Dear Church Family,

This Sunday is the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity, and it will be a particularly special morning at St John’s as we celebrate the return of our church bells.

For many years they have been silent above Woodley. Over recent months we have watched the scaffolding rise, the bells come down, the work of repair take place, and finally their return to the tower. This Sunday, at last, we shall hear them.

Church bells have marked the life of communities for centuries: calling people to worship, celebrating moments of joy, and simply reminding everyone within earshot that the church is still here. So there is something rather wonderful about St John’s finding its voice again, and we hope this will be one of those Sundays that stays in the memory.

So please do come — and bring friends, neighbours and family with you. Perhaps there is someone who hasn’t been to St John’s for a while, or someone who has never been before. This would be a lovely Sunday to invite them.

Come and be there when the bells ring again.

Every blessing, 

Mark 甄英深

Notices

SUMMER BREAKS OF CHURCH GROUPS. Many groups that meet at St. John's are taking a well earned break over the Summer.                                          Toddlers - returning in a new format, to be confirmed.                                             Fellowship & Study Group on Zoom - return date in September to be confirmed.                                                                    Lunch, Munch & Chinwag - returning Friday 4th September.                            Arts Group - returning Monday 7th September.                                                       Bible Study Group - returning Wednesday 16th September.                        Mothers’ Union - returning Wednesday 16th September.         Watch this space for updates!   

NO HOLY COMMUNION | Sunday 23rd August 2026 10.00am.  Please note there will be no Holy Communion at the 10.00am Service on Sunday 23rd August. However, we encourage you to check out the 9.00am Holy Communion Service THIS Sunday 16th August instead, and of course the regular weekly Wednesday Communion Service at 10.00am.

LISTEN OUT FOR ST.JOHN’S!  FINAL DAYS. Since Monday 10th August, the daily reflections on the Church of England’s free Everyday Faith App have featured contributions from St John’s. Listen to the last few days up to Saturday 15th August. Each day includes a short Bible reading, reflection and prayer, available to read or listen to. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play and join us!

For our prayers

For our world. Pray for the people of Colombia whose lives have been thrown into turmoil after a large earthquake. Pray for the families of those who lost their lives. For those who have been injured. For those searching among the chaos and for those striving to give support. Pray for those in countries ravaged by war. For the people of Gaza, Ukraine, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Russia and Israel. Pray for the leaders of those countries that they will get together and talk peace and put the needs of their people as a priority.

For our country. Pray for all our people struggling with the high temperatures just now. Especially pray for the homeless ones who have nowhere to go to get cool. Pray for our firefighters coping with many wildfires. For our hospital staff coping with heat exhausted people. Pray for our young people who are waiting for exam results which will determine the next steps in their life’s journey.

For those who are unwell. Pray for our loved ones who are experiencing health issues just now. For those waiting for operations, waiting for test results, in hospital or recovering at home. Hold in your prayers Suzanne, Clive, Ken, Pauline Hobbs, Lucy, Pat A, Ian, Arthur, Michael B, Carol, Irene and Ricky M, Liz, Dhoj Gurung, Mo, Ruilan, Katie, baby Edward and baby Niamh. Pray too for all who care for them.

In our prayers. Pray for all mourning the loss of a loved one. Pray for the family of St. John’s. For Mark, Richard, Suzanne and their families. For Dawn and her family as Dawn moves on to pastures new. Pray that a new person will come forward to continue Dawn’s excellent work. Pray for all who are working with our wonderful young people. Pray for all who were recently confirmed that we will all encourage them in their faith journey. Pray and thank God for our bells that are being lifted back into the belfry. Pray that they will ring out joyfully in our community.

Church Office

The church office is usually open Tuesday - Fridays from 10am - 12pm. Please note that any Notices need to be sent to info@stjohn-woodley.com by 11.00am on Wednesday, for inclusion in that week's newsletter.

THIS WEEK

Sunday 16th August

  • 9.00am - BCP Service of Holy Communion. Led by Rev’d Richard Christopher.

  • 10.00am - Morning Family Service. The Eleventh Sunday after Trinity. This week’s Bible readings will be Exodus 28: 31-35 and John 1:14-18. A video recording of the service will be uploaded to the website at: https://www.youtube.com/@stjohnswoodley

  • 3.00pm - Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi Service.

Wednesday 19th August

  • 10.00am - Midweek Communion.

  • NO Fellowship & Study Group on Zoom ID: 96292542704.

Friday 21st August

  • NO Lunch, Munch and Chinwag.

Pastoral Support

Would you like a prayer?
If you would like support, please do let us know - you do not need to face hard things alone. Please contact the office to arrange for a Pastoral Visit from one of our team. Alternatively, complete the prayer request form below and someone will be in touch.

A MESSAGE ON BEHALF OF WOODLEY FOODBANK. Thank you for your donations throughout the year. We are currently low in tins of fruit, cereal, tins of rice pudding & custard, coffee and toilet rolls.  There continues to be a high demand at the moment, so your help is very much appreciated. Donations of Sugar, Coffee, Pasta Sauce, Noodles (inc. Pot Noodles), Tinned Vegetables (all types), Tinned fish, Tinned fruit, Tinned meat meals, Biscuits, Crisps, Custard - tinned and dried, Tinned Desserts, Long Life milk, Juice (cordial & long life), Toiletries and Toilet Rolls are welcome at any time.

Church Suite - Login Required. Please do log in and update your personal contact details and what information you want to share with others in the St John’s church family. This way you can make sure you are kept up-to-date with news at St John’s and stay linked in with others. For those who are not online, we will be contacting them separately to do this.