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
The 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 more
Pathfinders is the group that takes place during the morning service for Secondary School aged children. We start with a hot chocolate, with whipped cream and marshmallows… We enjoy some biscuits together whilst we read and discuss the Bible passage. We then turn our thoughts into art. Youth Group and Pathfinders recently went bowling in Oxford. It was great fun and everyone is keen for more trips out! Youth Group consists of school years 8-13. Read more
Coming 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 Read more
The Annual Parochial Church Meeting (APCM) was held on Saturday 16 June, beginning with refreshments and an opportunity to view reports from church groups and hall users. These reports are available online at https://www.groveparishchurch.org.uk/2026-apcm-documents. The meeting opened with the Annual Vestry Meeting. Minutes from 2025 were approved, and Colin Moulds and Sue Parnell were elected as churchwardens. Thanks were expressed to Nick Terrill, stepping down after six years, and to Colin for continuing in post. Read more
I like to think of myself as a bit of an eco-hippy at heart, and I had done the Big Plastic Count before in 2022 and 2024, so I thought: How bad could it be? Dear reader, it was a lot worse than I thought. Not only did I not hold steady compared to previous years – we got through 71 bits of plastic in 2024 – our family gets through more disposable plastic now than ever Read more
The disciples have been through a lot. They experienced the rollercoaster of the Easter season, from the trauma and tragedy of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, to the triumph of Easter Sunday and the empty tomb. Jesus has met with them, taught them, and cooked for them, and now he is about to return to the Father. I imagine that they had a lot of questions about what comes next, how will this all work out, and Read more