(Bedford) – On this Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the 2017 Lenten Season,Hope United Methodist Church is offering a special invitation to the community. From 11:30 am to 1:00 pm on March 1st, all are invited to receive ashes and a special prayer blessing from the comfort of their vehicle in this special Drive-Thru Ashes Service.Rev. Néstor Nazario will offer these to anyone who comes to the Church, located at 79 Center Road, in Bedford. Also, a Free “Soup and Bread” meal will be offered to the community in the Church’s Fellowship Hall later today at 6:00 pm.Ash Wednesday takes place 46 days before Easter Sunday and is observed by Christians around the World.Ash Wednesday comes from the ancient Jewish tradition of penance and fasting. The practice includes the wearing of ashes on the head. The ashes symbolize the dust from which God made us. As the ashes are applied to a person's forehead, these words are often spoken: "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Rocky River United Methodist Church is offering Drive Through Ashes from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m.