British Summer Time Ends
26th October, 2am
British Summer Time (BST) comes to an end at 2am next Sunday morning. Remember to turn your clocks back one hour when you go to bed. It’s an extra hour of sleep so you can stay out an extra hour or keep awake during the Vicar’s sermon!
St Martin in-the-Fields’ Autumn Lecture Series
Here I Stand
St Martin in-the-Fields’ lecture series this autumn features inspirational speakers discussing those things for which they would be prepared to make a costly stand. We meet on the steps of St Martin’s at 6.30pm. After the lecture drinks are served in the crypt where we can discuss the evening together. There is a suggested donation of £10 for each event which can be made on the night. Please email Alex if you wish to attend: alex@stjohns-hydepark.com.
17th November, 7.00pm
Dame Mary Beard, preeminent British classicist
St John’s Quiz Evening
Thursday, 23rd October, 7pm
Chris Cochran, landlord of The Victoria, will once again have an array of questions to test your general knowledge. Form a team of up to 8 or come on your own and help to form a team on the evening. Tickets are £20/person and include a cottage pie supper – homemade! Form your team and book your tickets now! If you wish to provide a cottage pie – meat or vegetarian – that will serve 8-10 persons, please speak to Bryan Sollenberger. Tickets are still available – book yours TODAY!
Betty’s Big Birthday
During 2025 we are celebrating the 160th birthday of our wonderful Hill & Son organ named Betty and the tenth anniversary of her full rebuild by Nicholsons of Malvern. The finale of this will be in November on St Cecilia’s Day, when we host a recital by world-renowned organist Prof. Dr. Ian Tracey, organist at Liverpool Cathedral and to the City of Liverpool.
Upcoming Events:
Friday 31st October, 7.30pm
Phantom of the Opera: Silent Film Screening
with live organ improvisation by Nick Miller
Tickets £10 in advance or £15 on the door.
Saturday 22nd November, 5pm
Betty’s Big Birthday Bash!
Celebrity Organ Recital by Prof. Dr. Ian Tracey, followed by drinks, cake and merriment. Tickets £16 in advance (online or via the parish office) or £20 on the door.
Jenny Clark Memorial Concert
Sunday, 2nd November, 11.30am - Free Admission
This year’s Jenny Clark Memorial Concert, takes place on 2nd November following the 10am service, commemorates the 25th anniversary of the death of Jenny Clark and is given by the Cygnus Trio. Our regular and wonderful cellist Hannah Lewis brings along violinist Javier Montañana and pianist Cesar Saura to present a programme of Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Chopin & Arbos which will be a real treat. We are grateful to the Jenny Clark Fund for sponsoring this event.
All Souls
3rd November 2025, 6pm
We mark this special festival with a service at which we remember those who are part of the church community but who have died. There will be a sung mass by the choir and the setting will be Fauré’s Requiem. If you will be at the service and wish to have loved ones remembered, please add them on the sign up sheet in the porch. As part of the liturgy, there will be opportunity for you to light a candle and place it on the altar in remembrance of your loved ones.
Bible Book Club: Faith and Treason
Guy Fawkes and the Clash of Loyalties
Tuesday, 5th November, 7pm
On Bonfire Night we remember the Gunpowder Plot, a failed plan to blow up Parliament in 1605. It was an act of faith that failed and it raises big questions about loyalty, belief and power. Jesus once said, “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and unto God that which is God’s” (Matthew 22:21). But what happens when those loyalties clash? Join us as we explore scripture to help us understand what it means to stay true to our faith in a world full of competing demands.
If you wish to attend, please contact Alex: alex@stjohns-hydepark.com
St John's Lunch Club - 16th Nov 2025
The next Lunch Club will be held at the Duke of Kendal Pub after church on Sunday, 16th November. We’ve agreed a menu offering a roast dinner (with a vegetarian option), along with a hot or cold pudding and a soft drink, all for £29.50 (including service). Alcoholic drinks can be purchased directly from the bar if desired.
If you would like to attend, please contact Alex for more info: alex@stjohns-hydepark.com
COMMUNITY NOTICES
Refugee Drop-in Volunteers
St John’s hosts 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. The next drop-in centre is 16th November at 12.30pm.
Book Club
Book Club met recently selected their next book – Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen, to mark the 250th anniversary of her birth on 16th December 1775. They will discuss this when they next meet on 27th October. Possibly the least read of her many works, it is also believed to have some political messages for our time. Adultery is not a standard Austen theme but she takes it head on when it disturbs the relatively peaceful household at Mansfield Park with unexpected results. Quite a revolutionary book for its time. For further information, speak to Irwin Nazareth.
