Bereavements, Ash Wednesday, Fasting for Lent (Pastoral Emphasis for 2/27)

Please be in prayer for the following people who are experiencing bereavements:

• Deaconess Shirley Smith (the passing of her sister)
• Pam Mosley (the passing of her mother)
• Minister Gerald Vinson (the passing of his grandmother)

In March, we'll be having separate Men and Women sessions for Foundation Fellowship. The ladies will be meeting in the MPR and the men will meet in the large classroom 1. For those attending virtually, we'll still be using WebEx (more details will be sent out this week). 

My Hope Sunday is 3/13. My Hope Sunday is our outreach Sunday where we ask every member to invite an unbeliever or unchurched person to attend church either in-person or virtually on that Sunday. Praying about who you will commit to invite and have those names ready for next Sunday, 3/6. We'll be praying over those names. 

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent. For Ash Wednesday, we'll be anointing with ashes as a sign of mourning over sin and repentance to God. You can drive-thru from 11am to 2pm and be anointed. And we'll be anointing after Bible Study at 8pm. 

Lent is a time of fasting and prayer from Ash Wednesday to Easter. There are 40 days in Lent (not counting the Sundays). Fasting is the voluntary act of abstaining from something for the purpose of growing in self-discipline. As Christians, we find our security and satisfaction in Christ. Therefore, we can give up something because Christ means more to us than whatever we are giving up. We ask everyone to join us for a church-wide partial fast for Lent. A partial fast is where you choose to abstain from certain foods and drinks instead of complete abstinence. Others may choose to fast from television, computer, newspaper, hobbies, etc. This will help you free up some time to spend in prayer, study, and reflection. Lent can be a great time to move to the right. 

Yesterday's Growing thru Grief seminar was excellent. We have some extra copies of the Scriptures for grief at the Welcome Center. If you're interested in purchasing Dr. Mitchell's Putting Your House In Order notebook for $20, send me an email, pay the cost to the church (make a note saying Grief Binder), and the church will make a bulk order.

Today, I had the privilege to baptize a 10-year-old boy after professing his faith in Jesus! What a joy it is to see young people coming to Christ.