By Annabeth Miller,
ShowMe Times Editor
Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, a church season leading to the celebration of Easter.
Ash Wednesday is a day of observance in many Christian traditions. According to the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus spent 40 days fasting in the desert and being tempted by Satan. It is a time when Christians may find ways of strengthening their relationship with God.
Ash Wednesday is commonly observed with the tradition of applying ashes to the forehead. Services at church allow believers to pray and receive the ashes as a public mark of a personal commitment. Catholics, Lutherans, United Methodists, Presbyterians and members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) traditionally follow Ash Wednesday customs.
Lent can also be a period of joy and celebration as we are reminded of our relationship with God and the sacrifice God made for us. As writer Sister Joan Chittister writes, "Lent is the opportunity to change what we ought to change but have not. Lent is about becoming, doing and changing whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now."
Lent is the time in the Christian calendar between Ash Wednesday and Easter, excluding Sundays. This year Palm Sunday is April 1, Maundy Thursday is April 5, Good Friday is April 6, and Easter Sunday is April 8.
Services will be held Wednesday in at least three area congregations:
- Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 6:30 p.m.
- First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ at 6 p.m.
- First United Methodist Church at 6:30 p.m.
The recipe has remained fairly constant through the years, and the United Methodist Men will be serving rich, hot bowls of their chili and soup this week.
The annual Chili and Soup Supper will be held from 4 until 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 23 at the First United Methodist Church in Dexter.
The men will be serving the group’s traditional chili or homemade vegetable soup, with desserts made by the ladies of the church and drinks. The supper will be held in the Wesley Hall on the United Methodist Church campus.
Tickets for the meal are $6 for adults and $3 for children younger than 12. Carry-outs are available and tickets are available from any member of the United Methodist Men or at the door the evening of the supper.
The First United Methodist Church is located at 501 South Walnut in Dexter.
What's Happening
- WHAT: United Methodist Men Chili Supper
- DATE: Thursday, Feb. 23
- TIME: Serving from 4 until 7 p.m.
- PLACE: Wesley Hall, First United Methodist Church, 501 S. Walnut, Dexter
- COST: $6 for adults; $3 children 12 and younger
Photo Above: United Methodist Men member Lehman Godwin serves up a bowl of savory chili at the 2011 UMM Chili and Soup Supper. The annual supper will be held Thursday, Feb. 23. (SMT File Photo)
SMT Report
The sounds of the holiday may be heard this Sunday as the Chancel Choir of the Dexter First United Methodist Church presents the Christmas cantata "We Celebrate The King.”
The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Music Director Mary Ruth Boone, will present the musical this Sunday, Dec. 11, during the 8:15 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. worship services and again at a special “Christmas By Candlelight” at 5:30 p.m. All three presentations of the Christmas cantata will be held at the church at 501 South Walnut in Dexter.
Christmas at Candlelight will feature the cantata at 5:30 Sunday evening and other Christmas music, including flutist Kay Plummer and the Youth Bell Choir. Holiday refreshments will be served following the presentation in Wesley Hall.
“We Celebrate the King combines the classic, traditional carols with new songs of worship to deliver the true message of Christmas in a fresh and exciting way,” Boone said. “Moving from the explosive Latin rhythms of a surprise opening song, to the fresh new arrangements of beloved carols, to power ballads to the vibrant and celebrative "Forever King" as the closer, We Celebrate the King is widely eclectic in style and offers something for everyone.”
Boone added that the choir, soloists and ensembles all combine to celebrate the Christmas holiday and the God’s Gift of His Son to new heights.
"Celebrating Christmas is one of the most wonderful and worshipful times of the entire year," Boone commented. "Worship is a verb. And this musical presentation of ‘We Celebrate The King' will hopefully inspire and motivate us all enrich our holiday experience. We hope that the Christ of Christmas will shine in and through this wonderful musical experience."
Soloists featured in the cantata include Brian Crawford, Debbie Fisher, Gloria Hampton, Linda Hill, Karen Lane, Michelle Lane, June Lawrence, Dana Lovins, Don Martin, Jerry Overfelt, Loretta Reid, Riley Rickman, Bryan Schmidt, Kay Stevenson, Kendra Stevenson, Dee Wamble, and Joe Weber.
The technical directors for the Chancel Choir are Phil and Marge Elam.
The First United Methodist Church is located at 501 South Walnut in Dexter. For additional information contact the church at 624-3344.
One of the legends in new metal music will share his personal story at an area church this weekend.
Brian “Head” Welch, co-founder of the the metal band Korn, will speak Sunday, December 11 at the First United Methodist Church in Sikeston. Welch will speak at the 11 a.m.service at the Sikeston church.
Korn became a Grammy award winning, multi-platinum force that shot to the top tier of the rock music world and dominated the new metal movement of the late 1990s. Korn’s 1998 Follow the Leader album cemented the band as rock titans when they debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, fighting off new releases from mainstream heavyweights. For his efforts with Korn, Head won two Grammys, was nominated for six, and sold some 40 million records worldwide.
As Korn continued to reach new creative and commercial heights, Head found himself drowning in the excesses of rock and roll. Among other things, Head became addicted to crystal meth, spiraling out of control even as he continued to sell millions of albums. He unsuccessfully tried to balance his career and his obligations as a single father to his daughter Jennea.
In 2005, he made a radical move and resigned from Korn, to dedicate his life to giving his gifts to those most desperately in need.
Though no longer a part of Korn, Head has not retired from music. His album, Save Me from Myself, put the music world on notice that he is very much alive and that his music was as potent as ever. He continues to record and release vital music that attracts fans of hard rock, and the legions of Korn devotees that continue to support his career.
To help those who struggle with substance abuse, despair, and crises of faith, he penned his 2007 autobiography, Save Me from Myself (HarperCollins). The book quickly landed on the New York Times bestseller list, inspiring him to follow it up with a second book, Washed by Blood (2008, HarperCollins).
A year ago in December 2010, Head released Stronger: Forty Days of Metal and Spirituality by HarperCollins. Head speaks candidly about his continued bouts of depression and his struggles with darker impulses as he comes to terms with his faith-based life.
The event is free and open to everyone. First UMC is located at 1307 North Main Street in Sikeston.
Link of Interest
Sikeston FUMC
By Annabeth Miller, SMT Editor
It’s a cookie lover’s dream!
On Saturday, Dec. 3 the ladies of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will lay before community cookie aficionados a dream come true at the church’s Annual Cookie Walk.
Cookies will be arranged from one end of the church’s Disciple Center to the other. There will be almost every kind imaginable – from snickerdoodles to chocolate chip and everything in between. And to prepare for the big day, the ladies have been busy preparing – mixing dough, forming cookie balls, cookie bars and cookie logs that will be baked and readied for the Cookie Walk.
The day of the event, guests will arrive at the Disciple Center and given a cookie box and then proceed into the table after table of cookies. Selections will be made, placed into the box, and then weighed. All proceeds from the annual holiday event will go to support the work of the Christian Women’s Fellowship.
What's Happening
- WHAT: Annual Cookie Walk
- WHEN: 10 – 11:30 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 3
- WHERE: First Christian Church Disciple Center, 224 East Stoddard Street, Dexter
Photo Above: The women of the Evening Ladies group gathered this week to prepare cooke dough that will be used for delicious cookies for the Annual Cookie Walk on Dec. 3. Ladies working were (from left) Nancy Wright, Sandy Edwards, Lisa Banken, Debbie Stidham, Carolyn Carrier, and Kim Williams. (SMT photo by Annabeth Miller)
