Ash Wednesday 22nd February

10.30am Holy Communion with Imposition of Ashes
7.30pm Holy Communion with Imposition of Ashes

Beginning the journey
‘turn away from sin and be faithful to Christ’
Lent leads us towards the cross and as the Season begins we are marked with the cross with which we were signed at our baptism – a reminder of both death to life and life in death. The ash is made by burning the Palm Crosses which were blessed on Palm Sunday last year. Recycling at its religiously- topical best!

Lent Groups

Thursdays from 11.30am-1pm (in church) and
Fridays at 8pm (house group)

Talking Climate Justice – using the Lent Resources from Christian Aid we’ll be considering the Christian themes of repentance, sacrifice, redemption, reconciliation and reparation, to help us all grapple with the realities of poverty and the climate crisis and how we can respond.

Lent Appeal: Garden Twinning

In addition to our toilets in church being twinned, this Lent we’ll be twinning our church garden. Any money you save through your Lenten abstinences, please give it to supporting the Diocesan Lent Appeal which supports the work of Ripple Effect (the new name for Send a Cow).
Bishop Alan (himself a keen gardener) writes, ‘Whilst you use this time of Lent to reflect on God’s word and to pray for our neighbours across the world, please consider twinning your church’s garden to plant hope for a farming family, our neighbours, in Kenya. Just £60 could help a family living in rural Migori, Kenya, with three years training in sustainable organic farming.
Starting with small kitchen gardens, families can grow enough to eat to fight poverty, set up small businesses, send their children to school and go after their dreams.
In addition to any money you raise from your Lent abstinences, you could host a Lent Coffee Morning as well as join our Lent Lunch on Passion Sunday (26 March).
Ripple Effect have produced a Lenten Resource Leaflet: Connect with God’s creation over Lent which is available from church. You can read more about the work of Ripple Effect at: www.rippleeffect.org.

Further opportunities for Prayer and Worship

Mid-week Holy Communion

Thursdays 10.30am

We’ll be listening to a different Psalm each week and taking time to reflect on it together: 2/3: Ps 121; 9/3: Ps 95; 16/3: Ps 34.11-20; 23/3: Ps 130; 30/3: Ps 31.9-16. On Maundy Thursday, join Deborah at the Chrism Service at St Albans. If there are enough people, we’ll take a minibus! There will be no morning service on this day.

Exploring Prayer

Monday 20th March 7.30pm

The theme for March is, Call in the desert. All welcome.