Welcome

                       Photo large of St Johns Church

 

 

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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WHAT'S ON AT ST JOHN'S IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AT A GLANCE

   

  
  • Thursday 8th October
    • 10am - Morning Prayer
       
  • Sunday 11th October
    • 11am - Holy Communion with Sunday Club*
       
  • Tuesday 13th October
    • 2:30-4pm Friendship Tea
       
  • Wednesday 14th October
    • 8pm - Fete first meeting - at the school
       
  • Thursday 15th October
    • 10am - Morning Prayer
       
  • Sunday 18th October
    • 8am - Quiet Communion (BCP)
    • 11am - Reflective Worship
       
  • Thursday 22nd October
    • 10am - Morning Prayer
* Children are welcome at all our services, but these services and events are especially suitable for families and children (as well as people of all other ages!)


Readings 

      Nineteenth Sunday after Trinity 

               Please note that the readings this Sunday don't follow the lectionary.

Epistle: Exodus 35:20–29; 36:5–7 - to read click here (opens in new window or new tab)

Gospel: John 15:1, 4–5, 8–12 - to read click here (opens in new window or new tab)

  
CAR PARKING

Because car parking at the church is becoming difficult, we are  opening up the school playground on Sunday mornings for everyone to use.  The playground is at the back of the school, and is large enough to accommodate about 30 cars.  Please do use this area to park in, but take extra care when exiting into the street as cars do tend to speed up and down the hill.



This Sunday (11th October) at 11am we have Holy Communion with Sunday Club*


Harvest Festival Report and Photos - 4th October

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our All Together Harvest Festival service and lunch! 🌾
It was a harvest packed full of giving and receiving, as we created a chain of sharing from God out into the world.
Thank you, too, for your generous gifts for the foodbank. They’ll make a real difference.



 

 

Our October/November '26 parish magazine is out, and it’s full of the people and stories that make St John’s special. Rev’d Kathryn reflects on the darker months; Gina Butler takes us along on a lively Bike ’n’ Hike with Kevin and Lucy Earl and the team; and Lorraine Dewar introduces the People’s Emergency Briefing film we’ll be showing in November.
Jo Brooks shares autumn activities for children and families, while headteacher Michelle Boylan brings news and photographs from St John’s School. There’s more fascinating local history from Andy Chapman, Nature Notes from Geoffrey Hollis, and thoughts on the peaceful 8am service.
You’ll also find a short report and photographs of The Big Give and Wild Autumn Worship, alongside our services and events for the months ahead. Thank you to everyone who wrote, photographed, contributed or helped make it happen!
Get you printed copy from the back of the Church or to download the pdf click here.


 

Coming up…


You are warmly invited to our Autumn Service of Thanksgiving and Remembrance on Sunday 25th October at 4pm.  As the weather is likely to be becoming a bit wintery by the end of the month, we’ll be gathering in church. 
This short, reflective service is open to everyone. It offers space to pause, to give thanks, and to remember the lives of those we have loved and lost—whether recently or many years ago. You don’t need to be a churchgoer, or have a family member buried in our churchyard or Garden of Remembrance; the service is simply a gentle way of honouring love, loss, and memory together as a community.
Afterwards, you’re warmly invited to stay for tea and delicious cake.



Upcoming Events and Services

These are now kept up to date on 'A Church Near You' - specifically here:
In Calendar form:
https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/7875/service-and-events/calendar/2026/8/ [and, of course, you can change month at the click of a button].  Then just click on the specific entry to get the details.
If you prefer 'Event Advert' form - then click here:
https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/7875/service-and-events/events-all/


Time for a re-think!  The People's Emergency Briefing

Have you booked your tickets yet?
On 27th November 2025, Westminster Hall hosted a National Emergency Briefing,
bringing together more than 1,200 invited politicians and leaders from business,
culture, faith, sport, and the media. Introduced by Chris Packham CBE, ten of the
UK's foremost experts addressed the audience on the threats posed by climate
change and nature loss - along with the opportunities from genuine emergency
action.

This National Emergency Briefing has since been adapted into a film for public
release: the People’s Emergency Briefing. The goal is to reset the national
conversation and secure a government-led televised emergency briefing from
independent experts - an essential first step towards the emergency action now
needed.

We are screening the film on Sunday November 22nd at 3pm at St John’s Church Annexe.
The viewing is free to attend, but if you do want to attend please book a place by
emailing churchwarden@puranik.org (recommended age 16+).

After the film we will have refreshments and an opportunity to share our reactions
and ideas.

See you there!


THE YEAR OF SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND WELLBEING
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


 

'IOO CLUB' SEPTEMBER DRAW WINNERS

The winning numbers of the September '100 Club' Draw were:

1st prize:  Number 82  £89.10
2nd prize:  Number 31  £53.46
3rd prize:  Number 66  £35.64

To join the 100 Club please contact Nigel.

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FOOD BANK
Our local Food Bank at the New Zion Christian Fellowship church would appreciate receiving donations of food and other things from us now and all year round. It would be wonderful if you could support them by bringing various things in on Sunday mornings, and placing them in the big plastic box which will be placed in the porch. The sort of things the Food Bank would like to receive are:
  • 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.




COULD YOU BE A ST JOHN'S SCHOOL FOUNDATION GOVERNOR?

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

We greatly value, and desperately need, your financial support to help with the running of St John's Church.  We are always delighted to receive weekly, monthly, quarterly, annual or ad hoc donations, and these can be made in the following  different ways:

  • By bank transfer or Standing Order.  Our church bank account details are:  HSBC Bank, sort code 40-46-08, account number 51431609.
  • By cash into the church plate during services.
  • By using the contactless card machine near the main door of the church.
  • By using the link from this QR code:
This code is also printed into many of our church service leaflets.
  • By using our Quick donation page via this link
CLICK HERE

  • By text.  Just text the word LEMSFORD followed by a space and then an amount that you wish to give, to 70085, e.g. to give £10 type LEMSFORD 10, and send to 70085.
  • By using the Parish Giving Scheme, which is a direct debit scheme.  Please ask the Treasurer or a Church Warden for more information.

MANY THANKS INDEED




 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.

 



Please sign up for a spot in the Cleaning Rota or to help with refreshments after our Sunday services


More volunteers are needed to help us. All the materials you'll need for church cleaning are provided. All that we need is your time.

Please contact the churchwardens if you would like to take a turn with either cleaning or by helping with refreshments 
You can choose dates that suit you.




 

2026 PCC meeting dates


2nd February 2026 at 7.15 pm

20th April at 7.15 pm

APCM - 10th May at 12 noon

16th May 2026 Away morning at Codicite Church at 9.30 am

14th July 2026 at 7.15 pm

29th September 2026 at 7.15 pm

 


  


    

 

  

 

To email us either click the button below or go to the Who's who and Contacts page and click on the person you would like to contact.  Alternatively please use the form at the bottom of the Who's who and Contacts page.