Join us on Easter Sunday for a joyous celebration of new life, renewal, and resurrection—God’s grace at work in our world and in us. The ancient call and response of the people bears witness to that grace: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Together we celebrate our shared hope with glorious song, hopeful good news, and joyous life. Invite friends, strangers, neighbors, and families as we celebrate the powerful love of God in Christ! We’ll have opportunities for both in-person worship and online worship on this day.

Easter Schedule:

7 am Sunrise Service - Crouch Garden (on Sycamore Street) / Rain plan: Cole Chapel

7 am Jesus Fuente de Vida - Ivey Garden (on Locust Street)

9 am Mosaic Worship – Flinn Hall (on Sycamore side of church, porch with rainbow doors)

11 am Sanctuary Worship - Sanctuary (on corner of Locust & Mulberry, 2nd floor)

11 am Open Worship - Flinn Hall (on Sycamore side of church, porch with rainbow doors)

On this evening, we will remember the story of Jesus’ sacred sacrifice of love made on the cross. In a service of song, scripture, and silence, we will reflect on the hardship of that day and the way darkness seemed to drown out the light. The solemnity of Good Friday is an important part of the rhythm of Holy Week. Because, even in this important, poignant experience, we look to the hope of Easter—that God’s life and love triumphed over the grave. In the midst of the pain and the loss of Good Friday is a profound paradox: what seemed final was simply not final. The grave is empty. Death has indeed lost its sting.

Join us for worship on Good Friday at Noon in Cole Chapel and 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. You can also join us online for the 6:30 pm service here at fumcdenton.com/live or on Facebook. Our Good Friday worship this year will be a stations of the cross service. The choir will present Taylor Davis’ Return to Me, a new choral setting of the stations service accompanied by George D’Ascenzo on cello. Join us for this poignant service as we commemorate Christ’s death and prepare for the celebration of his Resurrection on Easter Morning. 

Join us for Maundy Thursday worship where we will commemorate Jesus’ last night with his disciples and gave them the mandate (mandatum in Latin which is shortened to “Maundy”) to love one another. The service will be in the form of a stations service where you will be invited to move through different spaces in the church with the opportunities to participate in communion, prayer, service, and song at your own pace. We will begin in the Sanctuary at 6:30pm. All are welcome!

Join us at 10:45 am in Ivey Garden for our 3rd Annual Palm Sunday Parade! We will sing together and then wave our palms as we enter the 11:00 worship services.

Join us on Easter Sunday for a joyous celebration of new life, renewal, and resurrection—God’s grace at work in our world and in us. The ancient call and response of the people bears witness to that grace: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Together we celebrate our shared hope with glorious song, hopeful good news, and joyous life. Invite friends, strangers, neighbors, and families as we celebrate the powerful love of God in Christ! We’ll have opportunities for both in-person worship and online worship on this day.

Easter Schedule:

7 am Sunrise Service - Crouch Garden (on Sycamore Street) / Rain plan: Cole Chapel

9 am Mosaic Worship – Flinn Hall

11 am Sanctuary Worship - Sanctuary

11 am Open Worship - Flinn Hall

1 pm Jesus Fuente de Vida - Flinn Hall

On this evening, we will remember the story of Jesus’ sacred sacrifice of love made on the cross. In a service of song, scripture, and silence, we will reflect on the hardship of that day and the way darkness seemed to drown out the light. The solemnity of Good Friday is an important part of the rhythm of Holy Week. Because, even in this important, poignant experience, we look to the hope of Easter—that God’s life and love triumphed over the grave. In the midst of the pain and the loss of Good Friday is a profound paradox: what seemed final was simply not final. The grave is empty. Death has indeed lost its sting. Join us for worship on Good Friday at Noon in Cole Chapel and 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. You can also join us online for the 6:30 pm service here at fumcdenton.com/live or on Facebook.

Join us for Maundy Thursday worship where we will commemorate Jesus’ last night with his disciples. The service this year will be in the form of a stations service where you will be invited to move through different spaces in the church with the opportunities to participate in communion, prayer, service, and song at your own pace.

Join us for evening prayer in the Sanctuary on Palm Sunday as we begin our journey through Holy Week, toward the cross, and finally to Easter morning. As part of this service, the FUMC Chancel Choir will present Schubert’s Mass No. 2 in G-Major. Childcare for children ages 0-4 will be available and this service will be live-streamed.

