Coronavirus (Covid-19)
We are very pleased that public worship continues under lockdown and we are delighted that you have chosen to join our community today. A special welcome to any who are joining us this morning for the first time. You can download an order of service on the Welcome page of the website if you prefer not to use a preprinted copy : www.stjohs-hydepark.com.
We want everyone worshipping at St John’s this morning to be as safe as possible so to minimise the risks of catching Covid-19, guidelines have been drafted. They are on display in the porch and on our website at https://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/covid19guidance. In compliance with government guidance, we are required to have an informal community behaviour agreement and the guidelines 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. You can also use your own sanitiser or 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 be held for 21 days and only used in what we anticipate will be an unlikely outbreak of Covid-19 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, members 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. 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. It is now possible to socialise outside in groups of up to 30 socially distanced. The forecourt will be split into two – please choose one side and do not move between groups.
At present we regret that we are unable to offer hospitality after the service.
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.
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.
Keep Calm! Keep Alert! Keep Giving!
A very big thank you to all who gave so generously in 2020. It was one of the bright spots of the year. Along with the help of the Lottery Fund and other grants, we survived the year. On behalf of Steve, Gaynor, Ian Nelson and Damon, a huge thank you for your generosity.
Who would have thought, back in the spring of last year when we began to ponder the financial hit to St John’s of the first lockdown, that we would still be taking steps back to normality. This obviously brings a renewed uncertainty for life at St John’s for a second year running and, while we make every effort to watch costs and look out for help where it might be available, we ask you to remember that again this year the carpark is not full and we are unable to make money through letting the church. Please continue to help us if you can by contributions either on Sunday mornings in the collection plate or, alternatively, directly to our bank account. Our details are:
Name: St John the Evangelist
Bank: HSBC
Sort Code: 40-11-58
Account #: 80108251
Donations given electronically still qualify for Gift Aid as your name will appear alongside your donation. If you have any questions about giving, please speak to Bryan Sollenberger.
Wednesday Bible Study - in person!
7th July 7.30pm at the Vicarage
This week we will have our last Wednesday Club before the summer break and it will be at The Vicarage, in person! Steve and Georgina will be hosting from 19.30-21.00 in a wonderful return to normal. We will be studying the Gospel reading for next Sunday (11th July). All are welcome.
Congratulations to Dan Warnke
We are thrilled that Dan has been appointed Chaplain to Westminster School. Dan joined Team St John’s in 2018 as a deacon after completing his training at St Melitus. He will take up his new position in August and his last Sunday with us will be 11 July. Do come along to celebrate Dan’s time with us and to wish him well in his new post.
Kid’s Club ‘Reboot'
September 2021
Here at St John’s we love having children and young people as part of our church family. One of the ways we support them to explore the Christian faith is through Kid’s Club sessions hosted each Sunday. Throughout the trials of the pandemic, and with thanks to Blanche, this has taken an online format and we had hoped to have a ‘reboot’ in the coming weeks before the summer holiday. However, with restrictions remaining in place we are looking to do this in early September. If you are interested in finding out more or would like to volunteer, please speak with either Blanche Mbanda or Susan Greeney.
The Revd Peter Murphy, 1940-2021
Curate at St John’s 1967-1972
An extract from Peter's obituary: "Well known and much loved, maverick New Forest vicar Revd Peter Murphy died last week. It was the Theology of Blunder rather than carefully laid plans that led Peter to his first position serving under The Revd Cuthbert Scott in his Hyde Park London Parish. 'I was captivated by this Guernsey man', Peter wrote in his autobiography The Confessions of a Chameleon. 'He was funny, thought laterally, loved his parish and the people and looked like Don Quixote…' During his early years in Paddington, Peter became involved in services for the blessing of horses in his parish. The event started in 1967 and celebrated its 50th anniversary with Rev Murphy at the helm in 2017."
To read the full obituary, visit stjohns-hydepark.com/peter-murphy-obit
Zoom Exercise Class
Zoe Birch runs a free weekly exercise class on Zoom from 11.30am-12noon on Wednesdays. No special equipment is needed – just things that are normally found around the house. To join the meeting, use the link below:
https://zoom.us/j/2426006892?pwd=VXoyR1Y2aHJ0empadXN5NFd3UmpmZz09
Or use the meeting ID and passcode below:
Meeting ID: 242 600 6892
Passcode: 154639
St John’s Book Club
St John’s Book Club met recently and discussed Trustee from the Toolroom, by Neville Shute. They will meet again on 2nd August and are reading Hamnet, by Maggie O’Farrell. After that, they will be reading The Driver’s Seat by Muriel Spark.
