let's make it a success again this year. Thank you, Diana.

Pilgrimage Women's Fellowship: Mother Daughter Evening, Monday, May 3rd, hosted by the Pilgrimage Women's Fellowship. The program for the evening: "Weddings to Remember". Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this special evening of fellowship together.

Our sympathies are extended to Anne DeFrancesco and her family for the recent loss of her father, Daniel Costello.

Camp Scholarships: Please contact the church office if you are interested in attending a church camp. Camp opportunities are available for young people, but adult camps are also available. Please speak to Dan, Gary or call the church office for information. Camper-ships are available.

Habitat for Humanity Upcoming Fundraiser. The Charity Train at Independence Mall is reserved for the week of April 18th to benefit Habitat for Humanity. There will be a sign-up sheet for this event at the Habitat table.

The Pilgrim Association has three upcoming events: 1) The Ordination into Christian Ministry of Raymond Anthony Medeiros on Sunday, April 18, 2004 at 4:00 P.M. at the First Congregational Church, 519 Washington St. in Whitman; 2) The Annual Spring Meeting will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2004 at the First Trinitarian Congregational Church, 381 Country Way, Scituate MA. The program begins at 7:00 P.M. and ends at 9:00 P.M. The main topic is "Questions Surrounding same Sex Marriage". A panel will present their views and have discussions; 3) On Sunday April 25, 2004 the Ecclesiastical Council will meet at 3:00 p.m. at the First Church West Bridgewater, 18 Howard St., West Bridgewater, MA to meet, review the credentials of The Reverend Carol Ashton and then will proceed at 4:00 P.M. to Install Reverend Ashton as Pastor.

Plant Sale June 5, 2004 (Rain Or Shine). Watch for more details in upcoming Heralds.

COMING EVENTS

Services and Events During the Remainder of Lent/Easter Sunday

April 11: Easter Sunday/Celebration of Christ's Resurrection:

-Sunrise Service on Cole's Hill, 6:00 A.M.
-Two Services at the Church of the Pilgrimage: 9:00 A.M. and 11:00 A.M.

Clerk - Lois Post; Moderator - Steven Triffletti; Treasurer - David Kegel; Collector - Thomas Mudgett;
Asst. Collector - Debbie Chaskes; Music Director - William B Richter;
Secretary - Pam McNicholas; Sexton - Tony Nightingale; World Mission Emphasis - Heifer Project International;
Church Building Telephone - (508) 747-1341.