From 11:00 a.m. till 12 noon, you may come by, or drive into the parking lot of the Visitor Center on the corner of Hudson St. and Broadway to receive ashes, and communion if you wish on the public sidewalk near the Visitor Center, not inside.

From 12: noon until 1:00 p.m. ashes will be offered at Gough Park near the corner of 13th St., and Pope. From 1:00 p.m., until 2:00 p.m., the local meeting place of the Silver City United Church of Christ at the Woman's Club on Silver Heights Blvd., will be the location for receiving ashes.

Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting, is the first day of Lent in Western Christianity. It occurs 46 days (40 fasting days, if the 6 Sundays, which are not days of fast, are excluded) before Easter and can fall as early as Feb. 4, or as late as March 10. Ashes are placed in the sign of the cross on a person's forehead as a reminder that "from dust you came, and to dust you shall return"'a reminder that our lives are short and we must live them to the fullest.

Many groups in the U.S. and around the world have been celebrating these 40 days not by "giving up" something as is traditional, but by "taking on" the practice of kindness. We invite you to join us in making our world a kinder place by practicing your own 40 Days of Kindness. You will be offered a folder in which to record your own acts, however small (smiling at someone, opening a door) or extensive your gift of kindness may be. If you wish you may bring your folder with you on Easter Sunday (11:11 a.m.), and at the time we acknowledge before God and others what we have done to be of service and show Kindness in our world, you may place your 40 Days of Kindness folder in the offering basket, along with us, as an offering to God.

All are welcome. You need not be a member of this church or any church to participate.