Holy Week at Houston Trinity: Five Services, One Story

The story of Holy Week, told in a dozen eggs: a tradition Rev. Hilton's children grew up with, and one worth handing to a new generation. From the rumble of Palm Sunday to the silence of Friday night to the trumpet of Easter morning, this is the week the church has been telling for two thousand years.

Inside: a service-by-service guide, the scripture each gathering centers on, and an invitation to walk the whole week together, not just the bookends. Whether you've kept Holy Week your entire life or never sat through a Maundy Thursday service, there's a place at the table for you.

On the Road to Emmaus, and Why We Keep Telling Stories

Stories that Matter. I like that sermon series title. I didn't create it; it was the recommended title from Discipleship Ministries. I still like it. It says so much without saying much.

This past month has been a season of stories for me. I've stood at a graveside, listening to family tell the long arc of one ordinary life rendered ordinary no longer by being told. I've sat at a fiftieth college reunion and watched friends become themselves again as they remembered who they were at twenty.

Have you ever read a story to a child and watched amazement spread across their face? Have you noticed how stories change the room: calming us, unsettling us, opening us up to something we hadn't quite seen before?

Our story this Eastertide takes place on a seven-mile stretch of road between Jerusalem and Emmaus. Two disciples are walking and telling each other the story of what just happened: the trial, the cross, the empty tomb, the women's astonishing report. They are doing what we all do, telling stories to remind themselves of what was, to comfort themselves through pain, to come to grips with events that overwhelm them.

And they miss the greatest story of all: the One walking right beside them. Join us this season as we walk to Emmaus, eat dinner, and run back to Jerusalem. It is a story that matters.

— Rev. Robert Hilton

Easter Egg Hunt & Family Picnic

Saturday morning, the lawn behind the sanctuary becomes a field of color. We'll hide several hundred eggs under the live oaks, set up craft tables in the shade, and put on a light lunch of burgers, fruit, and lemonade for the whole family to enjoy after the hunt.

The hunt itself runs in two waves so the smallest hunters don't get out-sprinted: ages 3 and under at 10:00 AM, then ages 4–10 at 10:30. There's no charge, no pre-registration required, and no expectation that you bring anything but a basket and good walking shoes.

Bring your neighbors. Bring grandparents. Bring the friend who's been meaning to visit but hasn't found the right Sunday. This is an easier door to come through than the sanctuary's, and the doors after this one open just fine.

Thursday Night Bible Study Returns

Coffee at 6:45, study at 7:00, out the door by 8:30. This spring we're walking the Gospel of John: eight Thursdays, from the prologue ("In the beginning was the Word") through the foot-washing, the long farewell discourse, and the strange quiet of the empty tomb.

Pastor Linda leads with the kind of slow, careful reading that lets the strange parts stay strange. Nothing gets explained away too quickly. There's no homework, no assigned reading, and no expectation that you've been before. Most weeks at least one or two people are walking in for the first time, and the regulars are good about making room.

We meet in Fellowship Hall. The coffee is real coffee. The conversation is honest. If Bible study has previously meant the wrong thing to you (too rigid, too tidy, too sure of itself), this one might be worth a try.

New to Houston Trinity? Start Here.

Four Tuesday evenings this May, set aside for anyone wondering what we're about. The class is built for the curious, the cautious, the long-time visitor, and the brand-new, wherever you're walking in from.

Here's what each week looks like:

• ♦  Week 1 · Who we are. Our history, our neighborhood, and what we hope we're becoming.
• ♦  Week 2 · What Methodists believe. Grace, sacraments, and Wesley's quadrilateral, in plain English.
• ♦  Week 3 · What membership means. The vows, the expectations, and the freedoms that come with belonging.
• ♦  Week 4 · Where you fit. The ministries, classes, and groups that might be your next step.

There's no pressure to join at the end. Many people take the class and stay friend of the church for a long while, and that's a good place to be. Childcare is provided every week, and we share a light dinner together before each session.