By Loretta Fulton

The annual Holy Week Luncheon Series, a tradition in Abilene for over 40 years, will begin Monday, March 30, with the theme, “Love Showed Up: Four Days That Turned the World Upside Down.”

“Many in our city consider this series as some of the best evidence of the shared faith and trust of Abilenians,” said Rev. Cliff Stewart, pastor of First Central Presbyterian Church and one of the first  participants in the series.

Each day, the host church will provide desserts and drinks for a free brown bag luncheon. Doors open at 11:45 a.m., and the program will begin at 12:10 p.m. 

The series will rotate among the four host churches–Highland Church of Christ, First Baptist, St. Paul United Methodist, and First Central Presbyterian. Each day, the pastor of one of the churches will preach at another’s church. The service also includes music, scripture readings, and prayers.

No service will be held on Good Friday, April 3. However, the public is invited to join an ecumenical Stations of the Cross that will begin at 5 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 525 Beech St., and process to the prayer garden in front of First Central Presbyterian Church, 400 Orange St.

An informational handout contains the following:

“The Way of the Cross is an ancient devotion inspired by the tradition of offering prayer at a series of places in Jerusalem traditionally associated with our Lord’s passion and death. It is a way for contemporary Christians to enact and embody Jesus’s journey to Calvary…We hope you will join us on this meaningful and ecumenical pilgrimage.”

The luncheon schedule follows:
Monday, March 30
Speaker: Rev. Ray Miller, pastor, First Baptist Church
Location: Highland Church of Christ, 425 Highland Ave.

Tuesday, March 31
Speaker: Rev. Benji Van Fleet, pastor, St. Paul United Methodist Church
Location: First Baptist Church Family Life Center, 1333 N. Third St.

Wednesday, April 1
Speaker: Shane Hughes, minister, Highland Church of Christ
Location: First Central Presbyterian, 400 Orange St.

Thursday, April 2
Speaker: Rev. Cliff Stewart, pastor, First Central Presbyterian Church
Location: St. Paul United Methodist Church fellowship hall, 525 Beech St.

Loretta Fulton is creator and editor of Spirit of Abilene