The effort has proven fruitful for community and church members alike, said the church's pastor, James Noland.  "In sharing it with the community, it helps us express our faith in a way that genuinely moves other people. And in our own congregation among those who have contributed, I've seen a greater willingness to talk about faith with other people."

Church members also share a Lenten supper of soup and salad each Wednesday evening during Lent, while listening to a brief devotional message.  And sometimes, Noland said, he will focus his sermon messages on Lent.

Investing the time to observe Lent is spiritually worthwhile, said Noland.  "Time is a very scarce resource for many people today due to the frantic pace of life and all the distractions. Lent gives us a way of setting apart time to focus on the cross, and the cross goes to the heart of what our faith is all about.  Reflecting on what Christ did on the cross, on our salvation - that's so important to take the time to do."

Celebrating Easter wouldn't be the same without observing Lent first, Noland said. "Everything we do during Holy Week [Maundy Thursday and Good Friday services] has taken on a much deeper dimension because we've gone just gone through Lent.  Then when Easter comes, it seems even more significant since we've prepared for it.  We've spent lots of time thinking about what our faith really means."

Lent is an important time for people to discover more about Christ and forge stronger relationships with Him, said Phil Ashey, pastor of South Riding Church in South Riding, Virginia.  During Lent this year, his church will host an "Alpha" group for seekers to explore whatever questions they have about Christianity.

"I see Lent as a door - an entry way - for people to connect or reconnect with Jesus," Ashey said.  "Our culture is so focused on an event rather than a process. Even as evangelicals, I think we've been trapped by the idea that salvation is a one-time event, like a sale that we've got to close. But often, it's a process in which people ask questions again and again and again and approach God again and again and again to consider faith.  We're hoping to use Lent as a way to help people consider Jesus and take the time they need to process all He's done for us, so they can discover a faith that's real."