What is Lent?

Lent is a Christian season of self-examination lasting the 6 weeks leading up to Easter.  The season moves on the calendar from year to year based on the spring equinox, celebrating the increasingly longer days of the year.  As a reminder for Christians to look to God rather than physical things for their wholeness, some take on the practice of giving something up for Lent. Whenever they desire this thing that they have given up, they are reminded to pray for God to sustain them. Items commonly given up are certain foods or forms of entertainment.  It has also become popular to not only give something up but to add a practice during Lent, like going to church regularly or adding a daily prayer time.  

Who are we? 

​We're located at the corner of Juliette and Poyntz...right where we've been since a group of abolitionists founded our church in the 1850s. (Okay, so we're mostly online these days because we're doing our part to keep people safe, but that's where our building is!) We are a group of open-minded, big-hearted Christ-followers who are committed to working for justice and loving all, just as Jesus has taught us to do. 

If you have questions about our congregation or the events happening this season, please contact us. ​​
​Lent is the perfect season to carve out time for uninterrupted prayer or contemplation. You’re welcome to come use the sanctuary for quiet meditation whenever the building is open. If you're coming from a distance, you might want to call ahead to make sure no one else is using the space or to ask for the temperature to be adjusted.

​Pastor Caela has put together a basket of Prayer Resources that you can use while you're in the sanctuary. There are books featuring the writings of Howard Thurman, Marian Wright Edleman, Henri Nouwen, Rumi, Sarah Bessey, Ross Gay and more. You can also share your written prayers in our spiral bound prayer notebook for others to read, as well. Just grab the basket from the bookshelves in the corner of the main lobby and return it when you're finished. ​

Ash Wednesday
February 14

Ash Wednesday is a Christian tradition that prepares us for the Lenten season before Easter.  The reasons Christians receive ashes on the forehead are twofold: 1. As a call to grieve and repent from the ways they have become separated from God and Neighbor and 2. As a humble reminder of the dust from which we came and the dust to which we’ll return.

Join us for Ash Wednesday worship (in-person or via Zoom) at 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 14. If you are joining us online, we encourage you to pick up your packet of ashes ahead of time in the plastic box hanging just outside the entry by the office at the church building. 

Pastor Caela will also be imposing ashes on the K-State campus from noon-1pm on Wednesday. Look for her near the roundabout located between Memorial Stadium and the Union. You are welcome to drive through or walk up.

Lenten Studies

Adult Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. 
Lenten study begins Feb. 18
Join us in-person or via Zoom

Join us for a journey through the free devotional from A Sanctified Art. Pick up a hard copy at the church OR e-mail the church office to request the digital version.

Children's Sunday School happens at the same time. Contact Brandy for details.

Sunday mornings not a good time? 
Consider joining the Tuesday Book Group at 11:30am via Zoom. Contact Pastor Sue to learn more about the group or simply log in on a Tuesday.

Lenten Devotionals

This year we have TWO options for free devotionals to help guide your Lenten journey. Both are from A Sanctified Art and follow the Wandering Heart theme. Learn more about the devotional booklets and the daily devotional cards here. You're welcome to use one or both!

Music for the Season
​Spotify Playlist

About this year's theme, "Wandering Heart":

From the Sanctified Art website: 

"​This Lent, we are focusing on the life and faith of one of Jesus’ most famous disciples. In Peter, we see a person who is both steadfast and unsteady, a dear friend and a betrayer, a follower and a wanderer. In Peter, we often see ourselves. By following Peter’s journey, we watch the story of Jesus unfold through the eyes of a very normal human trying to figure it all out—just like us.

As we were studying Peter’s faith journey, the lyrics of “Come Thou Fount” came to mind. It’s as if Peter himself wrote this song. Like many of us, Peter has a wandering heart. His journey is not polished, or linear, or perfect, but he is always tethered to the love of God. 

In this series, we want to affirm that faith is a constant journey of steadfast pursuit, one that ebbs and flows. We want to affirm the ways Peter keeps going: he drops his nets, he walks on water, he runs to the empty tomb, he swims to the shore to meet the risen Christ. He keeps searching and yearning and loving, even after missteps or mistakes. Ultimately, in Peter’s story, we are reminded that God loves imperfect people—in fact, time and again, that’s precisely who God claims and calls.

This Lent, we will look for ourselves in the stepping stones of Peter’s story. We will reflect on the stages of our own faith journeys as well as who and what has shaped us along the way. As we wander, let us tune our hearts to sing God’s grace. May we rest in streams of mercy, never ceasing."