Worship

St John's Church offers a wide range of services within the mainstream Anglican tradition, drawing on its strong musical and choral tradition to enhance the worship. It aims to be welcoming to all and there are opportunities to participate in the life of the church in many different ways.

SUNDAY SERVICES

1st, 2nd and 4th Sunday of the Month

10.00am Parish Communion

This is our main Sunday service. We follow a modern-language order of service (Common Worship, Order 1), and music is provided by one or more of our choirs. Members of the congregation provide prayers and readings, as well as welcoming people to the building and helping to distribute the bread and wine.

At the same time, Footsteps and Sprinters (formerly the Sunday School) meet in the Parish Centre Annexe, joining the congregation later in the service, and there is a crèche in the Vestry. For more details see below.

After the morning service, there is always an opportunity to meet other members of the congregation over coffee in the Parish Centre.

6.30pm Choral Evensong

Choral Evensong offers a perfect opportunity to stand back from the stresses of everyday life and quietly reflect. The Choir takes a major role in singing the service, and the congregation joins in with the psalm and hymns, and often with the responses and one of the canticles. Listening to the choir sing on our behalf enables the congregation to participate in a more meditative way. 

3rd Sunday of the month 

10.00am Choral Matins

Like Evensong, but in the morning, the traditional service of Morning Prayer follows the Prayer Book pattern of Choral Matins. As at Evensong, the Choir takes a major role in singing the service, and the congregation joins in with the psalm and hymns, and often with the responses and one of the canticles.

6.30 pm Parish Communion  

This service is essentially the same as the usual 10.00 am Parish Communion, but in the Evening. This gives it a different feel.

2nd  Sunday of the month

in addition to the parish Communion and Choral Evensong there is an 
8.00 am Holy Communion, following the quiet reflective tradition of the Book of Common Prayer.  

5th Sunday of the month

10.00 am BCP Holy Communion

Where there are 5 Sundays in the month, on the 5th Sunday our main 10am communion service follows the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. 

6.30 pm Choral Evensong

WEEKDAY SERVICES

Morning Prayer is said every day at 9.00am in church, except Thursday.

On Wednesdays there is a service of Holy Communion at 10.30am with a short sermon.

OCCASIONAL SERVICES

Baptisms normally take place at the 10.00am service on a Sunday after preparation. 
From time to time they happen at 12 noon on a Sunday and the parents and children are welcomed at the main Sunday morning service the following Sunday.

Baptism and Confirmation preparation for older children and adults is arranged with the clergy.

St John’s is a very popular setting for weddings. If you are looking to be married at St John's you should contact the Vicar to book your preferred date as soon as you can. There are also legal issues to check, and marriage preparation to book. 

Funerals are normally arranged with a Funeral Director who contacts the Parish Office.

Each year there are memorable services to mark special days in the church’s year. For instance, we normally celebrate Ascension Day with a joyful choral communion service. There is usually a busy programme of services in Holy Week, including the Easter Vigil service on Easter Eve, which starts with the lighting of the Easter candle from a bonfire kindled outside the church. The church is normally packed out for the Advent and Christmas Carol Services, held in candlelight.

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FAMILIES AT ST JOHN’S

When children are baptised, we all say ‘Welcome to the Lord’s family’. We would like you and your child or children to feel welcome at St. John’s. Children of all ages are an important part of the church community and children are never too young to come to church. We welcome babies and children to all our services but if you or they prefer they can join any of the activities provided for them.

Crèche

A crèche for babies and younger children is held in the vestry each Sunday apart from when there is an all age service. A rota of parents supervises the crèche during the main part of the service but any one is welcome to use the toys and books at any other time.

You can choose to leave your child with the helpers or stay and play. The service is relayed into the vestry by loudspeaker. You can come and go as you please throughout the service if you just need to give your little one a change of scenery every now and then. As communion starts please collect your child from the crèche so that they can rejoin the congregation for the end of the service.

Play bags and colouring sheets

These are available at the back of church (ask a sidesperson if you can’t see any out). The play bags contain a lucky dip of toys and books for children to play with quietly during the service. There are also some colouring sheets and crayons. We do understand that it is difficult for children to sit through a whole service and listen to every word!

Footsteps and Sprinters

More traditionally known as Sunday school, Footsteps (for 3 to 7 year-olds) and Sprinters (for 7+) meet in the Annexe behind the Parish Centre. Starting at 9.45am , children can enjoy age-appropriate activities with a mix of singing, stories, sticking, colouring and craft. The children join together at the end for a short prayer and then come back into church for communion and to show the rest of the congregation what they have been doing. Contact Caroline Hartley (Footsteps), Joy Bowler (Sprinters).

All-Age Service

This service, as the name suggests, is suitable for everyone. The service is designed to be less formal, more interactive and with a simpler message than others. We particularly encourage families and the younger members of the congregation to sit at the front and be part of the service if they would like. They happen approximately once a month.

Fun and Faith

The 0-5 year olds have their own special ‘service’ held on the second Monday of each month (except August). All are welcome - meet in church at 12.30 p.m. There is a short, lively and informal ‘service’ followed by a picnic lunch (£1.00 voluntary contribution for lunch). We are usually all finished by 1.30 p.m. This is a great way for children and babies to get to know the church in their own way. They can look around the church and touch and see things that are normally out of their sight. At the same time they are learning about our Christian way of life and stories from the Bible told in a calm and loving way. Contact Kate Hardy