During the week prior to Easter (March 21 to 24), the Preeceville and District Ministerial Association hosted the Holy Week noon hour bagged lunches program. There were four services held at the Preeceville Trinity United Church and four services held in Sturgis at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church.
The theme reflected on how Christ meets people when they are suffering.
In Preeceville, at the Trinity United Church, Pastor Brad Steppan of the Fellowship Chapel spoke about how Christ helped people through their emotional and mental sufferings.
"Jesus empathized when we are in emotional and physical anguish," said Steppan. "He knew that He was going to be crucified. He knew of the agony awaiting Him, yet he went to the cross to pay for our sins, something we couldn't do and can't do," he said.
Rev. Miles Russell of the United Church spoke on the theme “spiritual suffereings.” On the Wednesday, Pastor Rob LaGrove of the Eveangel Tabernacle spoke on how Christ meets us in our mental sufferings. The last day featured Pastor Hein Bertram of the St. John Lutheran Church as he covered the topic of the sufferings of Christ in the physical sense and he addressed questions on healing.
The St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church hosted two services. Russell spoke on Monday and LaGrove spoke on Wednesday. Each talked about the same related topics as they had discussed in Preeceville.
The churches that participated were: St. Patrick’s, United, Fellowship Chapel and Tabernacle.
“The noon hour bag lunch services began approximately 30 years ago and is held the week prior to Easter,” said Rev. Miles Russell.
A seder supper concluded the week of services. It was held at the Trinity United church in Preeceville on Thursday.
Holy Week in Christianity is the last week of Lent and the week before Easter. It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday) and Good Friday and lasts from Palm Sunday until but not including Easter Sunday as Easter Sunday is the first day of the new season of the great 50 days. It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, culminating in His crucifixion on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday.
