Weekly News 9th August 2015/ God with us in our Painful World

GOD WITH US IN OUR PAINFUL WORLD Sometimes something familiar somehow surprises us or touches us in a new or different way. Earlier last week numerous people commented on how they had appreciated the service last Sunday when we baptised a baby, welcomed her into God’s family, prayed for her and then heard from Mark about the next instalment of Jonah. An ordinary and familiar service seems to have touched us in a new way.

Since then we have been reminded in the news of the horrors, evil and complexities of our world. Hiroshima remembered, boat people in the Mediterranean, plane wreckage found in the ocean and transport disrupted in London. So much more too.

This leads us to think that it is the same God of peace and promise at Baptism that is with us in the chaos and disruption of life’s events. In those chaotic moments, when we witness or hear of evil in our world, we need to remember the God of the baptism service, who came to bring new life and peace into our chaotic, painful and sometimes evil world.

Click here to download   Weekly News 9th August 2015

Weekly News 2nd August 2015/ Second Chances

SECOND CHANCES There were some sensational failures in the news this week. A leading member of the Lords caught with drugs in messy circumstances. A vicar who was pocketing thousands of pounds of church fees. Spectacular falls from grace.

Most of our lives are not so prominent yet we are all subject to temptations to do stuff we would be ashamed of. Any of our lives can easily get in a mess.

In the Jonah story last week we discovered that even when we are in a mess...failures...distraught...depressed....at our wits end, God does not give up on us. Just as with Jonah, God is there with us. The essence of our Christian faith is that when we turn back to God he forgives and forgets. We have a clean slate and fresh start. Our God is the God of the second chance.

Let’s all hold on to that great truth as we hear today how Jonah used his second chance.

Click here to download   Weekly News 2nd August 2015

Weekly News 26th July 2015/ Green Light on the Beacon Centre

GREEN LIGHT ON THE BEACON CENTRE We finally received all three quotes in for the refurbishment of the Beacon Centre, and the PCC approved the instruction of Dan Prayag to oversee the work.

Dan owns Anthuriums in Coney Hall and works closely with a design team and a builder, who is also local. It’s great that the best proposal came from a team who are part of our community. Next week a detailed survey will be taking place, alongside initial CAD drawings, so that design concepts can really take off and there will be something for everyone to visualize.

We’ll keep you posted with as many updates as possible.

In the meantime, Dan has asked if we could pray for the speedy recovery of one of his daughters, Anna. She has been unwell and is at Great Ormond Street, with a condition that looks to involve a long process of recovery.

Click here to download   Weekly News 26th July 2015

Weekly News 19th July 2015/ Keeping You Posted

KEEPING YOU POSTED Many of you will be aware that we are currently considering the different ways we share information and how we can keep improving our communication. A simple text message has an immediacy that can make it an effective way to give a reminder about something that’s taking place. As we continue to update the contact book, we’re inviting you to indicate whether this is a means by which you are happy to be notified. A draft of the Contact Book will be on the Welcomers’ table and we’re inviting you to:

1.  Provide your mobile number if you haven’t so far, but are happy to do so and don’t mind receiving the occasional text
2. If you have provided your mobile number, but would prefer NOT to receive any texts from St John’s, to place a cross next to your entry;
3. If you are new and haven’t yet provided any contact details – to complete a new contact form and return it in the box provided.

Click here to download   Weekly News 19th July 2015

Click here to download   A5 Contact Book Form v2

News 12th July 2015/ Summer Season

SUMMER SEASON You know summer is almost in full swing when it’s Wimbledon finals and the we’re battling it out with the Aussies in the Ashes.

As the holiday season begins, people head off in lots of different directions and so we adapt our patterns of Sunday worship a little. As from 26 July, our services will be geared for all ages as there won’t be Sunday Club, a little shorter, and Communion will always take place after coffee.

We’ll be looking at the book of Jonah over a 4 week period and then dipping into Genesis for a series called ‘Family Life’ - exploring some of the highs and lows of life with our nearest and dearest, as seen played out with Joseph and his family.

We’ve also got a number of baptisms in the pipeline, providing us with an opportunity to give guests a taste of ‘family life’ at St John’s.

Click here to download   Weekly News 12th July 2015

Weekly News 5th July 2015/ Spree Weekend

SPREE WEEKEND Next weekend, we are taking a number of 8-15 year olds off to the South of England Showground in Ardingly for ‘Spree’.

If you’ve only ever really heard the word ‘Spree’ used with the word ‘spending’ before, then here are a few more details. It’s an action-packed, camping weekend, with a ‘fast and furious’ programme of activities, alongside creative opportunities to explore the Christian faith. We increasingly have a number of young people from beyond church going along, invited by friends; some of whom are part of our midweek youth groups. As is the nature of these things, it is guaranteed to leave young people and adults exhausted – but in a really good way.

If you are free on either the Friday or Sunday to help set up / take down the camp that would be really appreciated (please speak to Jon).  Otherwise, we’d love it if you prayed for the whole event – that the young people would have fun, are kept safe and they would discover more about the God who delights in them.

