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Trinity United Methodist Church pastor Larry Rodgers (right) placed the mark of the ashes on Hollie Gonzales (left) and Violet Gonzales’ foreheads in the church parking lot at their drive-through ashes event.
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of the season of Lent, which in Christian circles is a period of fasting, in conjunction with self-examination, repentance, and renewal of the dedication of a person’s life to Jesus.
Many churches on this day practice what is called the “imposition of the ashes.”
A minister rubs a mixture of ashes and water in the shape of a cross on the believer’s forehead, which serves as a symbol of penitence and mortality.
Most churches that practice the imposition do so during a special Ash Wednesday service, but Trinity United Methodist Church’s Pastor Larry Rodgers decided to add a new option this year for those unable to attend the service: a drive-through blessing to receive the imposition of the ashes.
The pastor set up a station in the church parking lot so that people could drive through and stop at a sign to receive their blessing and ash cross without even having to leave their car.
Rodgers said that with the church situated directly between Walmart and Cogdell Memorial Hospital, they saw plenty of traffic and decided to use that to their advantage.
“It’s a unique opportunity,” said congregation member Hollie Gonzales.
Rodgers said that having a way to receive the mark without going to an Ash Wednesday service was something he had seen before in other communities, and that it was very popular. Even though they didn’t have a lot of people stop to receive the ashes, he considered the 13 they did have to be a success.
“I was saying, ‘It’ll be a success whether we have two or two hundred,’” Rodgers said. He expects numbers to grow in coming years.