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.

 

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

   

    
  • Thursday 18th July
    • 9am - School Collective Worship*
    • 10am - Morning Prayer
       
  • Sunday 21st July
    • 8am - BCP Holy Communion
    • 11am - Reflective Worship
    • 4pm - Connect@4
       
  • Thursday 25th July
    • 9am - No School Collective Worship* - Summer Holidays
    • 10am - Morning Prayer
       
  • Sunday 28th July
    • 8am - BCP Holy Communion
    • 11am - Holy Communion
       
  • Thursday 1st August
    • 9am - No School Collective Worship* - Summer Holidays
    • 10am - No Morning Prayer - Summer Holidays
* 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!)



    •  Trinity 8 Readings
    •    Old Testament:  Jeremiah 23:1-6 - to read click here (opens in new window or new tab)

      New Testament: Ephesians 2:11-end - to read click here (opens in new window or new tab)
CAR PARKING

Because car parking at the church is becoming difficult, we are again 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.

 


 

 
CONNECT@4 - 21st JULY - 4pm (A relaxed gathering for all ages)

During our next Connect@4 we’ll be thinking about how God is always with us on our journey through life - past, present and future. 
Connect@4 is a relaxed Sunday afternoon (4pm) event, offering community, food, fun, music, creativity and exploration for all ages.  If the weather is good, we’ll be outside.
 
GENEROSITY SERMON SERIES 
by Rev Kathryn

Thank you to everyone who gives so generously to St John’s, and thank you for engaging so positively with my generous giving sermon.
.  
Recently, I gave out some leaflets, asking people to prayerfully review what they give to St John’s. I’ve provided these here again in electronic form. You can download them by clicking here for '6 Christian Giving Steps' and here for '24.6_St_J_Giving_Leaflet'.  After having a read, it may be that you decide that you can increase your giving – even just by a very small amount. Or it may be that you need to decrease it, or keep it the same.  This is absolutely fine. We understand this is a difficult financial time for many.
Please do prayerfully consider the material, then decide whether to change the amount you give and move to regular giving.
The preferred way to sign up to regular giving is via the free and very secure Parish Giving Scheme.
A link to the scheme can be found here https://www.parishgiving.org.uk/home/ 
Just quote the code 320632130 and you’ll be signed up in no time.  If you don’t like doing things online, there are hard copy forms in church which we can send back for you.  Alternatively, call 0333 002 1271
If you could fill in an intention card to let us know what you’ve decided to do that would also be really helpful. We’d love to see if this appeal has made a difference by the end of the month. 
Thank you for all you can give, by whatever method.
 


THE JUNE / JULY PARISH MAGAZINE




Being the first of June means that the new June/July Parish Magazine is out.  It'll be in church tomorrow,  Click here or on the cover image (left) to download your pdf copy (in full colour), but remember the pdf does not contain the 'directory', so if you want that pick up a printed copy.
You can also check out the magazine on St John's Facebook page.  You can sign up to Facebook without having any friends.



100 CLUB - JUNE RESULTS

The June '100 Club' draw took place on the 28th June in the presence of two PCC members. 113 numbers were in the draw.  The winning numbers were:
1st:  Number 115 (winning £101.70)
2nd: Number 82 (winning £61.02)
3rd:  Number 40 (winning £40.68)
Thanks to everyone, parishioners and friends, who are supporting the '100 Club'.  The next draw will take place on Friday 26th July 2024.
If anyone who has not yet signed up to the '100 Club' would like to do so, please contact the Promoter Nigel Johnson whose email address is najofwgc@gmail.com
 

 
 




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
 



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.


 



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
 


Zoom Chat has moved to Mondays at 7pm

We've moved our Zoom chat to Monday at 7pm and the first one went well. If you've found you couldn't get to the Sunday 4pm one, or never came to any, this is your chance - see below for joining link and details.

Topic: Coffee and Chat
Time:  Monday at 7pm - use this link
Join Zoom Meeting
 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81951586866?pwd=Z1ZhTjEycElnQjJmSWtrRkRBaWg0UT09
Meeting ID: 819 5158 6866
Passcode: 904402

 

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.

 


 

2024 PCC meeting dates


15th January at 7.15pm

13th February at 7.15pm

16th April at 7.15pm

30th April via Zoom 7.30pm

APCM - 12th May at 12 noon

4th June at 7.15pm

22th July ay 7.15pm

7th September at 7.15pm

14th October at 7.15pm

  


    

 

 


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

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

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.