Notices and Events

Welcome Morning: If you are new to St John’s or even if you have been attending for a little while, we would like to welcome you with coffee and cake on Saturday 3rd October between 10am & 12pm. This will be a chance to meet a few people informally, find out a little about the church, discover who’s who and what we do. There is no need to book a place, just turn up. We’re looking forward to meeting you.

‘Green Pastures’ Dementia Friendly Service: The next service will be on Tuesday 6th October from 2pm-3pm. This is a short service of music, prayers and reflection, with tea & coffee afterwards.

Church Quiz: Save the date: Saturday 10th October sees another round of the quiz in church as hosted by the Bell Ringers. An evening of fun and fellowship, with a hot meal and ….yes, a few questions posed as we go along. Starts at 6.30pm. Tickets now available at £8 each. See Katy or Bridget after the 10am service or contact Alistair 0115 8778276 or email Beeston@southwelldg.org.uk. 

Messy Church: Our next Messy Church is titled ‘I am the true vine’ and we will be thinking about Jesus holding us together in times of need. There will be craft, play, singing and of course food! Saturday 17th October 3-4:40pm in Church. All families welcome. We will be donating to the food bank in Church so any donations welcome on the day. 

Hope Food Bank: Many thanks to all who donate to the Food Bank. It is very gratefully received. Currently, they are running very low on cereal and long-life skimmed milk. If you are able to donate these items in particular, it would be much appreciated.

Training Session: Kate (Local Authority child protection) and Ed (Destitution casework) recently delivered a bespoke session for church staff, volunteers, stewards, group leaders, wardens and PCC Trustees. The session included: 

  • Provide practical guidance on managing confrontation and maintaining personal safety in the church context.
  • Increase understanding of how mental ill-health, addiction, disability, social background and other factors may affect an individual’s presentation and behaviour. 
  • Support the church’s inclusive approach while maintaining appropriate boundaries and safety standards. 
  • Equip stewards and volunteers with strategies to respond confidently and appropriately to concerns. 

As there were a number of people who were unable to attend, a repeat session has been arranged. This will take place on Saturday 7th November in church, starting at 10 – 11.30. There will be a sign up sheet at the back of church for those interested in attending.

Eco Corner: Second Hand September 2026 As you may know each September, people across the UK take part in “Second Hand September”, a movement launched by Oxfam in 2019, encouraging us to buy nothing brand new for the entire month, to fight the heavy environmental cost of fast fashion and the manufacture of cheap household products. Therefore, the more we can reduce, reuse and recycle things, the better it is for our pockets, and we are able to personally demonstrate responsible stewardship of God’s creation. It is intentionally reduce, reuse, and recycle, in that order, as: 1 – REDUCE: In the 1st instance, minimizing purchases of brand new and/or unnecessary items is going to have the biggest impact on environmental sustainability.
2 – REUSE: Involves using items multiple times or purchasing second hand goods, which keeps products in use and delays their entry into the waste stream.
3 – RECYCLE:  Is considered the ‘last resort’ option because it still requires significant energy and resources to reprocess everything that has been discarded for recycling. This week I would like to suggest that we encourage ourselves and each other to focus on ‘REDUCE‘, because by choosing second hand, we’re ultimately reducing demand for the manufacture of new products. As with all things in life, we cannot do this independently of God’s grace, so perhaps we can pray for help to: consider whether we really need what we are thinking of buying, and for the motivation to join the growing movement of people who are making pre-loved items their 1st choice?

A Rocha’s Eco Church is 10 years old!  You can watch the recent Diocesan Caring for Creation celebration from Southwell Minster here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iekS11V49zc and even learn a newly-commissioned hymn on the theme.

St John’s began its own Eco Church pilgrimage a few years later and has gained the Bronze level award. If you’d like to know more, please speak to Val Sellars, Helen Spiby, Ian Buchan, Jackie Laats, Fran Blackler or Sonal Marner after a service, or contact us via the church office. Bee a hero Join Greenpeace’s free email course to find out more about bees and how you can help them.
https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/five-ways-to-help-bees/ Bee part of the solution to keeping our planet buzzing!