One way to get more involved at St John’s is to become a Server. We always need someone to carry the cross—a Crucifer—and two people to carry candles in the processions at the beginning and end of the service. On some special occasions we use incense, and then we need someone else—a Thurifer—who carries the metal incense burner and tries to keep it alight!

During the service, Servers sit near the priests and give other practical help like getting the altar ready, holding books, lighting candles, etc. We also hope that you’ll arrive a bit early to help set up, and stay a few minutes after the service ends to help clear away.

Helping out in this way is part of a very ancient tradition within the Church—documents from as far back as the second century discuss the role of servers Today it still adds to the dignity and smooth-running of our services if people are willing to help in this way.

Servers are important in another symbolic way, too. At St John’s we believe that our services are shared by everyone. Christian worship is not something the priests do to or for the congregation, but something that we all celebrate together. If you’re a server then by taking a high-profile role in running our services, you’re putting this belief into practice.

The Parish Office organises the Servers’ rota, and we make sure people get the chance to serve about once every four to six weeks. All new Servers receive proper training so you are confident about what you have to do, and we also run occasional ‘refresher’ sessions, usually followed by lunch or drinks.

So, if you’d like to get more involved in St John’s life by becoming a Server, please talk to one of the clergy or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it