More denominations join Lent observance
Sense of purpose in ritual attracts people, minister says
By JEANNINE F. HUNTER
Staff Writer

Immanuel Baptist Church in Belle Meade tonight will hold its first Ash Wednesday service, another in a growing number of denominations that once rejected Catholic and Anglican practices but are taking another look at them.

Immanuel won't actually use ashes, though. Congregants will read biblical passages related to sin and forgiveness for the church's observance of the beginning of Lent.

Along with Eastern Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic Church, various Anglican, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian denominations observe Ash Wednesday, and millions mark it by going to church for special services and getting ashes in the shape of a cross smeared on their foreheads.

The day launches a period of penance and reflection that leads up to Easter, the holiest time of the year in the Christian tradition. The rest