S. Elgin church welcomes all to visit its Garden of Gethsemane

Enter the Garden of Gethsemane as the South Elgin Community United Methodist Church, 400 W. Spring St., recreates the garden where Jesus prayed while the disciples waited before he was taken before Pontius Pilate.

Drop-in visits are welcome between 7 and 8:30 p.m. Maundy Thursday, April 17. An entire room will be filled with plants and hangings to resemble the garden, a place for a quiet time of reflection and meditation.

In another room, Communion will be celebrated in a re-imagined Last Supper dining room. Communion at the Methodist church is open to anyone who would like to receive it.

Meanwhile, the sanctuary will also be available Maundy Thursday, and every night from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Monday-Friday, April 13 to 19, for quiet prayer.

A free guidebook with daily devotions, "The Sanctuary for Lent" by Sue Mink, can be used at this time to guide prayer and then taken home.

For Good Friday, April 18, a Tenebrae drama play, "The Last Words," begins at 7 p.m. Tenebrae means darkness or shadows, and this kind of drama begins in the light and ends in candlelit darkness. It is a beautiful and memorable experience.

Easter services include this church's traditional sunrise service at 6 a.m. at the South Elgin Cemetery, 925 Middle Street, South Elgin. Bring your own lawn.

Back at the church, coffee will be brewing by 6:30 and breakfast will be served from 7 to 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m., the church's regular Easter worship service will begin.

Visitors are welcome. More information is available at (847) 931-0563, cumcsouthelgin@sbcglobal.net, cumcsouthelgin.com, and on Facebook at Southelginunitedmethodistchurch.