Spring is now firmly upon us with the bluebells and the wisteria starting to bud. Like the seasons, the second week of May appears and with it, Christian Aid Week, with the flurry of red bunting and envelopes. In Grove, we will be celebrating Christian Aid Week on Sunday 10 May, if you like to note these things in your diary. This year, Christian Aid Week is celebrating an organisation called ‘Beacon of Hope’ in...
Read morelooking back in March? I asked someone who had spent two extended spells in Iran and has since then worked with Iranian Christians and converts in this country how he viewed the present war. This was his answer: “Iran? Where should I start? When I was in Iran the seeds of revolution were already germinating. European colonialism, regime change organised by BriIran Issuetain and others, the West’s exploitation of Iranian (and the Gulf states) oil, helping themselves to...
Read moreSpring is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. Flowers and plants begin to bloom, hibernating creatures wake from their winter sleep, the days lengthen. For many of us, this season brings new energy, and the will to tackle jobs left for too long – time for spring cleaning! For Christians, this season of Easter also has a deeper meaning. It is a time to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus, not only as a past...
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Dear friends at St John’s Over the past few months, the ministry team and PCC have been working on developing a renewed vision for St John’s. As part of this process, we are inviting the whole church to join with us in prayer during the ten days of Ascensiontide. From Ascension Day (Thursday 14th May) until Pentecost (Sunday 24th May), the church celebrates that Jesus is alive and reigns in heaven, and we wait in expectation for the promised Holy Read more
There will be a dedicated collection for Christian Aid at the 8.00am & 10.15am services at St John’s on Sunday 10 May. Donations can be made via the card reader (on Sunday 10 May only) & Christian Aid envelopes will be available. This year’s appeal focuses on urban farming projects in Nairobi, Kenya. Through Christian Aid’s partner, Beacon of Hope, women living in urban poverty are being given tools, seeds & training to grow fresh Read more
One of the oldest pubs in England is ‘Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem’. The name captures how important a journey to the Holy Land was to Christians in years gone by. An expedition from England to the Middle East was, in the Middle Ages, a daunting and dangerous, and extremely lengthy, undertaking. One might reflect on how things have changed – in some ways, not much. I have long wanted to visit Jerusalem, more because Read more
Environmental issues are in the news all the time, whether it is sewage in our rivers or the new British ‘monsoon season’ each winter, or the decline of many of our wild animals, such as hedgehogs. It’s not a very cheerful message, so how should we respond as Christians? Psalm 24 begins: “The Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” All life on this Earth belongs to God – he has created it and loves everything Read more
