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.
Prom Concert, 3rd March
Immediately after the 10am service this morning we are pleased to have not one, but two organ virtuosos giving a short recital on Betty. Nick Miller will be joined by special guest Robert Greenhill. Nick we know can play but Robert also is a maestro and this morning gives his first recital in 40 years! We are privileged that he has chosen to come out of hibernation and limber up his fingers at St John’s. There will be a brief period after the service to get a tea, coffee or chilled apple juice before the recital starts. All are welcome.
Ash Wednesday, 6th March 2019, 12.00 noon & 8.00pm
We begin our Lenten observations this week on Ash Wednesday, 6th March. As usual there will be a said lunchtime service at 12.00 noon. In the evening there will be a sung Eucharist at 8.00pm, the setting Palestrina’s Missa Brevis, featuring Allegri’s Miserere and Walton’s Drop, Drop Slow Tears. If you still have your palm crosses from last year, bring them in and we will burn them to make this year’s ash. Ash Wednesday is one of the church’s great festivals and marks the beginning of Lent – a time of preparation for Easter. Start off Lent by coming to this great service.
Sunday evenings in Lent
If you have ever wondered why we do the things we do each Sunday, or what genuflecting means, or why we have candles and processions, sign the cross on chest – or any other gestures and symbols made during the Eucharistic prayers – then come and join us for a teaching Eucharist each Sunday evening throughout Lent. We will cover a different section of the service each week with plenty of opportunities to ask anything you’ve ever wanted to know, but been too afraid to ask!
Lent course
Wednesdays 13th March - 10th April
Grosvenor Chapel, Mayfair
During Lent we will join with St George’s and Grosvenor Chapel to explore the dynamics of God’s calling and sending in our lives. Join us on Wednesdays at 7pm for a light supper, followed by a short talk and lively discussion amongst friends old and new. Across the five sessions we’ll discuss the ways in which we are loved and received by God and how this gives us the freedom to deal with the pressures we face with an imaginative and compassionate response. To sign up, please see the list at the back of church, or talk to Dan.
Congratulations, Sally Hitchiner!
We are pleased that Sally has been appointed Associate Vicar at St Matins-in-the-Fields! Her last Sunday here will be 31st March, Mothering Sunday. Sally has been associated with St John’s while she has been chaplain at Brunel University, taking part on the clergy rota on an occasional basis and we have been delighted that she has brought a bit of sparkle and razzamatazz to St John’s with her ministry here and on television. We are very pleased for her but will be sad to see her go. Make sure you come along on 31st March to wish Sally and Fiona well.
Easter Baptisms
Are you considering baptism? Easter is the perfect occasion and the dawn service at 5am on Easter Day is a great opportunity for it. This is a very special and unique service and there will be an opportunity for adults and children to be baptized as part of the Easter liturgy. If you are interested in being baptized at this service, please speak to one of the clergy as soon as possible.
Bible Book Club
Bible Book Club meets once a month to read and to discuss the gospel reading for the coming Sunday and concludes with Compline. Meetings normally take place on the first Wednesday of the month but as there will be our usual Lent course at Grosvenor Chapel during Lent on Wednesday evenings the next meeting will take place on 1st May. For further information, speak to one of the clergy.
Electoral Roll
The parish electoral roll is an indication of the life and vitality of St John’s. Inclusion on it is a part of your commitment to the church. Further, you must be on the electoral roll in order to participate in our annual meeting. Every six years we are required to dissolve the current roll and to compile a brand new one. As we last did this in 2013 we are compelled to compile a new roll this year and will be taking applications for entry onto the new roll until 20th March 2019. The roll will then be closed until after the annual meeting on 7th April. Application forms are available in the porch. Once completed, please return them to Bryan Sollenberger or send to the parish office.
Sponsor a Buttress
Goal: £50,000
Raised so far: £47,695
Only two to go! This morning the Vicar will add 5 more buttresses to our buttress-ometer making a total of 38 sponsored of our target of 40! This is fantastic news and a big thank you to everyone who has contributed.
The ‘Sponsor a Buttress’ campaign is raising funds to cover this year’s commitment to repaying the loan from the Diocese of London towards last year’s roof works. There are 40 buttresses consisting of three stones each. A stone costs £416, a buttress £1,250 (£333 and £1,000 respectively if Gift Aided). To sponsor a stone or buttress or for more information about Gift Aid, speak to Bryan Sollenberger.
