Enjoying Life & Faith Together
St John’s and St Mary’s share a rich network of groups helping people deepen their spirituality, support families, and improve the environment of our town. All are open to everyone, whether or not they go to our churches and wherever their faith journey has taken them.
Parent & Toddler Group
Tuesday mornings 9 am – 12 noon
Parish Rooms
A group that meets for informal play and lots of fun! A chance to meet other parents and toddlers in a friendly environment, with coffee and biscuits and a drink and a snack for the toddlers.
Children’s Play Area
We have a lovely bright Children’s Area in our Church where we welcome children to read, draw and play during the service. it is well stocked with toys, puzzles and books. Craft Activites are supplied weekly. Colouring and puzzle sheets are available to use.
Contact: Catherine Brown 01380 739253
Mothers’ Union
First Wednesdays 2.30pm
Parish Rooms
The Mothers’ Union is an international Christian charity that seeks to support families worldwide. The St John’s Branch is a place of firm and warm friendships where newcomers are always welcome.
Contact Juliet Bazeley | 01380 829610
Prayer & Spirituality
Bible Study
Wednesday 7.30pm
Casterbridge, Potterne Road
Contact David Evans | 01380 721527
All are welcome to take part in this warm and friendly group as it journeys through the Bible together. You don’t need to be a churchgoer or even a Christian at all to attend. Recent topics have included Matthew’s Gospel and King David.
Lectio Divina
Fourth Fridays 10.00am
The Parish Rooms
Contact Chris Cox | 01380 728716
Lectio Divina is a contemplative way of of praying the scriptures that leads us deeper
into God’s word. We slow down. We read a short passage more than once. We chew it over slowly and carefully. We savour it. Scripture begins to speak to us in a new way. All are welcome to join us for this practice which unites reading God’s written word with quiet contemplation.
Reflection
Third Tuesday, 7.15 pm for 7.30 pm
St John’s Church
Contact Chris Cox | 01380 728716
Our ‘Reflection’ group provides an opportunity to experience times of shared silence and gentle reflection. During our meetings we sit in silent prayer, exchange views, share our journeys, and encourage and support one another as we reflect together on our spiritual lives.
Contemplative Community
Contemplative prayer, ‘the heart’s simple repose in God’, enables us to commune and rest with God in silence and stillness. It has biblical origins and an ancient tradition within the Christian church. In his beautiful and practical book ‘Into the Silent Land’, Martin Laird reminds us that we are ‘built for contemplation’, that ‘communion with God in the silence of the heart is a God-given capacity, like the rhododendron’s capacity to flower, the fledgling’s for flight and the child’s for self-forgetful abandon and joy’.
Alongside mission and worship, a principal function of the parish is to nurture the spiritual education and transformation of its congregation. In order to further this role, we are exploring the ancient contemplative tradition of the Christian church.
To cultivate an ‘inner life and faith’, we are collectively exploring what it means to be a ‘contemplative community’ so that the fruits of contemplation can emerge within ourselves, our parish and the wider community in which we live.
If you are interested in joining us on this journey, or wish to know more about the Christian contemplative tradition or contemplative prayer, please let us know.
Churchyard Groups
Lots of information on our churchyard volunteer groups is available on their Facebook page – click here.
Friends of St. John’s Churchyard
2023 dates: 23 May; 13 and 27 June, 11 and 25 July, 8 and 22 August, 12 and 26 September, 24 October, 28 November
This year’s sessions will take place between 10 am and 12 noon.
Contact the Parish Office for more information
We are a small group of volunteers working with the Churchwardens of St John’s. We meet regularly in the churchyard with the aim of managing and developing the churchyard to benefit its wildlife.
We would welcome more volunteers and you don’t have to be a churchgoer to join in. If you would like to take part in one of our practical “hands on” Work Sessions, even for ½ hour or so, you would be very welcome.
We always make time for tea and cake too!
Friends of St. Mary’s Churchyard
This group is not meeting just at present due to works taking place at St Mary’s but contact Sophie Marshall on scmarshall40@gmail.com to express your interest.
Like St John’s, St Mary’s has a team of volunteers who work with the churchwardens and meet regularly in the churchyard with the aim of managing and developing the churchyard to benefit its wildlife.
Many of our volunteers are not churchgoers and tea and cake are part of the package!
