[The Society of Saint John the Evangelist press release] For Lent 2014 the Brothers of The Society of Saint John the Evangelist (SSJE) have developed an easy-to-use video series and accompanying workbook “Love Life: Living the Gospel of Love.” The daily series runs from Ash Wednesday, March 5th, to Palm Sunday. Subscribers will be emailed each morning with a mobile-friendly video and evocative question. The daily email subscription is free, as are all the supporting materials which are available to download for free.  A printed version can be purchased through www.SSJE.org/lovelife.

“Love Life: Living the Gospel of Love” is an offering from the Brothers of SSJE that delves deeply into the gospel that shapes their community life. The Brothers believe that spending time praying and pondering with the Gospel of John can help us all to live more abundantly: the life of love to which we are called. John’s message of love can unlock our own hearts and transform the communities where we belong.

This series is designed so that everyone in a community can participate. Churches can offer “Love Life” for groups that meet in person and for people who prefer to access the series electronically, via a smart phone or computer.

The Episcopal Diocese of Texas and the Anglican Church of Canada will be featuring Love Life during Lent. “When I learned about “Love Life,” it was a natural decision to coordinate our Lenten issue of the diocesan magazine, Diolog, with a similar focus. We are promoting the 5-week program and videos to our membership and churches as well. Our Christian Formation team is also very excited about the program, which can be very personal or approached from a group standpoint. I have found that collaboration with SSJE allows us to expand what my small staff can provide with quality programming while modeling what being part of a broader Church is all about,” said Carol E. Barnwell, Communication Director of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas

The series begins on March 5th with three short videos introducing John as the Gospel of Love and explaining their intentions and hopes for the series.  After the introductory videos, the series explores five themes, which the Brothers find in John’s Gospel and in their lives: Revelation, Invitation, Participation, Collaboration and Vocation. Each Sunday there will be a video reflecting on the theme for that week, which will then be explored in five short daily videos (M-F) and in the worksheet that accompanies them. Each video ends with a thought-provoking question to be pondered over the course of the day, then answered on the worksheet or at www.SSJE.org/lovelife. On Saturday there will be a catch-up video with that week’s videos replayed together.

More information is available at  www.SSJE.org/lovelife. Resources for group and church leaders and educators are available at www.SSJE.org/loveliferesources.