An Ash Wednesday service is planned Wednesday, March 5, at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and is a time when many Christians prepare for Easter by observing a period of repentance, reflection and spiritual discipline. At the end of the service, the imposition of ashes will take place. This is an outward symbolic gesture in which ashes are placed on the forehead, in the sign of the cross, as a reminder of our mortality and need for forgiveness.