Joining the rest of the Christian communion in celebrating GoodFriday, the choir of the Church of the Epiphany in downtown Washington performed a special arrangement to mark the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.
“I think that the Good Friday liturgy is one of the richest worship services because it contains the most ancient elements,” said Choirmaster Christian Clough. “Because it is done the least frequent, there is a tendency to preserve the old things.”
The 18 members of the choir, four of whom are hired professionals, serve to “provide musical leadership, and add beauty to the worship experience, and provide an offering on behalf of the congregation,” said Clough. Clough believes that the importance of the Good Friday liturgy, as reflected through the tone of the service at Epiphany, is not to focus solely on Jesus’ death and Christians’ atonement, but also the glory of Jesus’ resurrection and forgiveness celebrated on Easter Sunday.
Since its founding in 1842, the church of the Epiphany has provided a rich history of spiritual service not only to local Christians, but to the Washington community as a whole.
General of the Armies John “Black Jack” Pershing was a longtime parishioner at Epiphany and was married there.
Prior to the Civil War, Jefferson Davis was a parishioner, and during the war, President Lincoln attended a service shortly before the church was converted to a hospital for Union troops.
During World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt attended services.
