'Express'-ions of Faith: West Bloomfield Church to Offer Ashes to Go

Sylvan Lake Lutheran Church, which also serves the congregation of Advent Episcopal Church, to try additional 'drive-through' service this Ash Wednesday.

Christians with a crazy-busy schedule can still take part in the tradition of Ash Wednesday, thanks to a speedy new service offered by a church in West Bloomfield. The split congregations of Advent Episcopal Church and Sylvan Lake Lutheran Church (2399 Figa Ave., West Bloomfield) will also gather in traditional worship services on the first day of Lent this Wednesday, Feb. 13, to mark the solemn time before Easter Sunday with prayer and fasting. Additionally, the service of marking ashes in the shape of the cross on the foreheads of the adherents will be offered in drive-through fashion for the first time this year, said Advent Episcopal Pastor Manisha Dostert. "Walking around all day with the symbol of the ashes on the forehead is a …

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Split Church Congregations to Celebrate Unity Prayer Together

Locally-based, partnering Lutheran and Episcopal congregations welcome those of all faiths in service this week.

While already dedicated to inter-denominational work in the local Christian community, two local church congregations will celebrate the National Week of Prayer for Christian Unity this weekend. Everyone is welcome to the special service, with the Advent Episcopal Church and the Sylvan Lake Lutheran Church, writes Lutheran Church Pastor Mary Duerksen on Patch.  The annual tradition, which has typically been celebrated in mid-January since it began in 1908, is open to people of all faiths or no particular faith, "in order to demonstrate how God's people can come together and pray," Duerksen writes. The special service takes place on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 10 a.m. Advent's previous home, where its congregation had been based for over 50 years, …

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Weekend Countdown

Special Sunday Service Honors Valentine's History

Pastor Mary Duerksen leads a celebration of love, learning about the history of Valentine's Day, and an opportunity for couples to recommit to each other.

It's Monday. The weekend just ended. However, it's always fun to look ahead at what's going on in and around town for the next weekend. We are going to pick some of the fun events daily to help you plan and count down until it's the weekend again. Our pick: Standing on the Side of Love Where: Sylvan Lake Lutheran Church When: 9 a.m. Sunday Why go: This special Sunday service is sure to educate and inspire. Pastor Mary Duerksen will lead a teaching moment on the history of Valentine's Day and offer an opportunity for couples to recommit to each other. A special Valentine-themed coffee hour will follow the service.

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Sylvan Lake Lutheran Installs New Pastor

In a break from tradition, 28-year veteran pastor Mary Duerksen was elected to lead both the West Bloomfield church and its sister parish in Waterford.

Newly installed as pastor of Sylvan Lake Lutheran Church in West Bloomfield on Sunday, Mary Duerksen said she is excited to increase the church's viability in the community, which may be necessary for it to survive. A large congregation, including parishioners from the Lutheran Church of the Ascension, Sylvan Lake's sister church in Waterford, welcomed Duerksen and her family during a ceremony led by the Rev. Cherlyne Beck, who is assistant to the bishop in Detroit. The day marked the end of a yearlong process in which the two congregations worked together to find a pastor, Church Council President Sandra Blackwell said. A committee co-chaired by Susan Ludwiczak and Cheryl White worked with the bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod of the…

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