Lent

Tread Lightly - Lent Challenge

Are you like me? You hear that the climate is in crisis. You know you should do more. But somehow other things take over? This Lent I invite you to come together as the St John's family and encourage one another to care for God's creation and our neighbours across the world. Did you know that the richest 10% of the world's population produce 50% of carbon emissions? And the 'poorer' 50% produce only 7%. Yet it is the poorest who are worse affected by the changing climate which affects homes and livelihoods. Climate Justice invites us to stand in solidarity with the poorest and do what we can to save our shared home, this beautiful planet.

So each week in Lent I'm going to set you a specific challenge as an individual, couple or family, to tread more lightly on this precious earth with a challenge to pray too. Then each Sunday you are invited, if you wish, to join others via zoom at 10.30am, to chat about how the challenge has gone and spur each other on, (as well as enjoy a catch up).

I think coming together in this way will be fantastic! But there are other options too such as joining Christians from other churches in a local group (link) or taking the daily #LiveLent challenge here (oxtedteam.churchinsight.com/Publisher/File.aspx?ID=277889), or email for a booklet.

As Christians we are stewards of God's earth. Please try and do something new to care for creation this Lent and if you can please join me in the St John's Tread Lightly Challenge.

This Week's Challenge

Spend some time on a clear night gazing at the stars and marvel that just as the stars are without limit, so is God's care for us. A stargazing app on your phone is interesting to identify the constellations. More here https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/g26089673/best-stargazing-apps/

Toads need darkness to spawn. Find out more about, or join, a Toad Patrol where local people help them navigate, just after dark, safely across roads to where they were born.

Are there any outdoor lights you could turn off or lower at night?

Good luck with this week's challenge!

Lent Talks

Our Faith and Life Lent Talks, which were postponed last year, will now be taking place via Zoom, please see below for further details. For those on our weekly email list you will have received Zoom login details, any issues please contact office@stjhurstgreen.co.uk

Faith and Life Talks 2021 v3

Kelly van den Berg, 07/03/2021

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at the Church Building (details below) for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. For your first visit, we recommend arriving 10-15 minutes early to ensure you get a parking space and find somewhere to sit before the service begins. When you arrive, you should be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits from 10am, before the service begins. It is a great way to meet people, or simply take time to find your bearings. All refreshments are free.

Plan your journey:

Open Google Maps

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There are disabled toilets in the main foyer.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from one of our team members. Then follows a time of sung worship, led by our band. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. Sometimes a person might pray out loud or read a small passage from the bible. Sometimes people share things that they believe God is saying to the whole church family. This might seem strange the first time you hear it but it’s all part of our connecting with God. We then share news and notices, usually about what’s going on in the life of the church. One of our leaders will then give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song. Sometimes there is an opportunity to receive prayer at the end of the service.

images: Services

What about my kids?

We have a great programme lined up for kids of all ages:

Creche (0 months to 3 years). Children under 6 months are welcome but must be accompanied by their parent/grown-up at all times.
Livewires (3-7 years)
Encounter (7-11 years)
Katalyst (11-15 years)
Young people (15+ years) Stay in service.

Children stay with their parent or grown-up at the start of the service for the welcome, songs and notices. We really value worshipping God all together as a family. At the end of the notices someone will announce that it’s time for the younger members to go to their various groups. You will need to go with your children to their groups and register them as part of our child safety policy. Whilst you are dropping your kids off at their groups, we pause to take time to chat to someone sitting near or next to us, giving folk a chance to come back before the sermon begins.

The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there is a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Night Shelter
Foodbank

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Leader 1		Leader 2
Leader Intro		Leader Intro

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)