Palm Sunday
10am Parish Eucharist
Today commemorate Palm Sunday – our Lord’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We begin the service outdoors on the forecourt with the Liturgy of the Palms, where we retell Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and bless the palm crosses before moving into the church to hear in the Passion Gospel the events leading up to Jesus’s arrest and crucifixion.
6pm Passiontide Carols
In the evening at 6.00pm we’ll unveil our Passiontide Carols, retelling the events from Palm Sunday to the crucifixion in readings, scripture and music by Dan Forrest, Pepper Choplin, Bertrand Sexton, J S Bach, Bob Chilcott and Will Todd, sung by our choir accompanied by orchestra. A perfect and poignant way to begin your Holy Week observance.
Annual Vestry and Parochial Church Meeting Elections
Congratulations to Gaynor Scruton and Bryan Stephens, who were elected churchwardens for the coming year at last Sunday’s Annual Vestry Meeting. Congratulations also to Andy Beverley and Rachel Keller, who were elected to the Parochial Church Council for three-year terms at the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. We look forward to their contributions to the life and leadership of the parish during their respective terms. Please keep them in your prayers.
Easter Flowers
Make a contribution to this year’s Easter decorations and remember a loved one. Just complete the slip in your order of service and note the name(s) of those you wish to remember. A list of those in whose memory donations have been received will be displayed in the porch. If you prefer, you can make a donation by bank transfer – just e-mail Bryan to let him know and to give him the names of those you wish to remember at parishadminst@stjohns-hydepark.com.
HOLY WEEK & EASTER 2025
Maundy Thursday, 17th April, 6pm
A special sung mass commemorating the Last Supper takes place on the Thursday night before Easter. The mass setting is by Joseph Jongen and the anthem is John Stainer’s The Agony. The service concludes with a brief vigil.
Good Friday Children’s Workshop, 18th April, 10am
A children’s activity morning is planned for Good Friday between 10am and 12 noon for children. Coffee, biscuits and hot cross buns will be available and we will build the Easter Garden. Volunteers are needed to help with the activities. If you can help, speak to Alex or Marcus.
Good Friday Liturgy of the Day, 18th April, 2pm
Good Friday is one of the holiest days in the Christian year. This service of reflection and prayer, centred on the passion and death of our Lord, is led by our choral scholars and this year is based around Will Todd’s Passion Music.
Dawn Vigil and First Mass of Easter, 20th April, 6am
At 6am we meet in a darkened church for a Vigil of readings as we await the dawn and the resurrection of our Lord. This colourful and dramatic service incorporates the Service of Light, Renewal of Baptism Vows and the First Mass of Easter. Well worth getting up for! The service is followed by champagne.
Easter Breakfast
We regret that there will be no Easter breakfast this year following the early service on Easter morning as there have been no volunteers to prepare it.
Easter Reception
Following the Festival Eucharist on Easter morning there will be a fizz reception with finger food. Please bring a plate of finger food to share and indicate what you will be able to bring on the sign up sheet in the porch or on one of the clipboards that will be circulating during coffee.
Sunday Lunch Club
The next lunch club will be on 18th May at The Kendal Street Kitchen. Final details are being confirmed but note the date now!
Truth, Faith and Politics in a Post-Truth World:
exploring Bonhoeffer today with Rowan Williams
St Paul's Cathedral, Tuesday 20th May, 6.30-8pm
In the final months of his imprisonment in Flossenbürg concentration camp in 1945, Dietrich Bonhoeffer looked beyond the walls of his cell—and beyond the walls of the Church itself—considering a way to speak of God that was not confined to religious insider language. What does that vision mean for us today?
Join us as Rowan Williams reflects upon how the Church can remain truthful in a post-truth world: how it can resist the urge to defend itself at every turn and instead become a community that welcomes the unexpected. In a time of uncertainty, what does it mean to live with courage, integrity and radical hospitality? Dr Williams is a poet and theologian and was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury.
Please contact Alex if you would like to reserve a free seat at this event. He will be meeting outside the front of the cathedral at 6.15pm.
Safeguarding and Photography at St John’s
Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults is a priority at St John’s. A copy of the PCC’s Safeguarding Policy is available in the porch and on the parish website. Photographs of the church may be taken outside of services but please do not take any pictures during the service. When photographing the church, should you happen to capture people in your photographs, please delete them. Safeguarding concerns can be raised in the first instance with the church’s Safeguarding Officer, Mary Langford.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Refugee Drop-in Volunteers
Since May St John’s has been hosting a monthly Sunday drop-in centre for refugees run by the West London Synagogue. This provides families with a hot meal, a shopping voucher and a contribution towards their transport, as well as signposting for other practical help. The drop-in centre normally takes place on the third Sunday of the month and they are always open to volunteers to assist them. If you would like to join the volunteer crew, please speak to the Vicar. Due to Easter falling on the third Sunday of April, the next drop-in centre is on 27th April (the fourth Sunday of the month).
Book Club
Book Club next meets on 12th May and the book choice is Prophet Song by Paul Lynch – winner of the Booker Prize in 2023 – which imagines Ireland slipping into totalitarianism after the rise of the right-wing National Alliance Party. Civil liberties erode and civil war breaks out. For further information about the book club, please speak to Irwin Nazareth.
