Ashes to Fire Year B (2012)

[Marian Schwaller Carney]

I am wondering how many of you are planning on using Ashes to Fire Year B this year? And if you are, how are you using it - bibles study, sermons, sunday school, all of the above, other?

http://tinyurl.com/AtoFYearB

[Susan Unger]

We are using the whole thing this year. We didn't use it last year so this will be a new experience for all of us. I saw a sample book from last year and the drool started I told my pastor that I am looking forward to Easter for the first time since I was a kid.

[David Snodgrass]

I actually just purchased the Kindle version today for my iPad. I completed my preaching calendar through pentecost. We will be using the series for preaching, discipleship and individual devotional study.

We will also begin with an Ash Wednesday service.

[John Reilly]

I am wondering how many of you are planning on using Ashes to Fire Year B this year? And if you are, how are you using it - bibles study, sermons, sunday school, all of the above, other?

http://tinyurl.com/AtoFYearB

Keene, NH will engage in Ashes to Fire again this year. Ash Wednesday Service will include communion and ashes.

[Rich Schmidt]

This past year we did a one-year Bible reading/preaching series, so we couldn't do Ashes to Fire. I think I'd like to do it this year.

Are there testimonies from anyone who did it last year? Anyone want to convince me of its value & push me over the edge to go ahead and order it?

[Marian Schwaller Carney]

This past year we did a one-year Bible reading/preaching series, so we couldn't do Ashes to Fire. I think I'd like to do it this year.

Are there testimonies from anyone who did it last year? Anyone want to convince me of its value & push me over the edge to go ahead and order it?

As a user of the devotional book and music CD, I was very impressed; the music was among some of the best Xian music I've ever heard. I used the book for myself and also taught it for my adult SS class. It went very well and the class enjoyed and really engaged with it.

[Susan Unger]

Got my first student signed up tonight for the small group class.

[Jonathan Hooker]

Up here in heavy Roman Catholic territory in North Dakota we won't be using it due to the culture we minister to. Liturgical based ministry generally doesn't work well when trying to minister to people coming out of that environment. Often they are looking for something that is different especially when they felt dead doing what they had been doing at their previous church. Although, last year the church I moved from in KS used it and most people really enjoyed it. It is just one of those things that works for some cultures and not as well for others... At least that is my humble opinion.

JH

P.S. Be nice to me... I'm new to the forums... :-)

[Susan Unger]

Up here in heavy Roman Catholic territory in North Dakota we won't be using it due to the culture we minister to. Liturgical based ministry generally doesn't work well when trying to minister to people coming out of that environment. Often they are looking for something that is different especially when they felt dead doing what they had been doing at their previous church. Although, last year the church I moved from in KS used it and most people really enjoyed it. It is just one of those things that works for some cultures and not as well for others... At least that is my humble opinion.
JH

P.S. Be nice to me... I'm new to the forums... :-)

Actually, the area I live in central PA is heavily Catholic and Lutheran. In my experience, people who are leaving still like the worship format of a liturgical service but just need more meat in the sermon/homily and bible teaching.

[Jim Abrams]

I agree with Susan - I've found that people I minister to (and minister with) from a more high liturgical background appreciated the format and structure. They've appreciated the heavy reliance on the scriptures to drive both personal and corporate devotional life through Lent and Easter.

I also understand that in some communities there are simply too many emotional/spiritual barriers for Ashes to Fire to be of any great benefit. It is important for leaders to have a keen awareness before imposing a program like this. Sometimes people need to take baby steps toward overcoming barriers. It seems to me that some type of observance that recognizes the significance of this time in the Christian Year that moves people through common devotional practices would be a strong pastoral step to help community avoid walling themselves in and stunting their own spiritual growth.

One deep concern of mine is the misguided assumption that observance of Ash Wednesday (including the imposition of ashes), Lent, and the Christian Year in general is perceived by so many as exclusively Roman Catholic. Observance of the Christian Year including Ash Wednesday is practiced by Christian people all over the world Protestants and Roman Catholic. This idea that the Ashes to Fire program in any way promotes Roman Cathilolicism is misguided (see http://www.facebook.com/AshestoFire).

[Rich Schmidt]

One deep concern of mine is the misguided assumption that observance of Ash Wednesday (including the imposition of ashes), Lent, and the Christian Year in general is perceived by so many as exclusively Roman Catholic. Observance of the Christian Year including Ash Wednesday is practiced by Christian people all over the world Protestants and Roman Catholic. This idea that the Ashes to Fire program in any way promotes Roman Cathilolicism is misguided (see http://www.facebook.com/AshestoFire).

Thankfully, the people in our congregation haven't fallen for that. We have people from a wide variety of backgrounds, including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, etc. They're familiar with the idea of Lent already, and we've "given up" things for Lent in the past in order to raise money for clean water wells. And coming off a year of reading through the Bible together, this will give the people who enjoyed that another daily Bible-reading & devotional plan to follow.

I've received the church planning kit. Just waiting for the board to give me the green light at this Monday's board meeting to order the devotional guides.

