Weekly News 10th August 2014/ Recovering Perspective

RECOVERING PERSPECTIVE… Whilst on holiday, I didn’t pick up a newspaper and rarely went near the ‘on’ button of my computer. The media sabbatical felt great; all part of having a good rest.

But it can mean the return to the fray is a bit of a shock to the system…watching the number by the inbox steadily rise as you download outstanding emails. There’s an itch to return to your holiday destination, if not feel a little post-holiday dip.

And then I returned to the newspapers.

And my tendency to self-pity quickly evaporated. Reading about the plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq at this moment was a sobering corrective. I’m not knocking enjoying a good holiday, but it’s good to put it in context. If you haven’t read much about what is going on in Iraq at the moment, then can I encourage you to take some time to find out.

I hope it fires your prayers and puts things in perspective.

Click here to download   Weekly News 10th August 2014

Weekly News 3rd August 2014/ Team Leaders Update

TEAM LEADERS UPDATE I wanted to say thank you to all of you who put forward nominations for leaders to the Teams that we are looking to develop and keep you up to speed with where it is headed. All the nominations were pulled together, and before I went away on holiday, it was a great joy of mine to contact individuals to let them know that the church had identified leadership qualities in them.

In order to make the process manageable, I only contacted those who received the weighting of the votes in any given team. However, it was great to see well over 40 different names appear on the voting sheets.

The possible nominees have been asked to think about whether they are prepared to put themselves forward for consideration by the PCC. The church’s leadership will then pray about the shortlist and vote to establish the final choice of team leaders. We will then engage in the process of inviting others to help populate those teams, and get on with the real work of God’s mission.

Click here to download   Weekly News 3rd August 2014

Weekly News 27th July 2014/ Stories Jesus Told

STORIES JESUS TOLD As we move into the Summer holidays, people are off in different directions and there is generally a lot more fluidity to who is around on any given Sunday.

Given that, we are taking a break from our current sermon series, ‘(Re)New – How the Gospel Changes Everything’, and running a series called ‘Stories Jesus Told’. We’ll be looking at a number of parables that Jesus used to communicate different things about the nature of the kingdom of God. Each week will be targeted for all ages and fairly self-contained, so there’s no worry about losing the thread if you’re not around every week.

If you are privileged enough to have some downtime in the coming weeks, whether that’s away or at home, I hope it’s restorative and refreshing. God Bless. Jon

Click here to download   Weekly News 27th July 2014

Weekly News 20th July 2014/ Alpha Course 30 September

ALPHA COURSE 30 SEPTEMBER

Do you remember how this time last year we said there is an Alpha Course running virtually all the time – how somewhere around the globe, in homes, churches, halls, prisons and on patios people are exploring the big questions of life, faith and Christianity?

It’s that time again for us and we’re gearing up for our Alpha this Autumn. It will start on 30 September, so now is the time to start thinking about who you might wish to invite along. There are a few people who have already made enquiries.

In a relaxed, unpressured setting at Maureen and Nick’s home, there will be a meal, a short talk and some time for discussion in groups. At Alpha friendships are made and confidence is gained to ask those challenging questions. No subject is off limits.

If you have friends or family who have asked questions, or expressed skepticism, then think about inviting them along? Start praying now that people will hear about it and will have their curiosity piqued. See the website for more details, or speak to Jon, Nick or Maureen.

Click here to download   Weekly News 20th July 2014

Beacon Centre Next Steps Document July 2014

Click here to download   BC Next Steps July 2014

Weekly News 13th July 2014/ The Future of the Beacon Centre

THE FUTURE OF THE BEACON CENTRE A fair bit of our focus in the last few weeks has been on the nomination of leaders to the teams we are looking to develop. We don’t want you to be under the impression that the other topic, which was under discussion when we met in the Assembly Rooms, has fallen by the wayside.

The small group assigned to consider the future of the Beacon Centre has continued to meet and work through future possibilities. Included with this week’s News Sheet is a summary of where we currently stand and some things for you all to consider and provide feedback on. There is also a write-up of what a new look centre might feel like; this is not a blueprint of what the place will be, but simply a written sketch to spark the imagination.

