Janet Martin

Enjoy the food and company and help raise funds for the Ukraine appeal for medical supplies at our first Lent lunch this Saturday.

Thank you to everybody who provided sandwiches for NIGHTWATCH on the Sundays in November and December. On the 7 Sundays we handed NIGHTWATCH 8 loaves of assorted sandwiches and, on the basis of 9 sandwiches per loaf, that is 72 rounds per night so just over 500 sandwiches over the 7 weeks in total. All the churches which would have hosted the Floating Shelter agreed to provide sandwiches on ‘their nights’ so Croydon Churches Floating Shelter’s churches will be providing sandwiches every night until 31st March 2023.

NIGHTWATCH fed 130 people, so our sandwiches go part of the way towards feeding all the rough sleepers. Thank you.

The future of community floating shelters like the Shirley Methodist Church is in the balance as the government are in favour of static shelters in buildings offering single room accommodation. However, such a building is not available to CCFS.

Jonathan Baxter (Floating Shelter co-ordinator Shirley Methodist Church)

If you have any questions about the book sale, please click here to contact the Shirley Methodist Church.

We are delighted to welcome back the Utopians. Founded in 1980, they stage Gilbert and Sullivan shows in churches in Croydon and nearby boroughs for church fundraising and enjoyment. Their productions are costumed and lit, with the music and dialogue performed by a dedicated core group of principals and chorus. Staged in our beautiful Grade II listed Gilbert Scott church this is a night not to be missed!

Click here to buy your tickets online.

The 3rd year of the Shirley Scarecrow Festival is now on and the 24 ‘Nursery Rhyme’ themed scarecrows are looking amazing despite the wet weather and winds!

Here’s a trail map of all the locations (and list) and the Just Giving page if you’d like to donate to the wonderful Charity Demelza Hospice Care for Children. You can also donate at 60, Bennetts Way if you’d prefer. Please show your appreciation to the wonderful Scarecrow builders and the generous community and businesses by giving whatever you can. We hope you enjoy the festival and have fun and huge thanks to Stef England for organising it again.

If you enjoy choral and organ music, come join our 38 choristers from 18 choirs for our service tomorrow; Saturday 21st May at 4pm, as we celebrate through music, prayers and readings the life of Stephen Harrow, our former assistant Director of Music. Works include Elgar’s ‘Ave Maria‘ and the two-choir anthem sung at the Queen coronation ‘I was Glad’ by Parry. Everyone is welcome.

There will be a retiring collection for the UNICEF/Ukraine Appeal. If are unable to join us in person, you can join the service online via this link https://youtu.be/CqODb2aNLlk and donate online to the UNICEF/Ukraine Appeal.

Thank you to everyone who has responded and also to those who have offered help on the day. Copies of the choral music will be sent in the post to you early next week so if you’d like to sing with us under the excellent musical direction of Messrs Richard Mander and Stephen Johns, please register your interest by Sunday 1st May.

Stephen Harrow sadly died in April two years ago at the start of the pandemic and this is an opportunity to acknowledge the huge contribution he made to St John’s both spiritually and musically.

All the hymns, anthems, readings and prayers chosen by Jenny his wife had special meaning to Stephen. The choir only items include: Rejoice in the Lord Alway (Henry Purcell); Eternal Light , shine in our hearts (Malcolm Archer); Ave Maria (Edward Elgar); I was Glad when they said unto me (C. Hubert H. Parry).

Refreshments will available during the day and lunch will also be provided for the singers.

The service will commence at 4pm after which there will be the opportunity to place final bids for the Denis Perry painting and linocut printing block which he created of our church [click here for more details] and to chat and circulate over a complimentary glass of wine with those who have attended the service and taken part in what we hope will be a musical and spiritual feast in tribute and thanksgiving to Stephen.