Weekly Notices - 22nd February 2026
Last night, around 25 of us gathered in our church to mark Ash Wednesday. It was a heartwarming, short liturgy, allowing us to contemplate and reflect within ourselves as we were marked with the ashes of last year’s Palm Sunday Crosses and prayed through our deep penitence.
For millions of Christians around the world, Lent represents the most spiritually significant season of the year outside of Easter itself. Specifically, it’s a time of reflection, repentance, fasting, and preparation. Moreover, it’s a season to strip away distractions and focus on what matters most.
This period of Lent will take us through to Maundy Thursday: 40 days, excluding Sundays. The number 40 appears throughout Scripture as a period of testing, trial, and transformation. Consider these examples:
Jesus fasted 40 days in the wilderness before beginning His public ministry (Matthew 4:1-11)
Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai receiving the Law (Exodus 24:18)
Elijah travelled 40 days to Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8)
The Israelites wandered 40 years in the desert (Numbers 14:33)
Noah endured 40 days of rain during the flood (Genesis 7:12)
Consequently, Lent invites believers to enter their own wilderness experience — not as punishment, but as preparation. Just as Jesus emerged from the desert ready to fulfil His mission, Christians emerge from Lent ready to celebrate the resurrection with renewed hearts.
I wish you all a blessed Lenten Season. Let us journey together, sharing each other’s burdens and praying for each other during this holy season.
May God always bless St Aug’s
Your Friend and Vicar, Kofe.
Vicar Kofe
This Sunday’s Service (22ndFebruary)
Theme: Christ the source of salvation for us all.
Sentence: We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4
Collect:
God, you know better than we
the temptations that will bring us down.
Grant that our love for you may protect us
from all foolish and corrupt desire.
Praise to you our God; you answer prayer.
Amen.
Readings: Romans 5: 12-19 & Matthew 4: 1-11
This year, we will be heading for an earlier than usual Easter.
- come and join us as we journey through Lent, being marked with the cross of humility, mortality and penance.
Palms please
If anyone has any palms that need trimming we need palms for Palm Sunday. Either drop off at church on Morning of Friday 27 March or give Kristin a call before the 27th to arrange to come and collect 0272263072.
The church is again being opened to the public each Thursday afternoon between 1 - 3pm.
This is a great opportunity for you or others you may know to walk through our beautiful doors and sit in the quiet holiness of our space. Everyone is welcome, and we thank Kristine & Mick Mckey for this ministry.
Messy Church
We are aiming to run one sometime in Term 1 next year.
See the photos below to see what our previous ‘Messy Church’ session looked like!
What is ‘Messy Church’? Messy Church is a church for everyone who may not feel comfortable attending a ‘normal’ church service and who don’t yet belong to a church. It typically includes a meal, hands-on activities such as arts, crafts, meeting God in the outdoors, science activities and more, which are suitable for all ages.
Check out the NZ ‘Messy Church’ website! www.messychurch.nz
Please be warned that with the commencement of our roof repairs we have LOTS of scaffolding around the place to be aware of. In particular this affects parking near the Hannan Centre ramp.
Be careful out there!
(And here are a couple of shots of the team in the skyline)
Helpful info
Giving
Groups
It’s easy to connect and get involved with some great social and faith-focused groups that meet regularly across the parish. You can find out about all our regular groups on our Groups page. If you have any questions, just click the contact button to connect with the group’s organiser.
Need prayer?
We’d love to pray for you. See the ‘Prayer Support’ section on the Help & Support page for more information on how we can help with your prayer needs. There are confidential and anonymous options available.