Not everyone knows our best kept secret - we are part of a family of six churches called St John the Evangelist Parish - or St John's Parish. Our roots and identity are evangelical, charismatic, missional Anglicans. The 'Parish' is made up of the following six churches:
St John's Wynberg 1812/1834
St Luke's Diep River 1897
St Philips Kenwyn 1921
Emmanuel Wynberg 1928
If you'd like to know more about our history - you can read here.
Three initiatives that have been born out of the Parish are St Luke's Hospice, The Warehouse (2003) and St John's Leadership Academy (2017).
So what's happening in the Parish today?
Parish Prayer - There is a monthly prayer meeting which rotates locations between the churches and is held on the 3rd Tuesday each month from 2:30 - 3:30pm. This is an opportunity to join together as churches to pray for what God is doing in our Parish and for specific situations that need prayer. Please join us for the upcoming prayer meeting is 2:30pm, Tues 19 Dec at Church of the Holy Spirit, Kirstenhof.
Fortnight of Prayer - From 7 - 28 January 2024 we are holding a fortnight of prayer for our churches across the Parish and there will be a joint worship and prayer celebration (possibly on the 19th Jan). We are planning for prayer rooms and sign-ups to pray at specific times wherever you are. The goal is to cover the year ahead in prayer by mobilising all of the church to pray 24/7 during the two weeks.
Listening Day - In recent months St John's hosted a Parish Listening Day where we had the opportunity to review our spiritual history as a family of churches, and to notice where some of the significant moments of celebration and of pain have affected our life the Body of Christ. Significantly there were a number of people from across the Parish who shared stories and testimonies of where they had experienced joy and pain within the life of the Parish - this was such a good listening opportunity, and the chance to come with compassion and love to build deeper relationships of trust.
Child Protection Policy - We have not updated our policies and in some cases do not have child protection policy and practice in place within the Parish churches. We are currently receiving legal and practical advice from consultants which will be looked at across the Parish as we address this vital function of creating safety for our children and youth. We hope to implement a much more rigorous framework for child protection at St John's church within the first quarter of 2024.
Parish Rectory - This house lies alongside Barnabas House (our own rectory) and is situated at 16 Waterloo Road. It has not been used for a full time Parish Rector for a number of years, but has hosted clergy families of the Parish, as well as youth pastors and interns from the Parish. The current residents are students who are moving out at the end of December in order that the house can receive much needed maintenance in preparation for a market-related tenant. This is in order that the funds will contribute to the financial needs of the wider Parish. We are currently considering options for market-related rental of the property.