Mark
The Start of Lent
Ash Wednesday, the official start of Lent,
falls on Wednesday, February 17, and we are going to mark the
occasion with a special service at the church starting at 7:00
pm. Traditionally a time of repentance and preparation for Good
Friday and Easter, we will use Lent as a time for deepening our
walk with Christ and for practicing disciplines that will strengthen
our faith. If you are able, we encourage you to set aside Ash
Wednesday for times of prayer and fasting (abstaining from food
for all or part of the day).
Throughout the six weeks
of Lent, our Sunday worship services will incorporate elements
of traditional liturgy to help us enter into the historical context
of the season. In addition, we will celebrate the Eucharist each
Sunday.
Open
A Book; Open A New Chapter
Once again this year,
we will enjoy the Lenten Book Club, reading a book together during
the season of Lent to deepen our walks with Christ and one another.
This year's book selection is The Teaching of the 12,
a translation of one of the earliest writings in the Christian
church known as the Didache (DID-a-kay). This short book (with
commentary) will help us to understand our Christian roots and
challenge us to consider how we practice our faith personally
and corporately. We will distribute books by Sunday, February
14, and will enjoy weekly discussions on Thursday evenings in
Lent starting on Thursday, February 18, at 7:00 pm. Discussions
will be held at the church.
'Address
the Stress'
In past Lenten seasons,
you've fasted from plastic; you've refused to buy anything new;
you've welcomed the stranger. This year, our Lenten Compact will
focus on actions we can take to improve our health and wellbeing
personally and corporately by fasting from stress. Our Compact
has always resulted in new understanding of God's purposes and
work and we hope you'll participate. To find out more about why
we want to "Address The Stress", download a copy of
the 2010 Lenten Compact.
Healthy
Giving
Our 5% giving for the
month of February will be sent to the Howard Brown Health Clinic
in the Lakeview neighborhood. The clinic primarily provides services
to people who are infected with HIV and the AIDS virus. As a
healing community, we believe we need to support those who suffering
from this terrible disease.