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.
EPIPHANY
This morning we celebrate Epiphany - the arrival of the Magi, after their long journey following a star seeking Jesus. This is one of the oldest festivals of the Christian Church and, in the Eastern and Russian Orthodox Churches, is the equivalent of Christmas as it was in the Celtic Church until the mission of Augustine of Canterbury. 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. Please stay for a glass and share in the celebrations with us.
Epiphany Carols
12th January 2020, 6 pm
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!
Bible Book Club
8th January, 7pm
Bible book club meets once a month to read and to discuss the gospel reading for the coming Sunday and concludes with Compline. For further information, speak to one of the clergy.
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: £26,958
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, 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.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
School Gate Gossip
The entire school – pupils, teachers & assistants, dinner ladies – have enjoyed a well-earned break and return to school this week. Stay tuned to find out what they have in store this term.
School tours are held every Wednesday at 9:30am and members from St John’s are very welcome to attend if they would like to find out more about the school.
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.
