Thinking outside the box (or the church), St. Mark's United Methodist Church will offer outdoor distribution of ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17. The church, located at 27 E. Main St., Mount Joy, will provide ashes for anyone who wants to receive them, said pastor Helen Adams.

"We're planning to offer three one-hour blocks (for distribution)," she shared. Ashes will be distributed from 1 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. in the rear of the church.

"We have a portico where people can drive through and receive ashes," she explained. "And, if they would like, they can also receive Communion. We'll have individually packaged Communion for anyone who wants it."

From 3 to 4 p.m., the church will offer ashes in front of its building on Main Street. "This will be an option for anybody who would like to be marked with the cross as they come by," Adams said, noting that logistics were still being worked out at press time for walk-ups and curbside options.

Even though this year posed its unique challenges, the church wanted to keep its traditional Ash Wednesday observation, Adams stated. "Ash Wednesday is important because it's the beginning of Lent, which is one of the two biggest seasons of the church year," she remarked. "We wanted to give people the opportunity to have a communal experience as they begin the Lenten season."

Adams noted that all activities will follow COVID-19 protocols, with social distancing and mask wearing, as well as glove use for anyone making physical contact with the public.

Along with distribution at the church, St. Mark's will record a brief Ash Wednesday service of Imposition of Ashes and post it online to its YouTube channel, Facebook page and website, Adams noted.

"We are (also) planning to distribute small containers of ashes to homebound members who might not be able to get to the drive-through service, so they can participate by marking themselves with ashes at home as they watch the service," she said, noting that the church has been finding unique ways to connect with parishioners over the past year. "We had already arranged to get DVDs of our recorded services to people who don't have internet capability - and some portable DVD players to those who don't have DVD players either - so as many people as possible have access to worship while we are not meeting together."

For Ash Wednesday, Adams encourages anyone to come out to receive ashes and Communion, adding that the distribution offers a way for the church to connect to the public and provide solace in a particularly difficult time. "Isolation has been such a problem for people throughout the pandemic," she stated. "Any opportunity we have to safely offer some connection, we want to do that."