St John's News - 1 April 2025
Dear friends,
Mark 10:51
We have a bumper edition this week, with some important information, so please take time to read.
If you missed Sunday's service and Tom’s talk on Mark 10:46-52, you can watch it on our YouTube channel.
There are 2 services this coming Sunday. There is a shorter service of Holy Communion at 9:00am (with no hymns). At 10:30am, our main service is the all age family service, when we will be thinking about the Parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
Would you like to be part of Open the Book, which presents Bible stories in the primary school in an accessible and enjoyable way, using drama, props and dressing up in costume? If this sounds interesting at all, please speak to Peter for more information.
Have you come across EasyFundraising? EasyFundraising offers a simple way for St John's to raise money without it costing anyone a penny extra. Every time a supporter shops online through EasyFundraising with one of over 6,000 retailers on board, they collect a free donation for St John's! All you need to do is sign up for free at https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/support-a-good-cause/step-1/?char=278367&invite=a3w4ui&referral-campaign=s2s and select St John's Elmswell as your chosen charity. Then, when you shop online, visit www.easyfundraising.org.uk first. The rest all happens in the background. Thank you for your support.
Looking ahead to Easter - on Wednesday, 16 April at 12:15pm, there will be a Holy Week Communion followed by a light lunch with soup and rolls. Please sign up at the back of church or email Peter for catering purposes.
On Maundy Thursday (17 April), a Tenebrae Service with the Lord's Supper will take place at 7:30pm. Tenebrae is Latin for shadows and, during this moving service, candles will be extinguished one by one as we hear readings from Luke’s account of Maundy Thursday/Good Friday. The aim is to dramatise the increasing darkness as Jesus goes from the Last Supper to face betrayal, abandonment, trial and execution.
The annual Christians Together In Elmswell Good Friday Service will be on the Green (by the station) at 10:00am on Friday 18 April. Please support this short public act of worship and witness. Hot cross buns will be distributed at the end.
The annual church meetings will be held during the service on 27 April, during which we will hear a review of the past year and look ahead to the future. We will also elect church wardens and people to fill PCC vacancies. If you have been on the church electoral roll for at least 6 months and wish to stand on the PCC, please download and complete this form
You are very welcome to join the online weekly church prayer meeting, which is on Zoom on Saturday at 9:00am for 40 minutes. You do not need to pray out loud – we'd love to see you. Join us by clicking here or, load Zoom and use Meeting ID: 685 295 1296 and Password: 816262.
Finally, a reminder to sign up for the new church electoral roll. Please print and complete this form and return it to Amanda Fairgrieve (at church or to Feldway, Station Road, Elmswell, IP30 9HD) by 12 April. Hard copies of the form with pens are available at the front of church.
In Christ,
Peter
Tue 01 Apr 2025
