by Jim Gum I grew up in a non-religious household outside the church. I was a never-darkened-the-church-door kid. When my father joked that he didn’t go to church because they “passed the plate too often,” I didn’t know what “the plate” referred to or why it needed to be passed.
My confusion about religion continued as I overheard friends’ conversations in grade school. I thought it was curious that so many of them gave up chocolate for Lent. Was chocolate bad? (Heaven forbid!) Did one need to forego things one loved in order to be religious? My family celebrated the Easter bunny by hunting for eggs and receiving a chocolate rabbit each year. Was this practice connected to the giving up chocolate for Lent? (Read more…)
Ash Wednesday Service – Wednesday, 2/13
Come together at Jacob’s Well to begin the Lenten Season with a time of confession and reflection. The service begins at 7PM and childcare will be provided from birth to 5 years old.
Beginning Thursday, February 21st we invite you to participate in our Lenten Spiritual Practices. Each week we’ll offer two times of contemplative prayer.
Lectio Divina — 6:30 – 7:30AM in the 3rd Floor Commons
Centering Prayer — Noon – 12:30PM in the Prayer Chapel
Lastly, we invite you to fast throughout the day on Thursday and break your fast at our Lenten Table meals on Thursday evenings at City Church.
Lenten Table — 6:30PM — a shared meal in the basement of our City Church property, just east of JW.
(A-J bring a main dish, K-P bring a side, R-Z bring a dessert; JW will provide drinks. Please bring your own plates, cups & utensils)
New Events Calendar
We recently invited John Raux to create our newest art installation. Our hope is to have different artists at JW create a monthly calendar of events for a quick visual of what’s happening at the church. Interested in working on a future calendar? Contact Maureen Lunn. Click on the picture above to see a larger view.
Women’s Sweet & Savory Brunch – Sat. 2/16
Jacob’s Well women will be gathering on Saturday, February 16th from 10a – noon for brunch. This is a great time to enjoy some amazing food, as well as fellowship with amazing women — being with old friends and meeting new ones! Please bring a brunch dish to share (last names A-M: savory dish, N-Z: sweet dish). Questions? Contact Kristen McClain.
Marriage Immersion – Sign up Deadline Today
Newly engaged couples, newly married couples, and couples married for years will benefit from the Marriage Immersion led by Grant and Emma Wood of Resonate Clinic. Join us Saturday, February 9 and Saturday, February 16, 2013, at Jacob’s Well from 8:30am-1:30pm for a continental breakfast and great sessions. The cost is $120 per couple. Childcare is provided. Please click here to register by today. Questions? Contact Maureen Lunn.
Welcome new Kid’s Ministry Staff – Nick and Alyssa
Nick Pickrell and Alyssa Tedder-King joined the Jacob’s Well Kids’ Community Staff team this month. Nick will keep things moving along as our new Administrator and Alyssa will step into an Interim Preschool Director position in The Loft. We’re delighted to have both of these fine folks!
Come Explore God Through The Eyes of A Child
We have 200 kids waiting to meet you in our Kids’ Community, which spans the ages from birth – 5th Grade.
Click on the picture to enjoy this video from Nicole White. She writes, “Harry’s been singing this song all week! We really appreciate all the hard work the leaders put into The Loft. Our boys look forward to it every week. You all do an amazing job!”
Contact Nick Pickrell for more information about how to get involved.
See what they’ll be saying’ about you!
Second Saturdays
Join other Jacob’s Well folks February 9th, 9:00 – 1:00pm. Meet at the 42nd Street entrance of the church and go to the Prayer Chapel at 9am for instructions. This month’s service project will be helping a neighborhood family in need clean trash from their backyard, so dress appropriately. Questions? ContactPhilip Lesniewski.
Fun Fact to Know and Tell
How is the date for Easter determined? Sometimes Easter is celebrated as early as March 22nd but also can celebrated as late as April 25th. In the Western church, the date depends on the Sun and the Moon. Easter falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the First day of spring, March 21st or 22nd. So, every time you celebrate the Holy Week, there’s always a full moon.
It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school that I encountered the person of Jesus Christ. During a Holy Week celebration, I both understood and experienced the extent of Christ’s work on my behalf and the depth of God’s love for me. It is only recently I have realized that the Lenten season has been a special time of remembrance and renewal for me. Frederick Buechner writes, “In many cultures there is an ancient custom of giving a tenth of each year’s income to some holy use. For Christians to observe the forty days of Lent is to do the same thing with roughly a tenth of each year’s days. After being baptized by John in the river Jordan, Jesus went off alone into the wilderness where he spent forty days asking himself the question what it meant to be Jesus. During Lent, Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves.”
Our hope at Jacob’s Well this season is that you have the opportunity to reflect, take stock, and consider. We encourage you to make time during our Lenten practices for growing deeper in your relationship with Christ. Maybe you’ll want to fast on Thursdays and break the fast with our shared evening meal. Maybe you’ll read a Lenten devotional. Maybe you’ll want to give something up, maybe not. But our hope is that you will be filled with a greater knowledge of God and a greater knowledge of yourself.
I grew up in a non-religious household outside the church. I was a never-darkened-the-church-door kid. When my father joked that he didn’t go to church because they “passed the plate too often,” I didn’t know what “the plate” referred to or why it needed to be passed.
Beginning Thursday, February 21st we invite you to participate in our Lenten Spiritual Practices. Each week we’ll offer two times of contemplative prayer.
Jacob’s Well women will be gathering on Saturday, February 16th from 10a – noon for brunch. This is a great time to enjoy some amazing food, as well as fellowship with amazing women — being with old friends and meeting new ones! Please bring a brunch dish to share (last names A-M: savory dish, N-Z: sweet dish). Questions? Contact 
Newly engaged couples, newly married couples, and couples married for years will benefit from the Marriage Immersion led by Grant and Emma Wood of Resonate Clinic. Join us Saturday, February 9 and Saturday, February 16, 2013, at Jacob’s Well from 8:30am-1:30pm for a continental breakfast and great sessions. The cost is $120 per couple. Childcare is provided. Please 
Sometimes Easter is celebrated as early as March 22nd but also can celebrated as late as April 25th. In the Western church, the date depends on the Sun and the Moon. Easter falls on the Sunday following the first full moon after the First day of spring, March 21st or 22nd. So, every time you celebrate the Holy Week, there’s always a full moon.