Our special offering this month is for One Great Hour of Sharing. Since 1947 the Presbyterian Church has asked members to support the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering during the season of Lent. Monies collected are divided between Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Hunger Program.
Please use our Donate link to make an online donation to One Great Hour of Sharing.
During the 2023 Lenten Season, please join us for The Crucifixion: A Meditation on the Sacred Passion of the Holy Redeemer, an oratorio composed by John Stainer in 1887 with text by W J Sparrow Simpson. The Chapel Choir of the Bloomfield Presbyterian Church on the Green will sing selections from the oratorio during worship services throughout Lent and will present the full oratorio on Good Friday, April 7. The full schedule is listed below. Pastor Ruth’s sermons during Lent will relate to the portions of the oratorio presented during each service. Join us in the Chapel or via the livestream: facebook.com/ChurchontheGreen/.
| February 22, 8:00PM (Ash Wednesday) |
For the Love of Jesus (hymn) |
| March 5, 10:45AM (2nd Sunday of Lent) |
And As Moses Lifted Up the Serpent (bass recitative) God So Loved the World (chorus) |
| March 12, 10:45AM (3rd Sunday of Lent) |
And They Came to a Place Named Gethsemane (tenor recitative) The Agony (tenor and bass solo and chorus) |
| March 19, 10:45AM (4th Sunday of Lent) |
Jesus Said, ‘Father, Forgive Them’ (tenor and male chorus recitative) So Thou Liftest Thy Divine Petition (tenor and bass solo duet) The Mystery of the Intercession (hymn) |
| March 26, 10:45AM (5th Sunday of Lent) |
Is It Nothing to You? (bass solo) The Appeal of the Crucified (chorus) |
| April 2, 10:45AM (Palm/Passion Sunday) |
Processional to Calvary (organ solo) Fling Wide the Gates (chorus and tenor solo) |
| April 6, 8:00PM (Maundy Thursday) |
For the Love of Jesus (hymn) |
| April 7, 8:00PM (Good Friday) |
Entire Oratorio |
All are invited to walk the outdoor Labyrinth, located on church grounds at the intersection of Beach Street and Park Place, any day of the year during daylight hours. Come alone or with others for a prayerful, meditative walk as often as you’d like.
As Seen on NBC’s Today Show
NBC’s Today Show featured our labyrinth with Pastor Ruth and designer/creator Carlos Monteagudo in an episode that aired Jan. 30, 2023. 
Here is the link: https://www.today.com/video/labyrinth-walking-inside-the-therapeutic-option-for-meditation-162107973947. The Church on the Green segment may be viewed at the 03:00 mark.
What is a Labyrinth?
A labyrinth is a circular path that leads from the entrance to the center and back out. It is a spiritual tool, not a maze. The practice of walking a labyrinth integrates the body with the mind and the mind with the spirit.
What can I expect?
While there is no right way or wrong way to walk a labyrinth, you are invited to think of your walk in three stages:
A labyrinth walk yields different experiences and insights for every person, every time. You may feel nothing or you may have a powerful reaction. Listen to your heart. Be open. Take all the time you need.
Background and History
“The labyrinth was a central feature in many of the European Roman Catholic churches in the middle ages and many of these still exist today. The most famous of these remaining labyrinths is at Chartres Cathedral near Paris, France… built around 1200. It was walked as a pilgrimage and/or for repentance. As a pilgrimage, it was a journey to become closer to God. When used for repentance, the pilgrims would walk on their knees. Sometimes this eleven-circuit labyrinth would serve as a substitute for an actual pilgrimage to Jerusalem…” https://labyrinthsociety.org/faqs
Our Labyrinth
The Church on the Green labyrinth matches the size and design of the labyrinth at the Chartres Cathedral in France. It was designed and installed by Elder Carlos Monteagudo during the Covid-19 pandemic, with funding from the Presbytery of Newark. From time to time the church holds outdoor worship services and concerts on the Labyrinth. To mark the beginning of Advent, we offer an Illuminated Labyrinth Walk.
Etiquette
When you meet others while walking, simply step aside and then continue. If you wish to pass a slower walker you may do so. People generally walk a labyrinth in silence.
We have returned to the Chapel for worship! Thankfully the Covid transmission level in Essex County is now LOW. Therefore we have relaxed our mask recommendations.
The Session respectfully requests that, for the health of the community, those who attend worship in the Chapel be fully vaccinated. If you are eligible for a vaccine &/or booster, and have not yet taken advantage of that opportunity, we invite you to continue to worship virtually until you have done so.
For those who want or need to worship virtually, here’s the link: https://www.facebook.com/ChurchontheGreen/. The worship services are posted on the church Facebook page after the fact and can be viewed at a later time.
On Communion Sundays, (first Sunday of the month), we invite virtual worshipers to prepare an area near your viewing screen to represent the Lord’s Table and set the table ahead of time with bread, a beverage, and enough cups for your household.
After a long hiatus due to Covid, we have now resumed offering a Fellowship Hours after worship whenever possible.
For seven years we have been privileged and blessed to award a scholarship to a Bloomfield High School graduate who plans to further his or her education post high school. The scholarship recognizes a student’s exceptional academic and/or citizenship improvement during his or her high school years. “A Letter to Myself to be Opened in 25 Years” is part of the application process. Reading these letters each year is a reminder of the dreams and hopes in the hearts and minds of today’s young people in spite of the tension, uncertainty and negativity which seem to surround us. This scholarship is made possible by the financial support of our church family, and is our opportunity to support Bloomfield’s youth as they begin a new chapter in life. Scholarship amounts have varied from $100-$500 depending on the donations received each year. Please prayerfully consider making a donation for the Bloomfield High School Scholarship. No donation is too small and all donations are much appreciated.
To make a donation online, please click on the “Donate” link and select “Bloomfield High School Scholarship” from the dropdown menu.