Remembrance Sunday

Some things stand the test of time for good reason and ‘The Fallen’ is one such example’:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

When did You first Hear?

I honestly don’t remember the first time I heard “the Gospel”, one day it just clicked.

 I’m sure the foundations set by years of church kids clubs, prayer and then the work of the Holy Spirit is what set my heart alight.

And, just like in the beginning, God is still speaking light into the darkest places. This Thursday is Light the Night, one of our most visible expressions of displaying the light of Jesus to our community.

So on Thursday wake up in the morning and pray for Light The Night, have a coffee, and pray again, invite friends to come, pray, tun up to participate, pray, cook the sausages, pray, sweep up the glitter and you guessed it... pray again.

Kids events aren’t just fun and sparkles… they are the foundations being laid, through service, prayer and the presence of the Holy Spirit to speak true “light” into the hearts of those yet to find it.

Parenting for Faith

This is an 8 week course that we are really excited to be running in the New Year for the first time at St John’s. It’s a little different to other parenting courses – the clue is in the title, but it’s specifically focused on how we nurture a close walk with God in our children, rather than looking at parenting more generally.

 It’s doesn’t matter the age of your kids, and it’s also a great course if you’re a grandparent, godparent, aunt or uncle. Grab the insert for more details of dates and timings, but we will provide a meal, and aim to offer people who can babysit to allow couples to come together. If that’s not going to work for you, the course is still effective if you have to mix and match, say alternate weeks between you.

 There will be limited places, and we anticipate they will go fast, so let Amber know as soon as possible if you want to book a spot.

Harvest Celebration

This weekend we mark Harvest with our Uniformed Groups in an ‘All Together’ service. Don’t forget that Tea & Coffee will come before the service, starting at about 9:45am.

 Harvest is a great opportunity to express our thanks to God for so many things that we often take for granted. It’s also a time to extend generosity to others and remember our collective responsibility to care for this amazing world which God has given us. During the service, we’ll be taking a couple of collections:

 ·         Food for the Bromley Foodbank; and

·         A money collection for Link to Hope and their project the ‘Inn of Love’ – details of which we will profile during the service.

 We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate God’s goodness.

Advent Quiet Morning

ADVENT QUIET MORNING

Advent is a time of year that we stop and reflect. We plan to stop because life can be so frantic that if we don’t do it on purpose we rush through life barely stopping to breathe. We reflect because otherwise we can fail to notice what we are doing and why.

At Advent we particularly remember the waiting that people did before Jesus came, and the waiting we do now for His return. As we rush into Christmas it is easy for Advent to become a time of stress and frantic activity. Buying the presents, writing the cards, planning Christmas dinner, going to all the events. There always seems more to do. You tell yourself, “I’ll stop after New Years”, but you don’t even convince yourself of that.

We know Advent can be like that and so we would like to offer you a chance to stop and breath. A chance to think about the reason for the season. A chance to get your priorities in order. A chance to spend some time with God as we wait together.

Come and join us here at St. John’s for an Advent Quiet Morning,

25th November, 9am-12noon.

Put it in your diary now before it fills up!

If you want to know more, please talk to Peter

Reformation 500

2017 marks the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 theses on the door of a chapel in the German town of Wittenberg – an event that has become known as the starting point of the Reformation.

It may seem like it’s just something for those with a passion for History, but whether we are aware of it or not, it is a period that has shaped the faith we express today. Luther’s challenge to the church touched on issues of grace, repentance and forgiveness, and took on a life that affected many countries across Europe.

This Sunday, there is going to be a Churches Together celebration of this anniversary at Emmanuel at 6:30pm. It will be both a time of worship and an opportunity to discover a bit more about the impact of these old events. If you’re really keen, a good read on the subject is, ‘Why the Reformation Still Matters’, by Michael Reeves and Tim Chester.

Church Weekend Away

It may seem a long way off, but we would like to start planning for a weekend in Autumn 2018 to offer the church family time to get away. There can be untold benefits to stepping out of our usual context together for refreshment – both spiritual and social.

 We are looking for a small team of volunteers who might be interested in beginning to shape such a weekend. It would involve trying to source an appropriate venue, consider who we might invite to speak, and begin formulating a programme. It would be beneficial to have a good age-spread on the team, so whether in your teens or your nineties, don’t hesitate to put your name forward.

 If you are interested, please let Jon or Peter know in the next couple of weeks. Thank you.