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Sunday 23 August 2020
Trinity 11
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Dear Friends,
Look to the rock from which you were hewn
This Sunday our readings (Isaiah 51:1-6, Matthew 16:13-60) feature a reference to rock: Isaiah encourages the faithful to “look to the rock from which you were hewn”, and in Matthew, Jesus says to Peter, “on this rock I will build my church.” In unpredictable times, it is important for us to be able to identify the firm ground, to seek out what is rock-like and dependable. Perhaps one way to do this is to look back to our inheritance of faith, and to the sources of wisdom that have shaped and helped us, in order that we might find strength for our present times.
With love and blessings,
Gill
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Sermon by Rev Gill O’Neill
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Services in church today
There will be simple, said Masses in church at 8am and 10am this Sunday.
We will continue to observe social distancing, and ask people to sanitise their hands on arrival, and wear a face covering (this is now mandatory unless you fall within one of the legally defined exemptions). Please also do not congregate in church after the service has finished but make your way to the churchyard instead.
Please stay at home if you are unwell, and do let us know and we can keep you in our prayers.
If you would like to download or print the service sheets, you will find them here:
8am service sheet
10am service sheet
The 8am service is quieter, and you may prefer to come to that if you are concerned about being in a larger group.
You are welcome to join us, and we look forward to seeing you, but if you would prefer please attend our online service instead at 11am.
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Online worship this morning
 11am today: Mass for the 11th Sunday after Trinity. Today we will again be holding Mass on Zoom at 11am. Zoom allows for people to participate in the service. To access the service you can click on the link for Sunday Mass in this document.
You no longer need to send an email to be given access.
It would be lovely to see you. However, if Zoom seems a bit too much for you, there is a guide to using it here. There is even an option for you to dial in on your phone, the details are here. We look forward to gathering together online, but please don't feel under any pressure, Zoom isn't for everyone!
You can find a copy of Sunday’s liturgy here, and the pew sheet with today's readings is here.
If you are not joining us online, you may like to use the ‘prayer at home’ sheet we have produced here.
Live Streaming from church
We are exploring the possibility of live-streaming some services from the church in the future, which will require the installation of some new equipment. We will let everyone know when live streaming is available and how to access it. In the meantime, we will continue to host services in church and on Zoom to ensure that as many people as possible can take part in a form of worship.
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Compline and Morning Prayer
Compline, Sundays at 6:30pm. This is a short contemplative service online each Sunday evening at 6:30pm. This service is a time to reflect on the day or week that has passed and to offer it to God in prayer. Everyone is welcome and you can find the sign in details here.
Morning Prayer, Mondays and Thursdays at 9am. We say morning prayer online every Monday and Thursday morning at 9am. Everyone is welcome and this is a good way to start the day in prayer. The sign in details for these services are here.
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Music this week
Words for two of the hymns this week are in the pew sheet.
And you can listen to them using the links below:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son
Rejoice, the Lord is king
You might enjoy listening to this anthem: 'Tu es Petrus' by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (c.1525-1594), sung by the choir of Westminster Abbey. The words are based on today’s gospel reading from Matthew.
In church John will be playing music by Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625) before and after the 8am and 10am services today.
• Before Mass: A Fancy for a Double Orgaine
• During Communion: A Voluntary
• After Mass: Fantazia of Foure Parts
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Resources for young people
 The Diddy Disciples website has lots of free resources, including stories, songs and prayers, as well as more general information.
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Final push for £5k for St John’s
We have nearly reached our fundraising target of £5,000 to help with the costs of re-opening the church. We know this is a worrying time economically and getting so close to our target in just a short time is fantastic. A huge thank you to all those who have been able to donate!
Our current total is £4,175 and with Gift Aid on top that takes us to £4,689, which is 94% of our target. It would be great if we could reach (or even exceed!) our target by the end of August. If you would like to donate to this appeal you can do so online here (and this also allows you to Giftaid your donation). Alternatively, please get in touch with Martin Howell our Stewardship Secretary by email.
The financial impact of lockdown and the costs of re-opening the church mean that we will continue to fundraise and so watch this space for some activities that will be fun and will help support St John’s.
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Choir member on Radio 3
 Ian Clifford, who sings in the choir, and St John's East Dulwich were mentioned on BBC Radio 3's breakfast show last Sunday, 16 August.
Ian submitted a recording of the bells of St George's Beckenham, (for Bells on Sunday) saying that normally he would be singing in the choir of St John’s East Dulwich! And that he is aching to get back to singing... It can be found at 44.50mins in on this link.
We are working on how to make singing in church safe in practice and will provide an update soon.
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Church open for private prayer
The church continues to be open for private prayer every Thursday from 12 noon to 2pm. Do come during this time for your prayers or meditation, or to enjoy the quiet space.
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The Gander
From October instead of a weekly Wednesday magazine email we will be moving to a monthly magazine. The magazine will be called ‘The Gander’, to tie in with our being located on Goose Green, and the goose being a symbol of the Holy Spirit in Celtic Christianity. We would love to receive your contributions to the magazine or ideas of what you would like to be included. Please do email Raymond with your thoughts and ideas.
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Art activities for young people
 Peckham Platform will be running a programme for 16-21 year olds to make a collaborative art work in a new 10-week series exploring self-care and art. You will receive free art supplies and data bundles to support participation in the online sessions. The activity is free but there are limited places. See more details here.
A free on-line drawing workshop for children aged over 5 takes place next Wednesday the 26th August, run by Art in the Park. Art in the Park aims to involve people of all ages and abilities in designing and making art work at their studios and outdoor sites. See details here.
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