[John Reilly]

Thankfully, the people in our congregation haven't fallen for that. We have people from a wide variety of backgrounds, including Roman Catholic, Lutheran, etc. They're familiar with the idea of Lent already, and we've "given up" things for Lent in the past in order to raise money for clean water wells. And coming off a year of reading through the Bible together, this will give the people who enjoyed that another daily Bible-reading & devotional plan to follow.

I've received the church planning kit. Just waiting for the board to give me the green light at this Monday's board meeting to order the devotional guides.

Rich, Is your church buying a journal for everyone or are you asking people to pay for their journal?

[Rich Schmidt]

Rich, Is your church buying a journal for everyone or are you asking people to pay for their journal?

I don't know. I'll find out Monday night.

My guess is that we'll buy them for people... but also let them know how much they cost, so if they want to offset it by dropping an extra $10 in the box, they can.

I should add that we're a church of around 100 in attendance. So we'll probably only need around 50 devotional guides. (I don't think I can call them journals given how little space is inside for writing.)

[David Pettigrew]

I read the facebook page. It angers me that people who allow no dissent on their own facebook page will troll another one and fill it with their ignorance. I'm constantly astounded by the immaturity of a group that like the scribes of Mark 2 will never confront anyone directly, but feel free to murmur safely in the anonymity of the internet. Fortunately it appears almost no one is taking the bait. Hope it remains that way so the focus of the project can remain Christ and him crucified.

[Susan Unger]

I read the facebook page. It angers me that people who allow no dissent on their own facebook page will troll another one and fill it with their ignorance. I'm constantly astounded by the immaturity of a group that will like the scribes of Mark 2 will never confront anyone directly, but feel free to murmur safely in the anonymity of the internet. Fortunately it appears almost no one is taking the bait. Hope it remains that way so the focus of the project can remain Christ and him crucified.

Yes, I had to stop after a few of them. I only want garbage out, not read more of it from the trolls.

[Rich Schmidt]

The church board gave the green light last night... and they're excited about it! They're especially excited about how it connects us with "the church universal" (in the words of one board member).

BTW, we had 5 of the 6 board members present last night, and just around that table were people with backgrounds in Roman Catholic, United Methodist, Presbyterian, Assembly of God, independent, and Nazarene churches (that I know of). So many of them were aware of the ways these traditions (like the Apostles' Creed, lectionary, and church calendar) are shared across denominations. When I mentioned that some Nazarenes are concerned that this is all "making us Roman Catholic," at least one nodded her head... but they disagree with that assessment.

I'll be placing my order for the devotional guides in just a couple minutes!

[Kevin Rector]

I'm ordering the leaders pack now, and will probably be ordering the devotional guides before the week is out. I'm excited about how our church will be doing this journey together, many people really enjoyed going through the bible together last year, and this is a small taste of that without the huge commitment.

[Roy Richardson]

I actually just purchased the Kindle version today for my iPad. I completed my preaching calendar through pentecost. We will be using the series for preaching, discipleship and individual devotional study.

We will also begin with an Ash Wednesday service.

We are using the whole thing and the books arrived yesterday. I'm excited about it for the congregation. I've been on a lectionary cycle for a while and now their SS classes will be there with me.

[Susan Unger]

Ours arrived yesterday as well.

[Marsha Lynn]

I am wondering how many of you are planning on using Ashes to Fire Year B this year? And if you are, how are you using it - bibles study, sermons, sunday school, all of the above, other?

http://tinyurl.com/AtoFYearB

We used the whole thing last year -- sermons and Sunday School curriculum for all ages. I think some of the children's teachers really struggled with it. The adult teachers had a mixed response.

This year the regular adult WordAction curriculum is following a very similar path so we're not replacing it. We are being encouraged to order the journals for our personal use at our own cost. And we will have an Ash Wednesday service again. I much prefer that to our former habit of totally ignoring Ash Wednesday.

On a personal level, I decided to continue to use the "daily office" for the rest of the year rather than the Bible reading plan I've used for the past umpteen years. I'm continuing with it this year. I consider that to still be an experiment.

One minor complaint I have with the journals is that they are so difficult to keep open. Spiral-bound would be nice so we could easily leave it turned to the next day's page. If not that, at least a binding that will stay open when laid flat.

Marsha

[Greg Farra]

I read the facebook page. It angers me that people who allow no dissent on their own facebook page will troll another one and fill it with their ignorance. I'm constantly astounded by the immaturity of a group that like the scribes of Mark 2 will never confront anyone directly, but feel free to murmur safely in the anonymity of the internet. Fortunately it appears almost no one is taking the bait. Hope it remains that way so the focus of the project can remain Christ and him crucified.

Sorry, I had to take a little bait there. I just could not resist.

[Ryan Scott]

We'll be using it as well. Our children's SS teachers won't use it, but we'll use the kids curriculum for children's church time.

[Susan Unger]

We used the whole thing last year -- sermons and Sunday School curriculum for all ages. I think some of the children's teachers really struggled with it. The adult teachers had a mixed response.

Was the Sunday School curriculum in the church kit cd or a separate book?

[Greg Farra]

I have the promotional one that was sent out to the churches. We're not using it, but I am going through it myself.

