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! As we begin Lent, we have lots of information for the coming weeks – so this week’s is a BUMPER issue of our Newsletter & Notices! Enjoy!
Parish News Changing Places – Liz Gloyn is pleased to announce that she has accepted a self-supporting curacy with the Epping team and will be ordained in September. We will miss her greatly but please do keep Liz in your prayers over the coming months as she enters this next phase of ministry.
Christian Aid Myanmar Earthquake Appeal – Families and communities are in fear of their lives after a deadly 7.7 magnitude earthquake devastated Myanmar on Friday 28 March. A second 6.4 magnitude quake followed soon after, making the destruction even more widespread. We will be holding a retiring collection after our services on Easter Sunday, so please give to help those affected and distressed by this crisis. Alternatively, visit caid.org.uk/HelpMyanmar or scan the QR code to donate online. Call 08080 005 005 to donate by phone. Speak to Sally Fairweather or Geoff Wolfson for more details.
Car Park – Unless your car registration is on our pre-existing list, please ensure it is typed into the portal when attending church or the Parish Hall: you will need to input your registration in the portal/tablet, or through the QR codes on the posters, to avoid facing a fine. Thank you! Apologies for some of the problems with the portals in the last week – the company have assured us there will be no unjust fines. Get in touch with Sammy if you have been affected.
Electoral Roll – NOT LONG LEFT! If you are a member of St John’s, sign up to our Electoral Roll using the link or QR code, or paper forms in church - Chris and Will can help, if needed!
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+), to learn new skills and help our worship run smoothly, especially at the 9.30am Sung Eucharist. This might involve carrying candles, helping with incense, ringing bells, processing in and out with the cross, and more! Please speak to Olivia Parenzee or one of the clergy if you are interested or have questions. All are welcome to try it out and get involved!
Easter Day Choral Mass – Don’t miss our fantastic choir this Easter! In our Choral Mass at 9.30am on Easter Sunday, we will hear pieces from Handel’s Messiah, including the famous Hallelujah Chorus. A big thank you to Virgil and the choir who make the musical worship at St John’s such a glorious experience!
Community Coffee and Chat – Join us on Bank Holiday Monday for a cuppa and conversation from 11am-12pm in the Parish Hall! All are welcome!
Prayer for Christian Unity in Loughton – The next meeting of churches in Loughton to pray for unity is Tues 22nd April, 7.30pm at St Michael’s, Loughton.
Rosemary Wells – Rosemary’s funeral service will be on Thursday 1st May, with a thanksgiving service taking place at St John’s, 12pm. Some words from Helen Stell… “Every Sunday after church we would have coffee at her house, and talk about anything and everything. In her 90s her mind was as alert as ever. The table beside her chair was piled high with detective stories, supplied weekly by Lesley. She read voraciously, and for many years was a member of the church literature group with her husband Bert. She had a great gift of friendship: a friend from school days who regularly visited, a friend from guiding days who made her tins of homemade biscuits, a neighbour who came to wind up her clocks each week. Even the window cleaner we shared had fond memories. She taught me how to look after orchids, hers and mine. I will miss her very much
.” St Paul’s Cathedral Talk – Will is giving a talk at St Paul’s Cathedral in London on 4th May at 1pm on his work and research around masculinities, the Bible, and theology. It is an accessible and free event, which you are welcome to attend. Please book tickets here: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/whats-on/boys-will-be-boys being-man-before-god-in-21st-century
Big Church Makeover! 17/18th May 2025 – save the date! We will gather as a community to do some work on the Parish Hall. If you could donate your time, money, or resources, PLEASE join us! Speak to Vicky S or Will for more details.
Sing a New Song! – A new children’s choir (approx. Year 4 and above) will be starting at St John’s on Thursdays from 4pm, beginning 22nd May. Speak to Will for more details or see our forthcoming posters and share on social media!
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!