This year’s Ash Wednesday service is a shared service with our brothers and sisters in Bay Shore, Islip and Babylon.  The service will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26 at the Babylon UMC.  We encourage car pools!  All pastors will be participating, while Pastor Adrienne Brewington (our former Superintendent) will be presiding and Pastor Wendy Modeste of Bay Shore will be preaching.  (Later in the season, our Good Friday service will be held in Bay Shore with Pastor Rich preaching.)  Hope to see you there as we begin Lent!

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 26, and is one of the holiest seasons for Christians.  It’s a time to re-start New Year’s resolutions or to make a change in one’s life.  While the traditional practice is to give something up for Lent, many modern Christians have chosen Lent as a time to take something on, such as daily prayer, Bible study or community service.  The following chart shows what people have reported giving up over the past few years:

If you’re looking for something deeper, consider trying to give up up political arguments, judging others, or buying what you don’t need.  If you’re taking something on, consider volunteering at a local thrift shop or soup kitchen; or visiting the sick or elderly.  Whatever you decide, may the upcoming season bring you closer to God and to grace!

The United Methodist Church (formerly the Methodist Church) has been serving our Lord Jesus Christ since 1784.  If you’d like to learn more about United Methodism, we invite you to visit the United Methodist website at http://www.umc.org

To find out what’s going on in our local District of United Methodist Churches here on Long Island, visit http://www.liedistrict.com