GC faculty, staff, students examine “An astonishing thing!” during Lenten season; Online devotions posted daily at www.goshen.edu beginning Ash Wednesday

GC faculty, staff, students examine “An astonishing thing!” during Lenten season; Online devotions posted daily at www.goshen.edu beginning Ash Wednesday

Online devotions posted daily at www.goshen.edu beginning Ash Wednesday

GOSHEN, Ind. — In the midst of life’s busy-ness, Goshen College will offer a Lenten pause – daily reflections and devotions available online from Ash Wednesday (Feb. 13) to Easter Sunday (March 31).

Through Goshen College’s Web site (www.goshen.edu), the college’s professors, administrators, staff members and students will provide daily reflections, based on revised common lectionary Scripture passages. Readers also can choose to have the devotions delivered to their e-mailboxes each morning or to enrich others with words of their own on the feedback portion of the site.

The series will follow the theme, “Here is an astonishing thing!” offered for Mennonite churches by Builder magazine.

Goshen Campus Minister Sylvia Shirk Charles said the daily devotions should offer a moment of pause and peace, presenting the thoughts of individual believers to accompany anyone’s Lenten devotions. The offerings include poetry, personal stories, reflections, prayers and at least one work of art, all intended to more closely examine how the life of Christ affected the people of his day, and of our day.

Shirk Charles said people of faith should acknowledge the importance of the Lenten season that leads to Easter.

“It is necessary to offer ourselves to God each day of the year, but the Lenten season – as we examine the astonishing gift of Christ’s life and death and new life – can be a time to especially examine ourselves to determine what in our own lives needs to be made new,” Shirk Charles said. “During Lent, we prepare to celebrate resurrection, but we need time for deep reflection. The process can’t all be done in a day.”

The six weeks of daily devotions offer reflections from committed faculty, staff and students, many of whom are actively ministering in the community and at their churches. The online devotions are just a fraction of the Christian resources that exist on campus.

Organizers suggested intentionally taking time to reflect on the themes of the season can be a refreshing way to energize a Christian’s day-to-day walk with God. College spokesperson Ryan Miller said the short reflections could be used as a centering tool at the start of a day or a way to wind down in the evening.

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.