A warm welcome awaits you when you come through the doors of St John’s for worship. We are a “broad church” set in the liberal catholic tradition of the Church of England. Whilst we value this tradition we are always seeking out and experimenting with new ways to give it fresh expression. There is a good age mix within the congregation and the contribution every member is valued. Coffee is served after every 10am service (with the exception of Christmas day) and there is plenty of opportunity to socialise. The church office is staffed on Wednesday mornings and you are welcome to phone or drop in for any enquiries.

 June has been a very eventful month for us at St John’s with a special service for Father’s day, hosting the confirmation and marking our Patronal Festival. We have had much to celebrate and be thankful for. These spiritual and emotional highs give us a lift and help to encourage us along The Way[1]. Now as the flower festival fast approaches things are not calming down yet!

We can keep up the frantic pace for so long and then we need some time out for recovery and re-creation. Whether you are having a vacation or a “staycation”, I hope you have a good opportunity to charge the batteries. Don’t forget to check out St John’s library for any good Christian classics to add to your paperbacks. There are also an increasing array of Christian festivals and conferences on offer to fuel the Christian intellect and spirit. I have long been a fan of the Greenbelt Christian Arts festival. It has seminars, music and worship for all ages. Refer to the poster on the general noticeboard or ask me - or Hazel - if you would like to know more.

To really slow down you might want to consider going on a retreat; a chance to draw close to God – to be immersed in prayer and reflection, in a way that the daily hustle and bustle of life doesn’t allow. This can be an important opportunity to listen to God and to our deeper selves. Again, if this is something you would like to explore, have a chat with myself or Hazel. When I was on retreat earlier this year, I finally got around to dipping into the writings of the Christian contemplative Thomas Merton, whom I would recommend – he was a very down to earth and honest mystic! Perhaps you can relate to the following:

O Lord God,

I have no idea where I am going,

I do not see the road ahead of me,

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think I am following your will

does not meant that I am actually doing so.

But I believe

that the desire to please you

does in fact please you.

And I hope that I have that desire

in all that I am doing.

                                    Thomas Merton

Life can be messy, confusing and uncertain but may we have the desire to please God in whatever we are doing over the months ahead. Worship will of course continue at St John’s over the summer, so do join us when you are around! On Sunday 15^th August we will be enjoying a more “chilled out” service with our annual Café Eucharist.

Rev’d Lisa Cornwell