Midweek Lenten services
to focus on the church
Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on February 18. Ash Wednesday services will be held at 6:30 pm at First in Chariton and at 8:30 pm at Christ the Servant in Corydon. Imposition of ashes and communion will be offered.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of burning palm branches from the previous year’s Palm Sunday and placing the ashes on the heads of participants to “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” In a centuries-old tradition, Christians use ashes as an external sign of repentance.
Midweek Lenten services will be offered at First in Chariton each Wednesday, February 25 through March 25. Supper will be served from 6:00 to 6:45 pm. Following supper, and wrapped in hymnody and prayer, Pastor DuBois will lead focused conversations around the question: What do pastors do? While we will deal with practical questions (like the stereotypical question: Do pastors only work one day a week?) we will also deal with theological and biblical questions. (Did you know that the New Testament only uses the word “pastor” one time? What’s up with that?) In order to fully discuss the role of pastors, we will also spend time talking about the purpose of the church. If we are not clear about what churches are supposed to do, how are we supposed to know what pastors do?
These conversations are meant to be helpful in preparation for the call of a new pastor. If we can clearly answer the deeper theological questions, then we will be better able to answer the practical questions. In the long run, we hope the conversations will enable the new pastor and the people of First and Christ the Servant to work together better—for the sake of God’s mission in the world.