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 23rd  January
    • 9am - School Collective Worship*
    • 10am - Morning Prayer
    • 11:30am - The Funeral of Joan Baraclough (see above)
       
  • Sunday 26th January
    • 8am - BCP Holy Communion
    • 11am - Holy Communion
       
  • Thursday 30th  January
    • 9am - School Collective Worship*
    • 10am - Morning Prayer
       
  • Sunday 2nd February
    • 8am - BCP Morning Prayer
    • 11am - All Together Worship*
       
  • Thursday 6th February
    • 9am - School Collective Worship*
    • 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 for Epiphany 3

 First Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a - to read click here (opens in new window or new tab)

Gospel:  Luke 4:14-21  - 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.




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The Funeral of Joan Baraclough

All are welcome to come and give thanks for Joan’s life and say farewell at her funeral on Thursday, 23rd January. The service will take place at 11:30am at St John’s Church, Lemsford, followed by the committal at Oak Hill Crematorium, Hatfield.






 




WE'RE STILL IN THE WEEKOF CHRISTIAN UNITY

On Saturday (18th Jan) we began the Week of prayer for Christian Unity 2025 with the theme Do you believe this?

As we celebrate 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea, the worship for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) has at its heart, the Nicene Creed. Reflecting this, the scripture readings for this year focus on belief.

We are invited to reflect on the story of Martha’s confession of faith in Jesus as narrated in John 11:17-27 [click here to read]. Each of us is called to sit with Jesus’ provocative question to Martha: “Do you believe this?” [ref https://ctbi.org.uk/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2025/]
 
LAST SUNDAY'S CHRISTINGLE



For a full report, please see the February/March  magazine



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



RENEWAL OF OUR ELECTORAL ROLL

The electoral roll is now being renewed. This is a full renewal and anyone on the existing roll will need to complete a registration form for the new roll. If you are on the existing roll, you will receive a letter and form in the next week or so. Completion is required by 9 February. If you would like to join the roll for the first time, there will be forms at the back of the church or please get in touch with Lucy Earl (lucy.earl2@btinternet.com).



LENT DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES


Join us at Connect@4 for an afternoon of Lent Discoveries. Through creative activities, prayer, and informal worship, we’ll explore what this season of reflection and renewal can teach us about God, ourselves, and each other. Perfect for all ages—come and discover something new this Lent!


  • Ash Wednesday Service -  5th March, 10:30am
  • 5 Week Lent Course - Starting Tuesday 11th March, 9:45am (St Michael’s) and 7pm (St John’s)
  • Connect@4 - Lent Discoveries - 16th March, 4pm
  • Mothering Sunday Service (All Together) - 30th March, 11am
  • Holy Week - Sun 13th April to Saturday 19th April


 DECEMBER / JANUARY PARISH MAGAZINE


The new December/January Parish Magazine is out and you can download it by clicking here. I'd like to thank everyone who contributed, this time supplying content a week earlier than usual.
As usual there are lots of great articles and photos. As well as our usual leader columns by Rev Kathryn, Michelle Boylan, Jo Brooks and Andy Chapman, there is also our full Christmas program of events and also look out for the photo of Freddie Frinton! 



 



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 vacancies for up to three Foundation Governors. 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

 





Please sign up for a spot in the Cleaning Rota
Still slots to fill!
"The Cleaning Rota" did not run during Covid and instead the Churchwardens Jenny and Nigel cleaned and disinfected per Covid best practice, but now it's time to ask for your help with getting the rota started again.
Jenny will be contacting people who have previously taken a turn with cleaning. More volunteers are needed to help us. All the  materials you'll need are provided. All that we need is your time!
Let's spread this load between us all!! Please contact Jenny if you would like to take a turn with cleaning. 
You can choose a date that suits you!
 


The violence in Israel and Gaza
A message from the Archbishop of Canterbury & the Archbishop of York

“We are grieved and deeply concerned at the violence in Israel and Gaza, and we unequivocally condemn the attacks by Hamas. We pray for those who are mourning, those who are injured, and all those fearing for their safety. We pray for restraint on all sides, and renewed efforts towards a just peace for all. The way forward must be for both sides to build confidence in a secure future through which Israel and its people can live in security within its internationally recognised borders, and Palestinians have their own state and live in their lands in security, and with peace and justice.”
Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury & Stephen Cottrell, Archbishop of York

 


We continue to think of Ukraine:

Update - John Blanch emailed me to say that the "Taste it Polish Restaurant" in Hatfield is no longer taking donations of clothing for Ukraine.  However this doe snot stop our efforts.

Bishop Alan says we can pray, and practically we also have an option to donate to the Red Cross Appeal which I again repeat here:

To see their appeal details, please copy and paste this link into your browser: https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal.  You may donate any amount you wish, and your cash will go towards helping people who are being affected by the crisis, by supplying them with food, water, first aid, medicines, warm clothes and shelter.  Donations may be made direct to the Red Cross appeal, or alternatively, you may care to donate using the QR code below.  The QR code will also be displayed in church.

If you don't do QR Codes then clicking this link on your computer goes to the same "give-a-litte" link: https://givealittle.co/campaigns/753bbfac-510a-47d8-86cf-f6a707ddc585
 

 

Church Giving.   We are now passing the offerings plate at services.  I know that many of us are happiest giving cash rather than scanning QR codes or tapping payment cards or smartphones, so this is good news indeed.
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/campaigns/10cd954f-25f7-46d9-8813-634634729bfa.    You can also give via the new (easy to use) card payment device – both at the back of the church - these donations go to St Johns funds.  We are planning to make the QR Codes easily accessible from the pews too.
 


Friendship Teas - every second Tuesday of the month at 2:30pm in the Annexe!
The next one is this Tuesday 13th February 2023 at 2:30pm

 

 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.

 


 

2025 PCC meeting dates


29th January at 7.00 pm

APCM  2nd March at 12 noon

17th March 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

CLICK HERE


   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 9.30 am 

Bell ringing practice every Monday evening at 7.30 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.