St John's Church LemsfordWelcome
Please click on the link below to watch an aerial video of the church and listen to our bells.
Drone photography courtesy of https://www.upaerial.co.uk
Welcome, and thank you for visiting our website.
Our church is situated in the picturesque village of Lemsford, close to Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City and opposite Brocket Hall.
We warmly welcome all visitors to our church and we would love you to come to one of our services or events. We hope that you find what you are looking for in these pages, but if you have any questions and would like to speak to someone about the church, please do contact one of the team members listed in the Who's Who and Contacts page.
We look forward to seeing you.
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- Thursday 24th April
- 9am - School Collective Worship*
- 10am - No Morning Prayer - Rev Kathryn away
- Sunday 27th April
- 8am - BCP Holy Communion
- 11am - Reflective Worship
- Thursday 1st May
- 9am - School Collective Worship*
- 10am - No Morning Prayer - Rev Kathryn away
- Sunday 4th May
- 8am - BCP Morning Prayer
- 11am - ‘All Together’ Service*
- Monday 5th May - Bank Holiday
- 12pm-4pm - The Lemsford Fete!! - see above
- 12pm-4pm - The Lemsford Fete!! - see above
- Thursday 8th May
- 9am - School Collective Worship*
- 10am - Morning Prayer
- Readings for the second Sunday of Easter
Gospel: John 20:19-31 - to read click here (opens in new window or new tab)
GOOD FRIDAY
This was a wonderfully reflective service presided on by Rev Kathryn and
Rev Kate with hymns interspersed with bible readings and reflections.
Rev Kathryn left us with the following message:
He carried a cross.
He carried a crown of thorns.
He carried the hopes of God.
He carried our sorrows.
He carried the sins of the world.
And he carried a broken heart.
Most of all, he carries us — into the heart of love, mercy, and grace.
Thank you to all who shared in this afternoon’s powerful time at the cross.
St Johns stripped bare and ready for our Good Friday service
While some of us joined in with St Michael's Holy Saturday vigil for the rest of us the joy returned with our All Together celebration of the joy of Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday!
Rev Kathryn writes:
So many joys this Easter Sunday, celebrating the unexpected new life of the resurrection
— with the help of a coconut (!) 
; wonderful singing, readings and prayers; beautiful flowers and Kiran and Faye’s Easter Egg Hunt! 
A service overflowing with St John’s love and Easter hope.
______________________________Our intrepid walkers were not greeted by a sunny morning on Easter Monday, instead it was overcast with some rain. However this did not deter them, or the many others who made their ways from their own churches to St Albans, as you can see below
They grouped outside the cathedral:
For the packed service inside:
_______________________________A Memorial Service for John Marks
A memorial service for our dear friend John Marks will take place at 12:30pm on Wednesday 11th June at St John’s Church. Ruth and all of John’s family warmly invite you to come and remember him, and to give thanks for his life.
Thinking about confirmation? It’s a chance to affirm your faith, be prayed for by the Bishop, and take the next step on your journey with God.
Open to anyone aged 10 and above – speak to Rev Kathryn to find out more.
The new April/May Parish Magazine is out.
If you were in church last Sunday, for the Mothering Sunday service,
you'll have spotted it. You may already by now have one posted through
your door, if you live in the parish, or in your child's bookbag if
you're a St John's parent. You can still pick up one at the back of the
church but here's you chance to download the pdf - click here. As usual the directory only appears in the print version of the magazine.We have the usual articles: from the Church (Rev Kathryn), School (Head - Michelle Boylan), Children and Young People at St Johns (Jo Brooks) the Lemsford local history group (Andy Chapman), and Cover picture & Nature notes (Geoffrey Hollis).
But, in this edition we also have a Poem (Hazel Macarthur), Snowdrops and Cream Teas on the Island (Edna Stephens), The Lemsford Fete (Paul Butler), Ukraine in Canada (Geoffrey Hollis) & Alice Coralie Glyn Homes (Geoff Stilwell).
It's a great read! Pick your copy up from church or download the pdf.
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Lemsford Fete has a strong vintage feel with a mixture of stalls, old fashioned games, mouth-watering food and drink, and entertainment to enjoy.
We are pleased to welcome back the immensely popular local ale beer tent and teddy bear zip wire ride down from the church tower, so don’t forget to bring your teddy along for the ride of a lifetime from the top of St John’s Church tower and a certificate to take away.
Lemsford Local History Group is offering a graveyard tour for visitors to Lemsford Fete.
They have researched the lives of some of the people buried in the St
John’s Churchyard, and will be featuring a brief story of their lives on
the graves.
Some of these people are well known, some are Hertfordshire dignitaries,
but most are simply local people whose fascinating stories will
resonate with readers.
There is also a quiz for people to take part in, with a book token prize
for the winner. Anyone wanting further information can see more at www.lemsfordhistorynews.co.
LLHG representatives will be on hand on the day to help with further
information. LLHG will also have a display in the School Hall, looking
at the history of the churchyard. This will also feature the graves of
local people who died in the First World War.
Other stalls and games include but are no means limited to:
- BBQ – top quality meat & vegan
- Beer and Pimms Tent. Cask beer kindly sponsored by Crane and Staples.
- Live music
- Archery
- Face painting
- Bouncy Castle
- Coconut shy
- Tombola
- Crockery Smash
- Homemade jams & chutney
- White Elephant
- Trampoline
There will also be numerous music and dance performances in two outdoor areas and also in the church throughout the day.
