A Letter from Pastor Mark - March



Dear Friends,
There are several things that will begin in the month of March that I want to lift up for you.  You are receiving this newsletter on the first day of March and this is also the day of our Ash Wednesday service.  Ash Wednesday is the beginning of the 40 day observance of Lent.  Lent is a time of repentance and preparation for the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.  Easter is April 16 this year.  I am looking forward to the special opportunity that Lent and Easter gives each of us to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.  I am hoping that you are looking forward to those opportunities as well.
During Lent I will be teaching a mini-study that is focused on how to read and study the Bible.  The study will be two sessions and each session will last 90 minutes.  The classes will be on two Wednesdays, March 8 & 15.  The class will give lots of tips and direction for how to read the Bible and stay with it.
During the season of Lent I will be preaching a sermon series that will take us through the    entire book of 2 Peter.  The series is entitled “The Discipleship Handbook” and it will focus on gleaning as many truths as possible to help us live out our discipleship in Jesus Christ.  We are also focusing on a book of the Bible for Lent because one of the themes for Lent is to begin the process of reading and studying the Bible.

In keeping with the theme of reading the Bible, soon after the course that teaches on how to read and study the Bible we will be forming Life Transformation Groups that will focus on reading and discussing the Bible.  These are small groups that will have as their objective life transformation through learning and living the truth of the Bible.  There will be a Bible reading plan given to all the groups and the hope is that each group will follow the plan and use the readings for each week as the basis for the group discussion.  I hope you will consider joining one of these groups.
These groups and the Bible reading plan will take the place of the weekly prayer journals.  The last prayer journal will be issued on Sunday, February 26.
My prayer is that many of you will take advantage of at least one of these ways that you can grow your relationship with Jesus Christ during the season of Lent and Easter.


In Christ’s Abundant Love,
Pastor Mark


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