Coronavirus (covid-19)
In the light of the advice from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York all public worship has been suspended until further notice. There will therefore be no public worship at St John’s this Sunday.
This means there will be no communion or other public service in the coming Sun-days or during the week. This coming Sunday we will be live-streaming an act of worship from the vicarage at 10am and this will be available online throughout the day. To access the live stream go to www.stjohns-hydepark.com on Sunday morn-ing and click on the Facebook link. A Facebook account is not required to watch either the livestream or archived services.
St John’s, Hyde Park is now closed and no longer available for private prayer and reflection. The clergy will be praying regularly for all who are sick, anxious or isolated as well as for our national leaders, medical staff and researchers, along with all those whose lives have been affected by this crisis. We will also have in our thoughts those members of our own congregation who are particularly at risk and are in isolation.
The clergy will also be live-streaming Evening Prayer (BCP) at 5:30 pm Monday through Friday. Orders of service will be available for download on our Welcome page.
If you would like to pray with a member of the clergy, please call 078 0147 6474 or email or WhatsApp one of the clergy team directly to arrange a convenient time. We also invite you to visit our Prayer Requests page if you would like to request that the clergy, staff team and community of St John’s pray for you, a family mem-ber or a loved one.
Sunday morning at St John’s
This morning’s service will be streamed from the vicarage at 10am. To access the livestream, just go to www.stjohns-hydepark.com and click on the ‘join us’ link. You can also download an order of service on the Welcome page. Do take note that during the streaming of the service the demand can be high and the quality can vary, but you can still watch after the service has finished and the quality is often much better then.
You can also join us for coffee by Zoom afterwards. If you would like an invitation to join us, please e-mail us. Fizz is, as ever, entirely appropriate, but you will have to provide your own on this occasion.
Help Us Keep Going
The impact of covid-19 is being felt by all and it is understandable that some are feeling the effects more than others. During this time, the church is also feeling the effects. Although the building is closed there are still salaries and fixed costs we have to pay. At the same time, there are no collections on Sunday mornings and giving via the Gift Aid envelopes has gone as well – over £500 per Sunday in total. This is in addition to the loss of car parking income and church rentals. If you normally put something in the collection plate on Sundays and are still able to contribute, please consider sending it by bank transfer. You can send your donations directly to our bank account. Our bank details are:
Sort Code: 40-11-58
Account #: 80108251
As long as it comes through with your name in the detail, it will still qualify for Gift Aid. You may even want to consider setting up a standing order every month or quarter. Alternatively, you can save up your donations and bring them along with you when St John’s reopens. If you would like more information about this, please contact Bryan Sollenberger at parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com.
Alternatively, we are nearly at our target for our Rainy Day Appeal (see below) and we need a last bit of help to reach our target of £40,000.
During the Week
Join us for Evening Prayer (BCP) at 5:30 pm Monday through Friday (the Order of Service is available on our Welcome page). A Facebook account is not required to participate in our live-stream worship services.
Tuesday: Children's Music Workshop, 11am
Kids, come and join us online for a fun virtual music workshop led by our own Helen Isibor-Epega (singer-songwriter, composer and performance artist). During the 30min session, we'll express ourselves through words and sounds to create some music together (no prior experience necessary!).
What you'll need:
your parent’s permission
a piece of A4 paper
a fat pen to write some words we can all see
an instrument if you have one (but don’t worry if you don’t)
your imagination!
Join the Workshop
Click Here
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87381498627?pwd=WER6ckRROUxZKzhrU1p0SmZMWGxNdz09)
Meeting ID: 873 8149 8627
Password: 074846
Quiz Night, Tue 21st April, 8pm
Calling the St John’s mind-hive! Much like your physical health we’re sure your grey matter is itching for an excuse to get some exercise too. So, let us help out with our first-ever Zoom Quiz Night hosted by the inimitable Damon Greeney. All you need to do is get yourself a drink, click below and share your general knowledge as you join the SJHP quiz team!
Join the SJHP Quiz Night
Click Here
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84084192196?pwd=bitkMDNsUUsrMjNxSDRNOGpvRDExZz09)
Meeting ID: 840 8419 2196
Password: 084957
Wednesday: Vicar’s Coffee Morning
The Vicar will be hosting his coffee morning again on Wednesday at 11am. Text him (07801 476 474) with your email address for an invite via Zoom. Please bring your own coffee.
Wednesday Club: Pub theology, Wed 22nd, 8pm
This week the Wednesday Club comes to you from the pub… well, not exactly from the pub but it will (could) involve a drink and it will involve some ethics and theology, and it will (hopefully) involve you! All you need to do is let Dan know that you’re keen and he’ll email you a little something to read that will fuel our discussion.
Contact Dan
Click here to join via Zoom
(https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84691987364?pwd=RitGb3RQSnNxTnBTNkRqSHMvUlBwZz09)
Meeting ID: 846 9198 7364
Password: 031245
Need help or just want to feel connected?
Call the office – we have a simple message: Ring! Ring! Ring! We will continue to set-up virtual groups via WhatsApp and Zoom over the coming days, but, in the meantime, anyone who is shut-in and needing help or just wanting to chat, please give us a ring, and Steve, Dan, Bryan and Andre will do their best to help
Spread the Love
At this time of increased anxiety for so many people and with much that is un-known, we want to reassure all the members of our community that they are mem-bers of the St John’s family and we encourage everyone to stay in touch with one another by telephone, social media, e-mail or text. Encourage one another, make each other laugh and be there to listen and help where needed, but let\s learn to be the body of Christ in a new way that enables us all to stick by the government guidelines for social distancing while we are unable to meet together
St John’s Website
We are working hard to update and make the website a hub for information, live-streams, media, etc., so check it out now and frequently in the future for updates and content. Thanks especially to Bryan Stephens for his time invested in maintaining the website. To visit the website go to www.stjohns-hydepark.com.
Help Hogg Help the Vulnerable
Hogg & Son, our local chemists in Kendal Street, are looking for volunteers to distribute medications. If you can help, please contact them directly either at 37 Kendal Street or by phoning 020 7262 7169.
New Assistant Curate
We are delighted to announce that Georgina Elsey will be joining us in July. Due to the coronavirus outbreak, Georgina’s ordination has been postponed until September. The present plan is that Georgina will still become a member of team St John’s in July and move into Archery Close, but she will do so as a licensed lay worker. Georgina is training for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham and a flyer introducing Georgina is available in the porch.
Rainy Day Appeal
Raised: £38,136
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.
We are now 95.3% of the way to our goal of raising £40,000 to cover this year’s repayment commitment and interest. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. Please see Bryan Sollenberger if you can help us raise that last 5%!
A Big Gay Night Out
Dick Whittington (an adult Panto) December 2020! There’s nothing like planning ahead – and tickets for this year’s panto at Above the Stag are now on sale! If you are interested in coming to the Panto on Tuesday 8th December 2020, please contact Ian Smith [ipas@hotmail.co.uk] asap. Tickets, £28 a seat, sell fast (even this far ahead!).
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Stay and Play
The community playgroup which usually meets weekly in St John’s on Thursday mornings from 9.30-11.30am will not be meeting while public gatherings are discouraged by the government.
