Historic Officiation of Good Friday Service in Hanover
The following is an excerpt from Baltimore-Washington Conference of the UMC article “Seven United Methodist Bishops Led Historic Good Friday Service in Hanover” by By Alison Burdett, published April 06, 2026.
In a historic and sacred Good Friday service, all seven active African American female bishops of The United Methodist Church gathered at St. Mark United Methodist Church in Hanover, Maryland, to proclaim the Seven Last Words of Christ, marking a radical moment in the life of the denomination and the fulfillment of a vision years in the making.
The 15th anniversary of The Seven Last Words Featuring Seven Sisters of the Spirit, founded by the Rev. Jason Jordan-Griffin, took place April 3 and brought together these episcopal leaders in a service centered on Christ’s final words from the cross, with each bishop connecting the suffering on Calvary to the realities of today’s world. Jordan-Griffin described the moment as a “divine crescendo,” rooted in a promise he made as an undergraduate at Boston University after witnessing an all-women Good Friday service. “I vowed that if God ever entrusted me with pastoral leadership, I would create intentional space for the prophetic voices of women to be heard with power during Holy Week,” he said.
In her closing, Bishop Easterling turned toward the future of The United Methodist Church, connecting Christ’s surrender to the work ahead. “If we really want to have a future… if we really want to transform,” she said, “then what we better do is say, God, into your hands we put our pews… our pulpits… our preachers… our bishops… into your hands, God, we put everything.” Emphasizing the upcoming Council of Bishops Leadership Gathering in October, she acknowledged the importance of planning and discernment, but insisted that true transformation requires complete trust. “That which is entrusted to God can never ever fail,” she said. “God, into your hands, we place our all.” Her words served as both a benediction and a call to action, urging the church to move forward not in fear, but in faithful surrender.
As the service concluded, the bishops were each gifted a Seven Sisters of the Spirit episcopal stole. The service also featured a range of artistic and communal expressions, including an original spoken word piece by the Rev. Keisha Dukes, liturgical dance by Josie Hoover and a mass choir of more than 30 singers from across the episcopal area. The offering during the Good Friday service benefited St. Mark UMC’s new “HER Future” initiative, and a pre-service “girl talk” panel brought together four past Seven Sisterspreachers to reflect on the tradition’s legacy.