Ash Wednesday & Other News

by General Presbyter Melana Scruggs

While January seemed like a long month, it does still seem like it was just Christmas and next week is Lent. We barely get time to feel back to normal after the holidays before we move into the fasting days of the Lenten season. Many people have been bemoaning on social media that Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine’s Day, but we can be reminded of both our need for grace and our need for love on the same day. If your Lenten discipline is giving up chocolate, you can just get your chocolate on Fat Tuesday and eat it all or save it for Sundays during Lent. 😊

We will begin offering boundaries training for pastors in March. Every pastor is required to complete boundaries training, even those providing pulpit supply. Our first opportunity will be March 7 from 10am to noon at Peace in Lakewood Ranch. It would be helpful to know if you plan to attend, so please email with your attendance to shannonprp@gmail.com. We will use case studies to discuss the boundary concerns that arise in congregations. Please read the manual before coming to the training. You can find the manual at this link.

February 22 is our next Presbytery meeting at Trinity, Venice. You can find the link to register for the meeting here. At this meeting, Randy Moody and I will be sharing some News You Can Use and share with your session. We will be talking about some of the new requirements in the Book of Order that apply to sessions, such as policies about harassment and anti-racism, and how the presbytery will help sessions with boundaries training. We will also talk about pastors’ terms of call, which can be confusing, and how to keep from putting your pastor in a bad spot with the IRS. We hope you will come ready for discussion and questions.

As we move into this Lenten season, I pray for all of us to be open to the work of the Holy Spirit in our midst.