The 40 days before Easter are special for many followers of various Christian traditions.
The period of Lent is a time to pray and to ponder and in Maidstone there are opportunities throughout the season. An ecumenical Lenten lunch is held every Wednesday until the week prior to Easter beginning at noon at the Maidstone United Church and C.E. Wing.
A brief service of songs, reflections and prayers is followed by fellowship and a simple lunch of soup and sandwiches sometimes with a sweet and sometimes without.
Members of the community's various congregations gather together and a different denomination hosts the event each week. This year the first lunch was hosted by the Lutheran group. The Anglican, Catholic and United Churches will also take a turn leading the service and providing the hospitality.
The lunch is free, but every week the host group takes an offering for a cause or group they choose. Lenten lunches will continue on March 30, April 6 and April 13.
