We believe in one God…. 

Dear Friends, 

I am looking forward to Lent.

Last year, we had our Water in the Wilderness all parish small group study of the Baptismal Covenant during Lent and it was well received. So this year in Lent we will be doing an all parish small group study, We Believe, on the Nicene Creed. Working together with Mo and Patricia Gaukler, Bill Geiger, Lisa Hain, Bernadette Hartshorne, Denise Shaffer, and Tim Smith on this study has been a real blessing and we are excited to share it with the whole parish. 

You might think that a study on this ancient creed, which we recite almost every Sunday, would be kind of dry. But it is designed to have lively conversations and to connect the creed with our lives and faith, deepening our relationship with God and one another. Our worship on Sundays will incorporate our emphasis on the Nicene Creed.  We will invite people again to post their prayers on a prayer wall on a bulletin board, reminding us that “As we pray, so we believe.”  I hope that you will participate in We Believe. 

Another reason I am looking forward to Lent is that this year we have a catechumen, an adult preparing for baptism. Levi Lederer has been coming to our church for a few months and is seeking to be baptized at the Easter Vigil, on April 7. We will admit Levi as a catechumen on February 5^th, and then in Lent enroll him as a candidate for baptism. He will be going through the Inquirers’ Class with others as part of his preparation for baptism, and we will pray for him each Sunday. This is an opportunity for our congregation to lift him up and to reflect prayerfully on what our own baptism and faith mean to us. 

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, February 22. The night before, we fatten up for our Lenten fast, with our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper. We will also burn our palms from Palm Sunday to make the ashes for Ash Wednesday. 

Let’s look forward to Lent together. 

Faithfully,