At North Main Street Church of God, special basins and towels remain stored all year, emerging just briefly three days before Easter.

During that time, the church observes Maundy Thursday with the symbolic ritual of foot washing.

“We consider it an ordinance of the church,” said the Rev. David Brown, senior pastor, describing how church members replicate Jesus washing the feet of his disciples during the Last Supper.

To participate in the ritual, men and women segregate into designated areas, each with their own basin and towel. Individuals then wet and dry the feet of someone seated, then seat themselves so a fellow parishioner can offer the same.

“It serves the purpose of teaching humility, service, love for one another,” Brown explained.

“It's a very personal (time). Sometimes there's a little bit of music, maybe some singing, prayers — a lot of fellowship. People will hug one another,” Brown said.

Brown estimates 40 of the church's 300 members attend the Maundy Thursday ritual, which includes Communion and a brief devotional.

As part of the Church of God based in Anderson, Ind., Brown said the church on North Main Street has always observed the foot-washing tradition, but not all groups approach Maundy Thursday the same way.

In many liturgical churches including St. Peter's Anglican on East Jefferson Street, services on Maundy Thursday conclude with a stripping of the altar, where sacred linens are removed until Easter to signify mourning the Crucifixion.

“We go into this very simple, somber tone for Good Friday and Holy Saturday,” said the Rev. Andrew DeFusco, vicar at St. Peter's.

“We take down the pretty vestments in the worship space. ... All ornaments are taken out of the church,” he said.

“Sometimes there has been singing. ... It's very calm, very peaceful. Usually the congregation kneels and prays during that time. Usually the lights are turned off.”

Darkness also factors into services at Covenant United Presbyterian Church, nearby on East Jefferson.

There, the Maundy Thursday service is based on the Ancient Order of Tenebrae in which 14 candles are extinguished in pairs at intervals throughout the service. As the last pair is extinguished, the room grows silent except for the sound of nails being hammered into wood. One candle left burning is covered with a black veil.

“That's the Christ candle, burning in the center of the church,” Swanson said. “Even though it's dark, there is still a flicker of light — and that is the light of hope: the light of the world.”

According to Swanson, Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness or shadows. The style of the ancient service can vary among churches, but for six years Covenant has used an adaptation by composer Dale Woods that includes readings, choral responses and time for meditation.

An even longer tradition can be found at First United Methodist Church on North Street, where the Maundy Thursday observance has reached its 26th year.

After music and prayer, the service transitions to a live, candlelit re-enactment of the Last Supper in which Jesus and his disciples are portrayed around a table at the altar.

A narrator tells the story while the actors quietly demonstrate the biblical scene.

“It's front and center: It's almost like the disciples are set up at a big table in the front of the sanctuary,” said Pat Nelson, pastor of congregational care.

In her second year at the church of 3,000-plus members, Nelson said she had never experienced a Last Supper re-enactment before coming to Butler. Although many churches do special services on Ash Wednesday or Maundy Thursday, she speculates many have too few members to successfully stage a re-enactment.

Although the simulation seems real from the pews, Nelson said it gains power as church members approach the rail for Communion.

“I felt like I was right there,” she said. “It came out of the print and into reality. I was very much moved by it.”

The service is set for 7:30 p.m. today. St. Peter's Anglican and North Main Street Church of God are hosting services at 7 p.m., with Covenant Presbyterian's service at 8 p.m.