April 11, 2025

Dear Peachtree Road Family,

I hope you are well. As I write these words, we are merely hours away from Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week. This is one of our favorite Sundays of the year here at Peachtree Road UMC with the children entering the sanctuary waving their palm branches, youth from the Confirmation Class coming to the altar to make their profession of faith in Christ, the beautiful music offered by the choirs, and, yes, our favorite donkey “Jerusalem” leading the procession at the 11:15 am service. The passage we read at the beginning of worship sets the tone for the day:

Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” – Mark 11:9-10

Over the course of the last six weeks, we have focused upon a study of Paul’s letter to the church in Rome and a theme entitled “The Way of Salvation.” We have considered the problem of sin, God’s provision for us, and our response to God’s offering of grace. I hope you have found this season’s emphasis to be helpful. I am looking forward to worshiping with you Sunday as we bring our series to a close by considering Paul’s teaching concerning our judgment of one another in the church. One of the challenges of being a church is that members do not always agree – on matters of biblical interpretation, religious practices, and even ethical demands. That makes this Sunday’s message one of the most important for our consideration. In preparation for the message, I encourage you to read Romans 14:1-12.

I would love to see you in person at one of the morning services at 8:45 am, 10:00 am, or 11:15 am. We have added a special service at 10:00 am in the sanctuary to receive members of the Confirmation Class into the full membership of the church. You certainly are invited to join us and celebrate with these 6th graders and their families. I know this is the final weekend of spring break for some families, and, if you are traveling this weekend, worship with us online through the livestream of the services at www.prumc.org or later in the week.

Speaking of Sunday, I hope you also will join us at a complimentary congregational luncheon in Grace Hall from 11:00 am until 1:00 pm. The menu will feature glazed ham, macaroni and cheese, green bean salad, yeast rolls, and strawberry shortcake. Our worship guilds will be our hosts for the meal, and I hope you will come and enjoy a delicious meal and good fellowship as we begin this Holy Week together.

As we move into Holy Week, you are invited to join us for our midday worship services Monday through Thursday in the Moore Chapel. These thirty-minute services will begin at 12:00 noon and will be followed by a luncheon in Grace Hall. If you cannot make it in person, the services will be livestreamed at www.prumc.org. The schedule for the week features the following preachers and soloists:

Monday	Rev. Darren Hensley	William Green
Tuesday	Rev. Daniel Ogle	David White
Wednesday	Rev. Josh Miles	William Green
Thursday	Rev. Elizabeth Byrd	Rontray Miller, II

Our Holy Thursday service will be held in the sanctuary on Thursday, April 17, at 7:00 pm with Geoff Beakley preaching. We will celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion as we remember Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. During the closing hymn, members of the Altar Guild will strip the altar, signifying the abandonment of Jesus by his disciples and his prayers of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane. We will process from the sanctuary to the chapel, and the bread and cup will be placed on the altar table there as an invitation to join in somber reflection upon God’s sacrificial love for us.

We will bring the season of Lent to a close by hosting other Christians from throughout Buckhead for a special Community Good Friday Service on Friday, April 18, at 12:00 noon at Peachtree Presbyterian Church. In addition to our two churches, members from Christ the King Catholic Church, New Hope African Methodist Episcopal, Second Ponce de Leon Baptist, and Wieuca Road Baptist will join us for this somber service. I hope you will join us for this particularly meaningful time of worship with our friends from throughout the community as we reflect upon Jesus’ death upon the cross. 

In addition to these services of worship, let me remind you of two more opportunities for service during Holy Week:

• Lenten Offering – once again this year our special giving during the season of Lent will be used to support the agencies and ministries in the Greater Atlanta area with whom we partner. As you give up a couple of meals each week, consider giving the money you are saving to this offering. If each of us gave just $20 a week or $120 for the season, it would make a tremendous impact upon the lives of others. Please give through the church website at www.prumc.org. 

• Easter Cross Flowers – I want to invite you to help us decorate the cross out in front of the sanctuary with flowers as a beautiful symbol of our faith in Christ and the Resurrection. Members of the Flower Guild will be out in front of the church on Saturday, April 19, between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm to receive your flowers. You may bring flowering branches, flowers from your yard, or colorful flowers you may have bought. Please share them with us and help us offer a beautiful message to our city: Christ is Risen!

Thank you for all you do to support the ministry of this great church. I look forward to seeing you Sunday as we begin Holy Week together!

Grace and peace,

Bill