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A roadside invitation from St. Peter’s Episcopal Church brought 46 people to its Glebe Road driveway for ashes and a blessing on Ash Wednesday morning.

The church offered “Drive Thru Ashes” from 7 to 8:30 a.m., continuing an outreach effort now in its fourth year. Many participants stopped on their way to work, while about one-third were teenagers driving themselves to school, according to the Rev. Jennifer Gamber.

“We meet people where they are,” Gamber said. She described the event as a way to offer the community inspiration, stability and love during turbulent times.

Ash Wednesday begins Lent, a 40-day period centered on mortality and renewal before Easter. Christians traditionally mark the day by placing an ash cross on the forehead, using ashes made from palms from the previous year.

As Gamber applied the ashes, she told each person, “From dust you came and to dust you shall return.” She then asked what they would like her to pray for.

One returning participant shared an update after attending the drive-through event last year: The prayers offered for her had been answered.

Gamber said the outreach reminds people that God does not live within four walls and that the church is available to support them. She connected the day’s message to the belief that God formed humans from the dust of the ground and breathed life into them.

“Each of us bears God’s image and has inherent dignity,” Gamber said, adding that every person shares the same origin and deserves dignity.

St. Peter’s also planned two indoor services. A family service at 5:30 p.m. featured four interactive stations, including water at a baptism station and candles at a “light of the world” station. A more traditional service with scripture and congregants seated in pews was scheduled for 7 p.m.