Summer Barbecue – Final Call
Sunday, 28th June, 12pm
Next week the 10am service on 28th June will be followed by our summer barbecue in the gardens behind the church. St John’s provides the meat and dessert; you are asked to bring a salad. Tickets are £12.50 for adults and £5 for children. Sign up on the sheet in the porch or by e-mailing Philip 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. Today is the final day to sign up.
Bible Book Club: The Lost Ark of the Covenant
Wednesday, 1st July, 7.30pm
Our next Bible Book Club will take place on Wednesday 1st July at 7.30pm, when we will be exploring one of the Bible’s greatest mysteries: the Ark of the Covenant. What was the Ark? Why was it so important to the people of Israel? What happened to it? And why has it continued to capture the imagination, from scripture and ancient legend to Indiana Jones and beyond? Together we will look first at what the Bible tells us about the Ark, its connection with God’s presence, holiness and covenant, before turning to some of the theories about where it may have gone. We will also ask how much truth there might be behind the fiction, including the famous stories and films that have kept the mystery of the Lost Ark alive.
For more information please contact Alex: alex@stjohns-hydepark.com
Further Meeting of Parishioners
Sunday, 5th July, 11.10am
A Further Meeting of Parishioners will be held immediately after our 10am service on the 5th July for the purpose of electing a Churchwarden to fill the current vacancy. Nomination forms are available at the back of church. Completed forms can be returned to Philip Matei. Those who are entitled to attend and vote are: persons whose names are entered on the church electoral roll of the parish; and persons resident in the parish whose names are entered on the register of local government electors.
Dog Collar Dinner
Friday, 18th September, 7pm
Our biennial Dog Collar Dinner returns this year on the 18th September. Tickets are £30/person. Application forms are available on the table in the porch, please indicate how many tickets you would like and how you will be making payment. As this is a fundraiser to pay for the refurbishment of the parish hall, there will also be an opportunity to make a donation on top. The evening begins at 7pm and we will be making our way across 3 staff properties with a course at each; you are asked to bring a bottle with you to contribute to the evening. A more detailed itinerary will be available closer to the time.
Licensing of Deborah Marsh
Sunday, 20th September, 10am
We are very much looking forward to Deborah joining Team St John’s this coming autumn. Her licensing will take place during the morning service on Sunday, 20th September. Deborah will be taking up the house for duty post, living on Connaught Street and having a particular ministry within Culture Vulture Ventures.
Prom Concerts
Sunday, 5th July, 11.30am
Bath Celebration Choir & Choral Scholars of St John’s, directed by Tim Snowden and accompanied by Nick Miller. Music by Elgar, Goodall, Lauridsen & Forrest, in styles ranging from classical choral to 20th century popular music. A treat for us all!
Sunday, 19th July, 11.30am
Jack Gonzales-Harding, organist
Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor, Guilmant’s Sonata No.1 in D minor and Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs.
Sunday, 13th September, 11.30am
Choral Scholar 2026/27 Showcase
Meet and hear this year’s group of wonderful vocal students as they start their time with us. Expect a range of song, opera and choral treats.
Sunday,11th October, 11.30am
Betty’s Birthday #BETTY161
Organ recital by Nick Miller. With music by Bach, Whitlock and Peeters.
Sunday, 1st November, 11.30am
Jenny Clark Memorial Concert
Cyrill Ibrahim, concert pianist
This year’s Jenny Clark Memorial Concert takes place on 1st November following the 10am service. Further details will be available shortly.
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. A key asset for the local community, it 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.
Congratulations to Jack Gonzales-Harding
Our wonderful organist Jack has been chosen to be the Conducting Fellow of the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg, Germany, for the 2026/27 season. This is a really prestigious and exciting opportunity for Jack and we wish him all the very best. Unfortunately for us it means he will be leaving St John's on Sunday 19th July to move to Hamburg, but before he gets out the door that day he will play a Farewell Prom Concert after his final service with us. We will miss his outstanding musicianship, but hope to tempt him back to see us whenever his work brings him back through London.
We are now advertising for a new organist.
COMMUNITY NOTICES
New Life for our Cherished War Memorial
We are delighted to announce that St John’s has secured £650 pounds ‘seed money’ to begin the process of repairing the war memorial in our churchyard. Seventy-five percent was donated by the War Memorials Trust (WMT) and the remainder by an anonymous donor. In making the award, WMT Director, Frances Moreton, said it was “so important that communities come together and maintain these historic monuments to ensure that we never forget those who gave their lives for future generations”. She said the WMT was “delighted to be working with St John’s on this project, which is also supported by Historic England, to ensure that the repair is conducted according to best practice and with maximal involvement of the community”. If anyone wishes to know more or get involved in the project, please be in touch. In the initial phase, we have contracted a conservation-accredited surveyor to conduct a structural assessment, and once that is complete, we will create a schedule of works in order to go out to tender and finalise a contract with a specialist conservation firm. And of course, as we move to the actual repair phase, we will need to raise further funds. Our ambition is to begin work next year.
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 today.
Book Club
The next book club will be on the 3rd August 2026. The book selected is “The Hidden Hand - Stella Rimington”, the first female director general of Britain’s MI5 who brings true authenticity to her tale of intellectual thievery. The novel centres around Li Min, a Chinese student, who is forced by her government to transfer from Harvard to Oxford University, where she is recruited to an elite Chinese study centre based out of St Felix's College. Meanwhile, the centre's newly recruited head stumbles on its more sinister purpose: recruiting Chinese and sympathetic British students to steal high-value research and intellectual property. Unsure who at the university he can trust, he turns to CIA agent Manon Tyler for help. But as Li and another Chinese-American student are drawn deeper into a deadly game, will Manon be able to penetrate the heart of St Felix's secrets? For more information please speak to Irwin Nazareth.
