Holy Trinity with St John's, Penge

We had a joyful start to Advent with Messy Christingle on Sunday afternoon. There were lots of craft and other activities to get involved with - though I have it on good authority that icing biscuits was the best - and we celebrated that Jesus, the Light of the World has come to be with us. If you couldn't be there last Sunday, there are lots of other services and events to be involved with over the next few weeks - check out our special Christmas services on our website: https://www.htsj-penge.church/Groups/410912/Christmas_2023.aspx

Children and Young PeopleCofE Diocese of Rochester
All photos used with permission.

A Christingle bag was left behind in St John's Church yesterday afternoon, with these items inside. If they are yours, please get in touch.

Messy Christingle preparations in full swing this morning. Join in the fun tomorrow, 3pm, at our St John’s site.

Messy Christingle is this Sunday! Whether you are young or old, if you like icing biscuits, painting, making decorations, play dough, stories and treasure hunts, this is church especially planned with you in mind! Do join us for this, the first of our Christmas celebrations.

Messy Church logo © Bible Reading Fellowship 2021. See messychurch.org.uk

It's nearly December and we're really looking forward to Messy Christingle this Sunday at 3pm. Whether you are young or old, if you like icing biscuits, painting, making decorations, play dough, stories and treasure hunts, this is church especially planned with you in mind! Do join us for this, the first of our Christmas celebrations.

Messy Church logo © Bible Reading Fellowship 2021. See messychurch.org.uk

Today, we had a celebration of mission, with the opportunity to engage with all the different ways in which people from HTSJ are involved in God's mission in our local community and in the wider world. We shared stories to rejoice in all that God is doing, we learnt about how we can pray better for one another, and reflected on God's call to us to join in!

It's not long now until our Messy Christingle service on Sunday 3rd December. The oranges have been ordered, the activities have been planned and our willing and friendly team of volunteers are looking forward to welcoming you for this, the first of our special Christmas services. All are welcome - especially suitable for families.


Messy Church logo © Bible Reading Fellowship 2021. See www.messychurch.org.uk

Today at Connect, we heard the story of Peter and John encountering a man who couldn’t walk at the temple and reflected on the question What would Jesus do? We thought about how Peter both met the man’s needs in the name of Jesus and told the crowd about Jesus, just as Jesus would do. And we created a graffiti wall of things we could tell others about Jesus.
CofE Diocese of RochesterChildren and Young People

We'd love to welcome you to two events coming up tomorrow. Firstly, at 9am, we have Big Fish, our monthly Saturday group for toddlers and their parents/carers, at our St John's Site. It looks like rain - come inside and enjoy toys, a story, songs and even a bacon roll!
Then in the afternoon, we invite you to our Holy Trinity site for our Advent Fair.

This was found by the bins today by one of our lovely hall users. Fly-tipping is an offence, and we have reported the offender to Bromley Council. If you know the person or people responsible, please, please ask them to stop. The church car park is private land and it is our church community of largely unpaid volunteers who will now have to sort out the mess. Please help us to keep the space tidy for the benefit of all the community groups and worshippers who use and love the church. Thank you.

An invitation to our special services for Advent and Christmas is now live on our website! https://www.htsj-penge.church/Groups/410912/Christmas_2023.aspx
We'd love to see you at any time, throughout the year and during the festive period. First of all, on Advent Sunday, we welcome you to Messy Christingle, an opportunity to explore the good news of the light of Jesus coming into a dark world through activities, crafts, song, story and a moment of wonder and awe as we light the Christingle candles. This service is open to all, but especially planned with families with children under 11 in mind. No need to book; just turn up.

In a season where we are so tragically aware of the cost of war around the world, we invite you to join us for our services on Remembrance Sunday. We will be remembering and lamenting the devastating loss of life in two world wars and today, praying for peace, hearing again God's call to us to be reconcilers and peace-makers, and looking forward to the time when the weapons of warfare will be turned into the tools of human flourishing. All are welcome - there will be groups for children and young people in our 10am service.

If you are planning to come along to our Little Fish session tomorrow morning, we are looking forward to welcoming you. However, our card payment machine is not working properly at the moment, so if you can bring cash, that would be appreciated.
Thank you

You are warmly invited to come to our Commemorative Service at 4pm on Sunday 29th at our Holy Trinity Site. During this service, we take time to celebrate the lives of those we love who have died, to acknowledge our loss and to find hope. If you would like a name read out in the service, please do contact us on [email protected]

Blend choir already rehearsing the Church of England’s new commission of The First Nowell.
To hear the Penge Premiere, come to our carol service!

