At St. John Lutheran Church, traditions help engage during Holy Week
MARS — After Jesus, the star of the show at St. John Lutheran Church of Mars on Good Friday, April 3, was Pete the donkey.
Pete served as a calm, welcoming, roughly 500 pound symbol for Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem and a way to teach the church’s children about Palm Sunday and the rest of Holy Week.
Jeremy Ivcic, a farmer from Eighty Four, Pa., said he’s been busy lately with churches, petting zoos, country clubs and other groups wanting animals to go with their Easter activities, including Pete, who helped teach the children of St. John Lutheran Church.
“I think that by maintaining traditions here at our church it creates touch points that people can remember year to year. And it’s not just Easter. It’s not just something that happens on a calendar. It’s a connection to the story,” the Rev. Katie McNeal, pastor at the church, said. “There’s a connection that goes beyond reading texts that have been around for over 2,000 years.”
In recent years, McNeal has introduced traditions to the St. John community that make learning about Easter fun for the children. While children tried to interact with the donkey, McNeal led the students in a parade around the church property. They followed the donkey, waving around palm branches and shouting “Hosanna!” and “Save us!”
The traditions, churchgoers said, help paint the importance of the stories while connecting with individuals, particularly children, still learning about the religion.
“We can help create an even deeper meaning to important days in our faith like this,” McNeal said. “It’s important to people’s faith.”
On a sunny Friday, about 25 people joined Pete and a man dressed as Jesus to celebrate the week.
Children learned the story of Jesus acting as a servant, washing the feet of his disciples after the last supper. After the children created hand and feet paintings to celebrate Jesus’ servant role, they helped each other wash the paint off.
After having a snack break to remember the last supper, the children learned about the crucifixion of Jesus. They wrote the word “sin” on a piece of paper, then nailed it to a cross.
Parents and grandparents saw the importance of connecting with families and the stories of Holy Week and the Bible through interaction.
While people have learned these stories for thousands of years, this helps the children remember, they said.
“The story of Jesus is an amazing story,” said Gene Hollingsworth, a retired pastor who lives in Mars with his grandchildren. “And if we can help our children see that story, by doing things that traditionally tie in with what happened, all the way from Palm Sunday, riding into Jerusalem, Good Friday when he was crucified, and all the way to Easter, it’s really great to get people involved.”
