Welcome Back // Weekly News 25th August

WELCOME BACK…

…if you have been away on your Summer break. We hope time off has been restorative. You may have missed previous editions of our Weekly News so we’ve kept some of what is in store this Autumn on the front page, but there are also new notices inside.

•  On 8 September, Paul & Cathy Harris, our speakers at Ashburnham, will be joining us for our Morning Worship. Paul will preach, as we return to our walk through 1 Corinthians.
•  In November, there will be a retreat day for anyone who wants to take some time out from the hustle and bustle and think about what it means to slow down and engage with God in quiet.
•  We’ll get together in the Assembly Rooms for a Sunday morning and bring and share lunch, as we did not so long ago – to explore the joys and pain of sharing our faith.

We’ll be looking to develop the way we operate as Christ’s body, by developing some clearer team structures, with a view to putting these in place in the New Year.

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Click here to download Weekly News 25th August 2013

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Sneak Preview // Weekly News 18th August

SNEAK PREVIEW

We don’t want to wish your Summer weeks away, but there is plenty in store for this Autumn. Some of what lies ahead is outlined overleaf, but here is a glimpse of other things to come:

• On 8 September, Paul & Cathy Harris, our speakers at Ashburnham, will be joining us for our Morning Worship. Paul will preach, as we return to our walk through 1 Corinthians.

• In November, there will be a retreat day for anyone who wants to take some time out from the hustle and bustle and think about what it means to slow down and engage with God in quiet.

• We’ll get together in the Assembly Rooms for a Sunday morning and bring and share lunch, as we did not so long ago – to explore the joys and pain of sharing our faith.

We’ll be looking to develop the way we operate as Christ’s body, by developing some clearer team structures, with a view to putting these in place in the New Year.

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Click here to download Weekly News 18th August 2013

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Weekly News 11th August 2013

ALPHA  -

STARTING SEPTEMBER 30TH

Did you know that there is an Alpha course running virtually all day every day, somewhere around the globe? All around the world, in homes and halls, in prisons and on patios, people are exploring the big issues; asking those questions about life, spirituality and faith they may have wondered about, but never had the time to explore. And now it’s our time again.

Alpha will start at St. John’s on 30^th September so now is the time to be thinking about who you can invite. Several people are already waiting to get started and the more the better. In a relaxed, unpressured setting (probably in someone’s home) there will be a meal and a talk and discussion in groups. At Alpha friendships are made and confidence is gained to ask those challenging questions. No subject is off limits.

If you have non Christian friends, neighbours or family who have asked questions, expressed scepticism or even a casual interest in faith and spirituality, then why not invite them to come to Alpha? And, please start to pray now that people will hear about it, will want to come, and will be blessed by it.

Details from Jon, Nick and the Parish office. Also see www.stjohnsww.com

Download Weekly News here     Weekly News 11th August 2013

Haiti Hospital Appeal // Weekly News 4th August

As a church, one of the charities we support is the Haiti Hospital Appeal. This Christian charity was founded in 2006 by members of Coney Hill Baptist Church, including Carwyn Hill who has worked for the charity in Haiti, with his wife Reninca, since December 2008.

The Haiti Hospital Appeal is dedicated to loving and serving a community, who have been without even the most basic healthcare, by providing a quality health care system that is not restricted to the few but a right for all, without any form of regional, religious, or economic discrimination.

Helping to run one of the leading hospitals in North Haiti, they specialise in community health care, maternity, paediatric, and neonatal care, and rehabilitation services for adults and children.

A number of people from West Wickham are involved and some have even been to Haiti to support and work on the various projects. The charity greatly values all the support they are given by individuals and organisations through donations, fundraising, partnerships, prayer and voluntary work. To find out more about their work and how you can get involved visit www.haitihospitalappeal.org.

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Click here to download Weekly News 4th August 2013

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Swing your partner // Weekly News 28th July

As part of our Harvest Celebrations this year we are going to be having a Barn Dance and Supper.

It will be open to all ages and the great thing about a Barn Dance is that a lack of natural rhythm isn’t a bar to having a fun time. If your mobility is limited, there will be plenty of food and drink, as well as some seating from which you can laugh at people tripping over themselves.

Date:               21 September

Time:               6pm

Venue:             Assembly Rooms

We will confirm costs shortly, but tickets will be available from mid-August, with concessions for under 14s, and family tickets available.

Invite friends along to what should be an entertaining evening. For further details, see the new website in the coming weeks.

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Download Weekly News here    Weekly News 28th July 2013

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New website // News Sheet - 21st July

UP AND RUNNING!

As of today, our new website goes live.

See what you think about the new look and content. It is a fully working site, but it is not the finished article. One of the great advantages of this new platform is the ease with which it can be modified. This is our starting point, but we intend to continue tinkering with the feel of it and so welcome any feedback from you.

In reality, the idea is that the website will rarely be static, but changing regularly to communicate all sorts of information. The hope is that you visit it regularly to see what’s going on in the life of the church and find out about forthcoming events  – you could even set it as your homepage.

You’ll have also noticed a change to our weekly news sheet. This reflects the style of the website and we will roll out this appearance across other areas of our publicity, such as noticeboards, welcome cards, etc.

You can also download this weeks news sheet below.

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Download News Sheet - 21st July

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Beacon Centre Questionnaire

It’s not too late to grab a questionnaire about possible developments for the Beacon Center. There are copies at the back of church and it is available to download below. If you have any questions, then please ask Lorna Carey. [box icon="down"]

Beacon Centre - Church Family Questionnaire

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Liberated living… // News Sheet - 14 July

We will soon be into the full swing of Summer when people head off on hols and some of our usual Sunday patterns shift a little. This weekend is our last Sunday Club until the Autumn. From next week, we will take a break from our journey through 1 Corinthians and run a series looking at some of the heroes and heroines of the Old Testament. This week we will be focusing on the topic of giving and exploring what it means to be generous people. We delve specifically into this subject once a year, recognizing that Jesus had a lot to say about the use of money and what it says about our spiritual state.

We haven’t tied this to any specific request for money. We simply encourage you to review how much you give away and prayerfully consider whether it is appropriate for you to increase or reduce your current level of giving.

Money is often a sensitive area, but I hope we can discover together some of the correspondence Jesus makes between generosity and a worry-free life.  At its best, the call to have a light hold on our income is an invitation to trust and find freedom.

Don't forget to download this weeks Church News

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Download Church News - July 14

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Baptism Service - 23rd June

We are really excited to announce that on Sunday 23rd we will have some of young people being baptised as part of our 10am service.

It is going to be a brilliant morning hearing about their journey to faith and we cannot wait to celebrate as a church family!

Come along a be blessed..