And so lent begins!

Lent is a season of fasting (giving stuff up) & repentance (recognising what we've done wrong), leading up to Easter, as we celebrate what Jesus has done for us.

It's an encouragement to turn back to God once again, with renewed passion. We devote ourselves through prayer, fasting and giving.

If you'd like to join in this season, we thought we'd put together a few helpful resources to get you started!

Giving:

There are so many great opportunities and causes to give to, it's sometimes hard to know where to start. Here are the things that we're doing - it'd be great if you'd like to join us, and together we can bless people this Easter.

For the past few years, we have collected chocolate Easter eggs, donated by our church family. We've been able to pass these on to our agencies we partner with, and they have in turn distributed them to their clients. Last year, 196 eggs were donated. We'd love to see if we could donate over 200 this year! It's a really great way to bless families in need at this time of year.

As well as our Easter collection, our regular Foodbank operates all year round, supported only by donations of the church. We're always in need of more donations, so please GRAB a bag from the back of church, FILL a bag with everything on the list and GIVE a bag this Easter. Alternatively, visit our Foodbank section to find the shopping lists, and bring in a carrier bag of all the items.

Devotionals:

24/7 Prayer have created 7 great videos about how Easter can have an impact in your life:
https://www.24-7prayer.com/podcasts/category/loveeaster

NT Wright has written a series of devotionals, one for each day, over 53 days. Each day, there is a Bible reading, and a thought from NT Wright about how it relates to Easter. It's really great!
https://www.bible.com/en-GB/reading-plans/83-lent-for-everyone

Ann Voskamp has also created some great resources for Easter, with a really fresh take on grace & reminding ourselves to keep Jesus at the heart of everything:
http://annvoskamp.com/2017/03/because-sometimes-you-want-to-take-back-lent-a-broken-world-your-breaking-heart-a-free-40-day-lent-devotional-journey/

40 acts is a great missional resource with 40 days of generosity challenges to bless those around us. It's great for families and individuals alike. Check out more here:
https://40acts.org.uk/