St John’s stands in the catholic (or “high church” as it’s sometimes known) tradition of the Church of England and we aim to be an inclusive community. We welcome people regardless of their age, gender, sexual orientation, state of mind. We see ourselves as travellers together, with different gifts, callings and experiences with which God has blessed us. We believe that God has given us the gifts he needs for us to be Christ’s Body in this place at this time. Keeping our ears open for God’s voice and watching for God’s actions in the world and those around us helps us discern where God is working - then our job is to roll up our sleeves and join God in that work.

Vocation is about finding out where God wants us to be and the kind of people God wants us to be. Vocations change and develop as God’s plans work themselves out. At St John’s we believe it is a vocation to teach Sunday School, to be Treasurer, to serve, to be a sidesperson, to offer hospitality, to be a Church Warden.

We also believe that God calls and equips people to serve the Church as evangelists, deacons, Readers and priests. The gift to the Church of ordination to the three fold order of bishop, priest and deacon is a whole gift - not one in parts, and our experience (as well as our theological reflection) has shown us that God calls men and women to participate in this gift.

We draw our priests from our people, and because we are struggling to be a truly inclusive community that means we must expect God to call men and women, gay and straight, old and young.

Three important things follow from that:

• at St John’s we are comfortable with the idea of women priests and welcome their gifts and service among us;

• at St John’s we strive to be inclusive of those with whom we have theological disagreement;

• because of our understanding of ordination as a whole gift to the Church it makes logical and theological sense to say that anybody ordained to the office of deacon must potentially be able to be consecrated bishop.

At St John’s currently we have Elaine who is our Reader, and all things being equal, Penny will be ordained as non stipendiary training curate, deacon in 2007 and priest in 2008. Others too are exploring God’s call on their lives. Please pray for us all as we seek to hear God’s voice and serve God’s people in this place.