As Bee Creek United Methodist Church, Spicewood prepares for Holy Week and Easter, they are getting ready to spend more time outside than inside. For the first time, the church is offering more outdoor and community Holy Week services.

Bee Creek Lead Pastor Rev. Laura Heikes emphasizes the need to reach out to the local community.

"More and more I’m convicted that we need to get outside our walls and go where the people are."

Palm Sunday

The church will begin Holy Week this week with Palm Sunday in the “Pole Barn” at a local vineyard across from the church. They will host an Easter Egg hunt open to the community.

"I love a big community worship service on Palm Sunday," said Heikes, "because you can invite people back for Easter!"

Maundy Thursday by the Lake

Holy Week services continue on Thursday with Communion by the Lake.

"Ashes to Go was so successful that we are offering our first ever Holy Thursday service out of doors," said Heikes.

The service will be held at Pace Bend Park, and the church will pay the entrance fee for anyone who wants to attend. The service will feature communion, prayer stations, and a come-and-go atmosphere for folks to stop by after work for quiet reflection.

Easter Eve Crawfish Boil

On Easter Eve, Bee Creek UMC’s "No Walls" worship service will be held at the Crystal Creek Distillery. It will begin with a Crawfish Boil followed by worship. The evening will end with music from local band, "The Marfa Lights."

Easter Sunday and Beyond

Easter Sunday services will be held on the Bee Creek Campus while the 8:00 am service will be held outside. The Sunday after Easter the church will head outside the walls again to celebrate We Love Our Community Sunday. They will meet at Spicewood Elementary to help with projects the school needs but cannot currently afford.

The church will begin with prayer and a devotional, and then members and guests will get to work.

"I’m excited to invite visitors and the community back to serve with us," said Heikes. "After the school shootings, it seems like a good way to show the love of Christ in the world."

According to the Rev. Karen Horan, Executive Director of Mission Vitality for the Rio Texas Conference, this type of outside the walls thinking is exactly what the church needs right now.

"There are people who just don't see themselves walking through the doors of a traditional church," said Horan. "When we take worship outside the walls of the church, we have the opportunity to connect with people we might not otherwise ever see."