(Seguin) –Seguin churches will be taking church to the streets this Ash Wednesday. Observing its 10th annual “Ashes-To-Go” will be Emanuel’s Lutheran Church.
Pastor Marcus Bigott says Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Lenten season or countdown to Easter. He says it is a Holy day observed by various faith communities.
“Ash Wednesday is a tie back to the ancient practice. It goes all the way to the Middle Ages of someone carrying an Ashen cross on their foreheads as not only a sign of penitence but a reminder of our humanity and a little bit of our humility that we entrust ourselves to God. We are created from dust and to dust we shall return and that is in midst of a world that is often struggling with itself and how we care for each other to remember that even in brokenness, God heals, and God is there to love and is there to love us through the brokenness,” said Bigott.
The church today will be providing ashes on foreheads to anyone in the community from noon to 1 p.m. The ashes will be available in the parking spaces adjacent to the church located on Gonzales Street.
Bigott says although Emmanuel’s is hosting the event, several churches have partnered with the local congregation.
“I am really excited. This year, our Ashes to Go is not only continuing to grow in people who participate when they come in their vehicles or walk up or ride their bicycles or skateboard, but we are also growing in our church partnerships which is wonderful. It’s not just Emmanuel’s Lutheran this year. But it’s Emmanuel’s, First Presbyterian Church, Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church and Friedens United Church of Christ and the clergy leadership of each of those congregations will be here from 12 to 1 p.m. and each of those pastors will have ashes and a small prayer to offer each person who then comes up or every van load or however it happens as they then move from the Saegert side of Gonzales to the Travis Street side of Gonzales. There will be lanes and volunteers to help guide folks,” said Bigott.
Joining the tradition in its own prayer garden will be La Trinidad United Methodist Church. The church will also be hosting an Ash Wednesday Community Drive-Thru today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The garden is located at the corner of N. Milam and Mountain Streets.
It is said this tradition of going out to the people first began with three Chicago area Episcopal congregations who in 2010 headed to train stations where commuters were apparently hungry for “a moment of prayer, renewal and grace.” Church leaders say they found that those who had no time to attend middle of the week church services or had forgotten about the religious tradition “were delighted to received ashes with prayer as they began their day.”
Today, that tradition has apparently spread all across the country with Emanuel’s Lutheran Church picking up the tradition here in Seguin just two years after that initial launch in 2010. During his five and half years here in Seguin, Bigott says he himself has witnessed many of those same moments of grace being extended during the Ashes To-Go.
“It’s been fantastic especially as we walk through the worst of COVID and those years. It provided us a chance to not only be together as a community but to remember such an important element of our Lenten walk about remembering who we are and who we entrust our lives to. So, gathering on the street provided an opportunity for folks to do what we couldn’t safely do inside our sanctuaries often times. It also gave us a chance to pray with those who we were missing and who we hadn’t been able to see in church because we couldn’t gather together but also, it provided a space too for us to gather with those who maybe walking into a church building is not the easiest of things or it’s not a place they want to be but they feel within themselves a connection to this time of the church year and they want to be a part of it in a way where it meets them where they are. So being able to be on the street or where we used to be there on the corner of the Habitat parking lot, it gave us a chance to do that. It does indeed take church to the streets and puts us in a place that doesn’t look anything like the structure building that we meet in on Sunday,” said Bigott.
Various other churches throughout Seguin will also be hosting their own respective Ash Wednesday observances and services. On top of its special services, Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church will be hosting its annual Ash Wednesday Fish Fry. The fish fry is being hosted by the Guadalupanas.
Both a lunch and dinner meal will be offered. The lunch fish fry will be served today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. followed by dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. The catfish plates are $13.50 each and include fries, coleslaw and green bean salad. Both dine-in and to go plates will be available. The church is located at 409 W. Krezdorn St.