February 16, 2021
Good day siblings in Christ,
I hope you are enjoying some pancakes, waffles, or donuts today in honor of Shrove Tuesday. Some have asked why the church has that tradition and the answer is very simple. Lent was a time for a 40 day fast to follow along with Jesus’ time in the wilderness. Since people were fasting for the next 40 days, one would need to use up all the lard and flour. An easy way of doing that would be to make treats such as Fastnachts if you were German, or Paczkis if you were Polish, or Pancakes if you were Greek/Roman/English. This is where the tradition comes from.
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday and we have a service at 7:00 p.m. Members should have received ashes by now to take part in the service, or feel free to apply them yourself during the day. If you are not using them at all, simply dispose of them or feel free to bring them back to church as I can always use them next year.
The service will be streamed on Facebook and Zoom. If the camera is not on early as usual, do not worry. Phill and I are recording the Sunday service just prior to the Ash Wednesday service and may be wrapping up right at the start of the evening service.
Be love,
Pastor Johnson