Wednesday Evening Lenten Soup Suppers in the parish hall are back and will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. on the five
Wednesdays in Lent, March 1 through March 29.
The first half hour will be devoted to enjoying soup and fellowship, and the remaining 90 minutes to a discussion, led by Melissa Shaner, of Amy-Jill Levine’s 2021 book Witness at the Cross: A Beginner’s Guide to Holy Friday. Volunteers to prepare and serve the soups are needed.

Having read a brief chapter beforehand each week, participants will watch a short video
in which she expands on that chapter before discussing their own responses and ideas.
Dr. Levine encourages us to explore the contexts, perspectives, and theological
implications of the various people identified as being present at the crucifixion, from
the scoffing bystanders to the beloved disciple. As she writes in her introduction, “Each Gospel has its own
story to tell, all the witnesses have their own memories, and every reader comes away with a new insight.
The witnesses at the Crucifixion watch Jesus die, and we watch with them, and we watch them. And we
come away transformed.”

Amy-Jill Levine is the Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish
Studies at Hartford International University for Religion and Peace and an emerita professor at Vanderbilt;
early in her career, she was Melissa’s favorite college professor. Her book is available from Abingdon
Press, Cokesbury Press, and Amazon, and we encourage you to order your copy early. If logistics or cost
might affect your ability to participate, please contact Melissa Shaner.