Issue 46 May 2026

Service spotlight

Saturday night Vespers to relaunch this Saturday 23 May

Each Saturday from 4 to 6pm, our church gathers for Vespers, a peaceful and prayerful opportunity to slow down, reflect, and prepare our hearts for Sunday Liturgy.

Through the prayers, hymns and reverent atmosphere, Vespers helps us turn our minds and hearts toward God as we begin the weekend. It is a beautiful reminder to place Him at the centre of our lives and to enter Sunday with a spirit of peace and readiness.

Vespers resume at St John's from Saturday 23 May, and are led by Fr Luke.

Children are warmly encouraged to attend Vespers and take part alongside the church community. Even at a young age, simply being present in the prayers, listening, and engaging with Abouna helps nurture a love for the Church and strengthens their connection to spiritual life.

Following Vespers, families and children often remain together to share a light meal, while the children enjoy time playing around the church grounds. These moments of fellowship add to the warmth of the evening and help strengthen the bonds within our church family.

We encourage all families to make Vespers a part of their weekly routine. It is a valuable time of prayer, fellowship, and spiritual preparation, with lasting blessings for both adults and children.

Give it a try this weekend.

From the pulpit

I am the way: what route will you take?

Fr Mark

When you start a navigator, in the settings you can usually select the way you want to travel. You can choose the shortest route or the fastest route. You can choose the cheapest route to avoid tolls. The journey through a navigator can be customised.

A researcher in London added another option and called it the beautiful way: a route that takes you through scenic roads, along coastlines, through parklands and quiet streets. It ignored speed and cost and instead allowed the driver to take in nature and its surroundings.

In today's Gospel, the Lord is having a discussion with His disciples in the Upper Room at the Last Supper. After Judas had left, our Lord began telling His disciples that He would soon be leaving them. Naturally, on hearing this news, the disciples were distressed.

To comfort them, Jesus said:

We hear those words today as comforting and beautiful. But the disciples heard something even deeper. In the context of first-century Judaism, these words closely mirrored the language of a wedding proposal.

In those days, when a man wished to marry a woman, the bridegroom would visit the bride's home. If he desired to marry her, he would offer gifts and say, "I will go now to my father's house and prepare a place for us." He would build an extension onto his father's home and then return to receive his bride so they could dwell together.

So when Jesus spoke these words to His disciples, it sounded like a proposal. The Bridegroom was saying to His people: "I will unite you to Myself, and we will dwell together forever."

When I was engaged, I once asked my fiancée (now my wife) where she would like to live after we got married. I asked whether she wanted to live close to home, near her parents, by the water, in a unit or in a house. To every option she gave the same response:

This is how it is with God and His people. The goal is not merely a place. It is communion with Christ Himself. Heaven is not simply about what is there, but about who is there. Christ is the answer to everything we search for and everything we truly need.

Thomas, meanwhile, was listening carefully and growing restless. He said, "Lord, tell us how to get there and we will follow."

And the Lord responded:

How do we understand this?

Imagine a man travelling to a new city. As soon as he arrives, he becomes completely lost. There are no navigators. He stops at a petrol station and asks the worker for directions. The worker says:

"Go straight, turn left at the roundabout, make a U-turn, then continue until you reach the traffic lights."

The man begins driving but quickly forgets half the instructions. Then another car pulls up beside him. He asks again for directions, and this second driver responds:

"I'm going there. Just follow me."

The second man did not simply show the way. He became the way. This is exactly what happens in our relationship with Christ.

We are all a little lost in this world. Before us is a goal: the Kingdom of Heaven. We look to the Lord and ask, "What is the way?" And Christ responds:

So we follow Him our entire lives. If He leads through dark streets, we follow. If He takes us through rough terrain, we follow. No matter where He goes, He is the way, and we walk behind Him all the way home.

The early Christians were not originally called Christians. They were called People of the Way, because they were walking the path toward Christ.

As we navigate through life, we too have options, just like the settings in a navigator. We can choose the fastest way. We can choose the cheapest way, focused on money and temporary pleasures. We can choose the shortest way. But there is another option: the most beautiful way, and that is the way Christ sets before us. As Habib Girgis once said, "Let Him be the way you take."

Christianity is both beautiful and simple. If we follow Him and walk with Him, we will remain on the right path. Glory be to God forever. Amen.

Giving

Blessings at tax time

As we approach the end of the financial year, we invite you to consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the ongoing growth and care of our beloved St John's Coptic Orthodox Church.

This is your church, built and renovated with your families in mind. Your generosity helps make improvements to our church to ensure it continues to grow and thrive while nurturing your children's love for Christ. With your support, we're not just fixing buildings, we're building a future.

Please prayerfully consider making a donation before 30 June. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a difference. You can give through the St John's app, or ask at the church office for direct deposit details. Donations to the Building Fund receive a tax-deductible receipt.

And most of all, please keep your church and its congregation in your prayers always.

Notices

St John's app update

An important update has been released for the St John's Church app, for both Apple and Android. Please make sure your phone has the latest version installed, for bug fixes and to be able to order food and coffee this week.

Food pre-orders open on Saturday at 3pm.

Notices

Church noticeboard

Early Liturgy

Please join us for Early Liturgy, every Wednesday from 5 to 7am.

Thursday Liturgy

Join us for our weekly Thursday Liturgy: Matins at 8am, Liturgy at 8:30am.

Mums who Pray

Join us every second Thursday morning for our mothers' fellowship meeting at St John's. Coffee and breakfast are provided. The Mothers group and Liturgy recommence on Thursday 21 May.

The Way

Learn more about your Coptic Orthodox faith over a coffee and a chat, on Sundays at St John's. Topics include Biblical studies, Theology 101, Church history, the spiritual life, Orthodox worship, and contemporary issues.

Women of St John's Retreat

Save the date: the Women of St John's Retreat, 11 to 12 September. Details to follow.