In this E-pistle
5 DAYS ‘TIL ASH WEDNESDAY
30 HOURS WITHOUT FOOD
ENCAMPAMENTO

5 Days ‘til Ash Wednesday: The Lenten season begins Wednesday, March 1, and we will begin our journey to the cross with an Ash Wednesday communion service at 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. This service of music, Word and Sacrament will provide an important beginning to the 40 days of discipline that lead us to the Day of Resurrection. I encourage all who are able to join us on Wednesday.

Once again this year, Lent will provide an opportunity for all Park people (and their friends!) to gather together around God’s Word and enjoy the kind of fellowship that only small groups can provide. Our Small Group Study, 10 Days ‘til Easter, begins the week of March 5. Groups will meet Monday evening, Tuesday morning, Thursday evening and Friday evening in the homes of Park members or at the church. Sign-ups begin Sunday, or call the church office any time after Sunday to register for the group that’s most convenient for you. ABC classes and the men’s group at Café Kolache will continue to meet through Lent. Plan on making a small group study part of your Lenten experience this year!

Beginning at midnight tonight, 30 or so of our junior high and high school youth are going to quit eating. They won’t eat again until they share communion in Youth Hall on Sunday morning and then enjoy a break-fast together in Guild Hall. World Vision’s 30-Hour Famine provides an opportunity for affluent American kids to be reminded that most of their peers in the world have so much less than they have. During the 30 hours that our kids go without food, another 36,000 children in the world will die of hunger. The funds raised by millions of 30-Hour Famine youth across the U.S. really do make a difference. Pray for our kids as they travel to First Food and Friends tomorrow morning and then ‘fast for food’ until Sunday morning.

While our youth are going without food, 80 youth and leaders from our sister church in Brazil will leave town for their annual Encampamento. This is Carnival or Mardi Gras weekend in Brazil and not a good time for young people to be in a Brazilian city. Carnival is a time for excess that leads to trouble and sometime violence. For several years now, IPJA has taken the youth of the church and friends from the favela away from the city for a time of fresh air, wholesome activities, Bible study and Christian fellowship. Some young people have come to faith and many others have grown in their faith through Encampamento. Pray for pastor Ronilton, elder Ivan, and missionary Cristine who will be sharing leadership at this year’s event. And pray for those young people who need to hear a Word of faith and hope.

Sunday we celebrate a God who calls and will commission one of our own members as he sets out to answer God’s call to serve in Katrina clean-up in Gulfport, Mississippi.
See you Sunday!