Not long ago I had the pleasure of welcoming the Falcon Cubs of Grove Scout Group to St John’s to help them earn their world faiths badge. We talked together about the Christian circle of the year and the different colours that mark our seasons. There are the great white and gold celebrations of Christmas and Easter; the purple weeks of preparation; the red feast of Pentecost… and then there are a large number of...
Read moreThe Environment Group, a sub-committee of the PCC, has been considering and acting on environmental issues relevant to our church for many years. Outcomes are often implemented by other church groups as, for example, insulating the church hall as part of the hall improvement or installing energy efficient light bulbs as part of routine building maintenance. The Group considers the big environmental issues facing us today, like Biodiversity Loss as described by Martin Hodson in...
Read moreComing to, growing in, and living out faith in Jesus is the foundation of our vision at St John’s for this next phase in our church’s life. Three inextricably interlinked aspects of faith – like walking a labyrinth. Labyrinths have aided Christian prayer for over 1800 years. I walked one on our Ascensiontide prayer day. Standing ready to step in reminds me of that first step of trust in Jesus – the Way into Life...
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A Rocha is a global Christian conservation organization founded in 1983. It operates in over 20 countries across six continents, focusing on scientific research, habitat restoration, and environmental education. The name means “The Rock” in Portuguese, originating from their first field study centre in Portugal. A Rocha UK’s Eco Church programme (https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/) equips churches in England and Wales to care for creation. Eco Church is a learning community of churches of all shapes and sizes Read more
At St John’s we are supporting the work of the Bible Society as part of our missional giving in 2026. Originally known as the British and Foreign Bible Society it was founded in 1804, with the aim of providing as many people as possible with affordable Bibles in their native language. Today the Bible Society’s ministry reaches far and wide. Here are just a few ongoing projects, starting with Open the Book, which is very Read more
All Welcome. With stalls for crafts, toys, books, plants, cakes & gifts and different activities, tombola, lucky dip, crazy golf, games, raffle and cream teas. Everyone is welcome and we would be grateful if you could let your families and friends know. Many thanks. God bless
Cornerstone was established 30 years ago as a joint venture by four local churches (St John’s, Grove Methodist, Grove Free Evangelical and Vale Elim). Cornerstone’s mission is to be a place where all are welcomed and valued for who they are, not for what they can do and where God is glorified in their dealings with one another. Cornerstone is a registered charity led by a Board of Trustees from the four churches. Sarah manages the Read more
If you watched the installation of Sarah Mullally you’d have noticed a couple of occasions when the magnitude of what she was taking on almost overcame her. Not so much that she was the first woman to be Archbishop of Canterbury, but more that she had been called to be shepherd to an huge broken and divided family. I suspect, like many leaders in the Bible, she felt, “Who am I to be entrusted with Read more