Lent 4 – 15 Mar 2026

Vicar’s Message

Laetare Sunday, is traditionally a day of celebration within the solemn season of Lent -some churches have rose coloured hangings and vestments this day. Laetare is the imperative form of the Latin word “Rejoice!” Last year and this year the Outreach Committee has helped us to celebrate this Sunday with a joyful focus on our shared giving project. Almsgiving is another Lenten tradition, where we take practical action to serve Christ through those experiencing need. Many people take on a daily or weekly practice designating an amount of money that they would otherwise spend on non-essential items for themselves. This year the Outreach Committee has challenged us to raise funds for women in rural Columbia to maintain their beehives. A single beehive can do more than make honey. It gives a woman the chance to build income alongside others in her community. While they harvest and sell the honey, the bees quietly pollinate nearby crops, boosting the quality of the fruits and food.

This project reminds me of a very old prayer we say at Candlemas:

Gracious God, all loving and eternal

you created all things out of nothing,

and by your command

caused the labor of bees

to be revealed

in the perfection of wax.

May we, and the bees, and the women of Columbia be blessed!

Amen