Lent at Kearney First UMC
A letter from the pastors, worship calendar with scriptures, and the Lenten Mailer
Blessings on you, people of Kearney First UMC!!
When I was young, my grandma would sometimes help me make my bed. She taught me square corners, and after I learned, I really didn’t think about her instructions until I had children. Then, I remembered the lessons and repeated them with our children. Life is like that: active remembering of the past focuses our present and orients us toward our future. This Lent, I invite us all to read the Gospel of Mark as a way of remembering, focusing on, and exploring who Jesus is, so that we can better know, love, and follow him. Here are some tools for your reading:
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A daily devotional from Mark – Lent for Everyone – Mark, Year B, by N.T. Wright. (Limited copies are available at church, and you can purchase your own digital copy).
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Weekly sermons on Mark (schedule inside)
The season of Lent is similar. We remember, not so much our failures and sin, as God’s great grace revealed and embodied in Jesus, which (re)shapes our present and orients us toward greater faithfulness in the future. Lent is a season to focus on God’s grace revealed in Jesus and to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s work in and through us as church. It’s a season to orient ourselves toward Christ’s mission through our practices: talking to God in worship and prayer, listening to God through scripture reading, partnering with God through acts of mercy and justice, growing like God through generosity, and sharing God’s good news through invitation. There are three special, unique worship services during Lent (see inside), and the missional offering is a way we practice generosity for the sake of God’s mission in our community.
May the Holy Spirit inspire us through our practices this season of Lent, that we may know, love, and follow Jesus with courage, hope, and grace.
Peace and love, Matt Fowler
Worship Calendar & Scriptures | Events
Worship Calendar & Scriptures
Ash Wednesday February 22 - 6:00pm service
First Sunday of Lent - 2/26 Mark 1-3
Second Sunday of Lent - 3/5 Mark 4-5
Third Sunday of Lent - 3/12 Mark 6-8
Fourth Sunday of Lent - 3/19 Mark 9
Fifth Sunday of Lent - 3/26 Mark 10:17-27
Palm Sunday - 4/2 Mark 11-16
Maundy Thursday - 4/6 Mark 14 - 6:00pm service
Good Friday - 4/7 Mark 15:1-47 - 6:00pm service
Easter Sunday - 4/9 Mark 16:1-13 - 8:00am, 9:30am & 11:00am services
Lenten Events
Pastor Matt's Bible Study - Monday Nights - 6pm in person & 8:30pm on Zoom
Women's Day Retreat - Saturday March 4th - 9am-4:30pm
Easter Egg Hunt - Sunday, April 2 - In-between and after the 9:30 and 11am services
Lenten Missional Offerings
Growth in our relationship with God is God’s primary way of blessing others and transforming the world. As we focus on our relationship with God through our practices, during this season, we have a tradition of also focusing on where our gifts and abilities can intersect with the deep needs of those in our community. To this end, the Finance Committee of Kearney First invites us to practice generosity through missional giving through the church, over and above our regular giving to Christ’s mission through Kearney First UMC.
Please prayerfully consider giving to one or more of these missional ministries through this season’s missional offering. You can give online through the website or the mobile app. You may designate your missional giving to a particular ministry. Undesignated gifts will be distributed to each of the missional partners, which are described below.
Youth Ministry goal of $2,500:
Will provide funding for mission trips for the middle school and high school youth.
Collage goal of $2,500:
This agency offers care and support to men and women who are facing unexpected
challenges associated with pregnancy and STDs.
Compass goal of $2,500:
This agency provides support, training, and financial assistance to foster families.
East Lawn Food Pantry goal of $2,500:
A mission within the church that provides food to those in need in Buffalo County.
Thank you for your generosity!
