First Baptist Church, San Luis Obispo

Lent is a season for us to prepare our hearts to rejoice in our Savior, Jesus Christ, as we remember our need for Him. Here are some ways you can celebrate with us this year! (Click here to find out more about what Lent is, and why we celebrate it).

• Special Worship Services at FBCSLO:
  • Ash Wednesday—February 22, 6:00–7:00p. Lent starts with a time of declaring our need for forgiveness and seeking God’s help. Join us for worship, hearing the Word, and communion.
  • Lent Gatherings—Tuesdays, 6:00p–7:00p, starting February 28. A time to listen to the Word, pray and remember Christ in communion. Meet at Pastor Ben’s home (1184 Ella St). Everyone is welcome!
  • A Day With God Retreat—Friday, Mar 16–Saturday, Mar 17. This in-town retreat will give you an opportunity to slow down and enter into time of reflection and conversation with God. Pastor Ben will be leading and teaching on prayer. $20, meals are included.
  • Palm Sunday—during regular services on April 1, 10:30a & 6:00p.
  • Maundy Thursday—April 5, 6:00p. Remembering Jesus’ command to “love one another,” join us for a meal, worship, and encouragement.
  • Good Friday—April 6, 7:00p. Join us as we remember the death of Jesus on our behalf, and worship our Savior for His sacrifice.
  • Easter Services—April 8. He is risen, indeed! Celebrate with us! There will be special services starting Saturday night at 10:30p, then Sunday morning at 8:00a on Terrace Hill, 10:30a and 6:00p at FBC.
• Family & Personal Devotions—Our family devotional guide for the season of Lent  will be available on February 19 in the lobby. We also will have daily devotionals sent out by email.
• Fasting and giving—Many Christians practice fasting and giving during Lent, to focus on God’s generosity. This year, you could join us in fasting from a luxury item (coffee, cable, dining out, etc.), and donate any money you save to SLO AIDS Support Network.

Questions? Talk to Pastor Ben, ben@fbcslo.org, 805.550.7260

For many of us, “Lent” is unfamiliar—maybe we have heard that some Christians give something up during this time, but little else. Others may have grown up in a home where some fasting was observed, but never really explained. 

Lent is a season of forty days (plus six Sundays) before Easter. Very early on, Easter was celebrated as a great feast in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection, the center of our hope. Almost at once Christians began to observe a period of self-examination, prayer, fasting, and giving as a way of deepening their love for God and neighbor. The period of forty days was chosen as an intentional identification with Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 3).

Both in ancient times and today, Lent is an opportunity to consider our lives, remember our need for a Savior, and release things that have become an obstacle to trusting God. Fasting or praying during Lent does not impress God or earn His approval; instead, it helps us remember that we are saved by Christ alone, and shaped as we share in His sufferings. Lent can help us acknowledge that our afflictions grow our character, so we can surrender and trust God.

Lent includes a few distinct periods:

• Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent (this year, February 22). Traditionally, this is a day of fasting; some Christians participate in a service where they are marked on the forehead with ashes as a sign of repentance (and also a reminder that we are sealed in Christ, Revelation 14:1).
• The five weeks of Lent are a time for us to consider our need for a savior. Many Christians participate in some form of fasting and giving. This year we're joining as a community to support the food pantry of the AIDS Support Network/SLO Hep C Project.
• Holy Week (this year, April 1–8) is our annual remembrance of the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. It includes Palm Sunday (celebrating Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem), Maundy Thursday (the Last Supper, and Jesus’ new commandment [mandatum in Latin] to love one another), Good Friday (the crucifixion and death of Jesus), and Holy Saturday (a day of quiet when Jesus lay in the tomb). Holy Week ends with Easter, our celebration of Jesus’ resurrection!

Click here to find out how you can participate in Lent with us at First Baptist Church this year!

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LentOne.pdf (573 KB)

Get involved—take one of the Significant Sacrifice devotionals home on Sunday!

Questions? Email Ben Barczi, ben@fbcslo.org

Lent is a season for us to prepare our hearts to rejoice in our Savior, Jesus Christ, as we remember our need for Him. Here are some ways you can celebrate with us this year! (Click here to find out more about what Lent is, and why we celebrate it).

• Special Worship Services at FBCSLO:
  • Ash Wednesday—March 9, 6:00–7:00p. Lent starts with a time of declaring our need for forgiveness and seeking God’s help. Join us for worship, hearing the Word, and communion.
  • Communion Services—Saturdays, 5:30p–6:30p, starting March 12. This season is a great opportunity to listen to the Word and celebrate Communion more regularly. Everyone is welcome!
  • Palm Sunday—during regular services on April 17, 10:30a & 6:00p.
  • Maundy Thursday: Christ in the Passover—April 21, 6:00p. A very special service! Cyril Gordon from Jews for Jesus will be sharing a Jewish Passover meal with us and showing how it points to Christ. Limited seating, so RSVP soon!
  • Good Friday—April 22, 6:00p. Join us as we remember the death of Jesus on our behalf, and worship our Savior for His sacrifice.
  • Easter Services—April 24. He is risen, indeed! Celebrate with us! There will be special services starting Saturday night at 10:30p, then Sunday morning at 8:00a on Terrace Hill, 10:30a and 6:00p at FBC.
• Family Devotions—Our next family devotional guide, for the season of Lent, will be available on March 6 in the lobby.
• Personal devotions, fasting and giving—If God leads you to these practices, we have a guide in our Lobby to help you! “Significant Sacrifice” is prepared by Lifewater International, encouraging you to fast from a luxury item (your cup of coffee, cable, using your car when you could walk), and donate the money you save toward fresh water in third world countries.

Questions? Talk to Pastor Ben, ben@fbcslo.org, 805.550.7260

For many of us, “Lent” is unfamiliar—maybe we have heard that some Christians give something up during this time, but little else. Others may have grown up in a home where some fasting was observed, but never really explained. 

Lent is a season of forty days (plus six Sundays) before Easter. Very early on, Easter was celebrated as a great feast in remembrance of Christ’s resurrection, the center of our hope. Almost at once Christians began to observe a period of self-examination, prayer, fasting, and giving as a way of deepening their love for God and neighbor. The period of forty days was chosen as an intentional identification with Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 3).

Both in ancient times and today, Lent is an opportunity to consider our lives, remember our need for a Savior, and release things that have become an obstacle to trusting God. Fasting or praying during Lent does not impress God or earn His approval; instead, it helps us remember that we are saved by Christ alone, and shaped as we share in His sufferings. Lent can help us acknowledge that our afflictions grow our character, so we can surrender and trust God.

Lent includes a few distinct periods:

• Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent (this year, March 9). Traditionally, this is a day of fasting; some Christians participate in a service where they are marked on the forehead with ashes as a sign of repentance (and also a reminder that we are sealed in Christ, Revelation 14:1).
• The five weeks of Lent are a time for us to consider our need for a savior. Many Christians participate in some form of fasting and giving (see the Significant Sacrifice insert in today’s bulletin for one way you might do this, to benefit Lifewater International).
• Holy Week is our annual remembrance of the events surrounding Jesus’ death and resurrection. It includes Palm Sunday (celebrating Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem), Maundy Thursday (the Last Supper, and Jesus’ new commandment [mandatum in Latin] to love one another), Good Friday (the crucifixion and death of Jesus), and Holy Saturday (a day of quiet when Jesus lay in the tomb). Holy Week ends with Easter, our celebration of Jesus’ resurrection!

Click here to find out how you can participate in Lent with us at First Baptist Church this year!