The Easter Bunny is coming to FUMC Denton on Sunday, April 2 from 12:15-2 pm. Bring the whole family for a fun Community Egg Hunt. This event is 100% free and open to the public. We’ll have an Egg Hunt, Pancake Brunch, pictures with the Easter Bunny, and games. You’re encouraged to bring a basket for each child but we will have bags on site for those who don’t have their own. See you there!

Join us at 10:45 am in Ivey Garden for our 2nd Annual Palm Sunday Parade! We will sing together and then wave our palms as we enter the 11:00 worship services.

Join us on Easter Sunday for a joyous celebration of new life, renewal, and resurrection—God’s grace at work in our world and in us. The ancient call and response of the people bears witness to that grace: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Together we celebrate our shared hope with glorious song, hopeful good news, and joyous life. Invite friends, strangers, neighbors, and families as we celebrate the powerful love of God in Christ! We’ll have opportunities for both in-person worship and online worship on this day.

IN-PERSON SERVICES

7 am Sunrise Service – Flinn Hall & Church Lawn

9 am Mosaic Worship – Monroe Gym

11 am Sanctuary Worship - Sanctuary

11 am Open Worship - Flinn Hall

1 pm Jesus Fuente de Vida - Flinn Hall

ONLINE SERVICES

9 am – Mosaic Worship

11 am – Open Worship

11 am – Sanctuary Worship

1 pm – Jesus Fuente de Vida

The Easter Vigil is officially the first service of Easter. In fact, Christian feast days generally begin at sunset on the previous day (best known in the example of Christmas Eve). For this reason, the duration of the Easter Triduum (“three days”) is from the evening of Maundy Thursday to the evening of Easter Sunday. The same principle applies to the Jewish reckoning of liturgical time, in which the sabbath begins at dusk and continues to nightfall of the following day. This is reflected in the priestly “refrain” of the Genesis 1 creation story: “and it was evening, and it was morning, the nth day.”

The Easter Vigil has four movements: (1) the Service of Light, a celebration of the light of Christ at which a new fire is kindled from which the Paschal Candle is lit, (2) the Service of Readings, which includes as many as nine readings from the grand story of salvation of the Old and New Testaments interspersed with psalms and canticles, silence and prayers, (3) the Service of Baptism, the primary annual occasion for baptisms (particularly in the early church) and a time for the reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant and (4) the Service of the Eucharist, a joyous feast in the presence of the risen Christ and an anticipation of the eschatological banquet of the realm of God.

The Great Vigil of Easter is the brightest jewel of Christian liturgy traced to early Christian times. It proclaims the universal significance of God’s saving acts in history through four related services held on the same occasion.

1. Service of Light. The service begins in the darkness of night. In kindling new fire and lighting the paschal candle, we are reminded that Christ came as a light shining in darkness (John 1:5). Through the use of fire, candles, words, movement, and music, the worshiping community becomes the pilgrim people of God following the “pillar of fire” given to us in Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. The paschal candle is used throughout the service as a symbol for Jesus Christ. This candle is carried, leading every procession during the vigil. Christ, the Light of the World, thus provides the unifying thread to the service. 

2. Service of Readings. The second part of the vigil consists of a series of readings from the Old and New Testaments. These readings provide a panoramic view of what God has done for humanity. Beginning with creation, we are reminded of our delivery from bondage in the exodus, of God’s calling us to faithfulness through the cry of the prophets, of God dwelling among us in Jesus Christ, and of Christ’s rising in victory from the tomb. The readings thus retell our “holy history” as God’s children, summarizing the faith into which we are baptized. 

3. Service of Baptism. In the earliest years of the Christian church, baptisms commonly took place at the vigil. So this vigil includes baptism and/or the reaffirmation of baptismal vows. As with the natural symbol of light, water plays a critical role in the vigil. The image of water giving life — nurturing crops, sustaining life, and cleansing our bodies — cannot be missed in this part of the vigil. Nor is the ability of water to inflict death in drowning overlooked. Water brings both life and death. So also there is death and life in baptism, for in baptism we die to sin and are raised to life. Baptism unites believers to Christ’s death and resurrection.

4. Service of the Eucharist. The vigil climaxes in a joyous celebration of the feast of the people of God. The risen Lord invites all to participate in the new life he brings by sharing the feast that he has prepared. We thus look forward to the great messianic feast of the kingdom of God when the redeemed from every time and place “will come from east and west, from north and south, and will eat in the kingdom of God” (Luke 13:29). The vigil thus celebrates what God has done, is doing, and will do. 

