Lent is a time for spiritual reflection and prayer
Devotional program now available free to churches and individuals
Lent is the season for Christians to engage in disciplines that sustain and refresh them and give full expression to their faith. Lent and Easter call them to remember the mystery of redemption in Christ and to more fully participate in his life-giving spirit.
The Society of St. Andrew (Advance #801600) offers a free devotional program that takes the user through Lent in a spirit of reflection and prayer. This year’s theme is taken from Amos 5:24, “Let justice roll down like waters...” The guide provides daily scripture readings, short devotionals and prayers to keep one focused on the redemptive work of Christ.
Each participant or family is provided with the devotional booklet and an optional Good Friday Fast. The fast can be used to supplement the daily devotions or as a stand-alone program of spiritual renewal and giving.
Participants are also asked to express their faith by sharing in the Society of St. Andrew’s national hunger-relief ministries with a personal Lenten donation that will be used to feed hungry Americans. The Society’s Lenten Devotional program continues to grown in popularity each year. Last year donations from participants provided 3.25 million servings of fresh, nutritious food to families who don’t get enough to eat. Because the Society of St. Andrew maintains an extremely low administrative and fundraising overhead, more than 93 cents of every donated dollar goes directly to saving fresh produce from going to waste and providing that food to the hungry.
Sample Lent Devotions starter kits are available at no cost or obligation for review before placing a congregational order. Orders can be placed online at www.endhunger.org, by email at church@endhunger.org, or by phone at 800-333-4597. After reviewing the program, orders should be placed by February 1, 2007 to ensure delivery before Ash Wednesday, which is February 21. Every attempt will be made to expedite late orders. The Society of St. Andrew asks that churches help them remain good stewards of their resources by ordering only as many kits as they will use.
The Society of St. Andrew’s national non-profit hunger-relief ministry feeds the hungry through its Potato Project, Gleaning Network, Harvest of Hope, and Hunger Relief Advocate programs. More information is available at www.endhunger.org.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Abingdon Press is releasing a new congregational hymn collection "Zion Still Sings! You are invited to a January 18th preview, 9:30 a.m.
Come celebrate with us!
Zion Still Sings, and we lift our voices in praise and celebration! Our newest congregational hymn collection, Zion Still Sings! For Every Generation will publish in May 2007. This follow-up to Songs of Zion (Abingdon Press, 1981) will be an important congregational worship resource for many years to come.
As key leadership of The United Methodist Church in the Nashville area, we invite you to join with us here at the corner of 8th Avenue South and Demonbreun Street on Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. as we preview this new songbook. The Editorial Committee of musicians, pastors, educators, and worship leaders will join with several composers and arrangers of new material to lead us in an hour of song-filled celebration. We ask that you make a reservation so we can be prepared for your arrival. Just contact Melanie Hollis at (615) 749-6747 or send Melanie an email: mhollis@umpublishing.org.
God meets us in every situation, for every generation, and in every location. That’s what we mean by Zion Still Sings. Zion is where we meet God. When heads were bowed down with the oppression of slavery, a song would come forth such as “Guide My Feet” or “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” and God would be there, lifting heads and hearts. God was in the hush arbors, the segregated galleries, the mission churches, and in the churches built from used bricks, as the community sang hymns such as “At the Cross” and “Yield Not to Temptation,” gaining the assurance that God’s kingdom was inclusive.
Zion Still Sings because just as God was present during the Great Migration with Charles Tindley and Kenneth Morris, just as God was present during the Civil Rights Movement when we sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round,” God meets the current generation in the streets of our 21st-century world. God will meet you with “It’s Incredible,” using call and response in a way that the ancestors would never have dreamed. God will be present as you rap out “Heavenly Father” and interpret the prayer of Jesus for post-moderns. God will meet you in the contemporary sounds of Martha Munizzi and Michael Smith, the hip-hop of Frederick (Ricky B.) Burchell, the jazz tones of a song for ushers, “Step,” and the upbeat, 12-bar blues of “All Around Me!” a song that echoes the biblical truth that God is so high, so low, and so wide. God is inclusive.
May God bless your work in the church. We look forward to seeing you on January 18th.
Marilyn E. Thornton Bob MacKendree
Music Editor for Zion Still Sings Director of Music Resources
Come celebrate with us!
Zion Still Sings, and we lift our voices in praise and celebration! Our newest congregational hymn collection, Zion Still Sings! For Every Generation will publish in May 2007. This follow-up to Songs of Zion (Abingdon Press, 1981) will be an important congregational worship resource for many years to come.
As key leadership of The United Methodist Church in the Nashville area, we invite you to join with us here at the corner of 8th Avenue South and Demonbreun Street on Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 9:30 a.m. as we preview this new songbook. The Editorial Committee of musicians, pastors, educators, and worship leaders will join with several composers and arrangers of new material to lead us in an hour of song-filled celebration. We ask that you make a reservation so we can be prepared for your arrival. Just contact Melanie Hollis at (615) 749-6747 or send Melanie an email: mhollis@umpublishing.org.
God meets us in every situation, for every generation, and in every location. That’s what we mean by Zion Still Sings. Zion is where we meet God. When heads were bowed down with the oppression of slavery, a song would come forth such as “Guide My Feet” or “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” and God would be there, lifting heads and hearts. God was in the hush arbors, the segregated galleries, the mission churches, and in the churches built from used bricks, as the community sang hymns such as “At the Cross” and “Yield Not to Temptation,” gaining the assurance that God’s kingdom was inclusive.
Zion Still Sings because just as God was present during the Great Migration with Charles Tindley and Kenneth Morris, just as God was present during the Civil Rights Movement when we sang “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ’Round,” God meets the current generation in the streets of our 21st-century world. God will meet you with “It’s Incredible,” using call and response in a way that the ancestors would never have dreamed. God will be present as you rap out “Heavenly Father” and interpret the prayer of Jesus for post-moderns. God will meet you in the contemporary sounds of Martha Munizzi and Michael Smith, the hip-hop of Frederick (Ricky B.) Burchell, the jazz tones of a song for ushers, “Step,” and the upbeat, 12-bar blues of “All Around Me!” a song that echoes the biblical truth that God is so high, so low, and so wide. God is inclusive.
May God bless your work in the church. We look forward to seeing you on January 18th.
Marilyn E. Thornton Bob MacKendree
Music Editor for Zion Still Sings Director of Music Resources
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