Sunday School and Nursery Care

Old North Church welcomes children of all ages on Sunday mornings! Children are welcome in the sanctuary for the entirety of the service. Our nursery for children 3 months to 4ish opens at 9:50 but you may bring your little ones there at any point in the service. Sunday school (for kids aged four through 12) begins partway through the church service, following the "Moments with Children" during worship. 

This Week in Church School

As we head into Holy Week, Kenna Bartholomew and Caroline Clark will be leading the children in a lesson about Palm Sunday and the week leading up to Easter.

Monthly Bell Ringing Tomorrow

Listen for the bells tomorrow, on Friday, April 11, at 11 am for 11 minutes. It’s our monthly event with other congregations in Marblehead and across the North Shore to remind us that we are indeed in the 11^th hour of creation care – a reminder that this gift of creation given to us in our lifetime is fragile and mightily impacted by human behavior. It is 11 minutes of a prayer of thanks to God for this precious gift, of confession that we have not attended well, and resolve that we will do our small part to be a part of the solution rather than part of the problem of climate change. Join us in that prayer at home or at the church to take your turn at the bell rope.

Lenten Meditation Sundays – April 13

*** New Time: 9:15am-9:50am***

Come be in a small sacred candle lit circle to rest, pause, reflect, sit in stillness & meditation each Sunday of Lent. Feel free to drop in for 10 minutes or an hour. Everyone (new & seasoned meditators) are welcome! Meets in The Parlor, the cathedral ceiling room at the top of the stairs & just to the left of the elevator. Led by new member, Maryellen Solomon-Auger, and Rev. Christine.

This Sunday April 13

Our Annual Lenten Choral concert featuring Requiem For the Living, by Dan Forrest will take place this Sunday, on Palm Sunday, at 7:30pm.



This concert marks the beginning of Holy Week and was established to offer members of the community a program of musical reflection by candlelight. The singers and instrumentalists assembled for this performance – many returning and many new – look forward to sharing this exquisite choral work for chorus and orchestra. The concert is one hour with no intermission. Please arrive early to enjoy a prelude performed by harpist, Sorana Scarlat. Admission to the concert is free; a free-will offering will be gratefully accepted at the door.  

Maundy Thursday Services

Join us April 17th at 5pm for an Intergenerational Maundy Thursday dinner and simple service in the Parish Hall. We'll celebrate a simple communion at the dinner table followed by an optional footwashing. We're excited to offer a new way for this church to explore Maundy Thursday. All ages, infant through elder are welcome. Dinner will be provided, but please RSVP here so we're sure to have enough food.



Our traditional Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service will be held April 17th at 8pm in the Santuary, where we gather in the darkness for an evening candlelight service of song, scripture, reflection, and Communion. We will tell the story of Jesus' last day: his betrayal and abandonment by his friends, his mistreatment by the government and religious authorities. We take the time to witness his suffering--and the suffering throughout our world--before the joy of resurrection on Easter Sunday.  

Music News

All singers who are interested in joining the choir for Holy Week/Easter services are welcome to join the senior choir. Repertoire will include Lenten Hymns, Anthems and the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. For more information, please reach out to Maria at vankalken@gmail.com.

The Holy Week schedule is:

Wed, April 15: 7:30pm- 9pm rehearsal

Thurs, April 16: 7pm warm-up; 8pm, Tenebrae service

Sat, April 19: 10am-11:30am, rehearsal with brass quartet, timpani & bells

EASTER SUNDAY: 8am warm up; 9am Worship Service

                           10am breakfast in Parish Hall

                           11am –Worship Service 

On Sunday, May 4th, please join soprano Anne Burgett and pianist Alexandru Prigalo at 4:00 PM for an hour of arias and art songs, “Femininity: The Heart of the World”. The concert is inspired by her Master’s degree recital, and will include works by Richard Strauss, Franz Liszt, Manuel Ponce, Barbara Strozzi, and Fernando Obradors. She is thrilled to be able to share these beautiful pieces of music with the Old North Community.

Please mark your calendar now to attend or participate in our upcoming Jazz Sunday Service on Sunday, May 11th at 10am!

Stewardship and Governance    

Why can’t Spring arrive when it is supposed to? Well that is a good question as cool, cloudy days are just not what we are looking for. That said, we are all hard at work making sure that when it finally arrives we will have our leaves raked, our gardens planted, the kids and grandkids’ sports schedule taped on the refrigerator and the snow shovel placed neatly in the garage. Kind of like out with the dreary and in with the warm neighborly feelings. At Old North Church, attendance at our Sunday worship services is strong and growing. The lovely sun is coming through our windows.

