Welcome! Whether you have been to St John’s hundreds of times before, or this is your first visit, you are so welcome! It is great to have you with us! We strive to be an inclusive church community for all people, made up of different ages and backgrounds. We open ourselves to God in word and sacrament, enriched by the music of the Anglican choral tradition. We care deeply about serving the local community, offering support groups, social events, community projects, and more. Find out what is going in our church and local community this week, and how you can be involved! Speak to someone or get in touch using the contact details, if you would like more information or have any questions. We are here to help!
Parish News Recruiting
New Altar Servers – Are you looking for a new way to get involved in church and worship? The servers would gladly welcome new members, adults and children (7+), Please speak to Olivia Parenzee or the clergy if you are interested!
First Communion – If your child is Year 3 and above, and would be interested in taking their first communion as part of the Patronal Festival on 22nd June, please chat to Chris and fill in the details on the sheet provided.
Calligraphy – We are so grateful to Trish Whittaker for doing the writing in our Remembrance book for many years. If anyone is able to do calligraphy for our Remembrance Book, we would really appreciate volunteers. Please speak to Chris.
Recording in Church – Next week, Mon 12th - Sat 17th, the church will be closed for recordings by Mahan Esfahani and Hyperion. Sorry for any inconvenience. Christian Aid
Week 11-17 May – This year Christian Aid is focusing on their work in Guatemala, Central America, where due to the climate crisis, vital crops are failing and plunging farming families into hunger and poverty. Christian Aid is celebrating its 80th Anniversary this year. Loughton Churches will again be holding street collections on Thursday 15th May at Loughton Underground Station from 4-7pm and on Saturday 17th May at Sainsbury’s in Station Road 9am-6pm. I am looking for volunteers for one hour slots on these days. Please contact Sally Fairweather on 07851183753 to offer your support for Christian Aid. Parish Events
VE Day – Chris is leading prayers on behalf of Churches Together Loughton on Thursday 8th May at 9pm on the Hillyfields Open Space. We will also be marking VE Day in the 9.30am Sung Eucharist sermon on Sunday 11th May.
APCM – Join us for our annual church meeting on Sunday 11th May starting at 10.30am (between our 9.30am and 11.30am services!) to hear what we’ve been up to over the past year and elect churchwardens and PCC members. Speak to Chris for more details.
The Parish Hall Makeover! On Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th May from 8.30am until late, we need your time and donations to help us do some work – including painting, sorting, and cleaning – on our beloved community Parish Hall which is used for church coffee, weekly Sunday School, and many regular groups in the week. Please contact Vicky Shankland to sign up: VickyShankland@outlook.com / 07818 008901
Dvořák’s Stabat Mater – If you’d like to relax after working hard at the Parish Hall Makeover on Saturday 17th May, at 7.30pm you can hear London Forest Choir sing Dvorak's beautiful Stabat Mater, a contemplation of Mary at the crucifixion at Church of Ss Peter and Paul, The Green, Chingford E4 7EN. Tickets: £18 in advance www.ticketsource.co.uk/london-forest-choir (£20 on the door) and under-16s half price.
“Sing a New Song!” – A new FREE children’s choir (approx. Year 4 and above) will be starting at St John’s on Thursdays from 4-6pm, beginning 22nd May and continuing all year throughout the Summer holidays. We will be singing a mix of styles, including both secular and sacred music. It's not just about the music though! We will also learn how to use our bodies healthily, how to look after our voices, and how to create community and have fun together. Speak to Will for more details, see our posters and please share on social media! Find out more information, including FAQs: https://loughtonchurch.org.uk/get-involved/childrens-choir/
St John’s Summer Social – 22nd June 2025. We are looking forward to our annual summer social after the Patronal festival, so please keep the day free, and invite friends and family! Donations of the Wine bottles (full or empty), soft drinks cans, soft toys, cakes would be much appreciated! Please contact Sam Davies if: • you are a member of a local community group that would like to run a stall for your own fundraising, or to support the church. • You know of any young musicians that would be keen to play a 30-minute live set • You are able to volunteer for an hour or two on the day. • You are able to help set up the day before.
Harvest Barn Dance – Saturday 4th October. This is a fantastic event for all ages, and we sold out last time we held it. We have a fantastic live band and, as ever, a delicious 2 course meal. Tickets will be on sale soon, so please spread the word and book!
Contact Details Rev’d Chris Davies (Day off: Friday) rector.stjohnsloughton@gmail.com | 020 8508 2912 Rev’d Barbara Read (Day off: Monday and Friday) revbarbararead@talktalk.net | 01992 679375 Rev’d Will Rose-Moore (Day off: Friday) revdwillrm@gmail.com | 07858 858975 Parish Office – Sammy Alder (Monday-Friday, 9am-1pm) loughton.church@outlook.com | 020 8532 0060 Social Media – Keep in touch with us online. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram @StJohnsLoughton. Give us a follow and make sure to tag us in your posts, pictures, and stories of your time spent at church – we’d love to see them and share them, where possible. You can find us on our website www.loughtonchurch.org.uk. The notices are also available via email, just ask.
Live-Streaming – We are pleased that we are able to livestream all our services on St John’s Loughton YouTube, whether you want to tune in live on a Sunday morning or catch up later on @StJohnsLoughton.
Safeguarding – We are committed to the safeguarding of children, young people, and adults, following Church of England guidance and policies. For more information, please speak to our Parish Safeguarding Officer (PSO) on 07351 422153 or look at the safeguarding pages on the Chelmsford Diocese website.
Giving – If you would like to donate to the mission, ministry, and community outreach of our church, we would prefer you to make a regular or one-off donation with Gift Aid through the Parish Giving Scheme, which you can access using the QR code below. Alternatively, there is a contactless machine at the back of church or a box or tray for cash. Thank you for your donation!