Join us as we celebrate the Great Vigil of Easter beginning in the Ivey Garden at 8 pm on Saturday, April 16.

On this evening, we will remember the story of Jesus’ sacred sacrifice of love made on the cross. In a service of song, scripture, and silence, we will reflect on the hardship of that day and the way darkness seemed to drown out the light. The solemnity of Good Friday is an important part of the rhythm of Holy Week. Because, even in this important, poignant experience, we look to the hope of Easter—that God’s life and love triumphed over the grave. In the midst of the pain and the loss of Good Friday is a profound paradox: what seemed final was simply not final. The grave is empty. Death has indeed lost its sting. Join us for worship on Good Friday at Noon in Cole Chapel and 6:30 pm in the Sanctuary. You can also join us online for the 6:30 pm service here at fumcdenton.com/live or on Facebook.

Information about Good Friday:

Good Friday is the day we remember Jesus’ crucifixion. The hours of noon to 3 p.m. are particularly significant as these commemorate the time Jesus hung on the cross. It is an especially important time to pray for the church and the world for whom Christ gave his life.

The Good Friday service is a penitential service, yet it is also a celebration of the good news of the cross. Good Friday is a day in which we allow for numerous contemplative moments, and to permit the power of silence to speak for itself.

The passion narrative according to John is read on Good Friday, because at the heart of John’s passion narrative is the good news of the cross — the victory of the cross. Thus, John’s emphasis on crucifixion and glory corresponds to the tension and ambiguity of the day. 

An important element of the Good Friday services is intercession in the form of bidding prayers for the whole family of God and the afflictions of the world— the Solemn Intercession. Such bidding prayers are signs of our joining in Christ’s priestly ministry of fully extending his arms in order to embrace all God’s people— that is, his posture on the cross.

The Solemn Reproaches of the Cross are an ancient text of Western Christendom associated with Good Friday. The Solemn Reproaches take the place of confession in this service.

The Service for Good Friday draws people into the story of the passion of Christ. It is composed of contrasting actions and moods of the solemn reading of the passion of Christ and, yet, a hopeful look toward the resurrection. The service continues with the Great Vigil of Easter on Saturday, or an Easter Day service. 

On Maundy Thursday, we’ll revisit the story of what happened that night leading up to Jesus’ arrest. Experience the story through music, story telling, scripture, and communion—anything you have at home to represent the bread and cup will work just fine. We hope to remember what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do, as we discover how our own calling and giftedness becomes part of this Lenten story—finding inspiration from popular music in our world today and over generations. Join us for worship on Maundy Thursday at Noon (with the service of hand-washing) and 6:30 pm (with the service of Holy Communion). You can also join us online for this special service on Facebook.

Information about Maundy Thursday:

Maundy Thursday begins the Three Days (or Triduum), remembering the new commandment that Christ gave us in word and deed as he taught us how to love one another, washing our feet as a servant. We also celebrate the Lord’s Supper, remembering the meal Christ shared with his disciples before his death. Historically, this was the traditional day in which those who had undergone a period of public penance under church discipline would be restored to full communion. The name is taken from the first words sung at the ceremony of the washing of the feet, “I give you a new commandment” (John 13:34); also, from the commandment of Christ that we should imitate his loving humility in the washing of the feet (John 13:14-17). The term mandatum (maundy), therefore, was applied to the rite of the foot washing on this day.

The opening service of the Triduum is not inherently mournful. The penitential acts of Maundy Thursday have celebratory aspects as well: restoration through the bold declaration of pardon; the act of foot washing connoting humility and intimacy; the celebration of the Lord’s Supper embodying the mystery of Christ’s enduring redemptive presence. Maundy Thursday’s acts provide the paradox of a celebratively somber and solemnly celebrative service.

Foot washing 

A powerful symbolic response to the Word, representing the way of humility and servanthood to which we are called by Christ, is the act of foot washing, practiced within the church since at least the fifth century. The practice of foot washing in first-century Palestine may have been as common as when today a host helps guests take off their coats, a waiter seats diners, or a driver holds the taxi door open for passengers. Hospitality underlies all such welcoming gestures.  

In the priesthood of all believers (not hierarchies of power), all members of the body of Christ can “kneel” before each other and wash one another’s feet as did our Lord and Savior himself — neighbor to neighbor, perhaps even stranger to stranger. More important, as the priesthood of all believers, our corporate kneeling before others for the earthly task of foot washing symbolizes our servanthood within and beyond the body of Christ.

