Month: February 2021

“He took our infirmities and carried our illnesses. “ Matthew 8: 17b

Please join Boothbay Harbor Congregational Church for live worship on Sunday at 10 a.m. You can reach us at www.congochurchbbh.org, Facebook, or log in BRTV, channel 7 or 1301 for Spectrum subscribers.

Each of us is created a precious and holy vessel of embodied love. We have been through a painful time since the last Lent that shattered our sense of wholeness – body, mind and spirit – like a glass vessel shattered into pieces. In this Lent ‘season of recovery’ for our physical, community, mental, intellectual and environmental health, we will explore Jesus’ healing stories that speak of divine solidarity with human suffering and remind us that we can begin a journey to achieving something. beautiful of what is apparently broken. Beach glass offers us a multifaceted symbol of this transformation process.

This second Sunday of Lent, Pastor Peter Ilgenfritz will preach his “Safe Keeping” sermon and explore Matthew 8: 5-13. God brings us together as a Beachcomber gathers and marvels at every precious piece of surviving beach glass she finds. We are never alone; we are never lost to the One who seeks the fullness of mankind. We affirm our commitment to be the Body of Christ who knows that we cannot be personally healed until we see the interconnected community as part of the healing process. Jesus has the power to review the family of God in which false boundaries are overcome. In a year of devastating loss of livelihoods, we consider economic health reinventing the status quo.

Send the joys and concerns of prayer to Prayer Chain Coordinator Barbara Fritz at [email protected]; Note if you want your prayer to be shared on Sunday during worship.

You can submit your offers online at www.congochurchbbh.org, or by mail to Congo Church BBH, PO Box 468, Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538.

Southern California congregations have found creative ways by observing Ash Wednesday on February 17, which marks the start of the Lent season, when Christians imitate Jesus Christ’s 40-day fast in the wilderness before to embark on his public ministry.

Every large religious community has felt the impact of the pandemic over the past 11 months – the coronavirus has disrupted rituals, religious observances, festive gatherings and group prayer. Ash Wednesday this year was no exception.

The highlight of Ash Wednesday is when the clergy apply sacred ashes, usually the remains of palm leaves burnt during the Palm Sunday celebrations of the previous year, to the foreheads of worshipers in the shape of a cross. Lent is a time of fasting, repentance, prayer and charity.

But COVID-19 health protocols and fears of the virus spreading have prompted churches to resort to other means to observe the day.

Many congregations have organized ash-drive-thru distributions and services. Others sent ashes to their members and then organized virtual services. Some churches have organized in-person social distance services. In Catholic churches, for example, priests sprinkled ashes on people’s heads or placed them in the palms of their hands so that they could apply them themselves.

The time of Lent is upon us again, the time when Christians take the time to reflect and prepare for Holy Week and Easter. It was during Lent in 2020 that the country entered lockdown in an attempt to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Although the situation is slightly better than it was 12 months ago and the increase in the number of people vaccinated is promising, the services and activities of the church are far from “normal”. While we may not be able to mark Lent in the ‘usual’ way, Holy Spirit Verona always offers opportunities for the community to come together for spiritual enrichment (and even a little fun!).

The eve of Ash Wednesday, which marks the start of Lent, is called Mardi Gras (or “Mardi Gras”) and is often celebrated with a Pancake Supper. Although the Holy Spirit of Verona will not be able to host this community event this year, we still offer the possibility to come together – online of course – for one or two rounds of “episcopal peril”, With your host, Father Jerry Racioppi (somewhat the opposite of Alex Trebek). So, prepare a plate of pancakes and join us for some fun facts and laughs!

For the safety of our community, we will also not be offering “Ashes to Go” in our church parking lot on Ash Wednesday (February 17th) this year. But we will be running online services through Zoom, at noon and 7 p.m., to mark the start of Lent, and we will keep you and the greater community in prayer on this most holy day. Seminarian Katherine Rollo said, “Although we do not impose ashes this year, we will continue to gather and pray in the spirit of the day, remembering that we are dust and we will return to dust. “

We will also be offering a calming and reflective 30-minute prayer service called Compline at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, starting February 23. The spiritual practice of our Lenten congregation will be a deep dive into some of the Psalms, with time to read and reflect on these verses which were written in the form of songs. Sunday school and confirmation classes, as well as a Sunday afternoon spiritual enrichment group, will all focus on learning the Psalms by reviewing 11 of them in the weeks leading up to Easter. As Father Jerry says: “This Lent promises to be a ‘psalm of fear’ to the Holy Spirit! And if you are looking for something lighter, “The madness of Lent 2021”- a virtual tournament in which you can vote for your favorite saints – starts on Ash Wednesday.

We are happy to be able to continue what has become a tradition at Holy Spirit – collecting non-perishable items for our pantry as part of a “40 items for 40 days” food drive. If you want to take a box to fill in, or if you want to create your own, you can find more details here. Please return your box to church before Sunday March 28 (Palm Sunday).

For more information on any of the programs or services listed above, please visit our website. For connection details to Zoom events, please contact our Parish Office Administrator at [email protected]

The Holy Spirit Verona joyfully explores and shares the faith, serves others and welcomes everyone, and has a vision to be a vibrant congregation known for its commitment to supporting one another, deepening the faith and to do the work of God in the world. Sunday service is at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. currently via Zoom. We hope you will consider visiting or joining this joyful community.

Ash Wednesday will be marked differently this year.

Usually Christians attend services that include having a priest or pastor mark a sign of the cross on a person’s forehead or back, but with COVID restrictions in place, that won’t happen this year. .

“I would say that, by and large, people are fed up with the COVID situation. They are dying to go back to church. They miss their friends, they miss the church service,” Reverend Frank said. Staples of Riverside United Church.

The church is not holding its regular Ash Wednesday service this year due to the pandemic. Instead, there will be a pre-recorded service that will be posted on the church’s website the day before.

“But what we’ll do our best with the worship team, the little, little worship team that I’ve assembled to record the service – we’ll maintain social distancing. What I’ll do is probably mark the my wife’s forehead and she in turn will mark mine. So just to give an example, a physical example of what’s being done, and that will have to be enough, I guess, “Staples said.

Windsor-Essex has been on lockdown since mid-December, and the province has since put in place new restrictions, including a stay-at-home order.

Under the rules, the capacity limit for in-person church services is set at 10 as long as masking and physical distancing can be maintained, but many congregations have switched to virtual services.

The Catholic Diocese of London is canceling all Ash Wednesday services. The Windsor-Essex Catholic District School will be hosting a virtual online service that students can connect to at home and in the classroom.

The superintendent responsible for faith issues, Joseph Ibrahim, said that in no way diminishes the importance of the day.

“Prayer and fasting in the Catholic tradition is an important part of our faith and we do it with the hope of greater things to come,” Ibrahim said.

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40-day period leading up to Easter. This year, Ash Wednesday falls on February 17th.

Hope, Ibrahim said, is for a more normal Easter.

“I think when we are finally out of the pandemic, I think it will help people appreciate what we have,” Ibrahim said.