Serving the Community
At the heart of Christianity is the belief that God has been born as one of us, and as Jesus of Nazareth has shared our human life. This belief in 'the incarnation', the teachings of Jesus, and the insistence of the Prophets of the Old Testament that God has a profound interest in the just ordering of human society, convinces us that serving our brothers and sisters around us is a vital part of our mission as part of the Church of Jesus Christ.
St John's does this through three main strands: support for charities in the UK and globally; 'community building' in our local area; and initiatives to meet specific social needs which we feel we can help with. You can find out more about some of these on other pages.
Dramatic shifts in the Earth's climate pose practical challenges for human society and theological questions for the Church. We have a booklet examining this issue which you can download by clicking the link to the right.
As society thinks about the implications and possible results of the coronavirus pandemic, St John's wants to help that debate. The Rector is aiming to have recorded conversations with a variety of people in our community who have particular perspectives to offer. The first conversation is with environmental campaigners David and Shirley Faraday and can be watched on our Youtube channel:
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The second conversation is with Dr Martin Brunet from Binscombe Surgery. He and Rector discuss healthcare and the medical aspects of the pandemic.
The third conversation is with Debra Goodman, manager of the local branch of NovusCare, and her deputy Charlotte, about the way the pandemic has affected the social care sector and what might happen next.
The fourth and final conversation is ith Craig Banfield, manager of the Farncombe Co-Op, about the impact of the pandemic on shops and perceptions of shop orkers.