Click here to download    Weekly News 5th July 2015

Weekly News 28th June 2015/ Church Picnic

CHURCH  PICNIC With the Summer holidays on the horizon and weather forecasts promising us Barbadian-esque weather, it seems a good moment to invite you to pencil in your diaries a get together in the park for some food and games.

After the 10am service on the 19 July, we’re encouraging people to bring some food along to Coney Hall Recreation Ground for a picnic. Afterwards, we’ll line up some suitably inappropriate games for full stomachs.

Attendance at church that morning isn’t a pre-requisite for coming along, so invite any friends / family along you may have in tow.

More details will follow shortly, but for now let us know (via the Parish Office) if you need some help coming along.

Click here to download   Weekly News 28th June 2015

Weekly News 21st June 2015/ How Are We Doing?

HOW ARE WE DOING? Is not a bad question to ask at intervals, in all sorts of different areas – family life, work, down-time, friendships, marriage…our walk with God.

This coming Saturday, our PCC will be getting away together to pray, step back and ask this question of the life of St John’s. We’ll revisit our vision, look at the priorities developed in our Looking Up, Out and In categories, and consider how these might need refining for the coming season.

We’ll have in mind the well-worn adage, ‘Don’t value what you measure, measure what you value’ – deliberately focusing our reflection on the quality of our relationships with God, each other and the local community. Or if you prefer to seize the language of the apostle Paul, we’ll continue to chew on what it means to ‘live a life worthy of our calling’, becoming ‘mature and attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.’

Please pray for our leadership, as they contemplate these things under God.

Click here to download   Weekly News 21st June 2015

Weekly News 14th June 2015/ Good News from Giving

GOOD NEWS FROM GIVING You may recall a while back that we were invited to make contributions towards the work of Target TB; specifically the Coney Hall Motorbike Appeal - to enable Health Visitors to get around more effectively.

Target TB and the Blossom Trust in India wanted to send their thanks to all those who pitched in, and there is a great photo on the MOP noticeboard showing the brand new motorbike and the health driver in action.

Similarly, we managed to raise £445 for the Inter Nepal Fellowship (see www.inf.org) and their on-going work in Nepal, especially the restoration work they are undertaking following the recent couple of earthquakes.

Thank you to everyone who has given generously and I hope you are encouraged to hear of resources making a real difference in people’s lives.

Click here to download   Weekly News 14th June 2015

News 7th June 2015/ "Growing in Faith & Life"

‘GROWING IN FAITH & LIFE’ Southwark Diocese has recently launched a new discipleship initiative with the above title. It is a course broken down into different modules, which include:

• Exploring our identity and the church
• Remembering the people of God and the OT
• Following Jesus through the NT
• Believing the teachings of the Church – faith and doctrine
• Challenging the world and ourselves – ethics and mission
• Responding in the power of the Holy Spirit – in prayer, worship and our vocation.

You can take individual modules, or the whole course, but it is designed to deepen faith and help people apply biblical teaching to the whole of life.

Please see the desk under the noticeboards for more details.

Click here to download   Weekly News 7th June 2015

Weekly News 31st May 2015/ Church Actually

CHURCH ACTUALLY ‘I love Jesus but struggle with the church’

 ‘Everything about the way we do church needs to change’

 ‘I’m so bored’

 I wonder if one of those thoughts, or something similar, has ever crossed your mind when thinking about the Church? It’s easy to take speak uncharitably about the Church. Its current position in our nation doesn’t always inspire confidence, but many recognise the local church as the hope of the world.

Which is a rather grand statement.

So is it true?

In this new sermon series, we’ll explore together what actually is the church and what is the church called to do. In simple terms, what is the church and what is it for? As we explore this God-shaped people movement, we trust God will speak into our local context, hone our identity and encourage us for the future.

Click here to download   Weekly News 31st May 2015

Weekly News 24th May 2015/ 'If We Don't Teach our Children Who God Is, Someone Else Will Teach Them Everything That He's Not'

‘If we don’t teach our children who God is, someone else will teach them everything that He’s not.’ This is an eye-catching quote that I stumbled across this week.

It’s personally challenging when I think of my own family, but it also reminded me of something of which we can all be guilty – impressing on God (and others) our own intuitions of what He is like.

Which is why Pentecost is so important.

Of the many gifts that God bestows on us through the Holy Spirit, the most fundamental reality we receive is His self-disclosure. We occasionally run the risk of talking about the Spirit for the Spirit’s sake, which is to resist the Spirit’s own movement.

His primary activity is to open Christ out to us and open us out to Christ.

As we celebrate the birth of the church, let’s all come before God as children and ask him to impart Himself to us – that we may know Him better and be changed.

Click here to download   Weekly News 24th May 2015

Weekly News 17th May 2015/ Un Accueil Vraiment Chaleureux...

