Dear family, this week as our church begins our Lenten journey with Jesus to the cross, we write to you with deep awareness of our hurting world and its impact on each of our lives. This year, more than most, our world, for which Jesus’ life was given, calls us into our Lenten disciplines: prayer, charity and the self-discipline of fasting. We want to encourage us all into these disciplines this Lent, not just because our world yearns for the kingdom of God to come in greater fullness, but also because these disciplines strengthen and support us to hold close to Jesus in distressing times.

Anglicans in our diocese and throughout the country have been a driving force behind the Free Fares campaign, which is advocating for free public transport for Community Services Card Holders, under-25s, and students nationwide. On 17 March the campaign group will present their petition of nearly 10,000 to the Minister for Transport, asking that Free Fares will be funded in this year’s budget.

As the noise of protestors on Parliament’s lawns echo around Wellington’s Cathedral of St Paul, the Cathedral whānau are offering a peaceful presence and word to those dropping by.

We’ve had to get a bit creative in order to have fun as a church family and here is how some of our Masterton whānau are doing that at the same time as helping to fund much needed projects.

Almost every Thursday evening between July 2020 and June 2021, I could be found in front of a Zoom call with people from every part of our Diocese who were current or budding small group leaders.

It was a totally mind-blowing year that continues to influence and shape me even now, eight months after it finished.

Thanks to generous donations made to Anglican Missions’ Tonga Emergency appeal, our Tongan whānau can find some small respite in the relief packages currently on route to the disaster-ravaged nation. But, we still have a long way to go.

Lent begins on 2 March this year, and as we wait to see what the arrival of the Omicron variant in our communities will look like, we’re encouraging our Movement to think about how to use Lent Studies as a way to continue to gather safely, build teams, care for one another, and continue to learn together about who God is and who we are called to be at this time.

It’s the time of year when our finance team is busy with consolidating the accounts from across the diocese. Mark Chan is our Finance Manager so we thought it would be good to share a little bit more about him and what he does.

It began at the end of March, when a small group of us from Onslow Anglicans decided to sign up for the online course called “Holiness and Social Action”. I think we were particularly interested in exploring what it meant to be Christian but at the same time to be very much engaged with the world and its needs. One example that grabbed our attention was Saint Francis and how he made a point of going out into the community and getting alongside people – “the last, the lost and the least,” to quote a phrase!

But those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40: 31) (NIV)

Join us in 2022 for a range of courses designed to further your formation as a follower of Christ. We may be under the red traffic light setting for a while and if you are stuck for things to do, why not check out what we have on offer through our Christian Studies programme.

The Light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas this year, I don’t think any of us could have envisaged the sort of regulatory environment and continuing pandemic response that we are all necessarily navigating. It is a long-haul journey for our globe.

Christmas time is a joyful time for many of us, but it can also be a stressful one. Especially for those of us that don’t have certainty about where our next meal is coming from. With COVID-19 providing disruption to our lives – now more than ever – helping make someone's Christmas has become even more important.

After almost 7 years in the Children and Families Enabler Role, Colette Stevens is leaving the Anglican Centre to complete her Diploma in Christian Studies and delve into research on children and worship. Colette wants to explore the questions, “What did Jesus actually mean when he said ‘We should enter the kingdom like a child’? And what do our kids have to teach us about God?” We spoke with Colette about her time working in the diocese.