Lenten service and study at First United Methodist Church

GILFORD — The First United Methodist Church of Gilford will hold an Ash Wednesday service on March 6 at 7 p.m.

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent which ends on Easter. Christians all over the world receive ashes, often in a mark on the forehead or hand, as a sign of repentance of sins and to remember that we come from dust and will return to dust. The ashes are made from the burning of dried palms from last year’s Palm Sunday.

The service is open to all who want to come, worship, and receive ashes.

The church is located at 18 Wesley Way, off Route 11A near the 3/11 bypass) in Gilford.

On Wednesdays, starting March 13 and continuing for six weeks, there will be a Soup and Bread Supper at 5:30 p.m. in the church's fellowship hall. The soups and breads are arranged by various committees in the church.

The study this year will be "He Chose the Nails: What God Did To Win Your Heart, written by Max Lucado and described as follows: “Linger on the hill of Calvary. Rub a finger on the timber and press the nail into your hand. Taste the tinge of cheap wine and feel the scrape of a thorn on your brow. Touch the velvet dirt, moist with the blood of God. Allow the tools of torture to tell their story. Listen as they tell you what God did to win your heart.”

Rev. Jim Shook will lead the study.

Contact the church if you will be participating. Books are available in the church office for $10, or on your own. For questions or to sign up for the study, call Joyce in the church office at 603-524-3289. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.