Bluffton churches enter Holy Week with several special worship services scheduled
As Bluffton Christians enter Holy Week, several special worship services are planned by area congregations.
^aEUR"The Bluffton Area Ministerial Association is again sponsoring the Cross Walk for Good Friday, April 22.
The carrying of the cross to commemorate Jesus' passion will begin at:
o St. Mary's Catholic Church at 11:30 a.m. and proceed to
o First United Methodist Church,
o First Mennonite Church,
o Bluffton Presbyterian Church,
o English Lutheran Church,
o and ends at St. John United Church of Christ.
A community Good Friday service will be held at St. John's at noon. The service will be focused on the seven last words. Anyone is welcome to join at any point along the route.
Other services planned during the week by Bluffton area congregations follow: (The Icon invites area churches to provide Holy Week services to be added to this list)
First Mennonite
* Maundy Thursday Seder Meal in Fellowship Hall, 7 p.m.
* Easter sunrise service, Buckeye Park, 6:30 a.m.
* Brunch potluck, Fellowship Hall, 9:15 a.m., persons attending are invited to bring a breakfast dish
* Easter worship service theme Becoming Fully Human: Shaped and Called by Jesus, 10:30 a.m.
St. Mary's Catholic
* Wednesday, April 20 tenebrae (celebration of Darkness), 6:30 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. service
English Lutheran
* Maundy Thursday service of communion and ritual stripping of the alter, 7 p.m. Theme: Let My People Go - to the Table!
Easter Sunday theme: "Come and Sell: Go and Tell"
* Easter Sunday sunrise service, more contemporary and less formal, with communion, 7:30 a.m.
* 8:45 a.m. Fellowship breakfast, with Easter egg hunt following
* 10:15 a.m. Festival worship with communion
Bluffton Presbyterian
* Maundy Thursday communion by intinction, 7 p.m.
* Easter Sunday egg hunt, 9:30 a.m.
* Easter Sunday service with adult choir and brass quintet performing
Trinity Lutheran, Jenera
* Maundy Thursday 7 p.m.
* Good Friday tenebrae service, 7 p.m.
* Easter sunrise service, 6:30 a.m.
* A breakfast will be served after the service until 9 a.m.
* Easter worship service, 9:30 a.m.
Stories Posted This Week
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Friday, September 11, 2026
- Mennonite Home Communities provide backup phone numbers during outage
- Pirate volleyball wins in four vs. Elmwood
- Howard Thornsberry worked in the produce industry
- Pirate girls soccer silenced by Bath
- Pirate boys soccer nipped by Liberty-Benton
- September 11 Bluffton High School athletics lineup, streaming
- Sept. 12 Open Doors offers sneak peek at future Bluffton museum space
- Innovation Forum challenges leaders to think deeper about AI
- Invitation to Sept 15 Bluffton Lions program with Dr. William H. Kose
- Deer archery hunting begins Sept. 12 in Disease Surveillance Area
Thursday, September 10, 2026
- Women in Business program with Positive Nutrition
- It's time for Fall Storytime at the Bluffton Public Library
- Pirate girls golf win vs. Lima Central Catholic
- Pirate boys golf splits NWC tri
- Bluffton PTO is collecting Community Markets receipts
- Richland Twp. trustees hire mower and Zoning Inspector
- Schumacher Homestead plans a farm full of Fall Fest activities
- Hindsight is 20/20: Recent reports for RSV, flu, and COVID-19
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
- Darrell Lee Diller, 92, managed a farming business
- Bluffton alumni will discuss pathways to chaplaincy
- Beaverdam cleanup day is Sept. 12
- Pirate boys golf 3rd at NWC quad
- Pirate volleyball outlasts Arlington
- Pirate girls soccer blanks Crestview
- Pirate boys soccer tie vs. Kalida
- Letter: The future of American agriculture
- Maple Grove Cemetery records now online
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
- Bluffton Historical meets Sept. 9 at the 1899 Depot
- Jerry L. Blosser worked for DTR Industries
- Bluffton Schools cancelled on September 8, cleanup for biodigester malfunction underway
- July 2026 Bluffton Police Dept. activity report
- Hillville Rd. closure on Sept. 8-9
- Lions and friends will count pathway users in September
- Bluffton Ohio Historical Society takes part in Ohio Open Doors, Sept. 12