Coronavirus (covid19)
As from 6th May, the Bishop of London has informed us that the incumbent or another licensed minister could resume entering the building for private prayer or livestreaming with immediate effect. Thus, our service this Sunday morning will come livestreamed largely from both the sanctuary using a new streaming platform that allowed participants to be in multiple locations.
The House of Bishops on 12th May expected that churches would open slowly and in stages and the next stage would be to allow very small occasional offices. A third stage would be to open up to small congregations, these stages being initiat-ed in line with government guidelines.
Each Sunday more people livestream with us and join us for coffee by zoom af-terwards. It is amazing how we are technologically able to connect with one an-other through these difficult times. Please remember that the clergy and team continue to be around behind the scenes and are available to connect by tele-phone, Zoom, WhatsApp or text and are available to accompany you in prayer or for a chat. Just be in touch.
Please continue to remember in your prayers those who are affected by this pandemic - the sick and those in hospital, along with their families. We also remember those who are self-isolating who live alone, as well as our national leaders, and all hospital and care staff working in our hospitals and within our community – all doing their bit – as well as researchers looking to provide a cure or vaccine and those people volunteering in human trials. Finally, we remember before God all the 26,000 who have lost their lives during these recent weeks.
Sunday morning at St John’s
This morning’s service will be streamed from the sanctuary of St John’s at 10am. Go to https://www.facebook.com/stjohnsHP/videos/1338414333033690 to access the livestream. 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 afterwards on zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87870632062?pwd=VXVQTHNtSzZPeUVuSDNiSTk5SXQ2Zz09
Meeting ID: 878 7063 2062
Password: 351611
Dial in option: 0203 481 5237
You won’t be able to see our lovely faces but you can listen in on the conversation. And you don’t need to have a 3g or 4g phone to take part.
The clergy will also be live-streaming Evening Prayer (BCP) at 5:30 pm Tuesday through Friday this week. Orders of service will be available for download on our Welcome page.
If you would like to pray with a member of the clergy or to have a one-to-one conversation, please send an e-mail to parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com. 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 member or a loved one.
A Big Thank You for Keeping Us Afloat
A huge thank you to so many who have shifted the Gift Aid donations they would normally put into the collection plate to electronic giving. We are hugely grateful. The response has been amazing but please keep it going if you are able.
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 £575 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:
Name: PCC St Johns Hyde Park
Sort Code: 40-11-58
Account #: 80108251
As long as it comes through with your name in the detail, it will 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
Weekday Evening Prayer
Join us for Evening Prayer (from the Book of Common Prayer) at 5:30 pm Tuesday through Friday (an order of service is available each day on our Welcome page). A Facebook account is not required to participate in our live-stream worship services.
This week is a lighter week for events – do check next week’s notices though to keep up-to-date with our events.
Wednesday: Vicar’s Coffee Morning, 11am
The vicar will be hosting his coffee morning again on Wednesday at 11am. Please bring your own coffee.
Join the Coffee Morning
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/7539550173?pwd=ZTMvWEE4dWhNOGtDemlobEw3YytIQT09
Meeting ID: 753 955 0173
Password: 112697
Or alternatively dial in on a telephone (landline or mobile): +44 203 481 5240
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 unknown, we want to reassure all the members of our community that they are members 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.
New Assistant Curate
We are delighted to announce that Georgina Elsey will be joining us in early July and will move into Archery Close on 8 June, just a few weeks away. She will come on staff as a licensed lay worker and will be a full member of St John’s clergy team. She will perform many of the duties of an ordained deacon even though her ordination has been postponed until the end of September. We will have to think of some imaginative ways of how we welcome Georgina to our community in the present context.
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 be 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 Website
We are working hard to update and make the website a hub for information, livestreams, 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.
Rainy Day Appeal
Raised: £38,205
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
While the church is closed, the community playgroup is having a singalong with the curate on zoom at 11am on Thursday mornings.
There is no singalong this week. Check next week’s notices for further information.