_______________________________Rev Kathryn and her helpers even managed to resist eating any chocolate - until the end, when everyone received an Easter egg!
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Bishop Alan is retiring at the end of May after 16 years as our Diocesan Bishop. Please do pray for him at this time of transition.
Please also pray for the work of the Vacancy-in-See Committee who are involved in preparing for the selection of the new Bishop - Rev Kathryn is part of this group. Further details on the process for selecting the new bishop can be found at this link: https://www.
If you would like to contribute to the development of a 'Statement of Needs' for our new Bishop, you have an opportunity to answer 3 simple questions in the form at this link. Please fill this in before 24th March. https://forms.office.
This year, St Albans Diocese invites us all to embark on a journey of reconnecting with our faith and discovering the renewing life of the Holy Spirit. There’s a wonderful new website full of opportunities, including retreats, quiet days (some specially for churchwardens), pilgrimage walks, talks, online accompanied prayer weeks, courses, and a special summer Cathedral celebration.
You’ll also find resources for prayer, as well as helpful guidance to care for your own wellbeing.
Why not take a look? You can book events directly, but if something catches your eye and you’d like some company, let us know, and we can see if others would like to join in too.
Visit: year.stalbansdiocese.org
- All food with good sell by dates (tins of fruit and veg, jams, packets of cereal, coffee, tea, long life milk and so on)
- Toiletries such as shampoo and conditioner and toilet rolls
- Cleaning products (kitchen and bathroom cleaners etc)
We are asked not to donate clothes.
Nigel will arrange to take our offerings to the New Zion church every Wednesday morning.St John’s school currently has a vacancy for a Foundation Governor. Foundation Governors are nominated by the PCC, represent the Church of England on the Board, and help ensure that the Christian ethos of the school is maintained.
Please pray and think about whether you - or someone you know - would make a great governor. They don’t need to be a member of St John’s church, but would need to be able to fulfil the role description above.
As a governor myself, I promise you that it’s an extremely rewarding (and often fun) role, and is manageable alongside other responsibilities.
Please contact me if you’re interested.
Rev Kathryn
CHURCH GIVING Many of us are happiest giving cash rather than scanning QR codes or tapping payment cards or smartphones.   But,
if you like the QR Code, you can point your Smartphone’s camera or QR
app at it, and it will let you give, or from your PC/Mac you can just
click this link: https://givealittle.co/FRIENDSHIP TEAS Friebdship Teas are every second Tuesday of the month at 2:30pm in the Annexe! |
You
can pick up a printed copy at the back of the church but here's your
chance to download the pdf. As usual the directory only appears in the
print version of the magazine.We have the usual articles: from the Church (Rev Kathryn), School (Head - Michelle Boylan), Children and Young People at St Johns (Jo Brooks) the Lemsford local history group (Andy Chapman), and Cover picture & Nature notes (Geoffrey Hollis).
But, in this edition we also have a Poem (Hazel Macarthur), Snowdrops and Cream Teas on the Island (Edna Stephens), The Lemsford Fete (Paul Butler), Ukraine in Canada (Geoffrey Hollis) & Alice Coralie Glyn Homes (Geoff Stilwell).
It's a great read! Pick your copy up from church or download the pdf.
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HOME INSURANCE If you need to take out, or renew, a home insurance policy, please think of using Ecclesiastical Insurance as they will donate £130 to the church through their Trust 130 Promotion. All you need to do is to say that the donation is to go to St John's Church, Lemsford. Find out more at www.ecclesiastical.com/trust130 or call their team on 0800 783 0130 and quote Trust 130. |
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2025 PCC meeting dates 29th January at 7.00 pm 11th February at 7.30 pm by Zoom APCM 2nd March at 12 noon 17th March at 7.15 pm 7th April at 7.15 pm 13th May at 7.15 pm 22nd July at 7.15 pm 13th September (away day) 18th November at 7.15 pm |
PLEASE CAN YOU HELP
WE COULD REALLY DO WITH YOUR FINANCIAL HELP IN THIS DIFFICULT TIME.
PLEASE CONSIDER GIVING IF YOU CAN TO SUPPORT OUR CHURCH AND OUR WORK IN THE COMMUNITY.
EITHER
CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR QUICK DONATION PAGE
OR
ALTERNATIVELY WE CAN NOW RECEIVE DONATIONS VIA TEXT MESSAGE BY TEXTING THE WORD LEMSFORD FOLLOWED BY A SPACE AND THEN AN AMOUNT OF YOUR DONATION, TO 70085. FOR EXAMPLE, TO GIVE £5 TYPE LEMSFORD 5, TO GIVE £10 TYPE LEMSFORD 10. THEN SIMPLY SEND YOUR TEXT TO 70085. TEXTS WILL COST YOUR DONATION AMOUNT PLUS ONE STANDARD RATE MESSAGE.
MANY THANKS
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IMPORTANT REQUEST TO REGULAR GIVERS FROM THE FINANCE COMMITTEE If regular givers would prefer to make their payments by bank transfer, the bank details of the church are: HSBC Bank. Sort Code: 40-46-08 A/C No: 51431609 Many thanks |
Choir practice every Sunday at 9.45 am
Bell ringing practice every Monday evening at 7.30 pm