1. We will have another of our hymn-learning sessions after worship THIS SUNDAY March 3. First among the pieces to be learned is a new communion setting we’ll be using during Lent
2. We are investigating hearing assistance options in the church; a ‘hearing loop’ under the building is impractical  but there are other options, including systems which assist those with and without hearing aids. If this would interest you, please let Craig know.
3. Our ASH WEDNESDAY service is Wednesday March 6. This year the service will be preceded by a light meal from 6pm (gold coin donation), with the service itself commencing at 6.45pm. Our Ecclesiastes reflections, commenced last Sunday, will be taken up again in the Ash Wednesday service. 
4. News from the Justice and International Mission Unit (JIM) of the Synod
5. Hotham Mission will be running a BBQ fundraiser at Brunswick Bunnings (in the carpark behind the store) on Saturday 09/03/19, between about 8:30am – 4:30pm. IF you are interested and able to assist for however long on the day, please let HM’s community development coorindator, Joey, know (11-2pm is the busiest, but help at any time would be great!): joey.rebakis@hothammission.org.au 
6. Our Lenten Study series will run for four weeks after Ash Wednesday (Wednesday nights, March 13,20,27 and April 3). An intro to the series can be found here, and hard copies are available in the church. There will also be a Friday morning series at Hawthorn in the same weeks (March 15, 22, 29 and April 5).
7. If you are interested in participating in an ONLINE (video conference) version of the Lenten studies, early evenings for four weeks on Tuesdays from March 12, please let Craig know. We need ‘quorum’ of 3 or 4…
8. We will return to Ecclesiastes on Ash Wednesday. This coming Sunday is Transfiguration. If you would like to do some background reading on the texts, see the commentary links here. 

Other things potentially of interest 

1.  A Good Friday performance of Bach’s St Matthew’s Passion

Old News

1. Details of our Lenten and Easter services are now available here.
2. Beginning this Sunday February 24, and for most of the Sundays and special services in Lent, we will be working through parts of the book of Ecclesiastes, using ‘the Teacher’s’ understanding of ‘life under the sun’ as a way of interpreting Jesus’ path to the cross. More information about this can be found here, but in the mean time you might find it helpful to take the time to read Ecclesiastes once or twice before we begin together with it.