Church News – March 2025

March Newsletter

Ah, Lent! The time of year when Christians around the world embrace self-discipline, reflection, and—let’s be honest—sacrifice. It’s 40 days and 40 nights of giving up something dear to us, whether it’s chocolate, coffee, social media, or the thing you’ve been secretly eating every night while watching TV.

Lent is all about repentance, renewal, and trying to be a better version of ourselves. But let’s face it: sometimes, it’s also about trying to see if you can survive without your daily dose of caffeine. So, this month I’m going to take a look at how you can make the most of the season of Lent.

1. The “Sacrifice” Dilemma: What Do I Give Up?

The age-old question of Lent: What will I give up this year? If you’re like many people, you might start with the basics: “I’ll give up chocolate” or “I’ll cut back on social media.” But then comes that one moment when you realize, “What if I just give up giving up? That feels like a win, right?” That’s been my approach over the past few seasons of Lent. This year, however, I will be giving up things. Things that I’ve needed to give up for a while. Chocolate and sweets.

Remember, Lent is about more than just giving up things—it’s about the intention behind it. So when you’re struggling to let go of your beloved snacks, just remember that Jesus survived 40 days in the desert without a bag of mints. If He can do it, surely you can go without your afternoon snack… at least until Easter.

2. Prayer and Bible Study: The Spiritual recharge

Lent is not just about what you give up, but also about what you take on. It’s a time for prayer, reflection, and reconnecting with your spiritual life. In theory, adding more time for prayer is a great idea. In practice, you might find that your first prayer session turns into a snooze fest. You close your eyes to pray and suddenly, 15 minutes later, you’re waking up to the sound of your alarm. I once mentioned this to a tutor at college as I have a habit of falling asleep during nighttime prayer. His response, “what better way to fall asleep then in conversation with God?”

The key is building things up slowly. Try setting a time each day to pray. If that’s hard, no one’s judging you if you start praying while washing the dishes or walking to your car. After all, God’s not picky about where the prayers come from—just as long as you show up.

It’s also a time to reconnect with the Bible. To that end we’re doing a Lent Bible study this year based on the classic musical West Side Story. If you want to be involved in that, and don’t already have the details, then please email me and I can send you the link.

3. Charity: Be the Change You Wish to See in the World (and Your Wallet)

Lent also brings the beautiful tradition of giving to charity—sharing with those in need. Some folks donate money to charity, others offer their time volunteering. And then there are those who choose to take a “more creative” route. “Well,” you might say, “I donated to my friend’s online charity event for their yoga retreat last year, so technically that counts, right?”

While we all love a good laugh about finding shortcuts, donating to charity is really about recognizing the blessings we’ve received and sharing them with others. It doesn’t have to be a huge financial commitment—sometimes it’s as simple as offering your time or a kind word. If you’re short on cash, a compliment to someone could go a long way and costs nothing.

Conclusion

So, as we journey through this season of Lent, let’s keep a sense of humour. Yes, it’s a time for serious reflection and spiritual growth, but it’s also a chance to laugh at ourselves, celebrate the small victories, and enjoy a little chocolate (or whatever you gave up) on Easter Sunday. Let’s embrace the season with joy, knowing that we’re all in this together.

Happy Lent—and don’t forget to pray for strength when the temptation hits!

God bless, James.

NEWS

It’s a 5-week Sunday month this month, so there’s extra going on.  Please see the Calendar attached to make sure you miss nothing. 

We should mention the World Day of Prayer Service which is being held at St Mary’s Church on Zetland Street on Friday, 7th March at 7 p.m.  It is certainly worth making a special effort to attend, if you possibly can. 

Also, please don’t forget our Congregation Council Meeting on Sunday 9th, after the morning worship.  This is our members’ chance to find out what’s been happening over the last 6 months, to vote for church committee members who are due for renewal (Srs Susan Flint and Kate Barber), and to have your say in anything you wish.

Prayer for March 2025

Dear Lord,

In this month when Lent begins, we remember the difficult journey Jesus made to the cross, to take upon Himself our sins and the sins of the whole world, to bring us the hope of eternal life by His resurrection.

Lord, we bring to You our own journeys through our daily lives.

We bring our disappointments, our bewilderment, our pain, as well as our happy times. We thank You that You are with us in and through all of it.

We thank you that the message of Christmas is the message of Lent and the message of every day – You, our God, are with us always, giving us hope and life, because of Jesus.

Thank You that He made that journey for us, and all we have to do is trust in Him. Help us to do that and to share His good news with others, especially those in distress.

We pray in His name. Amen. By Daphne Kitching

WHAT’S ON IN MARCH 2025
Saturday	1st	Lancs District Conference on Zoom	9.30 a.m.
SUNDAY	2nd	CHURCH ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY Morning Worship with Sr Penny Weir	11 a.m.
Wednesday	5th	M.W.A. in the Schoolroom	1.15 p.m.
Friday	7th	World Day of Prayer at St Mary’s	7 p.m.
SUNDAY	9th	MORNING WORSHIP WITH HOLY COMMUNION led by Br James Woolford CONGREGATION COUNCIL AFTER	11 a.m
Monday	10th	Church Committee on Zoom	7 p.m.
Tuesday	11th	BIBLE STUDY FOR LENT led by Br James Woolford entitled “A PLACE FOR US” (based on West Side Story) on Zoom	7 p.m.
SUNDAY	16th	FAMILY WORSHIP led by Sr Kerry Cain	11 a.m.
Tuesday	18th	Bible Study on Zoom (subject as above)	7 p.m.
SUNDAY	23rd	FAMILY WORSHIP led by Br James Woolford	11 a.m.
SUNDAY	30th	MOTHERING SUNDAY PARADE AND YOUTH SERVICE led by Sr Susan Flint	11 a.m.