I wanted to share something that our church did for the first time, which other churches may want to consider. It really falls under worship but also crosses over to missions. We held a curbside imposition of ashes in front of the church on Main Street in Warrenton, which has a good amount of traffic. The town’s police department graciously worked with us by blocking off a drive-through lane with orange cones.
Things started off before the appointed time with our first motorist pulling in, then picked up as time went on (12:30-3 pm). We were unsure about what to expect, being the first time anyone in the county had done this and because so many people and churches don’t formally observe Ash Wednesday. In total, we had about 25 people come by, mostly in cars but some on foot. Several thanked us for doing it, and one lady said she really needed this today. It warmed our hearts to hear this, even though our feet were still frozen!
A local minister from a neighboring church was on hand the entire time, and we had more than enough church volunteers. We handed out a short description of Ash Wednesday and the Society of St. Andrew Lenten devotional booklets to everyone who came by. Everything was so well-received.
I’m particularly passionate about this outreach because when I saw pictures from another church that did it last year, it brought me to tears. When I pitched the idea in an Admin Council meeting last year, I said, “I want to go to a church like that.” And now I do.
All the best!
Jennifer Franks
PS: We got the idea from Rev. Lance Richards, a former (and much-loved) pastor of ours who was in divinity school at Duke. He is now the senior pastor of First UMC in Houston, TX.
