The church annual meeting
We held the church’s annual meeting on Sunday 27th April. The Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2024, presented to the meeting is available here; the Churchwardens' Report is available here, and the Deanery Synod here.
These are the results of the elections:
Churchwardens 2025-26: Neil Barnes and Carol Cosham were elected.
Our Parochial Church Council members 2025-26: Graham Dey, Stuart Johnson, Geoff Andreassen, Angela Easdon, Norma Cuthbert, Carol Hatton, Andrea Lester, Janice Mortimer, and Dian Maclennan were elected (they join our churchwardens, clergy, readers and Deanery Synod representatives, who are members ex officio).
Deputy churchwardens 2025-26: Geoff Andreassen, Graham Dey, Andrea Lester, Stuart Johnson and Robert Beale are deputy wardens, working with Carol and Neil.
The PCC has also appointed our sidespeople and our church officers for 2025-26, including Angela Easdon as secretary, Gill Hampson as treasurer, Janice Mortimer as Gift Aid secretary and Andrea Lester as Safeguarding Officer.
Thank you to everyone for agreeing to serve in these posts and to all who stood last year. A special thanks to Eileen Allsop who has served as Electoral Roll Secretary for many years and is taking a well-earned rest from this role. Graham Dey is our new Electoral Roll Secretary.
Spring into action …
It’s time for spring cleaning and outdoor work again. We’ll gather on Saturday 17th May from 10am for gardening if the weather permits, and other cleaning and tidying jobs around the church.
… and come to support Ayda
Also on Saturday 17th May, at 7pm there is a Baptism service for Ayda at St Bride’s Church, Shrewsbury Street, in Old Trafford. This will be a baptism by immersion and Reverend Rodney will be officiating. Everyone is welcome – do please join us at this very special service. If you have never witnessed a baptism by immersion before, it’s a thrilling celebration of Christian commitment. We’ll have a bring-and-share meal together after the service – please feel free to contribute!
In memory of Fred
On Sunday 25th May, after the morning service, we will be holding a short dedication ceremony for a new garden bench that has been donated by the late Reverend Fred Cooke’s family and friends. They will be joining us that day for our Communion service, so please stay afterwards for this special time.
Ascension Day celebration
On Ascension Day, Thursday 29th May, at 10.30am, we have our Holy Communion service in the side chapel, and also at 7.30pm there will be a united Mission Community Eucharist at St Mary’s, Davyhulme. Our singing group will be joining with others from our local churches – do come and join the celebration.
Please note . . .
Our Tuesday Tea, Coffee and Chat times continue on the first Tuesday of every month. Come along and bring others to this free social event.
Thursday Holy Communion services are to be held at St. John’s at 10.30am on 15th and 29th May (Ascension Day), also on 5th June, and at St Michael’s Flixton at 10.15am on 22nd May.
The Archdeacon’s Visitation services, when churchwardens are sworn in and sidespeople and other parish officers dedicate themselves to their work in the year ahead, are open to everyone. The nearest venues this year are on 24th June at 7.30pm at Manchester Cathedral and on 30th June at 7.30pm at Holy Trinity Platt (for other dates and venues, please check the Manchester Diocese website).
FACEBOOK PAGE
St. John’s in Flixton has a Facebook page – search St. John’s Flixton for regular Facebook updates on events and activities taking place in church. Please “like” the page and encourage neighbours, family and friends to do the same to help us grow our followers.
Licensing of Rev Debra Blair as Incumbent of St John's
The Rev Debra Blair was licensed as the Incumbent of St John's Flixton on Sunday 23rd October 2022, in a service at St John's led by the Bishop of Middleton, the Rt. Rev. Mark Davies, and the Archdeacon of Manchester, the Ven. Karen Lund. Guests were welcomed from both our parish and the wider church in our area for this special celebration of a new phase of ministry.
Join the JC Squad!
'The J C Squad' is the new name for our Sunday School, and it runs at 10.30am during morning service. Children rejoin their parents in church at the end of the main service and often share with the whole congregation something of what they've been doing that day.