Mothering Sunday
This morning we celebrate Mothering Sunday, when we give thanks for the many ways our mums have cared for and influenced us. During the service our children will give flowers to every woman in the congregation. We will also have a collection in support of the food bank at St Matthew’s, Bayswater. This year they are particularly requesting toiletries, tea, coffee and biscuits.
Annual Vestry and Parochial Church Meeting
Our annual meetings this year are on Sunday, 22nd March, immediately following the 10am service. These are the meetings where we receive the annual report and accounts and elect our churchwardens, Deanery Synod representatives and members to the Parochial Church Council (PCC). This year we will be electing churchwardens, Deanery Synod representatives and two members to the PCC. Nomination forms are available at the back of church. Completed forms can be given to Bryan Sollenberger.
We are especially grateful to Gaynor Scruton, who completes her third term as churchwarden and this time has served an extra two years. We owe her a huge thank you for the time and energy she has invested in serving the parish and for her input into parish life. We wish her a very happy retirement.
Thanks also to Anna Haase and Chris Searle, who complete their terms on PCC. Special thanks to Anna for serving as deputy churchwarden for the past two years and as our DBS evidence checker for three years. The vitality of a parish like St John’s is dependent on people being willing to give of their time and skills in leadership of the parish. We are as a community grateful for all that they have brought and shared. Please think carefully about whether you might have skills you can share by standing for PCC.
British Summer Time Arrives
On Saturday night, 28th March, we set our clocks one hour ahead. Make sure you’ve changed all your non-digital clocks so that you don’t miss Palm Sunday the following morning!
Bible Book Club
1st April - 7.30pm
Into the Wilderness and the Shadow of the Cross
with C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien and The Inklings
This Lent our Bible Book Club will be framed by two great moments in the story of Jesus: the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry and the Cross at its end. In our first session we stepped with Christ into the desert of Matthew 4, where stones, spectacle and worldly power test his trust in the Father. In our second session on 1st April we stand beneath the Cross in Mark’s account of the crucifixion and witness where that refusal of power finally leads.
Along the way we will be guided by the imaginative theology of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, drawing from the Lent book Wardrobes and Rings. The White Witch’s cold seduction, Edmund’s betrayal for comfort, the terrible beauty of the Ring that promises to do good while corrupting the heart, Boromir’s noble intentions and Frodo’s long obedience in a dark land all help us to see what temptation really is and why the way of Christ is so different.
These two evenings bookend Lent, moving from the desert to Golgotha. Come and discover how Middle Earth and Narnia illuminate the Gospel story. For more information please contact Alex: alex@stjohns-hydepark.com
Easter Baptisms
Are you considering baptism? Easter is the perfect occasion and the dawn service at 5am on Easter Day is a great opportunity for it. This is a very special and unique service and there will be an opportunity for adults and children to be baptised as part of the Easter liturgy. If you are interested in being baptised at this service, please speak to one of the clergy as soon as possible.
HOLY WEEK & EASTER 2025
Passiontide Carols
Sunday 29th March, 6pm
This latest addition to our cycle of great carol services recalls the events leading up to Easter: the Last Supper, the betrayal of Judas in the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus’ trial and crucifixion. Through inspirational readings and music we will enter into these events as we prepare for our Easter celebrations. This service will be a good foundation to enter into the events of Holy Week – don’t miss it!
Maundy Thursday, 2nd April, 6pm
A special sung mass commemorating the Last Supper takes place on the Thursday night before Easter. The mass setting is Missa Festiva by Peeters and the anthem is Messaien’s O Sacrum Convivium. The service concludes with a brief vigil.
Good Friday Children’s Workshop, 3rd 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. A donation of £5 per child is requested (babies go free). If you can help, speak to Alex or Marcus.
Good Friday Liturgy of the Day, 3rd 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 is based around Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ, Superstar.
Mrs Mops’ Easter Special! 4th April, 10am
Come join us in our special effort on Saturday morning before Easter to clean and to get the church ready for Easter. Please speak to one of the staff team if you are happy to don your housecoat and report for duty for a morning of hard work and fun along with a mid-morning refreshment of the Vicar’s special hot milky brew. Come armed with your marigolds, Brasso and Pledge. Many hands make light work: please help if you can.
Dawn Vigil and First Mass of Easter, 5th April, 5am
At 5am 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 breakfast and champagne. Please note by popular demand we are returning to the earlier starting time of 5am this year.
Easter Breakfast
A cooked breakfast is served in the hall following the dawn service. Please sign up in the porch if you plan to stay for this. Anyone wishing to volunteer to help with breakfast would be very warmly welcomed by the Vicar (who will be coming off his Lenten diet).
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.
St John's Lunch Club returns!
19th April, Kendal Street Kitchen after the morning service
St John's Lunch club returns with a visit to the Kendal Street Kitchen. They will be providing us with a menu for around £30 a head including a soft drink. It promises to be a great time as usual in this thriving, busy local restaurant. For further information please contact Alex: alex@stjohns-hydepark.com.
Save the date - Parish Beetle Drive – 7th May
Join us for a parish beetle drive and pie and pea supper on the evening of 7th May in church. Whether you're a seasoned beetle player or completely new to the game, this promises to be a fun-filled evening; try your luck with the dice and help us raise money for St John's. Bring your friends, family and neighbours - all are welcome!
More details, including ticket information, will follow soon. But for now, save the date in your diaries and, if you have any questions, speak to Harriet Miller.
Improvement Projects for St John’s
We have embarked on several building projects to improve and enhance our ancillary spaces.
Vestry Renovation
Now that we have upgraded our vestments, we need to store them appropriately. The upstairs vestry is also badly in need of refurbishment and redecoration. We have obtained consent to carry out these works and to have a vestment chest made that can store the vestments appropriately. We have also ordered a wooden table and chairs so that the space can be used for small meetings and for the clergy to see people pastorally. The PCC set aside funds last year to cover the cost of these works. The refurbishment works started on 4th March and the furniture is being made off site and will be installed in a few weeks.
Hall Refurbishment
The hall was expanded around 1973 and, aside from a new kitchen in 1995 and new toilets in 2015, we have not invested much beyond routine maintenance in the space. It is a key asset for the local community and is badly in need of upgrading. Paint Pots’ departure last year has given us an opportunity to carry out significant works to it while we locate a new tenant. We are currently seeking the advice of the Diocesan Advisory Committee and hope to begin the works later in the spring. The PCC has set aside some funds for this last year but there may be some fundraising events in support of this project.
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 help, please speak to the Vicar. The next drop-in centre will be held this afternoon.
Book Club
At their last meeting Book Club had a stimulating discussion of Daughter in Time, a historical fiction mystery by Jessica Tey. They also selected their next book, Mapp and Lucia, an old classic of social comedy and humorous fiction within the upper-middle-class English society of the 1920’s and 1930’s. They will meet on 23rd March to discuss it. If you would like to join Book Club, please speak to Irwin Nazareth.
Safeguarding at St John’s
Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults is a priority at St John’s. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) carries out an annual review of the parish’s Safeguarding Policy and the current policy is available in the porch and on the parish website. Safeguarding concerns can be raised in the first instance with the Parish Safeguarding Officer, Mary Langford: safeguarding@stjohns-hydepark.com.