And then, all of a sudden, the world around us seems to have gone rudderless. How do we cope as a community, as a church, and as individuals? Well we stay together, look out for one another and seek the guidance and prayerful communications from our ministers and ministries. We keep everyone informed, we work hard and if necessary we hunker down. All of you have made our Stewardship initiatives successful but we still have a long nine months ahead of us and we will need to be focused and flexible. As of this week, we have received $457,000 in pledges from 203 families or individuals. Our mailing list is comprised of 460 families, which means that less than half of our active mailing list pledges to support our ministries and operations. Our approved budget for 2025 planned for $475,000 in pledge income. We are $18,000 short of our pledge goal to meet our budget for the year.

If you have not yet made a pledge for 2025, please either fill out one of the pledge cards in the pew rack and place it in the offertory, or contact Lisa in the church office (781-631-1244 or office@onchurch.org) or pledge online at www.onchurch.org/pledge. It is not too late and any and all pledges are greatly appreciated!

Recognizing the realities of this turbulent world and the impact it is having on the financial markets our church will be diligent and prudent and will seek the guidance and support of our leaders and the congregation as needed. Sanity will return. 

 Life and Living Course Continues April 27

“Remembrance of Things Past”

We have been pondering which topic to select for our next gathering on April 27. Among suggestions the word ‘Legacy’ came up or, what do we want to leave behind? How do we want to be remembered? Instead of dealing with these questions, I have turned towards a related subject: how do we remember our past or “Remembrance of Things Past”? Some of us might have endeavored to write memoirs, but all of us have reflected on yesteryear. There are reasons to look back, perhaps in wonderment.

Recollections, autobiographical writings as they are, challenge us when asking: what to include and what to omit. “Is there virtue in what is left unsaid?” If salient events are left out, memory reconstructs rather than reproduces. Memory is like a diary and yet makes us all fall unawares into error –one is not fully in control. Despites these pitfalls, we might attempt to write and tell stories about our past –as it were, an examination of life as nourishment for reflection?

Future dates are: May 18 and June 22. We start on Sundays at 11:30 A.M. in person in the Great Room of Old North Church or via the Zoom link below. If you would like to join the discussion and not on the mailing list, email: elsewiersma@comcast.net or contact the church office (781-531-1124) or mail office@onchurch.org

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89664581912?pwd=S2pxa2RUZDRVM1FKeng1NnVvUWdzZz09

Prayer Shawl Knitters

Prayer Shawl continues to meet the second Wednesday of each month in 2025, 10:30-12 in the Great Room at Stacey Street. The next meeting is May 14.

Please join us — we have yarn, pattern + needles.

Scrabble Group



The Scrabble Group meets weekly on Wednesdays from 2-4pm in the Great Room at the Stacey St. office building. Newcomers are always welcome to join in the fun!

Become a Member of Old North Church!

We're welcoming new members during our church services June 1, and we'd love you to consider it! If you're interested in joining the church--or want to know more about what that means--talk to one of the ministers. 

Save the Date!

The Annual Meeting of the Church will be held on Wednesday, June 4 at 7:00pm in the Sanctuary. Annual reports are due to Lisa in the church office no later than Friday, May 9. 

North Shore Youth Ministry (NSYM)

The NSYM typically meets Sundays and rotates Church host locations. For the rest of the school year, we will be combining Middle and High School youth groups. For a full schedule of upcoming meetings and activities, the NSYM Spring Newsletter can be viewed here.

April Schedule

• Sunday, 4/13- Youth Group Meeting 12 pm-2 pm at St Andrew’s
• Holy Week! Jess will be attending the following services and would love to see you there!
• Palm Sunday 4/13: Old North 10 am
• Maundy Thursday 4/17: First Church Dinner and Service 6:30 pm
• Good Friday 4/18: Clifton Lutheran 7 pm
• Easter Sunday 4/20: St. Andrew’s 10 am
• 4/27- Youth Group Meeting 12 pm-2 pm at Clifton

Jess Easter is our Youth Pastor serving the Marblehead Youth Collaborative Ministry (MYCM). To get in touch with Jess for more details about youth programs, or if finding a ride to any youth events is ever an issue, please reach out to Jess (jess@thensym.org) as she can make connections between families to make sure our youth have the opportunity to join.

Confirmation Classes – Seeking 7th, 8th, and 9th graders!

