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Repentance

Ash Wednesday image by Grzegorz Krupa from Pixabay

Admitting we are wrong and saying we’re sorry can be difficult, but it is integral to our faith journeys.

The church word for this is repentance. In addition to saying we’re sorry, true repentance includes a renewed commitment to a better way.

When we repent, we turn away from sin and toward God.

This is our journey—both individually and collectively. We recognize our personal and institutional sin and work to end it in our lives and in our communities.

The season of Lent that begins Ash Wednesday, February 17, is a time for personal repentance.

As the U.S. celebrates Black History Month, the church continues to wrestle with and repent from our complicity with the sin of systemic racism.
Everyone makes mistakes. When that happens, Jesus tells us to make it right, which often starts with the words, “I’m sorry.”
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Ways We Grow

Get Them Talking: I'm sorry

Everyone of us has said or done something for which we need to apologize. Why is it so important to say, "I'm sorry"?

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The Rev. Stephanie Vader of Emmanuel United Methodist Church in Scaggsville, Maryland, offers the imposition of ashes in a McDonald's parking lot. File photo from 2017 by Alison Burdett, Baltimore-Washington Conference.
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Ways We Grow

10 ideas for a more meaningful Ash Wednesday

With a little creativity, you can find ways to observe this holy day that begins Lent in the midst of your ordinary weekday routines.

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Season of Lent

Racial justice resources

  • Maya Cunningham (front), age 16, and others kneel in silence for 8 minutes in honor of George Floyd during "A Prayer Service To Stand Against Racism" held June 5, 2020 at Belle Meade United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tenn. The ecumenical service invited area churches to participate. Cunningham is from First United Pentecostal in Nashville. Photo by Kathleen Barry, UM News.

    Prayer

    Prayer to stand against racism
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  • The Advance Fund Did You Know Bulletin Insert (Korean version)
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