Churches from around the Traverse City area will come together on Good Friday, April 3rd, 2026 to remember the seven last words of Christ in preaching and song.

The service is from 12:15pm-3:00pm in the Sanctuary at Central United Methodist Church at 222 Cass Street in Downtown Traverse City, Michigan.

Worshippers are welcome to come for all or part of the service.

Offerings gathered at the worship service will support BDAI– Before, During & After Incarceration. An advocacy group for the incarcerated, previously incarcerated and their families.

BDAI seeks to promote alternatives to incarceration, including restorative programming, and support for those incarcerated and their families.

BDAI advocates for the incarcerated by providing restorative programming, family support, and community education about alternatives to incarceration while engaging local and statewide stakeholders to improve the criminal justice system

Dovetailing with this longstanding community tradition this year will be a community-wide Stations of the Cross for migrants sponsored by Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel. It begins at 6pm in Rotary Square.

This year’s community service has a wide array of denominations and ministries represented:

Rev. Haley Vay Beaman, Feast of Victory Lutheran Church

Deacon Tom Bousamra, BDAI: Before, During and After Incarceration

Rev. Matt Herron, Sojourn Church

Rev. Jim Perra, Grace Episcopal Church

Rev. Alex Jensen, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Grand Traverse

Rev. Jordan Starkenburg, associate pastor, The Presbyterian Church of Traverse City

Rev. Joan VanDessel, Central United Methodist Church