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[ Special
Lenten Series ] [ Pastoral Lenten Prayer 2001 ]
[ Lenten Series History ]
Lenten
Series History
Introduction
Our Lenten Series has become a popular additional to our
annual Easter celebration. On this page, you will find information
on the past few years of our Lenten Series, our speakers and some of our
activities during Lent.
Dinners
Every Thursday night during Lent begins with a dinner sponsored by a group
within the church. The proceeds from these dinners help support
various mission programs and activities of the church.
Lenten
Series 2003
Thursdays, 6:00 PM to 7:15 PM
March 6 through April 10, 2003
March 6, 2003
Reverend Jane Gibbons, Area Minister for the American Baptist Churches of
Ohio, will be our guest. We know our own history as The
First Baptist Church in Toledo, but what about the rest of the
state? How big was the state of Ohio in 1853, how many Baptists were
there, where did they reside and what were they like? Rev. Gibbons
will answer many of these questions and more when she is with us.
She will help us understand the place of our church in the wider
historical context of the state.
March 13, 2003
The Honorable Jack Ford, Mayor of the City of Toledo, will be our
speaker. We are privileged to welcome Mayor Ford to First
Baptist. Mayor Ford will be sharing with us his thoughts on the role
of the church in the life of his own faith journey. Mayor Ford is a
member of New Covenant Baptist Church, one of our sister American Baptist
Churches in Toledo.
March 20, 2003
We welcome Reverend Bill Foster back to our congregation. Bill and
Beth Foster and their children were active members of First Baptist for
many years. Rev. Foster is now the Executive Chaplain of St. Joseph
Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As he has touched our lives and we
have touched his, we begin to understand a wider dimension of fellowship
and ministry. We look forward to Rev. Foster's return visit.
March 27, 2003
Riverside Baptist Church and Second Baptist Church were both founded as
outreach ministries of First Baptist and served their neighborhoods for
many, many years. They have now joined together along with a third
church to form Cass Road Baptist Church. The Reverend Tom Barber,
current Pastor of Cass Road and former Pastor of Riverside, will be our
speaker.
April 3, 2003
We welcome Reverend Doctor Langston Bannister as our guest. Rev.
Bannister is pastor of Third Baptist Church, a church First Baptist played
a role in founding. Rev. Bannister has announced that he will be
leaving Third Baptist following Easter so we count it a privilege to have
him share with us in this last month of his tenure.
April 10, 2003
We will close our Lenten Dinner series on this final Thursday evening
prior to Holy Week. CLICK HERE
for details on Holy Week at First Baptist.
Children's Programming
There are special activities and programming for grade school children
each of the Thursday nights in Lent. The children eat with their
parents and then are dismissed for their own activities and
programming. This year's theme will be "Adventures in
Odyssey." This action-packed video series is based on Focus on
the Family's popular radio program of the same title and each episode
packs a powerful and timeless message for children ages 6 and up.
A Very Special Lenten Series
Lenten Dinners - 2002 Report
Thursdays, 6:00 - 7:15 PM · February 14 through March
21, 2002
The Season of Lent
The Season of Lent is a forty day period (Sundays are not counted) in which we give preferential treatment to the spiritual aspect of our lives. For some it includes some form of fasting or commitment to a regimen of Bible reading or regular attendance at worship. While whatever is done is an individual decision there is the recognition that others have entered into similar journeys for the season. It is as the church we observe The Season of Lent.
Thanks to all who joined us in this journey. The Season of Lent
began February
14, 2002 and ended with Easter Sunday, March 31, 2002.
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Great Food!
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First Baptist, several years ago, initiated Thursday Lenten Dinners to provide the congregation with a mid-week experience of fellowship and worship for the season. We encourage all members of First Baptist to make these dinners a part of their Lenten observance.
"Spiritual Direction and Expression"
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Fellowship in the Kitchen!
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Sometimes there is an allure to spiritual practices found outside of Christianity whether it is New Age or another major religion. What is not understood is the rich tapestry of traditions and practices in our own faith. The Thursday Lenten programs
in 2002 introduced us to a wide spectrum of different Christian devotional or worship practices that can enrich our spiritual life. Each Thursday we learned something new, either ancient or modern, that has as its purpose the opening up of our life more fully to God. It
was a series that was designed specifically for the Lenten Season.
Thursday nights were very exciting. Here
is the schedule and the names of our guest presenters:
February 14 - Ms. Susan Lowery will introduce us
to two different spiritual practices, "Examen" and "Walking
Prayer."
February 21 - Rev C. Rodney Hudgen, interim
rector at Trinity Episcopal Church, will lead us in a look back at
Compline and Taize.
February 28 - Sister Catherine Shea of the
Sisters of Notre Dame will explore the role of dance and movement in
worship. Sister Shea is a leader in the liturgical dance movement
and she is also with the singing group, Spectrum.
March 7 - Mr. David Carter, director of the David
Carter Chorale, will introduce us to "The Spiritual" and its
importance.
March 14 - Rev. Stephen Smith, the pastor of
Collingwood Presbyterian, will talk to us about alternative worship
experiences including his church's contemporary service entitled "The
Garden."
