Ash Wednesday

Last night we acknowledged our sinfulness at our Ash Wednesday service.

It was a very different type of service than most at ICC. It was quiet and simple and mostly organized and facilitated by women.

Certainly, ICC is in a different and more difficult place than ever before. Starting in January our pastor became a half-time employee of the church. It was not his desire to go to half time but a decision made in light of the reality of our current income.

Our Ash Wednesday service was the first service to follow our annual meeting. This year's annual meeting (and I will qualify this statement by saying I've only been to a handfull of annual meetings) was very ugly. I'm still confused by some of the disrespect and outright meanness that I witnessed my church family inflict on one another.

In one respect it seems totally appropriate to have these struggles during this time in the church calendar. God has provided us an opportunity to be clear about our brokenness as individuals and as a church body.

As I continue to talk with folks about our current state of affairs I'm hearing some scary things. And most of these things involve and contribute to divisions among our congregation.

My question is how do we (as a congregation) get back to Jesus as our focal point? How do we get back to the truth of that scarificial love that frees us to love one another in the way we ought to?

Honestly, I don't know. But I'm going to keep asking until He answers me.