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in Lent

Our Lenten Journey

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Ash Wednesday: Feb. 26, 2020

The season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday. It is a late start
this year, but we are planning ahead.

We will have two different worship gatherings on Ash Wednesday. First, at 12 Noon we will gather in the Sanctuary for a spoken liturgy and hymns with the imposition of ashes and Holy Communion. This English only gathering will quietly and reflectively begin our season of devotion.

At 7 o’clock in the evening we will gather as one congregation in two languages (English & Spanish) for worship with confession and repentance. During this bilingual gathering we will include the imposition of ashes and Holy Communion as well. For those who cannot make it to either of our Ash Wednesday worship gatherings, we will once again be offering Ashes and Prayer to Go. This will take place from 6:00 to 11:00 a.m. on the street corner in front of the Sanctuary building. You can stop by any time and begin your Lenten journey with the imposition of Ashes and intercessory prayer. We are still looking for a few more people to volunteer a half hour or full hour any time that morning to help with the imposition of ashes and pray with those who come to participate.

Lenten Theme
This year we will be using “Book of Faith Lenten Journey: Seven Wonders of the Word” by Kathryn A. Kleinhans. Copies of book have already been ordered. This devotional style book will keep our Lenten journey grounded in God’s word.

We will come together for worship on Wednesdays at Noon and 6:00 p.m. and use our study as a focus for our gathering. The Evening Worship will use the Holden Evening Prayer liturgy.

The Wednesday worship and study series will run from March 4th through April 1st.

in Faith, Lent

Bringing faith to the streets

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From Eddie McCoven, church staff member:

Christians are often known in society as Sunday morning people. It's true, we are. We meet every Sunday morning to praise God, share the gospel of Jesus Christ, pray, share the Lord's Supper, and depart in service to God and neighbor. And then... the church doors are locked.

For some congregations, this is a reality. Sunday morning is it. But for other congregations, like ours, Sunday is just the beginning. We have other happenings around our church campus, and for us the next biggest day is Thursday, where our Thursday Nights Together program brings people from different background together for a meal, followed by bible study for the adults and choir and drama programs for children and youth.

Yet... the church doors may not be open when a lot of people find themselves having a free hour. Different jobs, different schedules and responsibilities sometimes prevent people form making a Sunday morning worship gathering, or an evening bible study. It's a challenge for congregations. We have limited staff, volunteers and resources. But how do we reach those who can't make it Sunday mornings or Thursday nights, or to special worship gatherings?

I heard in a sermon once "the church doesn't exist for those within the four walls, it exists for those outside of the four walls." Taking the message of the love of God and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ to those in the community... where they are... is our next step.

Last year we began Ashes to Go. Pastor Nate and I went to the Clairemont Town Square, then to Vons on Balboa. We encountered seven people who wished to have ashes imposed upon them. This year, we tried some different locations and encountered 31 persons who wished to receive ashes, one person who just wanted prayer, and one person who just wanted to have a conversation. 

This is how we reach those who are not otherwise connected to a community of faith.  This is how we bring our message of grace, mercy and love to the community... by showing up on a street corner, with a sign: "Ashes and Prayer to Go".