St John's News - 13 September
Dear friends,
As an era closes, we give thanks for the life of our Queen, take inspiration from her faith and example and rejoice that she is with her Lord and Saviour.
have been my guide and in them I find hope.
It is my heartfelt prayer that you will continue to be sustained by your faith
in times of trial and encouraged by hope in times of despair.
HM Queen Elizabeth II – Lambeth Conference, August 2022
Service of Prayer and Reflection remembering her late Majesty - 14 September
A short Service of Prayer and Reflection remembering her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will be held at St John's tomorrow, Wednesday 14 September, at 7:00pm. The church will be open from 6:45pm to 7:30pm for the lighting of candles and signing the book of condolence.
Derek Jones
The funeral of Derek Jones will be held on Tuesday 20 September at 11:00am at St John's Church.
Sunday Services
If you missed last Sunday’s all age service, you can catch it here.
Harvest Celebration - 2 October
Our harvest celebration will be on 2 October. Gifts of non-perishable items are welcome (we will receive them during the service) and will be passed on to the Stowmarket and area foodbank. We are planning a "bring and share" lunch after the 10:30am all age service. If you would like to come with sandwiches, sausage rolls, salad, cake etc., please let Rosie Ellis know what you plan to bring or sign up on the sheet at the back of church. Rosie’s email is rellisstjohns@gmail.com.
The primary school will be coming to St John's for their Harvest Thanksgiving on Monday 3 October at 9:30am.
Men's gathering - 22 September 8:30pm
If you would like to join some of the men from church for a drink, please pop along to the Elmswell Tavern on Thursday 22 September at 8:30pm.
Book Launch - 6 October 7:00pm
Elmswell has a new author and you are invited to come and celebrate the big reveal of the author and the launch of this Christian novel on Thursday 6th October at 7.30pm at the Wesley Chapel. The book is contemporary fiction and is a great read. Please let Jane Langston know you are attending on jeclangston@gmail.com or 01359 242142.
Sponsorship for Phearak
If you would like to help sponsor Phearak Moeng, the teenager St John's supports in Phnom Penn, Cambodia (the fund is getting rather low), please contact Mike Schofield (m_a_sch@hotmail.com) or place a donation in an envelope marked "Phearak" and pass to Peter.
Confirmations at St John's
On Sunday 6 November at 3:00pm, we will be welcoming Bishop Mike to lead a Confirmation Service at St John's. We already have a few candidates, but if you would like to know more about getting confirmed, then please have a word with me.
*** IMPORTANT - Safeguarding ***
Basic safeguarding awareness training (previously C0) is mandatory for everyone who has a designated role in the church (e.g. sidespeople, flower arrangers, musicians). However ALL parishioners are encouraged to complete this safeguarding course.
If you are aware you have not done it in the last 3 years, please try to complete the Basic Awareness Course online at https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org/. It takes about 90 minutes to complete and you receive a certificate at the end. Once completed, please let both Alex Cubbitt (alex.cubitt@fastnet.co.uk), our safeguarding officer and myself know.
You may need to register or reset your password if you have forgotten it.
We will let you know of any alternative in-person courses when we can.
Prayer Meeting
The weekly church prayer meeting is on Zoom on Saturday at 9:00am for 40 minutes. To join, click https://us04web.zoom.us/j/6852951296 or, load Zoom and use Meeting ID: 685 295 1296 and Password: 816262.
And finally, a prayer on the death of Her Majesty The Queen
Gracious God, we give thanks
for the life of your servant Queen Elizabeth,
for her faith and her dedication to duty.
Bless our nation as we mourn her death
and may her example continue to inspire us;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
In Christ,
Peter
Tue 13 Sep 2022
