Welcome to St John’s!
We are delighted that you have chosen to join our community today. A special welcome if you are joining us for the first time this morning. You can download an order of service here if you prefer not to use a preprinted copy.
We want everyone worshipping at St John’s this morning to be as safe a place as possible so to minimise the risks of catching Covid-19, guidelines have been drafted. They are on display in the porch and here. In compliance with government guidance, we are required to have an informal community behaviour agreement and the guidelines will constitute this In summary, please observe the following:
If you are displaying any of the Covid-19 symptoms – high temperature, continuous cough or a change in your normal sense of taste & smell – please do not come into church but self-isolate and arrange for a test.
Please sanitise your hands when you enter the building. A volunteer is on duty with sanitiser just inside the main glass doors or you can wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soapy water in the toilets. If washing your hands, please use a paper towel to operate the taps.
If you have not already given us your contact details electronically, please do so now. This information will be held for 21 days and only used in what we anticipate will be an unlikely outbreak of Covid-19 which could be traced to someone attending St John’s.
Seats have been set out in clusters of 2, 3, 4 and 5 chairs. Please sit in a cluster appropriate for the size of your household, filling the church from the front.
Orders of service have been printed in advance and placed on the chairs on Sunday morning by a member of staff masked and gloved. Please take your order of service away with you at the end of the service.
At the collection, a member of staff masked and gloved will circulate with a collection plate. Place your cash or Gift Aid envelope in the plate but please do not touch it.
When exchanging the peace, please remain within your household cluster. Feel free to smile or wave at those in other households but do not make any physical contact with anyone outside of your household.
For communion, please remain standing at your seat. Lower your face mask by unhooking the loop around one ear, after which your hands will be sanitised. The clergy will bring the bread to you and place a wafer in your hand. If you prefer to receive a blessing instead, cross your hands over your chest. After you have consumed the bread, reattach your face mask in place over your mouth and nose.
At the end of the service, please remain in your seats until directed to leave the church by a member of staff. It will be tempting to socialise outside, but please remember that you can only do so with your own household or in a group of no more than six people – and then keeping 2 metres’ distance between each of you.
At present we regret that we are unable to offer hospitality after the service.
Children and Young Families
We are delighted to have so many families with young children as members of our congregation. At present, there is no Kids’ Club so children will stay with their households at all times throughout the service and afterwards when leaving the church. Please do bring along with you anything that your children may need during the service as we are unable to make pew bags, soft toys, books or any other items available.
Toilets with changing facilities are available near the entrance of the church but remember to wipe down all surfaces you have touched before going back into church. If for any reason your child becomes restless or upset during the service, please feel free to use the forecourt as a breakout space.
Each week there is a children’s story and activity on the children’s page on our website: https://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/children. Big children as well as smaller ones will find it interesting.
Coming to church on Sunday?
To help us plan, if you are reading the electronic version of these notices in advance of Sunday and intend to come to church, please click here. So far, we have comfortably seated everyone who has come to church each Sunday, but it is helpful to know in advance if you are attending.
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.
Harvest Festival Supporting Age UK
Today is our harvest festival service and we are asking for contributions of food to donate to Age UK. They are especially looking for small, easy to open packets and tins, especially stewed beef, as this helps with weight distribution and access. If you have brought donations, there is a collection point at the back of church for ‘Harvest Goods'. This will support Age UK’s food hub at St. John’s in delivering food parcels to their most vulnerable clients throughout Westminster each week. For more information and a list of donation suggestions,see ageuk.org.uk/westminster/our-services/coronavirus-covid-19/. We will also have a bucket collection to support the North Paddington Food Bank.
Music at St John’s
This morning we give a special welcome to newly appointed choral scholars Emma Jones, soprano and Ted Black, tenor. They join returning scholar Ed Jowle, bass. We are hoping that they may soon be augmented by a mezzosoprano so watch this space. Covid guidance has been relaxed so that we can have more than one singer provided that they can socially distance.
Keep Calm! Keep Alert! Keep Giving!
We continue to give thanks for the financial commitment of so many of you in making weekly or monthly contributions electronically or in the collection plate. Now that the church has reopened for public worship, collections have likewise resumed although it is safer to make your donations electronically directly to our bank account. Our details are:
Name: PCC St Johns Hyde Park
Bank: HSBC
Sort Code: 40-11-58
Account #: 80108251
Donations given electronically still qualify for Gift Aid as your name will appear alongside your donation. If you have any questions about giving, please speak to Bryan Sollenberger.
Popup Theatre Comes to St Johns
Thursday, 8th October, 7.30pm
There / Where / Here: Three allegories of modern communication
A woman gets stuck in the past talking to a machine. A child leaves a message not knowing if it will be heard. Three people try to decide if they want to see the future. Are any of them aware of what is happening in the present? Come and join us outside the church for an evening of socially distanced theatre for the local community. Tickets are £10 for adults £5 for children and can be booked by going to https://stjohnshydepark.churchsuite.co.uk/events/twrekj8x.
Tuesday: Quiz Night, 8pm
Our quiz maestro Damon Greeney returns with more tantalising teasers to test your intellectual elasticity (on Zoom).
Join the Quiz
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82511356513?pwd=L0tobG1Ua2lxVkQ3bGcvRkRxNG9FQT09
Wednesday Club
The Wednesday Club is a series of groups running every week on (you guessed it) a Wednesday during term time. We cycle between four areas of discipleship to encourage friendship and faith (via Zoom, 8-9pm). If you are interested or want to join in, please just email Dan (danwarnke@me.com) or follow the link below.
WED 1 - Bible study (based on the Gospel reading for the preceding Sunday)
WED 2 - Lectio Divina (reflective reading of scripture)
WED 3 - Pub theology (the convergence of everyday ethics and faith)
WED 4 - Ignition Prayer (exploring the question: How do we pray in difficult times?)
Join us on Wednesdays
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84326155018?pwd=RFhIUzMrM2xUY1pyYjRIK1ZySVUyUT09
Watch the ordination of The Reverend Georgina Elsey
Our Assistant Curate Georgina was ordained deacon last week by the Bishop of London in St Paul’s Cathedral. It was live-streamed on YouTube and you can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/fKcWIggNLys .
Domestic Abuse
During these weeks of close proximity, the necessity to stay indoors with little opportunity to get some space can cause pressure and stress which we might normally handle quite comfortably. Relationships can get difficult at times for the best of us. Should you find things getting too much or out of hand and feel that you have been or may become a victim of abuse, help is available. Please ring 999 followed by 55. This will notify the police of the nature of your call. Don’t suffer in silence!
St John’s Book Club
St John’s Book Club reads a wide variety of books and discussions are robust and enthusiastic. They are currently reading The Offing, by Benjamin Myers and will meet via Zoom to discuss it on 26th October at 8pm. For further information about the book club, drop a line to parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com.
