The Bigfork Community Good Friday service hasn’t changed much since 1965, according to Ron Pierce.  

Pierce, 88, was there that first year when a group of Bigfork churches decided to look past their differences and come together for a unified Good Friday service.  

“It’s always been that way,” Pierce said. “It was, ‘We need to do this together. We as a group of churches need to get together to tell the community that we’re one.’” 

Decades later, unity is still the driving force behind this collaborative effort, which sees seven churches host a time of reflection and music. They include Bethany Lutheran Church, Bigfork Chapel, Community United Methodist Church, Crossroads Christian Fellowship, Grace Fellowship, Real Life Church and Swan Chapel. 

Wendy Ochs pastors the Community United Methodist Church and has participated in the Good Friday service for the last five years. She said the spirit of the annual gathering cuts against trends found elsewhere in the country. 

“I think specifically in the time that we're living in, there is just so much division and polarization, especially among Christians. You know, we're not always very nice to each other,” said Ochs. “I love that our community still says, ‘We're going to come together, worship together.’” 

Other pastors agreed they haven’t seen a service quite like this one anywhere else. Bethany Lutheran Church’s Pastor Shawn Osborne said he’s often met with disbelief when he explains the cooperative effort to others. 

“I couldn't believe it when I came here, what I stepped in to. You guys do a Good Friday service together? I was all in, right away,” Osborne said. “I mean, who does this? This is such a unique community.” 

In the Christian faith, Good Friday is part of Holy Week, which culminates in the celebration of Easter. Good Friday marks the day Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Roman government, and churches often hold a special service to meditate on what they consider the darkest day in human history. 

“We're focusing on the crucifixion and putting him in the tomb. He's not risen yet. That's what Easter is for,” Osborne explained. “So even though it's a group service, it's still somber.” 

The service has followed the same format since 1965. No one pastor preaches a sermon. Instead, the service centers on the seven final sayings of Christ, which are the seven phrases attributed to Jesus as he hung on the cross. Each pastor is assigned one of the sayings, and they rotate from year to year.  

While the format has remained constant over the years, each service feels new as different voices contribute, according to Swan Chapel’s Pastor Chuck Cushman. He’s been involved for over 25 years. 

“What's beautiful every year is just how different things are emphasized,” Cushman said. "All of those special messages flow together and so together, all seven of them actually become a single message. And, you know, the pastors don't talk about what they're going to say with each other.” 

Each church also contributes a special musical piece to accompany their reflection. According to Osborne, the music is the foundation for the holy and somber ambience of the service, and everyone prepares something unique that reflects their own style of worship.  

This year’s music includes everything from a one-man guitar performance to a 23-voice choir. Swan Chapel is bringing a three-piece band with a guitar, mandolin and cello, and Robin Cashin from Bigfork Chapel, a classically trained operatic singer, will perform “Via Dolorosa.” 

From the reflections to the music, Ochs said she is grateful for the opportunity to see the diversity of the community gathered together in one room. 

“You also get to hear the different voices, to hear from each of the different churches,” she said. “It's just a beautiful way to come together and remember what we have in common and worship together, especially in a you know, in this season that is particularly holy and meaningful for us.” 

The service is taking place at Bethany Lutheran Church this year, but hosting duties rotate between Bethany Lutheran, Bigfork Chapel and Crossroads Christian Fellowship, which are the only three churches in the area large enough to accommodate the packed-to-the-rafters crowd.  

Cushman said the decades-long success is a direct reflection of the strong relationships between the pastors, who don’t just come together once a year. Rather, they meet monthly as part of the Bigfork Pastors Fellowship, which Cushman has led since 2012.  

Osborne said this year-round collaboration strengthens each of the individual churches, and the Good Friday service reflects the strong unity among churches, even if they don’t always agree on everything.  

“I, for one, am not going to take it for granted to be able to get together every month, to get those pastors together and share stories and pray for each other,” Osborne said. “We know what’s going on over in your neck of the woods, and we’re able to share best practices. It’s always us together, and that takes a lot of humility.” 

The churches collectively take up an offering with all of the proceeds benefiting two Bigfork community organizations: the Bigfork Food Bank and the Grounded Teen Center. In past years, half of the offering went toward maintaining the giant white cross on Montana 82, but after the cross toppled in a windstorm last December, the churches made the decision to support Grounded instead. 

Looking back on that first service in 1965, Pierce couldn’t have predicted the community would still be gathering 61 years later. The goal then was simply to unite Bigfork churches around their common story.  

“Yes, pastors share [the messages],” he said. “But the focus, hopefully in each one of our hearts, is focus on Jesus, focus on what he was willing to do so that we can have hope for eternity.” 

The Bigfork Community Good Friday service will take place on April 3 at 4 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church. 

Reporter Elsa Ericksen can be reached at 406-758-4459 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support. 

    Ron Pierce attended the first Community Good Friday service in 1965. Pastor Shawn Osborne leads Bethany Lutheran Church, where this year's service will be held (Elsa Ericksen/Bigfork Eagle)