Church prepares for Lent with Fat Tuesday party

By Linda m. Linonis

YOUNGSTOWN — The celebrations of Tuesday, with plenty of food and drink, contrast with today, Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent and 40 days of reflection and repentance.

Music, food and fun marked the Mardi Gras party Tuesday at Faith Community Church, 1919 E. Midlothian Blvd., which attracted some 130 people. Today, the focus turns to the spiritual life with an Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m.

The Rev. Gary Marcy, pastor, said that Mardi Gras is the 47 days before Easter. “It began Jan. 6, the Epiphany,” the Rev. Mr. Marcy said. The Epiphany marks the visitation of the biblical Magi (known as the Three Wise Men or Three Kings) to the child Jesus.

The day before Ash Wednesday is called Shrove Tuesday and Fat Tuesday. Mr. Marcy said shrove is the past tense of shrive, which means to obtain absolution.

“Shrove Tuesday also is known as Pancake Day because people wanted to use up eggs and fat. They would be giving up certain food items because their consumption was traditionally restricted during Lent,” he explained.

Faith Community served about 300 pancakes and 300 sausages in the supper in line with tradition.

Ethel Cantwell, a member of Faith Community for some 30 years, is church president and Mardi Gras party chairwoman. She said the party is a tradition.

“It started years ago when a group of churches got together and had Mardi Gras parties,” Cantwell said. Events were held at various churches, then ended. She restarted the tradition at Faith Community. “We’ve had this for four consecutive years now,” she said.

The church goes all out for the festivity — a Dixieland band plays, there are decorations and a king cake, and a king and queen are chosen.

“There’s a tradition that the king cake contains a figure of a baby. Whoever gets the baby in their piece of cake has to bake the cake the next year,” Cantwell said. “Here, we give a prize to the person who gets the baby.”

Cantwell said the history relates to the French heritage of New Orleans. “Colors relate to the celebration. Purple means justice, green is faith, and gold is power,” she said. Beads in those colors are distributed.

Cantwell said the fellowship, fun and food make the event a success. The fellowship hall is decorated in Mardi Gras colors, and tables are marked with names of streets in the Big Easy such as St. James and Bourbon. A line dance concludes the night to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Alyssa and Miguel Cuevas attended with their three sons as guests of her grandparents, Jean and Lew Rotz, who are church deacons. “It’s a nice way to spend time with family, and they have a great band,” Alyssa said of the Dixieland Dandies.

For 90-year-old Laura Jones, who has been a church member since she was 4, the music and decorations bring back memories of her wedding in New Orleans in 1941. Her husband, Bill, now deceased, was in the U.S. Army and stationed in Mississippi.

“I remember riding the streetcar ... named Desire ... for a long time just to see the sights,” she said. “And the music was just wonderful.

“This party brings back a lot of wonderful memories,” she said.

Shane Russo, youth outreach director, said, “This is a good family activity and good way to get members involved.”

Though there is a festive atmosphere, Mr. Marcy presents a short program on the religious side of what follows: Lent.

Mr. Marcy said the word Lent, from the Middle English word of Lente, means springtime. “And when people think of spring, they think of spring cleaning,” he said.

“I make the analogy that Lent is a time for cleaning up our lives and putting our spiritual house in order just as we spring-clean the house and garage,” he said.

“People think of Lent as the time of repentance, fasting and prayer, but we should be doing that year-round,” Mr. Marcy said. “Prayer is a big part of Lent, but prayer should be a daily habit. Devote a few minutes every day to pray ... develop the discipline to do that.”

Mr. Marcy also noted that Lent is associated with self-denial and giving up a favorite food. “There’s nothing wrong with that ... but take the money you might have spent, save it then give it to charity.

“For yourself, doing away with snacks would be a healthier way of life,” he said. “Try stopping wasteful habits and excesses.”

Mr. Marcy said Lent shouldn’t be limited to giving up but giving. “Get out and help others. Be conscious of what’s going on around you. Be a good neighbor, and give help where it’s needed.”

Mr. Marcy advised Christians to “make a spiritual commitment for the greater good.” He noted there are many Lenten programs offered at churches.

“Attend worship ... at your church and somewhere else,” he said. Faith Community has two Bible studies and is offering a series of Lenten luncheon programs from noon to 1 p.m. Fridays.

linonis@vindy.com