Are you desiring to observe a Holy Lent?  Are you looking to add in some new spiritual practices this Lent?

Below are some ancient practices that Christians over the years have participated in during Lent and suggestions of how you can participate more fully at St. Columba's during Lent this season.  

1. self-examination & repentance

This can happen on your own, during corporate worship or more formally you can reach out to a priest and receive The Rite of Reconciliation.  This is a sacramental rite of our church, designed for individuals who desire to experience in a ritual way both confession of sin and the pronouncement of God's forgiveness. You can read through the rite in both its forms in The Book of Common Prayer beginning on page 447, or click here to read it online.  

2. prayer & corporate worship 

This can happen during Sunday morning worship, Wednesday Healing Eucharist, facebook Morning Prayer, or prayer can happen anytime on your own.  During Lent all of the Wednesday evening services will be in-person at 6:30pm.  There will also be a simple soup offered before and after the service.  

3. fasting & self-denial

We live in a culture of busyness.  Think about ways during Lent that you set aside time to connect with God.  This could be by removing something in your life that is filled with distraction or giving something up that reminds you that you need God. 

4. reading and meditating on God's holy Word

We do this together every Sunday morning, during Wednesday Healing Eucharist, and Morning Prayer every week day through our facebook page. You can do this on your own as well, although in the Episcopal Church we encourage people to read scripture with others, this could include a biblical commentary or any resource/book. We will also be reading The Last Week by Marcus Borg and Dominic Crossan.  We will discuss the last week of Jesus' life before he was crucified on Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm.  Come join!

5. almsgiving (giving to the poor)

During Lent we are going to have a community discussion around the funding of our food bank ministry and starting to raise money for Jermaine (from One Parish/One Prisoner) who our church has partnered with to support as they get released from prison.