Welcome to
St John’s, Hyde Park
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 or our website if you prefer not to use a preprinted copy.
The End of Shielding
As shielding has been paused at the present time, we look forward to welcoming those that are vulnerable back into church over the coming weeks. We know that this must be both a relief and exciting at one level but also rather full of trepida-tion for many of you as you weigh up whether to come back out into the com-munity while there are still so many mixed signals about infections rates and talk of a second wave. We want you to know that we have worked very hard at mak-ing St John’s a safe environment for worshipping and we very much look for-ward to seeing you when you are ready.
Livestreaming Worship
While there will be no livestreaming of the Sunday services at this present time, we are exploring podcasts of the sermons! Some of the better ones will be avail-able online in due course. Please watch this space. This coming week evening prayer will be livestreamed Monday to Wednesday.
Should the government recommend shielding again over the autumn or winter, we will endeavour to offer some form of livestreaming once again. As many of you will be aware, livestreaming the morning service with music is complicated due to Performance Rights fees which would make it expensive. As you know, the music we have at St John’s is rather special and quite unique, which means that it would be unfair to our musicians not to pay Performance Rights where they are due. This is especially the case since many of them have not been in work since March.
Many of you will have heard that music making in the Church of England has been badly hit with the closure of the choir at St Margaret’s, Westminster, Sheffield Cathedral and Holy Trinity, Sloane Square, along with 75% reduction at St Martins-in-the-Fields. Here at St John’s, Robert and Stephen are working hard to use our resources imaginatively and to maintain our relationships with our musicians as we approach the autumn. We have faith that we will come to the end of this strange time and we hope that we will be in a good position to start up again once able.
Worshipping at St John’s
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://static1.squarespace.com/static/56c10bd02eeb8107dd3a60b5/t/5f1ec432d632ed089cbbe043/1595851828628/FAQ%27s+about+coming+back+to+church+vers+2.pdf.. 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 and sit as far forward as possi-ble.
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. 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.
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 as the church is open for public worship, the after service coffee on Zoom will no longer take 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.
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 Robert Forrest as cantor and Jonathan Hill on the violin.
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.
Welcome, Georgina Elsey
Introduce Yourself Electronically to Georgina
Given how technologically savvy so many of you are, why not take a few minutes to make a brief video introducing yourself to Georgina? Tell her about yourself/your family, how you came to St John’s, your interests, etc. Be as creative as you want. Having a face to put with a name will make it much easier for Georgina to get to know us all. Please keep the videos to less than three minutes and send them to revgeorginaelsey@gmail.com. There will also be opportunity for those who wish to be introduced by phone. A third possibility is to meet Georgina in a socially distanced way at the park, in your garden or elsewhere.
Invite Georgina for a Cup of Tea
As it is now possible to mix 2 household indoors or to meet with 6 people out-doors, why not invite Georgina for a cup of tea or something stronger in your garden or on your terrace. Failing that, you could introduce her to the Italian Gardens or meet her in one of the newly reopened cafes. Please do make an effort in these extraordinarily weird times to help Georgina settle in.
Give Georgina a Bell!
If you are shielding or continuing to be cautious due to age, please do feel free to give Georgina a ring and say hi. Please call the parish office – 020 7262 1732. Georgina will also be gradually giving some of our most vulnerable a call and introducing herself.
Give Georgina a Route March
Georgina is new to Paddington so why not give her a tour of some part of the parish and the local neighbourhood and show her highlights such as Paddington Basin, Marble Arch, St Mary’s Hospital, the playground in Kensington Gardens. The idea is to suggest a place of interest that she can visit and at the same time produce a short video of herself at that site, giving her impressions, which can then be placed on our website.
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. T he 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 Wednesday in church or online (an order of service is available each day on our Welcome page). There will be Evening Prayer on Thursday in church but it will not be livestreamed. A Facebook account is not required to par-ticipate in our live-stream worship services.
Tuesday: Quiz Night, 8pm
Our most magisterial and magnificent master of the quiz, Damon Greeney, is hav-ing a few weeks off. The next quiz evening will take place on 11th August.
Wednesday: Georgina’s Coffee Morning, 11am
Georgina, our newest member of staff, is now hosting the weekly coffee morning. Join us to meet Georgina and to get to know her as well as to keep in touch with others. Please continue to bring your own coffee.
Join the Coffee Morning
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/78937545510?pwd=MnU4dmpoVUlHWHcyRGpxYUEwS0VOZz0
Meeting ID: 789 3754 5510
Passcode: 1gF4LB
Or alternatively dial in on a telephone (landline or mobile): +44 20 3481 5240.
Wednesday Club
Wednesday Club is taking a break for the summer. It will meet again on 9th September.
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.
A Telephone Call Changes Everything
As restrictions continue to ease and we begin to see one another from a social dis-tance, it is even more important that we remember that other members of our community continue to be isolating due to age and vulnerability. Please remem-ber to stay in touch with members of the congregation for whom you have con-tact details. Please be daring and give someone you know a ring! Let’s spread the love and encourage one another through these difficult times, so building up the body of Christ.
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.
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Stay and Play
The playgroup is now taking a break for the summer but will be back in the new school year.
