February 2012
Every year Lent rolls around and I wonder whether or not we should continue the tradition of mid-week meals and worship and/or programs. Are these gatherings serving the intended purpose? Traditionally that has been to encourage spiritual growth and reflection as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter, the most important events in the Christian church. In most congregations an element of fellowship has been added in the form of a meal, which encourages participation and connecting with others.
In our culture, holding mid-week gatherings in Lent (or any time) is more and more of a challenge since it is no longer true that Wednesday is viewed as “church night” in schools and in the community. For that reason, many other activities create conflicts. Also, people often work long hours, and commute some distance, making week night participation difficult.
Although…I do know of congregations that have developed extensive mid-week programming – meal, children’s education, youth activities, choirs – and put less emphasis on holding such events on Sundays. In any case, holding mid-week activities in Lent is one of those “we’ve always done it” items that we will need to carefully consider whether or not to continue.
All of that said…this year we are holding mid-week activities in Lent, and are doing something DIFFERENT the first two weeks!
The first two gatherings will focus on strengthening the relationship between Faith Lutheran Church and our neighbor St. Hilary Catholic Church. We will eat together, worship together and learn together as we participate in a speakers’ series that is a ministry of St. Hilary. The theme is: “Journey Together for Justice: Seeking the Common Good”
The first week, February 29, St. Hilary will be host and we will go there for a soup supper, Evening Prayer and to hear a speaker on the topic. The next week, March 7, we will be the host and our neighbors from St. Hilary will be our guests for a soup supper, Evening Prayer (led by Bob Mollard and the choir) and continued reflection on the theme. We will welcome the speaker who is a part of their speakers’ series. (See page 3 in this newsletter for more details. Please note that if you cannot stay for the entire evening, feel free to come when you can.)
I want to encourage everyone to be bold enough to visit St. Hilary on February 29 and to be present as welcoming hosts on March 7. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with our neighbors and to experience something “different but familiar” as well as to share ourselves with others.
The remaining three Wednesdays will be here at FLC, and while the evenings will be a bit shorter than the first two, we will continue focusing reaching out for the common good.