The small group will continue to work up what different expressions of the centre might entail for us as a church – for our human resources, financially, legally, etc. We do know that this is a venture which will require broad support from the church in order to be a success. So can I encourage you to give it close attention and provide your prayerful thoughts. Thank you. Jon.

Click here to download   Weekly News 13th July 2014

Weekly News 6th July 2014/ 'MOP' Weekend

'MOP’ WEEKEND  Across the weekend of 27-28 September, the spotlight will be on different aspects of mission outside of the parish (that’s where the MOP thing comes from). So far, the programme looks like this:

Saturday, 27 September, 7:15 for 7:30pm – Big Fat Mission Quiz

At Holmshaw Farm with the inimitable Jonny Faint as Quiz Master. Special guests include Tim & Maggie Gaved, Mike & Liz Jeggo and Loraine Pinder-Brown. Bring your own drinks, nibbles provided. Cost £5. Sign up notice to follow;

Sunday, 28 September, 10am – Special Mission Worship

A chance to meet some of our mission partners and discover what makes them tick. Mike Jeggo from Japan will be preaching. There will be attractive displays showing what goes on in different parts of the globe.

Sunday, 28 September, 6:30pm – Youth Service

It may be a Youth Service, but all are invited. The service will feature Steve Reid of Ambassadors Football, some of our own young people who have been on short-term assignments, and Mark Watson will be preaching.

Put it in the diary now, it will come around very quickly.

Click here to download     Weekly News 6th July 2014

Weekly News 29th June 2014/ BBQ Next Weekend

BBQ NEXT WEEKEND

If you haven’t yet clocked the invitation, here it is one last time: Everyone is warmly invited to 30 Coney Hill Road next Sunday, from 1:00pm onwards, to join us for a Bring & Share BBQ.  There will be plenty of people coming from outside of church, so it’s a great opportunity to meet some new faces, as well as catch up with the church family.

As in previous years, there will be drinks provided, but feel free to bring a bottle and garden chair, something to throw on the BBQ, as well as some extras along the following lines, based on your surname:

A-O        Something to accompany the BBQ: salad, potato, bread, couscous, nibbles, etc

P-Z         A pudding.

We are aware of a certain tennis match scheduled for that day, so we’re looking to see if we can throw in a ‘Wimbledon Corner’ to view the action.

Click here to download   Weekly News 29th June 2014

Team Leaders Nomination Form

Click here to download Team Leaders Nomination Form

Weekly News 22nd June 2014/ Nomination Day

NOMINATION DAY  I hope that you have had a chance to think, talk and pray about this over the last few weeks, as today the whole church is invited to nominate their choice of two leaders for each of the following seven teams:

Prayer, Worship, Children & Youth, Caring & Befriending (Pastoral Care), Faith Sharing, Mission Outside the Parish, and Social Action.

As you choose the leaders, bear in mind the following:

• We’re only asking you to put forward names that represent a meaningful response to you. You may not be able to list 14 people – that’s okay;
• Try as far as you are able to allocate people to a particular team, even if you’re not completely sure where their passion/gifting lies. There will be discussions with nominees as to whether they are prepared to act as leaders, and the area for which they perceive themselves to be suited.

If you’re not here on Sunday, forms are available on the website, or from the parish office in the Beacon Centre. Please return them as soon as possible to the box in church, or to Margaret at the office. Any questions, ask Jon.

Click here to download Weekly News 22nd June 2014

Weekly News 15th June 2014/ (RE)NEW: How The Gospel Changes Everything

(RE)NEW: HOW THE GOSPEL CHANGES EVERYTHING Is the new sermon series that will be starting this Sunday. It will run up to the Summer hols, we’ll take a break from it over the holiday period, and then pick it up again in early Autumn.

It begins by thinking about our home now, the world in which we live and finishes by looking at the Eternity, the eternal city, the world to come. In between those 2 bookends, we’ll be exploring together how the gospel changes our hearts, our community and how we live in the world.

