In this episode of Galesburg's Morning News, Jay Redfern and Tyler Gumm sit down with Tami Qualls, the new leader of Galesburg's Women's Community Lenten Series, a 37-year ecumenical tradition that kicks off Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18.
Qualls takes over from Pastor Martha-Jean Fitch, who led the series from 2005 through 2025. In a symbolic nod to the transition, Pastor Fitch serves as the first speaker of the 2026 series, while Qualls herself will close the series as the final speaker on March 25—a fitting "passing of the baton."
The 2026 theme is "God in the Ordinary," rooted in John 16:25-28. Each week, speakers from different Galesburg-area churches focus on an everyday object—dust and ash, bread, the cross, coins, shoes, and oil—to illustrate spiritual truths about God's presence in daily life.
Services are held every Wednesday morning from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at First Christian Church, at the corner of Broad and North streets in Galesburg, through March 25. The series is open to all women from Galesburg and surrounding communities, with no pressure to attend every week. Services are also live-streamed and archived on the First Christian Church Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.