Easter shows up earlier on our 2026 calendars than it does many years – April 5. This means that the season of Lent leading up to Easter also begins earlier – in February this year. So here in this newsletter is the list of our  early Lent  activities:

 

  • Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18– The season of Lent begins with “Ash Wednesday” on Feb. 18. We will share in a worship service at 6:30 p.m., proceeded by a simple meal at 5:30 p.m. Please join us as we begin this Lenten season with a special time of music, Scripture, and prayer.

 

  • Sunday worship in Lent – Our Sunday morning worship services in Lent begin with

our Feb. 22 service, which includes the celebration of the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The choir will feature special anthems about Jesus’ journey to the cross throughout the season.

 

  • Daily Devotions– A variety of daily devotional guides for the season of Lent will be available on a table by the Koinonia Kafe. Some are specifically for children, some for families to do together, and some for adults. Please choose one, and make your observance of this season a daily event.

 

  • Wednesdays, Feb. 25 through March 25, Noon

The annual Wednesday Noon Lenten worship services, open to the whole community. All are held in our sanctuary. A half-hour worship service begins at Noon, featuring special music by a soloist or small group, the opportunity for prayer and reflection, and a short (only five minutes!) message from one of our Paris church ministers.

 

  • Helping Those in Need – During Lent we distribute envelopes and fish-shaped boxes for the “One Great Hour of Sharing” offering. Our main collection date is Easter Sunday, so you can drop coins into your “fish” throughout the season, or you may turn in your donation any time. The income is divided between the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, and Self-Development of People (more information is available at pcusa.org/oghs).

  

          Sanctuary choir news

       We are in the middle of a “deep freeze.” It’s easy to forget that just a few weeks ago we were warmer than normal. Right now we are focused on the cold around us; but let’s look forward to sunshine and warmth – in our souls and our moods, even if not outside.

     It’s already time to start thinking about Lent (and Easter)! Ash Wednesday is February 18, which means our noon Lenten services will start on February 25. We will not be doing the luncheons again this year, but please come to the services to feel the spirit of the Lenten season.

     Thank you to our loyal (tho few in number) choir members who have kept the music going each Sunday. Check out #489 in the hymnal, and change the word praying to singing:

“Lord, listen to your children singing, Lord, send Your Spirit in this place,

Lord, listen to Your children singing, Send us love, send us power, send us grace.”               

–Susan

 

HAPPY FEBRUARY BIRTHDAY!

1          Eric Bradham

3          Layla Sisneros

6          Bruce Willis

7          Ginni Bradshaw

9          Melanie Spung

            Sean Blair

16       Levi Ray       

17       Chris Benefiel

18       Ruth Anthony

20       Cole Hodge

23       Lou Ballard

25       Maurice Johnson, Jr.

 

Happy February Anniversary!

11       Jim & Kay McCullouch

14       Kevin & Jeanette Levellie

 

The Annual Congregational Meeting of the Presbyterian Church of Paris will take place Sunday, February 15 at 11:30 A.M., for the purpose of electing officers, receiving the reports of the church organizations, and reviewing the Budget.

 On February 8th, before/during/after worship, we will invite you to help out the Edgar County Food Pantry by giving to our special offering “Souper Bowl of Caring.” All donations will go to the Food Pantry. Pick the Super Bowl football team you think will win, or want to win, and put your donation into the soup pot with that team’s name on it. If you won’t be here on the 8th, make your check payable to “The Presbyterian Church” and in the memo line put “Souper Bowl of Caring.”

 

THE CHRISTIAN CALENDAR

“Transfiguration of the Lord” is Sunday, February 15. The Sunday immediately prior to Ash Wednesday is an appropriate time to look at the story of Jesus being “transfigured” up upon a mountain (Matthew 17:1-8), because this event marked a transition in Jesus’ ministry: from this point on, he began his journey to Jerusalem, where he would die. In celebrating this Sunday we rejoice in the divine majesty of Christ, whose glory shone even when confronted with the Cross. And then we begin our journey toward Good Friday on the following Wednesday with:

 

Lent – The season of Lent begins with “Ash Wednesday,” which falls on February 18 this year. This day gets its name from the fact that ashes are a symbol in the Bible, for reflecting on our behavior and repenting of the things we have done wrong (e.g. Jonah 3:6, Matthew 11:21).

 The season of Lent is a period of 40 weekdays  and six Sundays; in the early church it was a time for people who wanted to become members to study, pray, fast, and be examined, in order to join the church Easter morning. Later, the season developed into a time for all Christians to prepare themselves for Holy Week, through confession, repentance, and rededicating themselves to Christ. Its name is derived from the Middle English “lente,” which means “springtime.”

         The season runs through the Saturday of Holy Week, April 4 this year; it includes the special days of Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. It ends as Easter Sunday dawns, beginning the fifty-day season of Easter.

 

We Need Your Help with Per Capita: We encourage you to pay your per capita this year, in addition to your pledge. Per capita is the annual per member “dues” our church pays to the larger governing bodies of the Presbyterian Church—Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly—to allow their mission work to take place.

The per capita amount for 2026 is $42, a slight increase from the past few years. If you are willing to help, just write a check to “The Presbyterian Church” and indicate “per capita” on the memo line. Or you may put cash in one of the pew envelopes and mark it for per capita.

Thank you for your help.

 

“Dear Presbyterian Church,

   I want to say thank you for your donation for us here at Helping Hands Soup Kitchen. We are now feeding 100-120 meals daily, Monday-Friday.

   We have all different kinds of people we serve (rich and poor, old and young). At our tables they share conversation and laughter and of course, food! Helping Hands is a reflection of our community at its finest.

   As a show of our appreciation, we extend an invitation to you to join us for lunch and experience firsthand the harvest brought by your generosity.

   Blessings, Vicky Dick”

 NOTE: Information regarding continued efforts to help the hungry in our community can be obtained by contacting the following:

  • Helping Hands Soup Kitchen

Sue: 217-463-5705

Vicky 217-264-5514

  •  Homeless Project (Bill: 217-921-4364)
  •  Compassionate Food Pantry

(217-463-1600)

  •  ROSC (Niki: 217-549-7599)

 

~IN MEMORY~

Rev. Frank Gready

(served our congregation from 1983-1994)

The Presbyterian Church hosted a memorial service in our sanctuary for Rev. Gready,

 a former pastor here, on Saturday, February 7.

 

The Session will meet on Tuesday, February 10 at 5 p.m.

 

 

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

I John 4:10, NIV

 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!