Culture Vulture Ventures
Culture Vultures Venture to the Royal College of Music Sunday March 10th
We have the opportunity to attend the 1pm dress rehearsal of Robinson Crusoe at the Royal College of Music on Sunday 10th March. Jacques Offenbach composed this 3 act opéra comique in 1867 loosely based on Daniel Defoe’s classic, Robinson Crusoe. He is portrayed as a hopeless romantic who runs away to sea only to be shipwrecked. Timothy Edlin (bass baritone) is Sir William Crusoe and Catriona Hewitson (soprano) is Edwige. We meet from 12.15 at the Royal Albert Hall’s ground floor Café Bar, entered via Door 12, where light lunches, eg soup, salads, sandwiches, are available, before strolling over to the College. The dress rehearsal is free of charge but your name needs to be on a list for admittance. Please let Lesley Gray know if you intend to come.
Culture Vultures Venture to The Royal Academy of Music Friday 15th March
Come and hear our choral scholar, Robert Forrest (tenor), in the role of the hero Vaudemont, in Tchaikovsky’s opera Iolanta, at his 2.00pm Dress Rehearsal on Friday 15th March at The Royal Academy, Marylebone Rd. NW1 5HT, https://www.ram.ac.uk. It’s a double bill: we’ll also hear Ravel’s L’Enfant et Les Sortileges. We meet at 12 noon for a 2 course lunch (drinks extra) £18 inc. VAT and service charge at Ishtar, a popular Turkish restaurant, 10 Crawford St. W1U 6AZ, Ishtarrestaurant.com. Please pay Margaret by 10th March (cheques preferred).
Culture Vultures Venture to Marlborough House, Monday 29th April
Irene, who guided us so well when we ventured last year to Lambeth Palace, will take us round The Fine Rooms on the Ground Floor of Marlborough House. Totally accessible, even though it was completed in 1711, it is now used by the Commonwealth Secretariat, so we are advised there may be a last minute date change should the rooms be required for Commonwealth business. Afterwards we are very fortunate to have a luncheon booking in the dining room at the Royal Air Force Club, 128 Piccadilly, W1J 7PY, www.rafclub.org.uk, but places for that are limited, so first come first served! Tour only £8, tour and lunch £34, 3 courses inc VAT and service, drinks extra. Meet under the St James’ Palace clock at the bottom of St James’ St. at 10.45am. Payment to Margaret please - as always cheques preferred.
Lent Retreat: Mirfield 29th - 31st March 2019
The Benedictine Community of the Resurrection www.mirfield.org.uk regularly hold Retreats and Pilgrimage Weekends at their Monastery in Mirfield, West Yorkshire. These are guided by some of the brothers, who give three addresses, and there is plenty of time for quiet contemplation, walks in the beautiful grounds and the opportunity to attend the daily offices with the community and college in the lovely cathedral-like chapel.
The cost is £135, which includes all meals and accommodation in single rooms (£150 for an ensuite) + travel. The Centre is only minutes away from Junction 25 of the M62 and there are direct trains from Kings Cross. Mirfield is also a Theological College and it is ordinand Benji Tyler, a member of our congregation, who knows just how learned, holy and friendly are the Mirfield community. The Guestmaster has made a provisional reservation for us. Please have a word with Margaret or Benji for more details, a copy of the timetable and to register your interest.
Mid-week Services
St John’s isn’t just a church for Sunday! There are services at 5.30pm Monday to Thursday. Monday’s service is a eucharist and there is a said evensong Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Services take place in the sanctuary and are open to all.
Save the Date!
Deacon Dan will be priested on Sunday, 30th June, at 4pm at St Mary’s, Stoke Newington. He will celebrate his first Communion the following Sunday, 7th July, at the 10am service after which we will have our annual barbecue!
Giving Maria a Helping Hand
You may not know her, but Maria is a member of our mid-week congregation and long-term resident in the parish. She has not always had an easy time of it and will be moving into unfurnished sheltered accommodation nearby (still in the parish) from a furnished bedsit where she has lived for over 35 years. Given the generous spirit of St John’s we wondered if you might be able to help locate the items below, either if you have or know someone who might have some spare furniture to donate or by making a contribution toward the cost of buying them: curtains, double bed, mattress, chair, side table, lamp, chest of drawers, cooker (narrow), microwave, under counter fridge. If you would like to know more or would like to help in some way, please talk to Dan or Steve. Thanks!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
School Gate Gossip
The children are just back from half term but our correspondent has promised a bumper edition of School Gate Gossip next week so do stay tuned!
Stay and Play
A community playgroup meets weekly in St John’s on Thursday mornings from10-11.30am. 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.
