Resuming services

We are pleased to bring you the news that following the end of the lockdown this week that we are allowed back into church for our services.

The first service is on Thursday 3rd at 10am, our usual midweek said mass. Then we are back on Sunday 6th for an all-age mass as we start to get ready for christmas. We'll be thinking about Saint Nicholas, whose feast day it is.

All are welcome to come and join us. The usual restrictions are in place, and we will also be live-streaming the service for those at home.

Remembrance Sunday

This Remembrance Sunday the church will be open for private prayer once we have finished streaming the parish mass (the church must remain closed while we do this by law) - so from about 10.45am. It will remain open until 1pm.

Lockdown Update

Following the government announcement of a new lockdown from November 5th, we have to advise you that sadly there will be no public worship from that date. Until the situation changes, or the guidlines change, all worship will be online.

Harvest Gifts

Harvest donations for local charities.

This year we asked our congregation to donate to two local charities. As a result we have sent

• £260 to Welcare in East Surrey
• £225 to the Caterham Foodbank

A great result - thank you to everyone who donated!

Harvest

See some pictures from our harvest Zoom coffee ane worship which followed our harvest service in church.

Harvest gifts

Harvest gifts

We are not able to hold our usual service for Harvest Thanksgiving this year, as due to the Covid19 restrictions in force we are limited to a maximum number of 50 people at each service.

However, we would still like to receive your gifts for families in need.

What charities are you supporting?

This year we are collecting for both WelCare in East Surrey and the Caterham Foodbank.

How can I give my gift?

We do not need any gifts of food this year. Please give your gift in the form of a cheque or (for WelCare only) a supermarket voucher. You should make your cheque payable to either WelCare in East Surrey or Caterham Foodbank.

Put your cheque for either charity, or your vouchers for Welcare, in an envelope and mark it Harvest. your gifts can be brought to a church service from now until Sunday 4th, or you can drop it to the vicarage by Wednesday 7th at the latest.

Thanking you all in advance for your generosity.

Cancellation of Special Services

During the autumn there are in "normal" times a number of special services.

Given the current restrictions in force as a result of the Covid19 pandemic, numbers are currently limited in church services so that we can maintain social distancing. Despite the size of the building, once we have socially distancied it is not possible to sit any more that 50 people at a service.

Sadly this means that this year we are unable to hold the following services, both of which would normally have congregations of 200-300:

• Harvest Thanksgiving
• Remembrance Sunday

Face Coverings to be mandatory

It has been announced today by the Prime Minister that from the 8th August face masks will be mandatory in church and enforceable by law. We'll clarify this further once we have fuller details from the Church of England and the Diocese.

Face Coverings

Following the new rules set by the government, the Church of England has now updated its guidelines. It is now advising that all those attending worship in church should wear a face covering. While it is not compulsory, we would encourage all those attending services at St. John's to wear a face covering during worship from this Sunday (July 26th) if possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Posted Services

Now we are back in church it isn't possible to record the parish mass for showing on Sunday. The church needs to be kept empty for 72 hours prior to the Sunday parish mass, otherwise we have to clean the church.

We are currently looking into alternative ways of bringing the Sunday service to you live. In the meantime, we will be recording each Sunday's gospel and sermon for you in the Vicarage and posting it each week at 10am on Sunday.