Letter from the Vicarage

Dear Friends and Neighbours,

A few weeks ago, we began the church’s season of Trinity.

Trinity is a long season which will take us almost up to Advent, towards the end of the year. The liturgical colour we use for Trinity season is green, because it’s all about growing our faith and the season of Trinity naturally reflects nature’s growing season, which is evident all around us. We can think of Trinity season as an opportunity to grow and deepen our faith so that our relationship with God and our relationships with each other may flourish.

Church leadership is like gardening, it involves tending both new and existing aspects of church life so they can thrive, just as gardeners nurture their plants. As with a mature garden, a well-tended and healthy church will become wonderfully self-sustaining. It becomes much more than a collection of individuals, something greater, with a life of its own.

That is now beginning to happen for us at St John’s as new initiatives begin to blossom. For example, the partnership with Franklin Music is bearing fruit and helping St John’s establish itself, not only as a centre of excellent traditional and modern church music, but as a Music Hub serving our community.

The work of the Solar Group has recently resulted in a planning application for photovoltaic panels on the East, West and North roof pitches of the Community Centre. This application has received much support from our local community which recognises our ecological commitment, “…to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth” as it is called in the Five Marks of Mission. If approved by the Planning Officer, the whole scheme should be funded by a generous grant from Surrey County Council.

Work to renew the lead covering of our leaking south valley gutter is scheduled to proceed

in August, funded by a number of hard-won grants and also donations from the community.

Of course, we face challenges too. A number of things must come together for us to finally

round the corner in our financial recovery. Meadvale Hall is being marketed for sale and the

eventual proceeds should wipe out a large part of our mortgage on the Community Centre.

Hightrees Nursery, under new management, assure us they are working to fulfil all the

necessary Ofsted requirements to relocate to the Community Centre, bringing in much needed

additional income. The Parish Office staff are working tirelessly to accommodate more

bookings, serving our community’s needs and generating income at the same time.

For our life as a church to continue to develop and to really flourish, we must all seek to be

attuned through prayer and reflection to the guidance of the Spirit, sometimes gently

leading us, sometimes prompting us more insistently when we need it, and reminding us

always that our generosity is gifted by God, who is the Lord of the harvest. When we give,

we give of what has been gifted to us – and gifted so that we may enable good things.

Please do email any updates, photos, articles, poems, prayers, or events to

magazine@stjohnsredhill.org.uk for our new team, Carrie Hollis-Patel and Leah Cooper to

include in the next issue. The next copy deadline is August end 2025.

With every good wish and prayer for our spiritual growth this Trinity season.

Revd. John Kronenberg