What! Is it March already? After the wettest January and February anyone can remember, we are looking forward, I’m sure, to Spring weather. The weather forecasters call March 1st the first day of meteorological Spring, so we can live in hope!

By the time this magazine is in your hands, Lent will have begun and we feel that Easter is on its way. Lent is a season of preparation and with that, one of reflection on the nature of our faith and, in Swanage parish, we traditionally mark it by activities which prepare us for consideration of Holy Week and Easter, as well as giving us opportunity for study and fellowship. The Lent Study groups are already in action with the one arranged at St Mark’s every Tuesday at 7pm (and others who are interested in the subject of prayer) are welcome to join us. Lent lunches are also underway and all are welcome at St Mark’s on Friday 13th for some good food (with the money going to Christian Aid) and opportunity to talk to friends, old and new.

St Mark’s church committee did two valuable things during February; On the 11th, some members of the committee had a meeting at which there was training and opportunity to discuss the important and topical subject of safeguarding. With all the cases in the news it is a regrettable necessity for churches to keep up to date on this. There will be opportunity later in the year for the other members of the committee (and new members voted in at the AGM on 22 March) to undergo the course. Some new members of the committee will be needed, so please decide if it is your turn to be nominated. At the committee meeting on 23rd February we thought about the direction of travel of St Mark’s for the months and years to come – also very valuable.

As March draws to a close our minds turn to the Passion season and Easter. On Palm Sunday we have our Celebration! Service at which we hope to welcome the Herston Junior Singing Club to join our choir and band and lead our singing following their triumphant appearances at our Christmas Carol service and the January Celebration! Service. At the time of writing, we are hoping to see the Singing Club at the February service beginning a pattern on the last Sunday of each month. Then in the afternoon of Palm Sunday we welcome the younger children and their parents and grandparents to the latest of our Teddy picnics. On the following days, bringing us to the end of the month, we have our Holy Week Compline services, to which, once again, we welcome members of other churches as our final preparation for Good Friday and the glorious season of Easter.

John Way, Churchwarden.