Jazz Mass and Summer Barbecue
29th June 2025
Summer is here and we mark the occasion with a choral jazz mass at the 10am service. The mass setting is Todd’s Jazz Missa Brevis. Following some seasonal and festive hospitality, we adjourn to the Raynham Gardens behind the church by kind invitation of the local residents for our annual barbecue. St John’s provides the meat and dessert; you are asked to bring a salad. Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for children. Sign up on the sheet in the porch or by e-mailing Bryan at parishadmin@stjohns-hydepark.com, making sure you let us know how many will be in your party and what salad you will be bringing.
Bible Book Club
Bible Book Club returns on Wednesday, 2nd July, at 7.30pm. We will be exploring 'Demons', looking at their nature, origin and Jesus' authority over them. There will be no BBC in August, with it returning on the 10th September. If you wish to attend, please contact Alex to reserve your place: alex@stjohns-hydepark.com.
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: safeguarding@stjohns-hydepark.com.
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.
Dates for your diary:
Sunday 28th September, 11.30am
Master & Disciple: Organ & Piano Duets
given by Robert Greenhill & Nick Miller
Free Admission
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.
Have You Heard of
Digital Fibre Connections Ltd
We have been approached by the above company to provide our broadband and telephony services. They are unknown to us so we are asking if you know of them or someone who has used them, we would be interested to know what kind of service they have provided. Please speak to Bryan Sollenberger, our Administrator.
Church of England Safeguarding Audit
Your Help Is Needed
From 2023-2028, independent safeguarding audits are being carried out in every diocese of the Church of England. Each audit results in a report and action plan, to bring us closer to being a truly safe Church for all. The Diocese of London audit is being undertaken over the next three months and phase one is already underway. A vital part of the audit is for as many people as possible in our communities to complete a survey. It’s important for as many voices as possible to be represented so that the auditors gain a real picture of the culture in our diocese.
There are several surveys, each for different groups of people.
You are encouraged to complete as many surveys as are relevant to you.
The surveys are anonymous and you will not be asked to name your church.
Each survey should only take 10 minutes.
Please click here to view and complete the surveys on the INEQE safeguarding audit website or scan the QR code. Thank you for your help.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
St Paul's Opera
Donizetti's ‘L'Elisir d'Amore’
3rd - 5th July
Set in a hospital ward in post-war Clapham, this clever new take on the classic comic opera has a distinctly local flavour with plenty of laughs and follows Matron Adina as she keeps order among patients, staff and neighbours - while the mysterious Dr Dulcamara offers his "miracle cure" to anyone in need. Expect passion, mischief and a dash of wartime nostalgia, all brought to life with brilliant music and a touch of Clapham quirk. Bass choral scholar Ted is starring as the dashing Sargent Belcore. Tickets can be found here: https://www.stpaulsopera.org/
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 20th July at 12.30pm.
Book Club
Book Club next meets on 14th July and the book choice is the classic Sanskrit book The Kama Sutra, meaning ‘Principles of Love’. It is an ancient Indian Hindu Sanskrit text attributed to Vātsyāyana (this translation is in English by Sir Richard Burton & F F Arbuthnot). For further information about the book club, please speak to Irwin Nazareth
