Giving Thanks
There is so much to be thankful for in our life together here at St John’s. First and foremost, we are deeply grateful for the hope of the Gospel, which is at the heart of everything we do. Our mission remains to connect people to God through Christ, and that continues as our central purpose.
Additionally, we are a church that is still committed to the Bible as God’s Word and teaching which seeks to explain it and apply it to our lives here today. Many people have expressed their thanks for regular teaching and home groups which are spaces for fellowship, learning, and spiritual growth.
We are very thankful for the supportive and caring environment within the church. It’s amazing to see the care and practical love that is evident of the Gospel at work through people’s lives.
Our Needs
There is a great opportunity for further mission and ministry work at St John’s, particularly in the areas of children and youth ministry and community outreach. We are a church largely made up of an older generation. We miss having young families among us, and this generational gap makes it challenging to attract more people in that demographic.
Our outreach to the community also requires more creativity, time, and resources. These improvements are not about our “survival as a church,” but rather about reaching those in need with the hope of Jesus. Many in our neighbourhood are still living in spiritual darkness, and we know that Jesus is the answer.
2025 Plans
In October of 2024, the Parish Council and other members of St John’s gathered for a planning meeting to address these areas for 2025. The following initiatives arose from this discussion. Of course, we approach all these plans prayerfully and hold them lightly before God.
Youth Group: At the beginning of 2025 we would love to begin a Youth Group for our current children in high school and in order to reach out to those in this generation in our area with the good news of Jesus.
Holiday Kids Club: During the week beginning the 7th of April, we will be running a Holiday Kids Club program with an Easter flavour to it. We hope that this will be a great engagement point for families in our area and a taster for families for Hope25.
Sunday Crèche: At the moment, we do have a few young children. In order to foster their relationship with Jesus in the earliest years of their lives and to help the parents engage with the service, we are planning to start up a creche.
Mums and Bubs Group: There are a lot of young families in the area and we do believe there would be young parents who would love to have a time during the week to have community and adult conversations! During the year, we would seek to begin a group of this nature.
Parkrun Coffee Cart: Every Saturday morning about 250 people participate in Parkrun at the bottom of Greenwood Road. In order to capitalise on this close location, we are seeking to have a once-a-month coffee cart setup at church for people to come and have their post-run coffee/tea.
Public Lecture: During the year, probably around September, we are seeking to hold a public lecture on a topical talk from a guest speaker. Our hope is that this would be a key invitational opportunity throughout the year for people to come into our building and hear of the good news of Jesus in a non-threatening way.
Alpha: As in 2024, we will hope to run the Alpha course two times throughout the year, once in Term 2 and once in Term 4.
Hope25 Sundays: Hope25 is the national campaign for evangelism between Easter and Pentecost 2025. As part of this, our Sunday services will be shaped to be as invitation friendly as possible with topical talks, testimonies, and more.
Get Involved
If we are able to accomplish what God has placed on our hearts for 2025, we trust and pray it will be a year of reaching people for Christ. That’s the reason we exist as a church! If this vision excites you and you feel called to participate in any of these ministries, please fill out the form below. Filling out the form does not commit you to anything, so feel free to explore where God might be leading you to use your gifts.
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