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Church notice sheet - 14 January 2007

Readings

9:00am - Ephesians 2:11-22 and John 17:1-5
11:00am - Ephesians 2:11-22

Spring Harvest Balance

Those going to Spring Harvest at Minehead, in Easter week as part of the St John's party, are reminded that the balance of the cost should be paid to Andrew by the end of January. Cheques should be made payable to St John's PCC.

Letsby Avenue

No, it's not a new street in the parish!  It's a call to all those who have not yet brought back their Jars of Grace. At the count on Monday, we recorded that only 73 have been returned so far compared with 92 at the same time last year.  And we normally receive over 100 when all are in by the end of February.

If you still have your Jar of Grace, please bring it to church as soon as possible. All the money raised will be shared between the work in Luweero in Uganda and the UNICEF appeal to benefit children in desperate need in the third world.

If you would still like to give but didn't save in a jar, please put your gift in an envelope marked 'Jar of Grace' and pass it to Andrew. Cheques should be made payable to St John's PCC.

The total received so far is £2,023 including Christmas Offerings and tax to be recovered on gift-aided donations.

Working together to reach the surrounding area

St John's is planning to reach the new areas all around us, working together with Christ the Servant and the North Swindon parishes on a combined leaflet drop.

We are going beyond our parish boundaries for the first time ever, which is great news.  Parish boundaries matter for legal reasons, especially when it comes to weddings, but they should not prevent effective communication.

A joint meeting will be held this week to take this idea a stage further.  Even if you live far away from this area do please pray for our outreach to these new housing areas.  There are so many homes here and the message of the Kingdom has reached very few.

Equipped to grow

As part of Bishop Mike's continuing emphasis on growth, there will be a conference on Saturday, February 10th at St Joseph's Catholic College, Swindon from 9:00am to 1:00pm. The theme will be "Equipped to Grow".

The conference is aimed at home group leaders, PCC members and anyone involved in leadership in any area of the church, including music, children's work and pastoral case. We need you to be involved. Bishop Mike will be giving the keynote address, and the workshops will include (amongst others):

Especially for home group leaders - Jo Vickery, Vicar of Christchurch, Downend in Bristol, will speak on small groups. Some of you will remember the approach to home groups which have been proving effective in Downend. We heard about it on the DVD we were shown on the day the Bishop Mike was unable to come to the house party.

You can see how many of these workshops chime in very much with our own theme, "Living Stones".

Do please sign up as soon as possible on the sheet in the foyer, so that we can get you the workshop of your choice. As soon as you sign up, you will receive full information about all workshops available.

Week of prayer for Christian Unity

This year, the church at Christ the Servant, Abbey Meads has decided to hold a United Service on Sunday, 21 January at 6:00 pm to which we are invited.  Please put this date in your diary.  It will be giving the opportunity for all local church members to come together for prayer over the whole of that weekend.  St John's will aim, along with the other churches in the area, to have a display which will help other people to pray for us.  Our theme will be "Living Stones".

The church will be open at any time during the following periods for people to pray:

Because the church will need to be open for this entire period, it is quite a burden on the people of Christ the Servant. If you are able to help by being there and watching over the church, there is a form in the foyer for you to sign up on. If you are not able to help in that way, please do not feel you cannot come to pray.  You will be very welcome.

Do you buy on line?

If you buy over the internet, you can automatically make a donation to our church. Log on via our website or go directly to http://www.buy.at/StjohnsHW. The church will receive commission from 2% to 12% on anything you purchase.

There are over 100 retailers involved (including M&S, Amazon, John Lewis, Comet) some of which offer exclusive discounts and promotions - and best of all ... there is no extra cost to the purchaser!

Tape Ministry

If you or someone you know would like a recording of the service, please contact Nigel Crowhurst, our Tape Co-ordinator.

What's on | Church notice sheets

Page last updated: 12 March 2007