[Marsha Lynn]

Was the Sunday School curriculum in the church kit cd or a separate book?

I don't know about the children's material. As an adult teacher, I had the A2F personal journal plus some teaching suggestions in a 3-ring binder that must have come with the kit plus access to a web page with extra ideas for small group discussions.

[Susan Unger]

As an adult teacher, I had the A2F personal journal plus some teaching suggestions in a 3-ring binder that must have come with the kit plus access to a web page with extra ideas for small group discussions.

There's some confusion right now over whether or not there is teacher/student material beyond the resources cd. I wonder if the 3 ring binder came from nph or was printed off by your church for you from that cd. I will need to get that web page password.

[Ryan Scott]

There was no binder, likely the church printed the material out for her. We did that for our teachers. We use the adult small group curriculum from the resource CD for our Sunday School - that's likely the material she's talking about.

Also, so far, feedback from the music CD has been less than stellar. The songs last year got great reviews, but I suspect this year they were trying to work with a smaller budget.

[Susan Unger]

There was no binder, likely the church printed the material out for her. We did that for our teachers. We use the adult small group curriculum from the resource CD for our Sunday School - that's likely the material she's talking about.

Ok thanks. This is what I was looking for, and will let the pastor and secretary know.

[Katelynn Scott]

Our church ordered books last year for almost everyone in our congregation (or every family) and the Sunday School classes followed the curriculum. Our worship team, of which I am a part, did a good number of the songs - one a week - with only a few exceptions. I found myself listening to the CD last year almost every day on my way to work. I always like to start my day with Christian music anyway, but I enjoyed almost all of the songs (with few exceptions).

This year, due to budget issues, the pastor of our church asked that people who were interested in having a journal pay ahead of time and they only ordered that many. Ryan and I agreed to not share and each got our own. I like to write in mine... he thinks that's sacrilegious.

I've already started listening to the CD in order to learn the new songs. I am NOT happy with this year's choices. First, I view it as a way to learn some new stuff and the fact that there are so many hymns was disappointing to me. I love the hymns they've chosen and will enjoy singing those songs each Sunday - I just wanted something new. Also, the songs last year felt more contemporary and some were upbeat and others were more instrumental and quiet. This year I feel that the lyrics to some are abysmal, and many feel sort of "Darlene Zschech, circa 1997" (ex: "Face to Face"). I know that there is a large demographic of congregants to whom this music will be appealing. I was just hoping for something a bit more progressive and modern. *sigh*

[Susan Unger]

I got the SS curriculum today. I'm am looking forward to all that God has in store for us.

[Rich Schmidt]

I've already started listening to the CD in order to learn the new songs. I am NOT happy with this year's choices. First, I view it as a way to learn some new stuff and the fact that there are so many hymns was disappointing to me. I love the hymns they've chosen and will enjoy singing those songs each Sunday - I just wanted something new. Also, the songs last year felt more contemporary and some were upbeat and others were more instrumental and quiet. This year I feel that the lyrics to some are abysmal, and many feel sort of "Darlene Zschech, circa 1997" (ex: "Face to Face"). I know that there is a large demographic of congregants to whom this music will be appealing. I was just hoping for something a bit more progressive and modern. *sigh*

Since these resources are supposed to be used every 3 years (apparently), and the song titles are written into the journals (and so can't easily be changed), perhaps Year A is progressive and modern, Year B is blended something-or-other, and Year C will be... dubstep?

[Katelynn Scott]

Since these resources are supposed to be used every 3 years (apparently), and the song titles are written into the journals (and so can't easily be changed), perhaps Year A is progressive and modern, Year B is blended something-or-other, and Year C will be... dubstep?

Dubstep would certainly keep me awake on my morning commute! God loves all types, I suppose?

[Susan Unger]

God loves all types, I suppose?

That he does!

[Susan Unger]

Not having participated last year, we don't have anything to compare the music to. So far, the music seems good. One person whom I didn't think would like it likes it.

[Vivian Cornwell]

We have a new pastor and we are doing "Ashes to Fire" for the first time. He used it in his previous church.

[Kevin Rector]

We're using it... kicking off tonight.

[John Reilly]

We had a great Ash Wednesday Service tonight. Good attendance. We sang, listened to one of the Ashes song, "From the Ashes" read scripture, celebrated Communion, received ashes. Excited for the Lenten Journey. 40 Ashes to Fire prayer journals in use. Celebrating God's grace.

[Ryan Scott]

We had 58 for our Ash Wednesday service last night (Average between 90-100 on Sundays) - we even ran out of prepared communion cups and had to scramble to get everyone served.

It's a good beginning to the season for us.

[Jon Privett]

I just want to add a note here that I was deeply moved by this year's Ashes to Fire....especially the music....I ran off all the sheet music and spent the mornings reading the Scriptures and playing the songs for each week. It was like food for my soul, manna from heaven as it were. I am so thankful for this resource.

I am excited about next year and plan to purchase more books for my church. I only sold about 25 last year....but plan to do more like 100 this year.....

Cannot wait to be a part of this again.

[John Reilly]

We are looking forward to year three. Won't be long.