We will symbolically wash hands during the Maundy Thursday mid-day service.

The Lord’s Supper

Though on this night we remember and celebrate the final supper Jesus shared with his disciples in the context of Passover, we are neither celebrating a Seder (“order of service”), nor reenacting the Last Supper, but sharing with our risen Lord a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. 

The term “last supper” suggests that it was only one of many meals shared by Jesus and his disciples, and not the meal. The Eucharist is rooted not only in the Last Supper but also in Jesus’ eating with sinners, and in his feeding the crowd with the loaves and fishes, and it foreshadows the meals after his resurrection. All together they constitute the multiple meanings of the Lord’s Supper. To reduce the Lord’s Supper to the Last Supper is to cut off the Sacrament from its eschatological significance (that is, as it relates to the unfolding of God’s purpose and in the ultimate destiny of humankind and the world).

Ordinarily, neither a blessing is given nor a postlude played on this night, as the services for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (the Great Vigil of Easter) are actually one unified ritual. The church remains in semidarkness, and all depart in silence, thus making the transition from the eucharistic celebration to Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Symbolically, Christ, stripped of his power and glory, is now in the hands of his captors.

The Easter Bunny is coming to FUMC Denton on Sunday, April 10 from Noon-2 pm. Bring the whole family for a fun Community Egg Hunt. This event is 100% free and open to the public. We’ll have an Egg Hunt, Pancake Brunch, pictures with the Easter Bunny, crafts and games. See you there!

Palm Sunday begins Holy Week, a time in the church year when we remember how Christ gave his life in love for the world. As this service opens, the crowd waves palm branches, wanting to crown Jesus as king. But as the story of the passion unfolds, their shouts of praise turn to demands for his crucifixion; he receives a crown of thorns as he is handed over to be mocked and killed. At Palm Sunday we begin the journey for hosanna to hallelujah. 

Join us for worship on Sunday, April 10 as we celebrate Palm Sunday. Prior to the 11:00 Sanctuary and Open services, we will gather in the Ivey Garden at 10:45 am for a brief liturgy of the palms and a procession into the Sanctuary and Flinn Hall. We’ll sing, pray, and be led by brass band into our respective worship services.

Join us on Easter Sunday for a joyous celebration of new life, renewal, and resurrection—God’s grace at work in our world and in us. The ancient call and response of the people bears witness to that grace: Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Together we celebrate our shared hope with glorious song, hopeful good news, and joyous life in community together. Invite friends, strangers, neighbors, and families as we celebrate the powerful love of God in Christ that gives rhythm to our lives! We’ll have opportunities for both in-person worship and online worship on this day.

OUTDOOR SERVICES

The Outdoor Easter worship experiences will be led by a combination of our worship leaders and pastors! Bring your own lawn chair, blanket, and a friend for a joyous time of celebration together as a church family. No registration required.

7:00 AM – Sunrise (Youth)

9:00 AM – Early Service

11:00 AM – Late Service

ONLINE SERVICES

9:45 AM – Mosaic Worship

11:00 AM – Open Worship

11:00 AM – Celebration Worship

12:30 PM – Jesus Fuente de Vida

Join the Denton Taizé Community for an outdoor Easter Vigil at FUMC Denton. Holy Saturday, the night before Easter, is a reminder for all that in the darkness of night, God is still at work. This service will begin in the main parking lot of the church and move around the property.

Somewhere during that time between Good Friday and the discovery of that empty tomb on Sunday morning, Jesus was on the loose, preparing the way, changing the world, making all things new. For many Christian traditions, Holy Saturday is the fallow time leading up to the celebration of the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. In the Jewish tradition, the new day began at sundown and, in the early centuries of the Christian church, this tradition was kept with the first worship of Easter happening at the Easter Vigil on Saturday night. The service recounted God’s redemptive acts throughout history—the crossing of the red sea, the story of Passover, and, of course, the resurrection of Christ.

The Easter Vigil has four movements: (1) the Service of Light, a celebration of the light of Christ, (2) the Service of Readings, which includes as many as nine readings from the grand story of the Old and New Testaments interspersed with psalms and canticles, silence and prayers, (3) the Service of Baptism, a time for the reaffirmation of the baptismal covenant and (4) the Service of the Eucharist, a joyous communion in the presence of the risen Christ.

During this time of being separated, living in our own dark moment, what a comfort to know that God is still on the loose, God is still preparing the way, God is still at work in us—making us new. Social Distancing will be practiced and masks are required at the in-person event. Please bring your own chair. This event will also be streamed live. In the event of inclement weather, this event will be canceled. We hope you’ll join our Denton Taizé Community for this special outdoor service, either online or in-person.

