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Hello and Happy Monday! I seem to still be fighting some lingering form of the seasonal germs that have been around us so I’m just not quite feeling like myself today. We all have those days; whether it’s our physical health, our emotional load, the effects of our environment or that never-ending to-do list that just gets us off our normal speed. And with that I say, where would we be without GRACE. I’ve been pretty hard on myself for a handful of things already this morning, so I am grateful for the grace I can extend to myself and to others, despite my shortcomings. 

This morning our staff meeting held conversations about all the Lent events and activities that are ahead of us in the coming weeks. If you missed the “Taking Up Lent” insert in your bulletin, grab it and review it! Each week we will challenge you with a spiritual discipline or a challenge for you and your household to TAKE UP; rather than give up; during this Lent season. On the back of the insert there is a collection of dates for you to mark in your calendar. One in particular that I want to draw your attention to is our Good Friday movie with a Youth Fundraiser Dinner prior to the movie. We will offer some alternatives for the younger eyes considering how this movie is rather gruesome. 

It’s time to prepare for the Branches Brunch again! In the Gathering Area you can find the sign-ups for Adult Branches. You’ll be assigned to a Boy or Girl Lil’ Root or Bridge Root kid to send secret, encouraging notes for three weeks leading up to our Branches Brunch on March 22nd, 2026. The timeline on this sign-up sheet is quick, (I miscalculated here! Grace, remember!) so if you won’t be here on Wednesday or Sunday and would like to be a Branch, reach out! 

There won’t be an email from me next week as Pastor Kevin and I will be enroute to Orlando, Florida for a Church of the Brethren Discipleship & Leadership Formation Conference. We were invited as leadership from one of the largest churches in the denomination to participate in this gathering. We will be out of the office through Thursday of next week. Be prayerful for the conversations and training that we will get to be a part of.

Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, the official beginning of Lent and we will be together for another Wednesday Roots Night! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to worship together through the various discipleship activities we have those evenings!

 

What WE’RE Learning This Week: A nugget of what our Lil’, Youth and Adults Roots heard this week

Our Key Idea: “I believe that all people are loved by God and need Jesus Christ as their Savior.”

Our Key Verse: John 3:16

How Every Generation Lives This Out: Do this together or individually... What is a practical way that you can love your enemies this week?

Check Out This Week’s PODCAST

*This season of the “The Dig” podcast is specifically designed for EVERY 

GENERATION to deepen their understanding, ignite their curiosity and grow as fruit-producing, God-glorying disciples! Don’t miss out! To make it easier for you to find and listen, you can now grab “The Dig” episodes on the church website: https://www.mgcb.org/family-ministries/the-dig-podcast--8

 

What I’M Learning This Week: Sharing what I’m reading and listening to lately

Sometimes a song just puts to words what’s in your heart, you know? That’s how “There Goes That Man” by Abbie Gamboa is for me this week. 

And you know, it actually feels really appropriate to share with you as we begin Lent. Over the next few weeks we will reflect and ponder on the life of Jesus. We’ll recall the stories and the scenes and think, as the song goes… “There goes that man, There he goes again, He’s always moving, On my behalf” 

 

Make Every Week Count: Parenting, Grandparenting & Spiritual Mentoring Resources

Something to Read: Still looking for a Lenten devotional? “Sacred and Still: Embrace the Holy Rhythms of the Lenten Season” could be a good option for you!

Something to Listen to: This is a helpful little refresher podcast about Lent! “What Is Lent and Should You Observe It?”

Something to Follow: Some of the “Taking Up Lent” challenges each week come from the book “The Lent Experience” by Eric Ferris. You can watch videos that pair up with some of the weeks in his RightNow Media Study.

 

How Can You Pray? Prayer Requests and Praises from Roots Ministries

PRAY for the tired, grieving, suffering souls in our church family and community.

PRAISE for safe returns and fun reports from our Youth Roots Winter Retreat participants!