Good Lord, deliver us.

John and Charles Wesley

John and Charles Wesley, Priests, 1791, 1788

The Collect:

Lord God, you inspired your servants John and Charles Wesley with burning zeal for the sanctification of souls and endowed them with eloquence in speech and song: Kindle such fervor in your church, we entreat you, that those whose faith has cooled may be warmed, and those who have not known Christ may turn to him and be saved; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Wesley brothers, John born in 1703 and Charles in 1707, were leaders of the evangelical revival in the Church of England in the eighteenth century. They both attended Oxford University, and there they gathered a few friends with whom they undertook a strict adherence to the worship and discipline of the Book of Common Prayer, from which strict observance they received the nickname, "Methodists." Having been ordained, they went to the American colony of Georgia in 1735, John as a missionary and Charles as secretary to Governor Oglethorpe. They found the experience disheartening, and returned home in a few years. There, three days apart, they underwent a conversion experience. John, present with a group of Moravians who were reading Martin Luther's Preface to the Epistle to the Romans, received a strong emotional awareness of the love of Christ displayed in freely forgiving his sins and granting him eternal life.

Following this experience, John and Charles, with others, set about to stir up in others a like awareness of and response to the saving love of God. Of the two, John was the more powerful preacher, and averaged 8000 miles of travel a year, mostly on horseback. At the time of his death he was probably the best known and best loved man in England.

It was the intention of the Wesleys and their colleagues that their "Methodist Societies" should be a group within the existing structure of the Anglican Church, but after their deaths the Societies in America, and to a lesser extent in England, developed a separate status. Charles Wesley died 29 March 1788. John Wesley died 2 March 1791. The Wesleys are remembered on 3 March.*

The Lectionary, James Kiefer, http://www.satucket.com/lectionary/Wesley.htm (modified)

John Wesley

Charles Wesley

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday

The first of the forty days of Lent, named for the custom of placing blessed ashes on the foreheads of worshipers at Ash Wednesday services. The ashes are a sign of penitence and a reminder of mortality, and may be imposed with the sign of the cross. Ash Wednesday is observed as a fast in the church year of the Episcopal Church. The Ash Wednesday service is one of the Proper Liturgies for Special Days in the BCP (p. 264). Imposition of ashes at the Ash Wednesday service is optional. *

* From An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, Glossary definitions provided courtesy of Church Publishing Incorporated, New York, NY,(All Rights reserved) from “An Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, A User Friendly Reference for Episcopalians,” Don S. Armentrout and Robert Boak Slocum, editors. See https://www.episcopalchurch.org/glossary/  Note: Even though the imposition of ashes at the Ash Wednesday service is optional, Holy Eucharist will be celebrated at all our local Episcopal churches today.

Ash Wednesday Liturgy and Holy Eucharist at 12:00 Noon and 6:00 p.m.

From Our Friends at Grace

Eucharists and Suppers 2022

Eucharists and Suppers 2022 – All are invited!
Monroe, West Monroe, Ruston and Grambling Episcopal Churches 

Each Wednesday Lenten Eucharist will begin at 6:00 p.m.

and is followed by a simple Lenten supper.

March 9 - Grace Episcopal Church

 405 Glenmar Avenue, Monroe 

Presiding: The Rev’d Don Smith, Preaching: The Rev’d Rita Jefferson

March 16 - Church of the Redeemer, Ruston, (& St. Luke’s Chapel, Grambling)

504 Tech Drive, Ruston

Presiding: The Rev’d Frank Hughes, Preaching:  The Rev’d Don Smith

March 23 - St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, West Monroe

1712 Wellerman Drive, West Monroe

Presiding: The Rev’d Rob Harkness, Preaching: The Rev’d Wayne Fletcher

March 30 - St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church

3706 Bon Aire Drive, Monroe

Presiding: The Rev’d Rita Jefferson, Preaching: The Rev’d Rob Harkness

April 6 - St. Alban’s Episcopal Church & 

Iglesia Episcopal La Esperanza de Familias Unidas

2816 Deborah Drive, Monroe  - Bi-lingual Eucharist and Sermon 

Presiding: The Rev’d Whit Stodghill, Preaching: The Rev’d Bette Jo Kauffman

April 13 - WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK – Everybody Home

(No Supper)

April 16 - HOLY SATURDAY – The Great Vigil of Easter 

Grace Episcopal Church  – 8:00 p.m. (No Supper)

Presiding: The Rev’d Don Smith, Preaching:  Dean Dawnell Stodghill

Spread the Love

Our 2022 Lenten Project is the "Spread the Love" Peanut Butter Drive.

Why Peanut Butter?

Peanut butter is fun and nutritious!  Peanut butter is an excellent source of protein and serves as a great substitution or alternative to meat products because it is much less expensive, it is filling, and it contains fiber. Finally, peanut butter is jam-packed with nutrients like phosphorus, potassium, zinc, folate, and the antioxidant vitamin E and is easy to keep and store. Peanut butter is a popular food bank item and is always in high demand!

We will collect jars of peanut butter - any size or brand - from Ash Wednesday until Easter 2022 and all our collections will go to the Foodbank of NELA. Please be generous and help us "Spread the Love!"

Vincent Van Gogh and the Beauty of Lent

This year, for our Lenten Study, we will use "Vincent Van Gogh and the Beauty of Lent" resources from the SALT Project (saltproject.org). 

You can get a physical copy of the booklet at church, or you may use the digital copy of the booklet (which you can receive via email). Links to all the art are hyperlinked in the digital version and available on a separate "Van Gogh Links" sheet in pdf.