On this evening, we will remember the story of Jesus’ sacred sacrifice of love made on the cross. In a service of song, scripture, and silence, we will reflect on the hardship of that day and the way darkness seemed to drown out the light. The solemnity of Good Friday is an important part of the rhythm of Holy Week. Because, even in this important, poignant experience, we look to the hope of Easter—that God’s life and love triumphed over the grave. In the midst of the pain and the loss of Good Friday is a profound paradox: What seemed final was simply not final. The grave is empty. Death has indeed lost its sting. This will be a musical presentation of Michael John Trotta’s Seven Last Words of Christ by the FUMC Chancel Choir. Join us online for this special service here at fumcdenton.com/live or on Facebook.

The word Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, which means “command,” and references the story of Jesus telling the disciples to love one another as he has loved them the night of the Last Supper. At our Maundy Thursday service, we’ll revisit the story of what happened that night leading up to Jesus’ arrest. Experience the story through music, story telling, scripture, and virtual communion—anything you have at home to represent the bread and cup will work just fine. This online service will likely be different from what you may have experienced before. We hope to remember what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do, as we discover how our own calling and giftedness becomes part of this Lenten story—finding inspiration from popular music in our world today and over generations. Join us online for this special service here at fumcdenton.com/live or on Facebook.

Get ready for a fun event for kids and families on Sunday, March 28 from 1-4 pm—a drive-thru Easter Egg Hunt! Enjoy a drive around the church to look for giant Easter Eggs—find them all and then pick up a bag of filled eggs to take home. This is an event will be open from 1-4 pm and you can swing by anytime during that window. You can also stay in your car the whole time, or if you’re comfortable getting out of the car, there will also be an opportunity for socially-distanced photos with the Easter Bunny! Make sure to wear your mask and get ready to have a great time.

This event will start at the driveway on the Mulberry side of the church. You will receive instruction sheet and pencil, and will then go down to take a right on Industrial, then right on Sycamore, and then right on Locust— making a large square around the outside grounds of our church. On the way, look for large easter eggs! Once you’ve located all of them, return to the main parking lot on the Mulberry side and pick up a bag of filled eggs to take home. Also, you can enjoy a socially-distanced picture with the Easter Bunny in the parking lot before you head home.

To donate candy for Easter eggs, you can shop our Amazon Wishlist here.

Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, remembers the excitement and expectation as Jesus entered Jerusalem bringing his message of God’s love and life. The people of the city grabbed palm branches to wave and threw their cloaks before Jesus on the road—the same way ancient kings were greeted. On this Sunday, children will have the opportunity to reenact this day by submitting videos waving whatever they have at home—branches, scarves, leaves, etc. and submitting those videos here on Open’s website to be part of all of our worship services that day.

Palm Sunday will be celebrated at all of our online services. You can also join us at our in-person service at 8:30 am in the Sanctuary. Register here.

On this evening, we will remember the sacred sacrifice of love Jesus made on the cross. In a service of song, scripture, and silence, we will reflect on the hardship of that day and the way darkness seemed to drown out the light. The solemnity of Good Friday is an important part of the rhythm of Holy Week. Because, even in this important, poignant experience, we look to the hope of Easter—that God’s life and love triumphed over the grave. In the midst of the pain and the loss of Good Friday is a profound paradox: What seemed final was simply not final. The grave is empty. Death has indeed lost its sting. Join us online for this on our Watch Live page or on Facebook!

We’ll revisit the story of the Last Supper and what happened that night leading up to Jesus’ arrest. The word Maundy comes from the Latin mandatum, which means “command,” and references Jesus telling the disciples to love one another as he has loved them. We’ll get together in a Zoom call to enjoy music, prayer, and experience the story. We'll be doing virtual communion—anything you have at home to represent the bread and cup will work just fine. We hope to remember what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do, as we discover how our own calling and giftedness becomes part of this Lenten story.

Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter, remembers the excitement and expectation as Jesus entered Jerusalem bringing his message of God’s love and life. The people of the city grabbed palm branches to wave and threw their cloaks before Jesus on the road — the same way ancient kings were greeted. On this Sunday, children will have the opportunity to reenact this day by waving palm branches and participating in a procession during worship services. After the 11:00 services, we'll all gather for an Easter Egg Hunt for the kids and pancake lunch for everyone!