March 21 - Dr. Andersen, pastor of First Baptist
of Greater Toledo, will guide us through "The Labyrinth," a
physical journey toward the center of a circle as it leads us to deeper
prayer and closer to God. This is an ancient practice finding a
renewed interest in the church today.
A Very Special Lenten Series
Lenten Dinners - 2001
Thursdays, 6:00 - 7:15 PM · March 15 through April 5, 2001
Our series on "Spirituality" continued
from the year 2000. As was the case last year, each week we had a guest speaker who focused on spirituality in a particular tradition.
 
 
 
March 1 - The speaker for the first evening was Ms. Susan Lowery, Director of Spiritual Formation for the Samaritan Counseling Center. Her topic
was, "A Beginning Point For Spiritual Growth."
March 8 - Ms. Lowery, who also serves as Director of Retreat Ministries at Samaritan Center
returned to present Part II of her subject, "A Beginning Point for Spiritual Growth."
During the question and answer period of Susan Lowery's speech on spiritual growth at our Thursday Lenten dinner, she was asked what books she would recommend on the spiritual life. In response to that question Susan sent us a "Reading List on Spirituality." The complete list is available in the church office, but the following is a partial listing:
De Mello, Anthony Praying Body and Soul, NY: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1998
Dossey, Larry, M.D., Prayer is Good Medicine. How To reap the Healing Benefits of Prayer, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996.
Foster, Richard J., Prayer, Finding The Heart's True Home, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1992.
Kerr, Hugh & John Mulder, eds. Famous Conversions. The Christian Experience. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, rep. ed. 1996.
Nouwen, Henri. Making All Things New, An Invitation to the Spiritual Life. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1981.
Underhill, Evelyn. The Ways of the Spirit. New York: The Crossroad Publishing Company, 1990.
--The Spiritual Life: Great Spiritual Truths for Everyday Life. London Oneworld, rep. ed. 1993.
March 15 - Dr. Langston Bannister, pastor of Third Baptist Church, shared with us the particular emphasis found in Afro-American spirituality, especially as it is focused in their music.
March 22 - Our guest speaker was Rev. Ed Sladek, pastor of Ashland Avenue Baptist. Last year Rev. Sladek was provided a four month sabbatical. He shared with us the spiritual journey he took during this period.
March 29 - Father Jim Bacik, pastor of Corpus Christi Church and Catholic Chaplain to the University of Toledo,
spoke of Christian spirituality, especially as it is developed through the Catholic tradition.
April 5 - The children of our church presented
four banners (as seen above) portraying the prophesy and events surrounding the ministry
of Jesus. The children told us about each banner as they were presented.
A Very Special Lenten Series
Lenten Dinners - 2000
Thursdays, 6:00 - 7:15 PM · March 9 through April 13, 2000
We had a wonderful series with the best attendance
in years! The focus was
on the many facets of spirituality, especially those offered from different
traditions than our own.
Our children had fun
making Easter Season Banners!
The focus in 2000 was an exploration of spiritual growth
practices in different religious traditions. The purpose was to expand our
horizons through an acquaintance with the way others from different traditions
approach the spiritual life. Each week a speaker shared his or her
tradition. Included in the series was a look at Celtic Spirituality
and Catholic Spirituality. Our youth also presented a program on their trip to Estes Park, Colorado. Here
was the complete schedule:
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MARCH 9, 2000
We begin with our own young people and a look at teenage spirituality. In this context we will hear about their planned trip to Colorado this summer
for the American Baptist Youth Gathering. Give them you support by attending this dinner and hearing what our youth are up to at First Baptist.
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MARCH 16, 2000
Sister Karen Zielinski, OSF , Communications Director of the Order of The Sisters of St. Francis, will speak on Catholic
Spirituality. The Catholics have a rich tradition in spiritual thought and development and it will be
our pleasure to glean from this tradition on this evening. (Sister Karen also happens to be Sharon Andersen's boss a St. Francis).
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MARCH 23, 2000
The Rev. Dee Baker, Campus Minister for Toledo Campus Ministry, will speak and demonstrate the creation of a "Prayer
Weave." This is a special banner that we will then use throughout the remainder of Lent. The banner slowly
takes shape through our prayers for one another.
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MARCH 30, 2000
The Rev. Barry Murr, Pastor of Glendale Presbyterian Church, will speak on "Celtic Spirituality." This is an ancient
tradition linked to the simpler parts of life. Rev. Barry says, "Celtic spirituality can be refreshing in a
society that has
become programmatic and compartmentalized."
APRIL 6, 2000
Over the past three weeks we have looked at forms of spirituality from
different Christian traditions. This Thursday, we step outside of
Christianity and hear about the Muslim faith. Mr. Faroog Imam from the
Toledo Islamic Center will speak on "Islamic Spirituality."
That which we would critique, we must understand. Most of us know very
little about the Islamic faith. May this evening help us in our
understanding of this major religion. APRIL 13, 2000
"A Banner Easter" The last Lenten dinner of the season will
be presented by our children. For the past five weeks they have been
working on a special banner as the adults have met in the fellowship
hall. On April 13, our children will show us their creation and
explain it. Join us for this last Lenten Dinner of the season.
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