We have enjoyed celebrating Harvest at our three services today. Thank you to all who have taken part, for the generous gifts towards our food banks, for the beautiful flower arrangements on both sites, and for the wonderful artwork from St John’s Primary.

Join us tomorrow to celebrate Harvest at all three of our Sunday services. At 10:30am, our Connect service is especially suitable for families with young children - we will be exploring the story of Jesus feeding 5000 people through interactive activities and craft. Our 8am and 5:15pm services are quieter and more reflective, with a chance to sing some favourite Harvest hymns at 5:15pm. We invite you, if you are able, to bring a gift of non-perishable food for our food banks.

Little Fish is now taking a two week break for Half Term. We will be back on Monday 30th October.

Big Fish will run this coming Saturday (14th). This is a week earlier than usual to avoid the middle of Half Term. Do join us if you can.
9 - 10.30am at our St John's Church site.

Wonderful to welcome children, staff and parents from St John’s Primary for… guess what?… this morning. The lower photo shows a fraction of the generous gifts they brought for our food banks (the rest has been swiftly tidied away to discourage mice!!)

Found in the grounds of our St John’s site (2 St John’s Road) while picking up the rubbish today. No battery - will not switch on. If you think it might be yours, please message us.

I needed to take 2 photos to get all the food in shot that the children and parents of Alexandra Juniors have generously donated to Living Well Bromley for their harvest celebration. In assembly we thought about how God cares for the biggest and smallest things in creation, how he invites us to help care for them, and how, if we all give something small, like a tin, it can make a big difference!
And, as always, the children sang beautifully.

First Harvest assembly this morning. We are so grateful to the children and parents of Alexandra Infants for your generosity. Every item of food donated to the Living Well Bromley food bank will make a massive difference to vulnerable households in our community. Thank you!

CofE Diocese of Rochester

Ray is ordained! We welcome him to Penge tomorrow in our 10.30am service!

Today we are travelling to beautiful Rochester Cathedral to celebrate Ray’s ordination as a deacon in the church. We look forward to welcoming him and his family tomorrow at our 10.30am service followed by lunch at our St John’s site. All are welcome!

We are so excited to be welcoming Ray and his family to Penge this weekend. The vicar has been counting down the days!

As we look ahead to the ordinations that take place this weekend, throughout this week we will be introducing to you those who are to be ordained deacon.

Please pray for each of them, their family and friends, and the communities they will serve.

First, we welcome Ray. Ray has been an accountant, as well as worked in sales and marketing. He's also helped set up a radio station in Lahore, Pakistan.

He's hoping to gather motorbike lovers and form a group within his parish.

Holy Trinity with St John's, Penge

Today at Connect, our Intergenerational Service, we worked together as a worshipping community of people of all ages to build a tabernacle. We learnt about how God desires to dwell with his people and thought about the special places where we feel close to God. And we enjoyed worshipping and praying together in the special tabernacle we had created.

Children and Young People
CofE Diocese of Rochester

Left behind after Little Fish this morning. Please do message if you need to collect either of these before Monday.

Glorious day for Morning Prayer in the sacred garden at our Holy Trinity site. Today, we look forward to Little Fish, our group for pre-school children and their carers restarting at our St John’s site, and to spending time praying for our church, community and the wider world at our prayer meeting tonight (Holy Trinity site).
This morning we are praying for these activities as well as for the staff and children of Alexandra Infants and Juniors on their first day back to school.

Little Fish returns on Monday, after the summer break. 9.30 - 11am in St John's Church. We're delighted to be back.
Do join us if you can - we're looking forward to seeing you.
The next Big Fish is on Saturday 16th September.

On Thursdays, Church of England Morning Prayer encourages us to pray for our local communities. We pray this morning for children starting the new school year at St John’s Primary, and for teachers returning to the Alexandra schools and preparing for the new year.
We pray for all facing a new start this autumn, not least Ray and his family beginning the move to Penge this week ready for Ray to be ordained and start working among us as curate at the end of September.
I’m also praying for the man currently standing in the middle of the busiest junction in Penge in a hi-vis jacket, directing traffic because the temporary lights have failed!