KEEPING IN TOUCH
Did you know we have a GDPR-compliant list of email addresses and other contact details which you can join to make sure you get all necessary information about St John’s in future? Access to your personal contact details is limited to the clergy, churchwardens and parish secretary so they won’t be shared willy-nilly. There are forms at the back of the church for you to have yours added, if you haven’t done so already – please hand them to Rev Debra or Angela Easdon.
FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED ….
Each year we give away at least one tenth of our church’s own donation income to Christian work outside St John’s and occasionally other good causes. The PCC (church council) has recently decided on this year’s recipients – they are:
A UK mission: The Message Trust
An overseas mission: Mission Aviation Fellowship
Personal support to someone in Christian work: Sarah Dodzweit
Other charities: shared between United Christian Broadcasters, Intercontinental Church Society, Open Doors and the RNLI.
DROP IN AND SEE …...
The Taste and See Christian café and book/gift shop has relocated to Brook Road, next door to what was The Gallery. Do drop in to see their great range of stock and have a drink while you are there. They are open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 10am to 2pm. We are so lucky to have this facility in our local area.
CHRISTMAS CARDS
It is with regret that the decision has been made to close the Book Unit. A great thank you goes to Joan Stott who has run the unit for many years, and to her husband, Lawrie, and Irene Pennington who helped Joan. The remaining stock is available for clearance on Sunday mornings and, if you wish to make a donation for the items, that would be appreciated.
From Sunday 16th November for a couple of weeks there will be Christmas cards etc available to purchase collected from Taste and See on a sale-or-return basis. Thanks to Carol Cosham and Irene Pennington for organising this one-off sale.
THANK YOU
A big thank-you to everyone who contributed to our Harvest Service. Thanks to all those who helped decorate the church, donated food items, packed everything up and delivered the donations to the Booth Centre, who thanked us for the gifts.
ECO TIP
Winter is coming so check around your homes and seal all draughtts. If possible, put energy-saving bulbs in your light fittings: they do help reduce the bills. When shopping, try and purchase seasonal food items – they tend to be cheaper and help support our farmers and food producers.
JOIN OUR CHRISTMAS CHOIR
Would you like to join our singing group for the Carol Service this year? Anyone is welcome – you don’t have to have done this before and it won’t mean you commit to anything beyond the Carol Service. Practices are on Friday evenings in church from 7.30pm to 8.30pm: have a word with Robert Beale or just turn up.
PLEASE NOTE
Thursday Holy Communion services are to be held at St. John’s at 10.30am on 6th, and 20th November and on 4th December, and at St Michael’s Flixton at 10.15am on 13th and 27th November.
Our Coffee, Tea and Chat social afternoon is on Tuesday 4th November – from 2pm to 3.30pm in the church. Do come along and, if you have friends or family staying, bring them along, too.
Don't forget to collect the empty boxes and information leaflets for the Shoebox Appeal from the back of church. The full boxes need to be returned by November 9th – that’s Remembrance Sunday.
Urmston Choral Society’s next concert at St John’s is on Saturday 13th December, from 2.30pm. Tickets priced £10 (£2 for students or children) are available from Maxine Summers, text 07961 121 637 (or tel. 0161 748 0903). Please book in advance if possible, although you can also pay at the door.
Christmas dates for your diary: Messy Church for Christmas Sunday 14th December, 2.30pm; Carol Service Sunday 21st December, 6.30pm; Crib Service 24th December, 3.30pm.
St John's Community Centre, Old Trafford, have written to thank us for all of the donations that are used for their Emergency Response Hub. The items – toiletries, gloves, hats, socks, scarves, etc – are given to people who are in need or refugees and asylum seekers in the local area. Please continue to donate.
FACEBOOK PAGE
St. John’s in Flixton has a Facebook page – search St. John’s Flixton for regular Facebook updates on events and activities taking place in church. Please “like” the page and encourage neighbours, family and friends to do the same to help us grow our followers.
Licensing of Rev Debra Blair as Incumbent of St John's
The Rev Debra Blair was licensed as the Incumbent of St John's Flixton on Sunday 23rd October 2022, in a service at St John's led by the Bishop of Middleton, the Rt. Rev. Mark Davies, and the Archdeacon of Manchester, the Ven. Karen Lund. Guests were welcomed from both our parish and the wider church in our area for this special celebration of a new phase of ministry.
Join the JC Squad!
'The J C Squad' is the new name for our Sunday School, and it runs at 10.30am during morning service. Children rejoin their parents in church at the end of the main service and often share with the whole congregation something of what they've been doing that day.