First Aid: We are aware that we need to train up some more first aiders for our various groups in church. In the meantime, it would be great to know whether there are folks in the congregation who have recognised first aid training. If you do, and it’s in date, please let either Kathryn or Father Wayne know.
MacMillan Coffee Morning: We will be hosting a coffee morning in aid of MacMillan Cancer Support on Thursday 25th September. 10am to 12pm. Please come along!
IF YOU ARE NEW to St John’s or even if you have been attending for a little while, we would like to welcome you with coffee and cake on Saturday 4th October between 10 am and midday. This will be a chance to meet a few people informally, find out a little about the church, climb the bell tower (from the inside!), discover who’s who, what we do and ask questions if you want. There is no need to book a place, just turn up. We’re looking forward to meeting you.
‘Green Pastures’ Dementia Friendly Service: The next service will be on Tuesday 7th October from 2pm-3pm. This is a short service of music, prayers and reflection, with tea & coffee afterwards.
Sequence Dancing/Ceilidh: We are delighted to welcome Sharron Moncaster from Dancing Feet School of Dance to teach/host an evening of dance on Saturday 18th October from 7pm to 10pm. There is no entrance fee but we will be receiving donations to support the work of Water Aid on the door (we suggest £5-£10 per person, depending on your circumstances). To register your interest please contact Reverend Monika Doering on 07930 679806 or [email protected]
Thank you to all who supported my recent coffee morning. The total raised for the British Heart Foundation reached £631.55 Thank you for your generosity. Cynthia Valentine-Comery
ARK Youth Group - We need you! Our ARK youth group is thriving, but we have lost a number of leaders over the last 18 months and we are struggling to run all of the sessions. We are looking for volunteers to join our team to help support our young people's journey in faith, from Sunday morning teaching to Sunday evening fun and games. For more information please chat to Katy McBurnie or another member of the team.
Teams4U Christmas Shoeboxes Apologies for using the C word in September... but now is a great time to start collecting things for the Teams4U Christmas Shoebox appeal. This year, in addition to the option to create your own shoebox, we are also going to have a collection box where you can donate items and we will make them up into shoeboxes - whether it's wrapped soap from a recent hotel stay, or stationery items in the sale. I will put a list of items with the box at the back of church from next Sunday. Thank you for your continued support. Katy McBurnie
Eco Corner: Second Hand September III - Mend and Repurpose: When most people finish with their clothing they donate it to a charity shop so it can at least have a second life and make some money for the charity, however this isn't altogether a perfect solution.
When an item is left at a charity shop it too has a short shelf life of only 5 or 6 weeks. If an item is left unsold it can end up in landfill along with household waste. In fact a staggering 73% of clothes sent to charities and textile sorters worldwide ends up in landfill or incinerated - that equates to 82 million pounds in the UK alone.
As we touched on in the previous week one way to extend the life of our favourite clothes is visible mending. This is a creative practice which can give your clothes a second life and make a unique piece at the same time. Making teaches us to value objects and materials, and slow stitching is meditative and reflective in this fast paced world. You also don't have to be an expert. If you think 'Is it ok to mend it myself?' then just go ahead and do it.