Coronavirus (COVID-19)
In the light of the advice from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York all public worship has been suspended until further notice. Therefore, St John’s Hyde Park is now closed and no longer available for private prayer and reflection. The clergy will be praying regularly for all who are sick, anxious or isolated as well as for our national leaders, medical staff and researchers, along with all those whose lives have been affected by this crisis. We will also have in our thoughts those members of our own congregation who are particularly at risk and are in isolation.
This means there will be no communion or other public service in the coming Sundays or during the week. This coming Sunday, we will be live-streaming an act of worship from the vicarage at 10:00 am, and a recording of this service will be available online. A Facebook account is not required to watch either the livestream or the archived live-stream services.
The clergy will also be live-streaming Evening Prayer (BCP) at 5:30 pm Monday through Friday (get the words here). Orders of service will be available for download on our welcome page.
If you would like to pray with a member of the clergy, please call 07801 476 474 or email or WhatsApp one of the clergy team directly to arrange a convenient time. 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.
St John’s Live
As the old saying goes, ‘if the people can’t get to St John’s, bring St John’s to the people’. Now that the church is closed or the foreseeable future, we will live-stream our 10:00 am Sunday Eucharsist service each week (the order of service will be available for download on our welcome page), as well as Evening Prayer (BCP) at 5:30 pm Monday through Friday (get the words here). A Facebook account is not required to participate in our live-stream worship services. We would, however, encourage you to follow us on Facebook, ensuring that you have notifications from St John’s Hyde Park activated so that you receive real-time alerts when we are live-streaming (you can do this by setting your preferences under the “Following” menu).
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.
Virtual Collection
Several people have inquired about how to make their weekly donations now that there is no service and consequently no collection. For those of you who would like, you can send your donations directly to our bank account. Our bank details are:
Sort Code: 40-11-58
Account #: 80108251
Even though the church is closed for now, we still have bills to pay, and your contributions are very much appreciated.
Vicar’s Coffee Morning!
Steve and the team would like to invite you to grab a cup of coffee and join us on Zoom for a quick get together on Wednesday morning at 11:00 am. Please download Zoom onto your PC, laptop or mobile phone beforehand. Please also text the Vicar (07801 476 474) or Dan (07786 076 690) your email address before 9:00 am. You will then receive an email with a meeting ID link, which you can click to join the meeting.
Spread the Love
At this time of increased anxiety for so many people, and with much that is unknown, we want to reassure all members of our community that they are members of the St John’s family, and we encourage everyone to stay in touch with one another by telephone, social media, email or text. Encourage one another, make each other laugh and be there to listen and help where needed, but let’s learn to be the body of Christ in a new way that enables us all to stick by government guidelines for social distancing while we are unable to meet together.
Help Hogg Help the Vulnerable
Hogg & Son, our local chemists on Kendal Street, are looking for volunteers to distribute medications. If you can help, please contact them directly either at 37 Kendal Street or by phoning them on 020 7262 7169.
New Assistant Curate
We are delighted to announce that Georgina Elsey will be joining us in July. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, Georgina’s ordination has been postponed until September. The current plan is that Georgina will still become a member of team St John’s in July and move into Archery Close, but she will do so as a licensed lay reader. Georgina is training for ordination at Cranmer Hall, Durham.
Rainy Day Appeal
Raised: £38,136
Target: £40,000
Two years ago we undertook some very essential repairs to the roof, gutters and parapets. If you look up on the outside north or south sides of the church, you’ll notice the beautiful new stonework. To fund the works, however, we had to borrow £200,000 from the Diocese of London. We are now 95.3% of the way to our goal of raising £40,000 to cover this year’s repayment commitment and interest. Thank you to everyone who has contributed so far. Please see Bryan if you can help us raise that last 5%!
A Big Gay Night Out
Dick Whittington (an adult Panto) December 2020! There’s nothing like planning ahead – and tickets for this year’s panto at Above the Stag are now on sale! If you are interested in coming to the Panto on Tuesday, 8 December 2020, please contact Ian Smith ASAP. Tickets are £28 and will sell-out quickly (even this far ahead!).
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Stay and Play
The community playgroup which usually meets weekly at St John’s on Thursday mornings from 9.30-11.30 am will not be meeting during the Coronavirus crisis.
