Rideau Park United Church

Lent 2010

Lent is a sacred season.

It is an opportunity. It is a gift.

The word Lent is derived from the Anglo Saxon word “Lenten” or spring; like spring, Lent is an opportunity for new life, for growth, for making things new again.

Since 2002, our congregation has set aside meetings in the season of Lent in order to create space in our schedules so that we can make more room for God: through labyrinth walking, prayer space, midweek worship, studies and fellowship...

May this Lent be a time of blessing for you.

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Lent 2010 at Rideau Park

Wednesday Evening Services – February 17th to March 24th
7:15 to 7:45 pm in the Chapel
Lay led with communion.
A time of reflection and renewal in the midst of a busy week.

Wednesday Evening Study: Everything You Wanted to Know About the Bible But Were Afraid to Ask – February 17th to March 24th
7:45 pm to 8 pm: Community Time with Refreshments;
8 pm to 9:15 pm: Study Group

Are there passages of Scripture that trouble you? Are there Bible stories that leave you puzzled and perplexed? Our Wednesday night study in Lent will focus on the Scripture texts that you have long wondered about. Write down the passage that baffles you and place the paper in the box on the Sunday School counter. Your ministers look forward to working through six of your chosen passages in the study.

Sacred Space

In the Chapel in Lent there will be resources for aiding your spiritual journey including prayers, visual arts, CDs that can be played and reading material. The space will be available during regular office hours (Monday to Friday, 9 am – 4 pm) and in the evening 6:30 – 9:30 pm. You are invited to use this space for prayer, meditation, reading or simply peace and quiet. Ask a staff member or the duty officer to open the space if you find that it is locked.

Lenten Book Study – starting Saturday, February 20

Beginning on Saturday, February 20th at 9 am, Rideau Park will hold a Lenten Book Study for six Saturdays, ending March 27th. The book we will be using for this study is Discovering the Narrow Path – A Guide to Spiritual Balance by Rev. Dr. N. Graham Standish. Standish has written a compelling book that is designed to help any Christian, regardless of denomination, seek and find a balance in his/her faith life. Following the narrow path means rejecting extremism while trusting God to lead us. We will meet at 9 am for a potluck breakfast, followed by our book study, and end at 11 am. If you are interested in lively discussion and the opportunity to grow spiritually in a welcoming community, we would love to see you there!

Lenten Labyrinth

During Lent, our Labyrinth will be made available in Beecroft Hall. To walk the labyrinth is to prayerfully walk with God. It is a sacred space where walking the pattern leads one into the centre, deeper into God. The labyrinth will be available on Friday mornings and Saturday mornings after book study each week.

Grace Project Revisited

At Rideau Park, in 2005, the congregation had a summer project which was to look for moments of God’s grace in their lives and write them into a grace diary. Some of the grace moments were made into a Grace Moments Booklet (if you have trouble viewing the link, see the requirements for viewing PDF files).

There was a lot of positive feedback about this project, and it was suggested that we bring it back to life this Lent. Our last Grace Project offered folks a Grace Diary with a prayer inside – a special place to write about the moments that you saw God’s hand moving through your day. If you still have your Grace Diary, please resurrect it and add to it with your 2010 Lenten Grace moments. If you’re new at this, pick up a Grace Diary at church. Participants will be invited to share some grace moments so that a new grace moment booklet might be created this year.

Look for times like these: that moment when your grandchild comes to you and asks you to read his favorite story; that moment of eye contact and the conversation you have with a street person; that unexpected grocery line conversation; that walk in the woods; a moment of joy or wonder or awe; or just that awareness that God is here.

Be open, be thankful. Be with God and God will be with you. Watch for surprises!