You can access the website our mealtrain directly by clicking the link below, it should walk you through signing up and how it works as well as provide all the details concerning the meals and times! Thanks in advance for your support!

http://www.mealtrain.com/?id=mwp662pqepet

Click on the picture below for more details about Insurance… more details will come as we get closer to the start date

Check out the video above to get an idea of what this is all about. This class will be a 12 part series occurring about every 6 weeks or so. While it’s geared for parents and grandparents raising teenagers it is open to any adult. (sorry yutes, this ones not for you). The first class will be on November 6th, starting with dinner ($2.00) at 5pm and class is scheduled to begin about 5:45pm and go til 7pm. GOOD NEWS! This is during the regular reNEWed I.N.C. time slot, so instead of just dropping off your “yute” you can stay, eat with us, and then come to the parenting class. The classes will be co-taught by Greg Johnson and Tim Caldwell. We will be using a book called Youth Culture 101 written by Walt Mueller. The 1st class is titled “Good News: There’s a Teenager in Your Life”. So mark your calendars and I will se you there.

But why this Forty Day period? Certainly the number forty has long had a symbolic importance in religion. Moses and Elias spent forty days in the wilderness; the Jews wandered forty years searching for the Promised Land; Jonah gave the city of Nineveh forty days’ grace in which to repent. And Jesus retreated into the wilderness and fasted for forty days to prepare for his ministry. It was for Him a time of contemplation, reflection, and preparation. So by observing Lent, most Christians join Jesus on His retreat.

Fasting has been a part of Methodism from its early beginnings. John Wesley considered fasting an important part of a Christian’s life and he personally fasted weekly. To Wesley, fasting was an important way to express sorrow for sin and penitence for overindulgence in eating and drinking. He believed it benefited prayer life by allowing more time for prayer. He also felt fasting was more meaningful if combined with giving to the poor. Wesley did advise caution against extreme fasting and against fasting for those in fragile health.

Lent is a very personal time for individuals, so the United Methodist Church does not have official guidelines on how individuals should observe Lent. For example, the church does not say everyone has to fast. We may choose other ways of observing acts of penance, but we are not to neglect it, either – the value of self-denial can be learned early in a person’s life. Lent provides an excellent opportunity to teach children the necessity of self-denial in our permissive society. A spirit of fasting can include restriction of luxuries such as television watching, shopping and going out with friends. We can give away clothing or possessions to those in need or we can give time to the Lord by volunteering our services or special prayers and devotions. Whenever possible we can pray more often alone or with family members.

So, think about something in your life you think you can’t live with-out and try going 40 days with-out it. Leave a comment below about what your giving up and we can all go through this season together, encouraging and loving on one another as Jesus does.