Hearing the Service
St John’s has an Induction Loop System so if you have a hearing aid, please switch it to the ’T’ setting.
Sunday, 22nd December
Nativity Play
This morning we play host to our annual nativity play which takes the place of the sermon in the service. At the end of the performance, we all join the children on the second chorus in singing “Away in a Manger”. Parents are then invited to take their children through to the parish hall for refreshments before returning for Communion. Afterwards, sherry and spiced biscuits will be served at the back of church.
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
At 6pm our traditional carol service kicks off the countdown to Christmas. This year the service is centred around Martin and Sorenson’s Christmas Dreams. The choir will be accompanied by a multitude of musicians and the service will be followed by a fizz and panettone reception. This is one of the biggest musical treats of the year for all the family. Invite your friends and neighbours to join us for this festive community celebration.
CHRISTMAS 2019
Christmas Eve
4.00pm - Crib Service
Mary and Joseph return to St John’s after their travels around the parish and all of the children attending will build the crib, placing a lamb alongside the Baby Jesus.
11.30pm – Midnight Mass
Enjoy the first mass of Christmas in a candlelit church, singing Christmas carols accompanied by strings and winds. The setting will be Mozart’s Coronation Mass K317.
Christmas Day
10am – Family Festival Eucharist
Children are invited to come along dressed up in their fairy costumes and sparkly shoes or Christmas pyjamas and to bring their toys with them if they wish. Sing Christmas carols with the choir, accompanied by orchestra.
Christmas Flowers
Remember a loved one by making a donation to this year’s Christmas flowers. Complete the slip inside your order of service and leave it with Bryan Sollenberger. A list of those in whose memory donations are given will be displayed in the porch.
29th December
The choir and music staff are on a well deserved break next Sunday. We use our Folk Tunes setting on that Sunday with a guest soloist and organist. This is the only service on this Sunday – there is no 8am service nor evening service.
EPIPHANY 2019
The arrival of the Magi, after their long journey following a star seeking Jesus, is one of the oldest festivals of the Christian Church. In the Eastern and Russian Orthodox Churches, this is the equivalent of Christmas. St John’s will celebrate Epiphany with a festival Eucharist on Sunday, 5th January 2020. There will be a procession of the Magi and Presentation of Gifts before the crib as part of the service. Afterwards, there will be a reception of fizz and finger food. Members of the congregation are asked to bring a plate of finger food with them and, in order to help with numbers, please sign up on the form in the porch, indicating that they will be able to attend and what food they will be bringing with them.
Epiphany Carols
12th January 2020, 6pm
After our fantastic Advent and Christmas carol services, what next? Epiphany Carols! Robert, Nicky and the choir have prepared another special treat to conclude our seasonal celebrations marking the events of the Epiphany season. Featuring music by John Williams, Somewhere in My Memory (from Home Alone), John Rutter’s Candelight Carol, The Call from Ralph Vaughan William’s Five Mystical Songs, Nunc Dimittis by Katie Melua, The Maji’s Epiphany Dreams by Sorenson and On the Nature of Daylight by Max Richter, the service will be followed with fizz and galettes des rois. A great way to beat the post-Christmas blues!
Margaret Legg
Sadly for St John’s, after 12 years of wonderful ministry here, Margaret is due to retire from being our Assistant Priest on 2nd February 2020. During her 12 years at St John’s, Margaret has become much loved as a dutiful pastor and friend to so many and has built up Culture Vulture Ventures as an integral part of our communal life together. She has entertained us with her royal tit bits in her sermons and brought her many years of experience to illustrate living out our faith in real life. There is much for which to give thanks and to celebrate and we will be doing so on 2nd February after the 10am service so please save the date in your diaries so that we can give Margaret a positive send off!
Nick Miller
Not only is Margaret retiring but Nick Miller, our organist for the past seven years, is moving on to new pastures. While very sad that he is moving on, we are pleased at his appointment as Director of Music at St Margaret's, Putney. Nick is a gifted organist and we have been very appreciative of the huge contributions he has made to the music at St John’s through his playing, especially his amazing voluntaries, and his arranging of the music for many of our large services. His last service will be Epiphany Carols on 12th January. We wish Nicky well in his new post.
Rainy Day Appeal
Raised: £23,083
Target: £40,000
Two years ago we undertook some very essential repairs to the roof, gutters and parapets. If you look up on the outside north or south sides of the church, you’ll notice the beautiful new stonework. To fund the works, however, we had to borrow £200,000 from the Diocese of London.
The goal of our Rainy Day Appeal is to raise £40,000 to cover this year’s repayment commitment and interest. There are 160 metres of guttering, which works out at £250 per meter (£200 per metre if gift aided). To clear one or more metres or for more information about Gift Aid, speak to Bryan Sollenberger. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far.
Culture Vultures Venture
Culture Vultures Venture to the Panto!!
A festive treat for all the family, Sunday, 5th January 5.30pm.
‘Oh yes he did!’ ‘Oh no he didn’t!’ The young and the young at heart are sure to enjoy Cinderella at the Lyric Theatre Hammersmith www.lyric.co.uk (that’s the Lyric, main entrance on Lyric Square, not the Apollo by the big church) on Sunday, January 5th at 5.30pm. Ticket prices range from £23 - £15. This is the very last performance of the run, so promises to be extra fun! If family commitments allow, meet for a delicious meal/snack from 4.00pm at Byron’s, www.byronhamburgers.com, opposite the Lyric and to the right as you exit Hammersmith & City line tube station. Kid’s menu, with both healthy and less healthy options, £6.50. Please speak to Margaret to register your interest – all tickets are gone but there is a waiting list.
Culture Vulture Ventures Special Treat
A Private Guided Tour of Buckingham Palace: 24th January 2020
CVV have managed to snap up tickets for a Private Guided Tour of Buckingham Palace on Friday, January 24th at 4.30pm - an ideal Christmas or Birthday gift for that special person! Our guide for the tour will explain how the Palace has evolved from a private royal residence to become one of the most famous buildings in the world and will describe the paintings, porcelain, furniture and sculpture as we move through the State Rooms. There will be no barriers in place so we can view the treasures close up and ask questions galore, before enjoying a glass of champagne and doing some royal shopping (20% discount available)! Afterwards we enjoy a 3-course dinner (drinks self-paying) at The Naval and Military Club, known informally as The In & Out, (www.theinandout.co.uk) a private members club with a strict dress code, located at 4 St James's Square, SW1Y 4JU. A big thank you to Andy Beverley for facilitating this. Total cost £115 each. Meet at the Ambassadors' Entrance on Buckingham Palace Rd. Payment to Margaret please (cheques preferred). All tickets have been taken for this event but there is a waiting list.
St John’s Book Club
St John’s Book Club next meets on 16th December, when they will be discussing Please Look after Mother by Kyung-Sook Shin. For further information, please speak to Michael King.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
School Gate Gossip
After a spectacular nativity play on Friday, staff and students are now on a well-earned break - they come back to school on 6th January 2020. We wish everyone at the school a very happy Christmas and even greater achievements in 2020.
Stay and Play
A community playgroup meets weekly in St John’s on Thursday mornings from 9.30-11.30am. Come and stay for a play, a sing-song and to share stories over a cup of coffee. All children and babies are welcome (newborn to 5 years). Suggested donation: £2.
