It was a cold winter morning (normal by New England standards)<\/em>, there were a couple inches of snow piled up on the side of the streets and sidewalks, and I was lugging a little table, a plastic box of supplies, and a sign to the local commuter rail station.\u00a0 That is where the people are; that is where the gospel\u2014\u201cremember that you are dust, and to\u00a0dust you shall return\u201d\u2014needs to be heard. In 2014 I collaborated with two ecumenical colleagues in town to provide \u201cAshes to Go\u201d at the train station.\u00a0 We received a variety of reactions to our presence\u2014avoidance, questions, intrigue, and thanks.\u00a0 Most commuters did not take us up on receiving ashes and prayer, but the first time of anything new can be intimidating.\u00a0 So we resolved to try this public witness again next year.<\/p>\n In 2015, the temperature was lower, the snow was higher, and more colleagues planned to join me, but ended up not making it.\u00a0 I started again with my table, sign, and ashes at the train station with similar interactions.\u00a0 However, later I moved over to the local university, where I was serving as the Protestant Campus Chaplain.\u00a0 The Dean\u2019s office provided me with hot beverages (coffee, cider, and hot chocolate) to hand out while also hawking my ashes, which was a great way to break the ice and start conversations with passersby.\u00a0 Again though most did not end up wanting ashes or prayer, I had many staff and students thank me for being there since they did not think they were going to be otherwise able to participate in the ritual that day due to scheduling conflicts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n To learn more or \u201cshare your site\u201d visit http:\/\/ashestogo.org<\/a> or check out the movement on Facebook (www.facebook.com\/Ashes-to-Go-320854664624542\/<\/a>).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today’s post is by\u00a0Leslie Scanlon, Pastor at Grace Lutheran in\u00a0Chesapeake, VA. It was a cold winter morning (normal by New England standards), there were a couple inches of snow piled up on the side of the streets and sidewalks, and I was lugging a little table, a plastic box of supplies, and a sign […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":241,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-post"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elcablogs.fairnorthdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2017\/02\/AshesToGoPastors-300x224.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elcablogs.fairnorthdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2017\/02\/GetYourAshSign.jpg\")
In 2016, after moving back to Virginia, sunrise on Ash Wednesday was warmer (not that my Southern blood allowed me to really appreciate it)<\/em>.\u00a0 The congregation I serve in Chesapeake, Virginia does not have a centralized gathering spot for commuters, so I simply stood outside the church, again with my little table, ashes, hand warmers, and sign.\u00a0 Some parishioners stood with me to pray with those who stopped by, and more stopped since they would not be able to make either of our worship services that day.
\nProviding \u201cAshes to Go\u201d is not going to bring droves of new members through your door.\u00a0 It is about meeting people where they are, showing that God is present in the hustle and bustle of daily life, and preaching the gospel even if people look at your sideways while you do.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/elcablogs.fairnorthdigital.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/60\/2017\/02\/AshesToGoSign-225x300.jpg\")
<\/p>\n