Greetings …

Lent, the forty day period of preparation for Easter, will soon be upon us again.  This period echoes the forty days that Jesus spent fasting in the desert before he began his public ministry.  In recognition of this, many people still give up something in Lent, and this year Uniting World’s Lent Event invites us to be a people of hope and courage in our world, as we give up something for the greater good.

The state of the world’s climate affects us all, and the focus of the 2025 Lent Event is on climate action.  Rev Makoni Pulu, Minister from the Free Wesleyan Church in Tonga, explains that ‘the impact of climate change is very real in the lives of our people in Tonga’.  He reminds us how ‘it means a lot to us that the people of the Uniting Church in Australia are standing with us, through Uniting World’.

So how can we stand with the people of Tonga?  Maybe this Lent you might take on a climate challenge!  For 40 days, you are invited to transform the way you eat, shop, travel or use energy.  You might get people to sponsor your efforts, or donate the money you have saved by taking this action, to Uniting World.  You could participate in Food 40, Transport 40, Energy 40 or Thrifty 40.

For more information on each of these initiatives, and to sign up or donate, please visit https://donate.unitingworld.org.au/event/lent-event/home. 

Blessings – Rev  Heather Hon (she/her).