There will be materials for homegroups to follow up from the teaching on a Sunday morning. But the series is loosely based on a course on the gospel produced by Tim Keller, called ‘Gospel in Life’, which is available on-line if you wanted to delve into it further.

Click here to download  Weekly News 15th June 2014

Weekly News 8th June 2014/ Choosing Team Leaders

CHOOSING TEAM LEADERS

I hope that you’ve had some time in the last few weeks to think about the teams we are looking to develop and their leadership, as well as discuss the whole idea in home groups. If you’ve been away and you have no idea what I’m talking about, then can I point you towards the website and the downloads available, which should help bring you up to speed.

I would like to encourage you to try and carve out some dedicated prayer time for this in the next couple of weeks. On 22 June, I will be inviting the whole church to nominate their choice of two leaders for each of the seven teams (listed inside). It might be that you feel it would be difficult to provide a full 14 names. That’s not a problem. You can put forward a smaller number, as we only want people to offer meaningful nominations.

Questions are likely to keep bubbling to the surface as we go through this process, so please don’t hesitate to ask me or one of the PCC members about it. Thanks Jon.

Click here to download   Weekly News 8th June 2014

Weekly News 1st June 2014/ Nick Lang writes on Spiritual Gifts

Nick Lang writes on Spiritual Gifts...  “Preparing to preach soon at Pentecost, Jon recently showed me a self-assessment test on “spiritual gifts”. It’s a simple paper and includes a quick response test. The idea is to score yourself and see what your predominant giftings might be. I did the test myself and was surprised how accurate it seemed. It’s far from perfect or comprehensive, but it was quite revealing. Maureen did it too and hers came out just as accurate and it certainly gave us some stuff to talk about. So, if anyone else wants to have a go, Margaret has the paper in the church office. She’ll be glad to e mail it to you, or give you a hard copy if you don’t have a computer. If you decide to give it a go, you will probably get most out of it if you chat to someone about your results. That could be done in home groups, over coffee with a friend, or simply with your partner. Equally, Jon and I would be delighted to hear from you too.”

Click here to download Weekly News 1st June 2014

Weekly News 25th May 2014/ London Festival Sinfonia Concert

LONDON FESTIVAL SINFONIA CLASSICAL MUSIC SPECTACULAR

in support of LINK TO HOPE

As many of you know, as a church we support Link to Hope, an organization that looks to help some of the poorest people in Eastern Europe. Our very own Paul Showell will be conducting the LFS, performing a fantastic concert programme in support of their work. It would be great to see you there, but it would also be a real boon if some of us could be cheerleaders for the event, by helping publicise it and sell tickets.

Venue: ‘The Space’, Pamoja Concert Hall, Sevenoaks, Kent, TN13 1HU

Date: Saturday, 20^th September 2014 at 7.30pm

Price: Tickets £22, the programme includes Wagner – Weber – Rachmaninov

Booking: Online at boxoffice.sevenoaksschool.org, by email to boxoffice@sevenoaks.school.org, or by phone on 01732 467765.

Come and enjoy the music and support Link to Hope as you do so.

Click here to download   Weekly News 25th May 2014

Parenting Course

Our lives are so busy and we rarely have time to take stock of its pressures and priorities. This course creates a safe space to discuss together various family topics and review how you are doing and where you are heading as a family. Spaces are limited so book early. The course is aimed at parenting 0-10 year olds. It is led by experienced trainers Barry and Chrissy Turner who are licenced by Time for Families.

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Who:

Ideally both parents, but great for just Mum or Dad too.

