Churches Will Offer Services On Ash Wednesday Some Congregations To Gather Midweek Throughout Lent

Wednesday is the first day of Lent, the 40 days of prayer and preparation before Easter. Lent is observed with fasting, penance and tithing.

Several South Side and West Plains churches are planning to mark Ash Wednesday with a special worship service.

Services will begin at 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Emmanuel Lutheran Church at 639 Elm in Cheney. A soup and bread supper will be served between the services.

The church will offer a worship service at 4:30 p.m. each Wednesday during Lent.

St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 326 E. 24th, will have a worship service at 7 p.m. on Ash Wednesday.

Manito United Methodist Church will host a pancake supper and worship service beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Donations will be accepted for the meal.

A light meal and program will begin at 6 p.m. on each remaining Wednesday during Lent.

The church is located at 3220 S. Grand Blvd.

Pancakes planned at St. Stephen’s

A pancake dinner for Shrove Tuesday (also known as Mardi Gras) will be served at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 5720 S. Perry. Admission to the meal is by donation.

The church also is planning a potluck dinner and community gathering for 6 p.m. Saturday. The evening will feature mountaineer Chris Kopczynski, president of Kop Construction in Spokane and the ninth American to scale Mount Everest. The Spokane native made his historic climb in 1981.

The public is welcome. Donations will be accepted at the door.

For more information, call the church office at 448-2255.

New Directions class at St. Ann’s

A Beginning Experience “New Directions” class is starting today at St. Ann’s Catholic Church, 2120 E. First. The class is designed for those who are divorced, widowed or separated.

The 10-week program will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. each Thursday.

The cost is $30, which includes materials. For more information or to register, call 327-7193.

Organists present all-Bach concert

Local organists are teaming up to present a concert of Bach music at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 326 E. 24th. The event is sponsored by the Spokane Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and will include a special performance by the Spokane Area Children’s Chorus.

Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.

Window will be dedicated

Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 314 S. Spruce, will dedicate a newly installed stained-glass window during the 10:30 a.m. worship service Sunday. The church is in the middle of a five-stage window redesigning project.

The window was created by Karen Messmer of Elliot Bay Art Glass in Redmond, Wash.

First Presbyterian auction Sunday

Hundreds of items are on the block Sunday in the Easter Project silent auction at First Presbyterian Church, 318 S. Cedar. The auction will run from 11 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., and a light lunch will be served.

Child care will be available.

Items up for bid include skis, a Rose Bowl football, a computer training class, a geological tour, a weekend at Hayden Lake, tennis lessons, quilts and an overnight package at the Hotel Lusso.

The auction is being put on by the church youth, who are planning to travel to Tijuana, Mexico, during spring break on a mission trip to build houses.