AURORA, Ill., Feb. 7, 2020 — Five Fox Valley United Methodist churches will co-sponsor an annual community Ash Wednesday service to open Lent at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Wesley  UMC, 14 N. May St. in Aurora.

The public is invited. Admission and parking are free. Donations will be accepted to benefit area farmers affected by poor growing conditions.

Partnering churches are Sugar Grove UMC, Kaneville UMC and Flowing Forth UMC, Wesley UMC and Bethany of Fox Valley UMC, all in Aurora.

Pastors will serve communion, read scripture passages and impose ashes on attendees’ foreheads or hands. A lay person from each partnering church will offer a reflection. A combined choir of vocalists from participating churches will offer music.

Wesley UMC will host a reception to close the celebration.

Call (630) 466-4501 for more information.

About Lent

Rev. Tammy Scott, Sugar Grove UMC pastor and Ash Wednesday service coordinator, said “Lent is the 40-day period of repentance and renewal preceding Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends with the worship service on Easter.

“The word “lent” is derived from the old English word “Lenten,” which means ‘”lengthen.” It refers to the lengthening of the daylight hours that occurs as spring approaches.

“Lent is a special time for meditation and prayer, giving us time to recall the Easter story and absorb its meaning—that Christ lived and dies to redeem the world from sin,“ Rev. Scott said.

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Al Benson

Freelance Photo-Journalist

Al Benson is an Aurora-based freelance photo-journalist. He is currently an archives research specialist at Aurora University. His work has appeared in The Voice, The Daily Herald, The Beacon-News, and the Chicago Tribune.