Pastor’s Corner
A Season of Preparation
Greetings everyone!
This month begins a season in the church calendar known as Lent. Its observance dates back to the people of the ancient church when candidates for baptism strictly fasted in preparation for the rite, which was celebrated at Easter. In 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea established a 40-day timeframe of fasting to precede Easter for all believers fasted, in keeping with Jesus’ 40-day temptation in the wilderness. In the late 500s, Pope Gregory further amended the observance to begin on a Wednesday known as Ash Wednesday, also exempting believers from fasting on the Sundays of the lenten period. Today, many Christians continue to observe Lent through acts of penance and self-discipline to cleanse our hearts and deepen our faith journeys. Lent serves as wonderful opportunity to step back from our ordinary routines and embrace (or re-embrace) a daily rhythm of faith that can absolutely reinvigorate our walk with God.
Below are some practical ideas for observing this beautiful and meaningful season:
Fasting: you might choose to fast from food or certain kinds of food, technology, or habits. This can be daily, for a few hours a day, or for certain days of the week (for instance, Catholics traditionally abstain from eating meat on Fridays).
Incorporating a Spiritual Discipline: you might choose to add something to your daily routine, such as praying every morning and evening, reading Scripture, journaling, meditating, taking a morning or evening prayer walk in your neighborhood.
Almsgiving: you might choose to intentionally engage in acts of charity or generosity, such as donating to charitable organizations and/or volunteering in your community.
The key to Lent is to dedicate ourselves to self-examination and spending time with God. The disciplines that we adopt are meant to turn our hearts to him. Whatever we choose to do (or not to do) should be a sacrifice, but nothing that is too harsh or demanding lest we elevate the discipline over and above its purpose in connecting us to God. We don't practice Lent to earn a gold star! God LOVES US — whether we choose to observe a daily Lenten ritual or not. God’s grace is for us, always. Lent can and should be deeply personal and, again, something that deepens our relationship with the Lord. But my advice also is to keep it simple!
For more information, I suggest reading through the following articles:
This year, Lent begins Wednesday, February 18 (which also happens to be my birthday!). I will officiate a morning lenten service for those interested in participating. I also highly encourage you to attend a brick-and-mortar service so you can physically receive ashes on your forehead. There are some denominations which even offer drive-thru imposition of ashes for those who have accessibility difficulties.
As always, I hope you will join us for one of our contemplative worship services, whether on Ash Wednesday or on one of our regular Friday mornings. I record every service and post them on my YouTube channel which also allows you to watch at a time that is convenient.
In addition, registration has opened to volunteer for Hope Heals Camp. As you know, this is the ministry we are supporting through August of this year. My daughter and I are hoping to volunteer during the first week of camp. Let me know if you are interested in volunteering as well (even if during a different week). For more information about volunteering SEE THIS LINK.
Finally, please read on for information on what we will be doing this month!
May God bless you with peace and awareness of his presence,
Kimberly
February Special Opportunities
Ash Wednesday Worship
Join me for a contemplative service to begin the season of Lent. We will celebrate Holy Communion so please prepare your elements in advance.
Wednesday, February 18
10 am Eastern Time
Meeting ID: 883 5823 4161
Passcode: 048578
Decaf Coffee Talk
Join me for a time of informal discussion and connection!
Tuesday, February 24
7:30 pm Eastern Time
Meeting ID: 891 5940 8665
Passcode: 537958
Join us for weekly worship!
Our worship series for this year is called “The Names of God,” following along with our Old Testament Bible study.
** Please see above for information about Ash Wednesday.
February Dates:
Friday, February 6
Friday, February 13
Friday, February 20
Friday, February 27
Services are Fridays at 9:15 am EASTERN TIME unless otherwise noted and recorded so that others may worship later at their convenience. Zoom links can be found HERE.
Downloadable and printable copies of the order of worship will be available HERE on the website by Friday at 8am Eastern (at the latest) on the morning of worship.
Recordings of the services can be found HERE.
If you ever experience difficulty logging in, please email me at [email protected]. I monitor my emails before we begin in case of emergency. Technology is great … until it isn’t!
Ministry Financial Report (Aug. 2025-2026)
Thank you again for your continued generous donations to the ministry and for your very kind financial gifts that were earmarked for myself and my family!
Donations Received
As of January 31: $3,745.24
does not include “gifts” designated for Kimberly’s personal use
Projected Expenses
YouTube, Zoom, Email Platform, Video/Podcast Recording (monthly expenses): $1,051.08
Research Materials: $98.95
Website Fee and Office Suite Annual Fee: $120.99
TOTAL BUDGETED EXPENSES: $1,271.02
Donations to Other Ministries (Our Tithe):
Hope Heals Camp: $1,130.00
I will continue to set aside 30% of all donations marked for ministry to tithe to Hope Heals Camp.
Children’s Miracle Network: $500
General Ministry Fund: $841.22
This fund contains money leftover after expenses and charitable donations. It will be used for unforeseen expenses, equipment repair and upkeep, ministry expansion, and miscalleneous items.
Click here to learn more about Hope Heals
Click here to donate to Kimberly Constant Ministries
Current Bible Study
ADONAI: A CHRONOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
February’s modules will cover the reign of King Solomon and the establishment of the divided kingdoms of Israel and Judah. As we continue our chronological journey through Israel’s history, we will be bouncing around in several biblical books, including 1 and 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Proverbs, and Song of Songs/Solomon.
It is NEVER too late to join us!!!!
To visit the course page CLICK HERE.
To register please CLICK HERE.
Get in Touch
Send Me an Email
Have questions, want to connect, have a prayer request, or in need of pastoral counseling? Send me an email and we can set up time to “meet!”
That’s it for this month!
May God bless you and keep you, may God make his face to shine upon you, and may God grant you peace.
Kimberly