St John
the Divine,
Merton
FAITHFUL to God
SHARING with those in need
CARING for one another
The Church of England

The Diocese of Southwark
Read The Bridge, from Southwark Diocese


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(Website last updated on 29 March 2026)


Collect for Palm Sunday
(29 March)
Almighty and everlasting God,
who in your tender love towards the human race
sent your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ
to take upon him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the cross:
grant that we may follow the example of his patience and humility,
and also be made partakers of his resurrection;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Copyright © The Archbishops' Council 2000


ONLINE SERVICES
The Church of England's online services can be found on the Church of England website.


CHURCH SERVICES IN THE TEAM
(check the full notice sheet for variations)
Midweek
Monday 5.00 p.m. Evening Prayer, Holy Trinity
Tuesday 8.00 a.m. Morning Prayer, St John's
Tuesday 5.00 p.m. Evening Prayer, St John's
Wednesday 4.00 p.m. Prayer Group, Christ Church
Thursday 8.00 a.m. Morning Prayer, St John's
Thursday 12.15 p.m. Eucharist, Holy Trinity
Thursday 5.00 p.m. Evening Prayer, Holy Trinity
Saturday
9.00 a.m. Eucharist, Christ Church
10.00 a.m. (1st Saturdays) Climate Vigil, Christ Church
Sunday*
8.00 a.m. (1st Sundays) BCP Holy Communion, Christ Church
9.00 a.m. Early Service, Holy Trinity
9.30 a.m. Parish Eucharist, St John's
10.00 a.m. Parish Eucharist, Holy Trinity
11.15 a.m. Parish Eucharist, Christ Church
6.00 p.m. (2nd Sundays) Prayers for the Planet, St John's

*Occasional Team services take the place of the regular Parish Eucharist and are held at one of the Team churches at 10.30 a.m.



TEAM MINISTRY ROTA
The Team Ministry rota for March to May 2026 can be found here.

St John the Divine, Merton
Welcome to St John the Divine, Merton
We welcome and encourage all people to worship God with us. St John's is part of the Merton Priory Team Ministry. Whether or not you are new to the area, you are most welcome to join us in our acts of worship and share in our Anglican tradition.

NOTICES IN BRIEF
(For the full church notice sheet for the three weeks beginning 29 March to 12 April, click on this link. If you would like to receive the notice sheet regularly by email, you can sign up using the subscription form below.)
Holy Week and Easter
A leaflet detailing all services during Holy Week and Easter is now available in church and also online. Please take a copy and look at the various sign-up sheets (particularly for the Maundy Watch and Dawn Feast) in the churches.
(15 March 2026)

Chrism Eucharist
The Chrism Eucharist is at 11 a.m. at Southwark Cathedral on Maundy Thursday (2 April). If anyone would like to join the clergy for this inspiring service (Bishop Christopher's final one) please speak to Mark and it may be possible to have lunch together afterwards.
(29 March 2026)

Easter Communion
Please do get in touch with the clergy if you, or someone you know, needs to receive their Easter Communion at home. The clergy will gladly come to you.
(29 March 2026)

Church Electoral Rolls
The annual renewal of the church Electoral Rolls in advance of the annual meetings will begin soon. If you aren't already on the roll, please fill out a form in church and either put it in the box or return it to clergy to have your name added.
  •  Christ Church: renewal opens on 29 March until 19 April
  •  Holy Trinity: renewal opens on 5 April until 26 April
  •  St John's: renewal opens on 12 April until 3 May
Forms can also be completed online via these links:
  •  Christ Church: https://tinyurl.com/CC2025ER
  •  Holy Trinity: https://tinyurl.com/HT2025ER
  •  St John's: https://tinyurl.com/SJ2025ER
(15 March 2026)

Spiritual Conversation
If you would like to talk about faith, prayer life and your spiritual journey or you have any questions about God and Christianity, please reach out to Mark or Mary.
If you would like to make a confession, please ask Mark. He can also direct you to the right person if you wish to make confession outside of the parish.
(22 March 2026)

Team Vicar appointment
We are delighted to announce that Revd Dr Hannah Swithinbank has been appointed as our next Team Vicar based at Christ Church, subject to the necessary procedures. Hannah is completing her curacy in Kew and her licensing will be on Monday, 1 June at 7.30 pm. We look forward greatly to her arrival among us. Please keep Hannah in your prayers as she prepares for this new Ministry.

You can find more details about Hannah in the full announcement.
(15 March 2026)

The funeral of Joan Brunt
The funeral of Joan Brunt was held at St John's on Wednesday, 21 January. A video of the service can be found on YouTube. Donations in Joan's memory can be made to The Children's Society.
(23 January 2026)

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Merton Priory Team Ministry
Merton Priory PCC charity number is 1134253

Prayer
O Christ, my Way to the God of all salvation,
people of other faiths believe they have their own salvation faith.
Be with them dear Lord, to encourage them on their way to their own Jerusalem,
so that we all find ourselves with the spirits of just people made perfect,
with the saints of every age and faith,
in the presence of the eternal God, the God of many names,
Creator, Lover, Saviour of us all.

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DEVELOP A DAILY CONNECTION WITH GOD Connect with God with the new Everyday Faith app. Journey daily with reflections to inspire, equip and encourage you in your everyday faith. Everyday Faith is now available to download for iOS and Android. If you already have the Watch & Pray app installed, you will automatically get the update.


INCLUSIVE CHURCH
The churches of the Merton Priory Team are members of Inclusive Church – a network of churches, groups and individuals uniting together around a shared vision.

MISSION STATEMENT
The Merton Priory Team Ministry is committed to promoting the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to the doctrines and practices of the Church of England. We are guided by our mission statement, agreed in 2011:

In Merton Priory Team Ministry we aim to be a community     Faithful to God
        Sharing with those in need
            Caring for one another