Be Local by participating in community Lenten services
For many, the start of Lent begins a time for reflection and prayer, not only as individuals but also as a community.
Be Local means joining in observances hosted by area churches, ministerial associations and religious organizations offered throughout the Lenten season. Community services range from prayer to weekly services and luncheons to special gatherings on Good Friday.
“I believe Lent and Easter are the highlight of the Christian calendar,” said the Rev. Roger Diehl, pastor of Allison Church of the Nazarene and president of the Brownsville Area Ministerial Association. “The story of redemption is pivotal. I think during Lent, individual churches are sponsoring programs for both the commemoration of the death of Christ but also preparing for the celebration of Easter. I think coming together as a community puts a beautiful emphasis on our common excitement for Easter and for the commemoration of redemption.”
The Rev. Paul Payerchin, president of the Uniontown Area Clergy Association, noted community observances give people of different faiths an opportunity to come together.
Payerchin said, “Each individual church has its own Lenten worship services but it’s good for people in a community to get together and give witness to their faith and show other people in the community that we are one in the body of Christ.”
The Rev. Bill Sukolsky, president of the Waynesburg Ministerium and pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Waynesburg, remarked that community services “give local churches an opportunity to realize the Church is larger than any one congregation.”
The Rev. Reagan Fike, president of the Carmichaels Ministerial Association and pastor of First Christian Church, said, “No matter our denomination and faith background, we can come together. It shows unity. We come together to be thankful and remember the sacrifices of our Savior, especially at Eastertime.”
And people may come to realize the richness of the worship experience.
The Rev. Dayton Mix, pastor of Carmichaels First United Methodist Church and a member of Carmichaels Ministerial Association, said, “One of the problems, I think we have in America, in general, is we get isolated in a group, in our way.”
Participating in a community service can open a door.
Mix said, “Because it’s not what you experience at your own church, God can sometimes speak to you and surprise you.”
Lenten programs encourage people to think about their relationship with God.
The Rev. Don Smith, president of the Connellsville Area Ministerial Association, noted that Lent is a time for people “to commit yourself to Christ anew, to refreshing your relationship with Christ.”
But these programs and services can also lead people to appreciate their relationships within a community.
“It gives them information on what’s going on in the community,” said Smith. “There’s a lot of things going on in our community that people are not familiar with. They are good things. They build the community.”
“With Carmichaels being a small community, everybody knows everybody,” said Fike. “But it’s great to see them connect in one location where faith is the background.”
Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Ted Flowers at 724-425-7231 or by email at tflowers@heraldstandard.com. Discount cards are available at the Herald-Standard, 8 E. Church St., Uniontown, and at the Greene County Messenger, 32 Church St., Waynesburg.