We are delighted that you have chosen to join our community today. While it has been good to see so many of you keeping in touch online and via zoom, it is even better to see you once again in person. You can download an order of service on the Welcome page 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 and to minimise the risks of catching Covid-19, guidelines have been drafted and sent out by e-mail. They are also on display in the porch and on our website at https://tinyurl.com/y2v4jzgm. 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 only be held for 21 days and only used in what we anticipate will be an unlikely outbreak of Covid-19 (coronavirus) 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 stay 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 are unable to offer hospitality after the service and now that the church is open for public worship, the after service coffee on Zoom is no longer taking place.
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 on: https://tinyurl.com/TrinityTen. We have plenty of space and so far have comfortably seated everyone who has come to church, but it is helpful to know in advance how many will be attending. Thank you for responding.
Music During Covid-19
At present, singing and the use of wind or brass instruments are not permitted, but the organ and strings can play and we are allowed to have a cantor provided they are at least 5 metres away from anyone else or sing behind a screen. This morning we are pleased to welcome Helen May as cantor and Bryony James on cello.
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.
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 and we are extremely grateful for those who have been able to continue making a weekly or monthly contribution electronically. Now that the church is open once again for public worship, collections will resume as well but it is still much safer to make your donations electronically. If you are able, you can send your donations directly to our bank account. Our bank details are:
Name: PCC St Johns Hyde Park
Bank: HSBC
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 return to St John’s. If you would like more information about this, please contact Bryan Sollenberger at parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com.
During the Week
The church remains open for private prayer and meditation from 9.30am to 2pm, Monday to Friday. When you come to church to pray, do make sure you observe the guidelines so that you and other worshippers can enter the church safely. The parish office is not open to callers but you can arrange to see a member of staff by phoning ahead and making an appointment.
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.
Weekday Evening Prayer
Join us for Evening Prayer (from the Book of Common Prayer) at 5:30 pm Monday through Thursday in church or online (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.
Tuesday: Quiz Night
This popular event is not taking place this week due to a conflict in the quizmaster’s diary. It will be back next week tho – promise!
Wednesday Club
Wednesday Club is taking a break for the summer. It will meet again on 9th September.
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
The lockdown doesn’t mean you still can’t enjoy a good book! St John’s Book Club met via Zoom recently and discussed The Rings of Saturn, by W G Sebald. Their next book will be Lanny by Max Porter and they will be discussing it on 7th September at 8pm. For further information about the book club, drop a line to parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com.
