Lenten Offerings

Since the very beginning, Christians have used the weeks leading up to Easter as a time to prepare our hearts, minds, and lives for what God is doing in the resurrection. People keep the holy season of Lent in many ways: by learning and reflecting, by offering and embracing forgiveness, by letting go of what weighs us down and taking on new ways that help us turn back to God, and by stretching to be generous to those in need.

We invite you, therefore, to the observance of a holy Lent. This is a journey we take together, and we are offering new ways to practice it together at Church of the Resurrection this year.

Grace and peace to you as we step forward into the unknown together. Know that you are deeply loved — by God and by your church family — and know that you belong here in this community.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper — February 17th, 5:30 – 7:00pm

Come and enjoy hot pancakes, bacon, and all the fixings as we share a Mardi Gras feast with our church community in the Parish Hall. Invite your family and friends for a warm meal and welcoming conversation.  As our meal draws to a close, we’ll gather out on the patio to burn the palms from last year’s Palm Sunday (you are welcome to bring yours back if you still have them!) which will make the ash we use the next day as we enter into Lent. We welcome donations of $10 per person or $25 per family; all proceeds will go to support the Hillcrest Food Pantry. Thanks to our men’s group for hosting what is always a delightful event!

Ash Wednesday — February 18th

We will hold services at Noon and 7:00pm on Ash Wednesday. Both will include Holy Eucharist and the imposition of ashes. The Noon service will be quieter and spoken; the 7pm service will include music.

The Catechism: Adult Formation during Lent — Sundays at 9am

Adult Formation:  Feb. 15 – March 29, 2026 Sundays at 9am

Much as a compass can help you find your way out of the wilderness, an invitation to a holy Lent is the call to find your way back into closer relationship with God. One way to do this is through remembering our baptismal covenant and using it as a guidepost to our basic tenets of faith. Come join Rev. Kathy and Rev. Whitney as we use our baptismal vows as a lens to examine what it means to be a Christian and particularly what our Episcopal faith tells us about where God is calling us into the world.

Mid-Week Chapel for Lent — Wednesdays at 11:00am

All are invited to join in the Holy Eucharist at 11:00am on Wednesdays. We will continue to gather for this important mid-week reset as we carve a bit of time out of our busy lives to refocus on our spiritual selves and turn back to God once more. It’s an intimate service: we pull our chairs into a circle, share in reading the lessons, and join in conversation in place of a sermon. It lasts about an hour.

Lenten Evening Series — Reflection and Reconciliation

We’ll be gathering in the Parish Hall from 6:30 – 8:00pm on four Tuesdays, February 24, March 3, 17, and 24, with simple finger food to share. During Lent, we are trying to draw ourselves back into covenant with God, and one of tasks we’ve been given to this end is to practice reflection and reconciliation. The church has a painful history — and in many ways, a painful present — in the way we’ve treated our Jewish siblings; a history that is particularly painful in Holy Week. During these four Tuesdays, we will dive into the ways the Church has fallen short of God’s vision for us, how antisemitism and Christian nationalism continue to demonstrate that brokenness, and we’ll explore ways to begin reaching to be repairers of the breach, together.

Lenten Bedding & Food Drives

Beginning February 22nd and continuing through March 29th, Church of the Resurrection will be sponsoring bedding and food drives to serve those in need in our community. 

We are collecting the following bedding:

  • Twin, full, and queen-size new and gently-used sheets, blankets, comforters and quilts, and
  • Baby/Toddler Crib bedding 

The bedding will be provided to the Contra Costa Interfaith Coalition (CCIC) for distribution. Since 1992, CCIC has been a 100% volunteer-driven nonprofit, uniting people of diverse faiths and backgrounds to serve those in need across Contra Costa County. Their impact is rooted in compassion, collaboration, and community. Through partnerships with local social service agencies, CCIC provides essential household items and food assistance to individuals and families facing challenges such as homelessness, domestic violence, disability, and poverty. CCIC’s mission is to improve living conditions and quality of life, bringing hope and light to those navigating adversity. Last year, CCIC provided 284 sets of bedding. The need is ongoing!

We are also collecting much needed food items:

  • Chili
  • Canned soups
  • Peanut butter
  • Cold cereal
  • Cooking oil
  • Granola bars

These items will be provided to The Hillcrest Church Community Food Room. Hillcrest has been providing food to the community of Pleasant Hill and surrounding communities since the 1950s. The Food Room is a partner agency of the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano. 

Psalm-A-Thon

On Saturday, March 21 from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. the Discipleship Groups at Church of the Resurrection are offering a Psalm-A-Thon. When read and reread, the Psalms collectively give us language for prayer for every season of our lives. And, when we share the Psalms, we are sharing the ancient rhythms and words of our faith. We will gather in the church sanctuary to read the entire Book of Psalms, breaking in the middle for a pot luck lunch. Please join us as we share the ancient poems of praise, lament, trust, thanksgiving and wisdom as we prepare to enter Holy Week. Advance sign-ups are welcome, but not required. Want to know more? Ask Jessica, Lita, Sharon, or Tom, or contact the office. All are welcome. We are excited to share this experience with you.