This year, we will be beginning confirmation with our 7th and 8th graders (though any older youth who have not been confirmed are welcome to join!) The confirmation process is a chance for young adults to learn more about the Christian faith, deepen relationships in the church, grow in their spirituality, and decide for themselves whether they want to become a member of the church.



We will set the time of the meetings to best work with the schedules of the youth who are involved, so please be in touch with Lindsay if someone in your family is interested in confirmation!  

Celebration of Old North Church's Washington St. Building 200th Anniversary!

This year, 2025, is the 200th anniversary of our church building on Washington St. The church was previously located first on Burial Hill and then on Franklin St. With some of the Keep it Ringing capital campaign projects completed, and the biggest one to repair the church steeple scheduled to start soon and complete this summer, we want to celebrate this anniversary in the fall. We are looking for a few people to put together some celebration events. If interested, please let Betsey Halbert (halbertbam@gmail.com), Rev. Lindsay Popperson (lindsay@onchurch.org), or the church office (office@onchurch.org) know. Thank you!

Help Fill the Shelves

of the Marblehead Food Pantry

As a church we are now focusing on the build up to Holy Week but for about 85 households here in Marblehead, the main focus will be on how to put their next meal on the table. For decades now it has been Old North’s responsibility to fill the shelves at the Marblehead Food Pantry in both April and November. Since the outbreak of the Pandemic , thanks to your kind contributions, we have successfully achieved this in a more efficient way. If you are able to donate, please consider writing a check to Old North Church (with Food Pantry in the memo) and send it to 8 Stacey Street, Marblehead MA 01945. Alternatively, you may prefer to make an on line donation to Old North Church website with the same specifications. Our dedicated shopping team will then use your kind donations to meet the very specific needs of the Food Pantry to include non perishable goods, toiletries and personal items. Any questions should be directed to Lynda Hare (hares8carrots@hotmail.com).

Green Tip of the Week

This week’s “Green Tip of the Week” – Composting is a great way to reduce waste, reuse food scraps, and return nutrients to our soil. It helps to reduce the amount of curbside trash we put out every week and lessens the amount of food scraps we put down the disposal and into our local water treatment plants. 

Black Earth collects all types of food scraps, including fruits, vegetables, meat, bones, shells, and dairy products, along with compostable service ware and returns the nutrient rich compost to us, and garden centers and farms in the area. Black Earth also collects hard to recycle materials such as electronics, textiles and plastics. 

The Creation Care Team at Star of the Sea Church is pleased to partner with Black Earth and Sustainable Marblehead for a community wide presentation on composting. It will be held on Earth Day, Tuesday, April 22, at 7pm in the Hall in the Star of the Sea Parish Center.

New eBook for Eco-Friendly Living in Marblehead

Mark Adams has co-authored an eBook that is the ultimate toolkit for reducing energy, enhancing efficiency and saving money in your home. Written by and written for Marblehead residents, it will provide you with ways to make practical and impactful changes that will enhance your home's efficiency and support a healthier planet. It includes links to tools that can help you estimate the cost savings from green upgrades, community services for sustainable living and a complete list of all of the rebates and incentives available. Check it out on the Sustainable Marblehead homepage at www.sustainablemarblehead.org. 

Easter Lilies

Thank you to all those who place orders for Easter Lilies to grace our Sanctuary Easter morning worship. Plants can be picked up following the 11:00 am service on Easter morning. Thank you!

Gifts of Cheer



If you know of anyone, either here at Old North or in the wider Marblehead community who is going through a difficult time, the Community Life Board would like to reach out with a little plant and a friendly note. Please contact Lynda Hare at hares8carrots@hotmail.com or 781-639-0107 if you know someone who would appreciate a little extra cheer.

Lectio Divina

A monastic practice of scripture, reflection and prayer dating back to the 4^th century, at Old North lectio divina has been adapted and practiced for more than ten years on every Tuesday morning from 9 to about 10:30 am. When Dennis was here, he led the practice. Since his leaving, we all take turns being the leader to select the readings. We have welcomed newcomers, some not from Old North, who seem to find soul food in the practice and the shared reflections that are part of it. We meet at 9 am both in person in the “Great Room” on Stacey St. and on Zoom.

We begin each meeting with a context-setting call to worship. Then we pair a scripture reading with a poem, chosen by the leader for the day and read aloud. We then move into 21 minutes of silent meditation, marked by chimes, and finally we share in “safe space” our responses – personal and intellectual. We end each session with prayers for healing and the Lord’s Prayer.



It is a rich time of being together in community and quite like no other. We invite you to give it a try.