LIVE FROM THE CHURCH 11 AM EVERY SUNDAY

WE ARE A CHURCH THAT WELCOMES EVERYBODY.
WHOEVER YOU ARE, WHATEVER YOUR STORY, YOU ARE WELCOME HERE BECAUSE GOD LOVES YOU.

Join us as we gather at church & online

If you are watching our YouTube services or simply browsing our website, you are welcome! Perhaps you find church online easier to be a part of, or maybe these extraordinary times have triggered something spiritual inside you? If you would appreciate some contact, or you have a question, please email office@stjohnscolchester.org.uk and we’ll be happy to respond to you.

May you know God’s peace and presence at this time,

Andy Sachs

It’s easy to access our services 24/7 on our YouTube channel:

A new service live streamed each Sunday at 11am

LATEST GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES

Following the recent announcement about lockdown 2.0, our Sunday services will continue to be live streamed from the church building at 11am, however we are not currently permitted to have a congregation present. If you haven’t done so, please sign up to receive regular notifications from the office.

Up until the most recent announcement, we have been holding three small services each Sunday, with the aim that everyone who wants to can attend a service at least once a month. This is something we aim to return to as soon as lockdown 2.0 has been lifted. If you’re part of a St. John’s Community, please talk to your leader about when your next service is. If you’re not a member of a community, please contact the church office, who will help you find the right service to you. You can email them on office@stjohnscolchester.org.uk or phone on 01206 843232. You do need to have booked in advance in order to attend a service, to ensure we can comply with social distancing and test & trace guidelines. Thank you for your understanding.

Please take a look at the short film below, where we explain the new guidelines and how we can best keep everyone safe:

SERVICES NOW LIVE STREAMING

From Sunday 11th October we will be broadcasting live on YouTube the 11am service, which will replace the pre-filmed services we have been producing during lockdown. Please go to our YouTube channel or follow the link which will be published in each week’s e-newsletter on a Friday. Please bear with us for a couple of weeks whilst we iron out any technical issues, as yet another new “digital” chapter in the life of our church begins. You will be able to comment on the Live Chat during the service, so please use this opportunity to greet one another, especially if you haven’t seen people in a while!

Christmas Shoebox Project

Our “500 SMILES” Christmas Shoebox Project which supports the children of Apalina, Transylvania is now LIVE! This year more than ever, please stand with us and support children who simply will not receive a gift this Christmas. SJC, with the support of our communities and schools, are looking to send hundreds of presents again this year, but we NEED your help!

This project has always been called 500 smiles, but our goal is to ensure that when the boxes come in and they’re counted, we’re able to give far more smiles than that this Christmas. Please take a look at our dedicated webpage and find out how to get involved BY CLICKING HERE!

Further resources

We recommend the daily Lectio365 app, by 24/7 prayer, available on both the App Store and for Android, which can even read the devotion to you! Find out more.

Family Worship – Nick & Becky Drake are live streaming worship at 4pm on their Facebook page, called Worship for Everyone

Rend Collective are hosting a “Socially Distant Worship Club” at 7pm on Friday night – see Facebook for more details.

There are many resources available from the Church of England website – we are particularly enjoying the Supporting Good Mental Health reflections.

Pastoral Care

If you have any pastoral need or concern during this time then please speak to the leader of your Discipleship Group, Community or contact Mary Anthony and the Pastoral team by email on pastoral@stjohnscolchester.org.uk

Alternatively, you can ring the Pastoral mobile on 07518 695787 where somebody can be available to listen or link you to someone who may be able to help or support in some way.

Get Connected!

Communities are the place to ‘feel like you belong’ at SJC.

These communities are where you’re known and grown as a follower of Jesus, meeting regularly to do life, church and pray together. Each community serves a local area or a group of people, whilst studying the bible in discipleship groups and meeting socially to build friendships.

Take a look at some of our SJC Communities on our dedicated page, ask a friend which one they belong to or contact the office outlining the community you’d like to be invited to! Enjoy!

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

As the festive season approaches, we are very aware that Christmas 2020 will be very different to usual.

With this in mind, we are working hard to find the best way of making Christmas as special as it can be in these circumstances. Rest assured that we will continue to communicate our plans with you as the time approaches, but in the meantime we would appreciate your prayers around the best way of presenting what is a unique and very special time of the year.