UN ACCUEIL VRAIMENT CHALEUREUX… …to Caroline, Mark and their family and friends, as they join us today to celebrate Sebastien’s baptism. The spattering of French is in honour of some of Caroline’s family who have made it over all the way from France for this occasion – il est bon de vous avoir avec nous.

We can’t promise to conduct our service in English and French this morning, but we hope you pick up a welcoming atmosphere that transcends language – and we do have a few Francophiles lurking in our church family, who may try out their language skills.

Our desire as a church family to extend a warm welcome to all simply reflects part of what God offers us in baptism – an open invitation to join His community of followers and discover life in all its fullness.

Click here to download   Weekly News 17th May 2015

Weekly News 10th May 2015/ Beacon Centre Update

BEACON CENTRE UPDATE Last week the PCC approved in principle the proposal to refurbish the Beacon Centre at a level that is more extensive than simply a lick of paint and a bit of a facelift. The plan includes gutting the place, re-wiring, re-plumbing and a re-fit, in line with the intended multi-use brief.

Full details will follow in due course, but we are at the stage of obtaining comparative quotes for the works, as well as ironing out an interior design, which will help people to get hold of what we are trying to achieve.

You may have noticed the ‘in principle’ in the first line. As a leadership, we were clear that there is much envisioning to be done and gathering of people to drive the vision, without which it’s simply a building project – which we are not so interested in financing. The refurbishment is intended to be the start of a means by which we develop our work as God’s people in the local community.

Click here to download   Weekly News 10th May 2015

Weekly News 3rd May 2015/ Pray, Pray, Pray

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY There’s always plenty to commit to God and you can take any of the news/information snippets inside as a prompt for prayer.

Over and about that, this week I would encourage you to pray actively and persistently for our country as it goes to the polls. Our individual votes may feel like they hold little sway, but the reality of who governs our nation has a very real and significant impact on the detail of many, many people’s lives.

Part of the antidote to feeling frustrated and disempowered in that process is to know God stands over all, and follow Paul’s advice to Timothy,

‘I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority, so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.’

Click here to download   Weekly News 3rd May 2015

Weekly News 26th April 2015/ Newcomers Welcome Event

NEWCOMERS WELCOME EVENT Our new ‘Caring & Befriending’ team would like to build on the welcome that is offered at St John’s, and part of that development will be to introduce some simple welcome events for newcomers.

The first of these will be ‘Tea & Cakes’ on 17 May.

So you can receive an invite, the team would love to hear from you if you have joined St John’s since 2012. It might seem like going back quite a way to be billed a ‘newcomer’, but it will help to hear what it was like to come to St John’s, and what might have enhanced the experience.

Please let Sue Watson (020 8777 3112, email Suejwatson@btinternet.com) or Maureen Lang (8650 650 6151, email maureenjlang23@gmail.com) know and they’ll provide you with some more details shortly.

Click here to download   Weekly News 26th April 2015

PCC Accounts 2014

PCC Accounts for consideration at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting on 19th April 2015 at 11am Click here to download accounts   PCC Accounts 2014

Weekly News 19th April 2015/ Christian Aid Week 10th to 16th May 2015

CHRISTIAN AID WEEK 10th -16th May 2015

The following message comes from Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury:

“Jesus calls us to love our neighbour and challenges any limit we put on who that neighbour might be. As Christians, we believe that he means our global neighbour, not just those close at hand. Across the world there are around a billion people in extreme poverty – trying to exist on less than $1.25 a day. God’s faithfulness gives us hope that extreme poverty can be ended, that loving our neighbour is a sign of God’s kingdom. This year Christian Aid confronts one of the greatest injustices of all times: discrimination against women. Please join us to pray, act and give for our global neighbour this Christian Aid Week.”

Couldn’t fit better with our ‘Live to Give’ theme of the past 2 weeks, eh! If anyone can help in the house-to-house collection, please contact Anne Ford (020 8289 2432) or Jeff Seabrook (020 8777 0014).

Click here to download   Weekly News 19th April 2015

Click here to download   Giving Flier 2014v5

Annual Parochial Church Meeting 2015 Reports

APCM 2015 This will take place on Sunday 19th April 2015 after the 10 am service. This is a great opportunity to consider what has taken place in the year gone, as well as the direction we hope to move in.

The reports are available by clicking the link below, for you to consider in advance. At the meeting, we will proceed on the basis that these have been read.

Click here to download   APCM Agenda Reports 2015

Weekly News 12th April 2015/ Welcomers Wanted

WELCOMERS WANTED A good and natural welcome is hugely important in a church.

We all know that extends well beyond those in the formal role of ‘Welcomer’, but nevertheless, those people are often first in line on a Sunday morning to extend hospitality to newcomers and existing church members alike.

Volunteers are needed for this role.

If you think you may be able to help out, or you want to find out a bit more of what’s involved, then please see Jonathan Tickner, Maureen Lang or Sue Watson for details. The Welcome Team will be meeting on 25 April, 10:00-11:30am at the Beacon Centre to consider how we welcome people and what makes for a warm introduction to the St John’s family.

Click here to download   Weekly News 12 April 2015