Where:

Parklands Nursery on Coney Hall Recreation Ground, Church Drive, Coney Hall, West Wickham, BR4 9HJ

When:

Tuesday evenings June 24th, July 1st ,8th,15th

Timing:

7:30pm for welcome drink. Sessions start at 7:45pm finish by 9:45pm

Cost:

£35 per family

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[box icon="down"] Download Parenting Course Application Form (PDF)[/box]

Form to be completed prior to course returned with fee by 7th June 2014

Our contact details:

Address: Barry and Chrissy Turner 135 Gates Green Road, Coney Hall, West Wickham, Kent. BR4 9DF Mobile: 07513 586873 (Barry) Email: barryturner1@btinternet.com

Team Development Downloads

Following our time in the Assembly Rooms discussing the development of Teams in the church, here are the following documents:

• A list of the proposed teams we will develop and the next steps for appointing leaders to those teams.
• The powerpoint from the meeting in the Assembly Rooms and detailed notes to explain the slides.

[box icon="down"] Mobilising for Mission - Team Development Next Steps [/box] [box icon="down"] Team Development [/box][box icon="down"] Mobilising for Mission - Team Development [/box]

Weekly News 18th May 2014/ Wardy Summer BBQ

WARDY

SUMMER BBQ

As we enjoy one of the hottest weekends of the year so far, it seems an opportune time to put out the invitation to the Rectory for another Ward barbecue. It’s a little way off, but pencil Sunday 6 July into your diaries.

As in previous years, it will run from after church through to the evening and you can pop by any time you like. Bring all the family, and any friends you’ve got in tow as well, and hopefully there will be enough space for everyone.

We’ll provide more details nearer the time, but we hope you’ll be able to join us to enjoy a relaxed catch-up with one another over some food and drink.

Click here to download Weekly News 18th May 2014

Weekly News 11th May 2014/ Parenting Course

PARENTING COURSE Our lives are often so busy that we rarely have time to take stock of the pressures and assess what we want the priorities to be for our family. This course creates a safe space to discuss together a whole host of topics and review how you are doing as a family, and where you are heading.

This course is aimed at parenting the 0-10 year olds. It will take place at Parklands Nursery on Coney Hall Recreation Ground at 7:30pm on a Tuesday evening, starting on 24 June and running for 4 consecutive weeks, at a cost of £35 per family. Space will be limited, so get in there early.

There are application forms by the noticeboard in church, but if you need further information then contact Barry and Chrissy Turner on:

Barryturner1@btinternet.com or 07513 586873.

Click here to download   Weekly News 11th May 2014

Weekly News 4th May 2014/ Mobilising for Mission

‘MOBILISING FOR MISSION’ Next week we begin a new 4 week series entitled ‘mobilising for mission’.

We will focus our attention on some of the priorities we identified under the perspectives of ‘Looking Up’, ‘Out’ and ‘In’, when we were forging our vision. A significant element will be the development of new team structures that aim to shape us to respond more effectively to the priorities we believe God has put before us. This will be a long work, which will draw together many strands of our vision. The church leadership hopes that it goes way beyond an organisational shuffle, but affects our discipleship and the way we engage in God’s mission.

An important launch pad for some of this work will take place on 18 May, when we will meet in the Assembly Rooms for a 10am start, and finish up with a ‘Bring & Share’ meal. We hope you can make it. If you are unable to do so for whatever reason, and you would like to receive a summary ‘catch-up’ after the weekend, then let Jon know.

Click here to download  Weekly News 4th May 2014

Weekly News 27th April 2014/ APCM Day

APCM DAY! AGMs might not have a reputation for being the hottest ticket in town.

However, we hope that conducting some of the necessary business associated with running the church doesn’t obscure the fact that we are taking stock of the ways God has been at work, and thinking about how we can grow in faithfulness to His call on us.

If you are unfamiliar with what happens, there will be some voting, a few appointments, consideration of our financial statements, a review of the year gone by, lots of thank yous, some thoughts about what lies ahead, space for people to ask questions and most importantly time to pray and worship.

If you’re here this morning as a newcomer and it’s not quite what you anticipated, we trust you’ll bear with us. There’s no guarantee that if you had come on a ‘normal’ Sunday it would have been quite what you were expecting(!), but today should give you a broad feel for what goes on in the life of St John’s.

Click here to download  Weekly News 27th April 2014