Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday, also known as Pancake Day, is the traditional day of celebration before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent is the 40-day season leading up to Easter, a time historically marked by prayer, reflection, and fasting.

The word “shrove” comes from the old practice in which Christians confessed their sins and were “shriven, or absolved, in preparation for Lent. In Anglo-Saxon times, a bell was rung to call people to confession. This bell became known as the “Pancake Bell,” a tradition that continues in some places today.

Shrove Tuesday always falls 47 days before Easter Sunday, so the date changes each year, occurring sometime between February 3 and March 9. In 2025, Shrove Tuesday will be on February 17.

Traditionally, Shrove Tuesday was the last chance to use up rich ingredients such as eggs and fats before the Lenten fast began—and pancakes were the perfect solution. Pancakes are thin, flat cakes made from batter and cooked in a frying pan. In the English tradition, they are served immediately and often topped with lemon juice and sugar or golden syrup.

Today, Pancake Day remains a joyful reminder of our spiritual preparation for Lent, bringing together faith, tradition, and fellowship around the table.

Want to know more about Shrove Tuesday?

Ever wonder why there's almost always a pancake dinner at church some time before Easter? Well, stick with Chuck because no matter if you call it - Shrove or Fat Tuesday - you'll be learning about it with a smile.

From 2025:

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday, Wednesday, February 18, 7:30PM

Join us for an inperson only service blending contemporary visual and musical elements with traditional and familiar ones. Receiving the ashes is an ancient practice that began to occur just a few hundred years after Christ’s death and resurrection. You’ll have the opportunity to receive the sign of the cross on your forehead with ashes from the burnt palm fronds from last Palm Sunday. Come participate in the mystery of our faith.

Ash Wednesday is an inside-out act of worship. We come and confess and are reminded of both our sinfulness and our mortality. And yet we are given a visible mark in the imposition of ashes, a way of letting the world know that we are people of faith.

Lent is a 40-day season (not counting Sundays) marked by repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimately celebration. The season of Lent is essential for those who truly seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Because a part of what we learn in this time of self-examination is that we are what might be most in need of transformation. We might find that what might need to grow in faith and discipleship is the church and that the transformation of the world begins with building bridges and gathering up rather than with condemnation. We hope you’ll join in with churches around the world as we seek to be gathered up in Jesus.

The First Sunday in Lent

Coming Soon

The Second Sunday in Lent

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The Third Sunday in Lent

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The Fourth Sunday in Lent

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The Fifth Sunday in Lent

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Pender UMC's Egg-citing Easter Bash, March 28

Gather your little bunnies for a day filled with crafts, laughter, and hidden treasures. This family-friendly event is the perfect way to celebrate the Easter season.

Don’t miss this chance for fun and fellowship. Invite your friends and family and join us at Pender UMC for an unforgettable afternoon!

Palm Sunday

More coming Soon

Holy Thursday

Coming Soon

Good Friday

Holy Saturday

Coming Soon

Easter

Coming Soon