St John's Episcopal Church, Greenock

16/06/2026

A warm welcome is extended from our friends at Greenock Free Church, Jamaica Street, to their Psalms for a Summer Evening, Friday 19th June at 7.30pm. The evening will conclude with free refreshments. Everyone welcome.

14/06/2026

SERVICE SHEET PENTECOST THREE (SUNDAY 14 JUNE, 11AM)

FIRST HYMN: 203 – When in our music God is glorified

COLLECT: O Lord, you always guide your people whom you build up on the foundation of your love: make us ever stand in awe of your holy Name and love you in equal measure: through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READINGS: Exodus 19:2-8a Romans 5:1-8

GRADUAL HYMN: 64 – Sing, all creation

GOSPEL: Matthew 9:35-10:8

FINAL HYMN: 248 – For my sake and the gospel's, go

PRAYER LIST

David, Katie, Jim, Lauren, Iain, Colin, Robert, Catherine, Rosemary, Sophia, Anne, Shelagh, Christine, May, Jean.

Nursing Homes: Elsie, John.

Year's Mind: Emily Downie (14th), Revd John Hill (15th), Kyle Malone, Robert Barr (17th), Elizabeth Wylie, Very Revd Randal MacAlister (19th).

OFFERTORY HYMN: 363 – We have a gospel to proclaim

13/06/2026

MUSIC NOTES FOR PENTECOST 3 / MUSIC SUNDAY

This coming Sunday has been identified by the Royal School of Church Music as ‘Music Sunday’, when we celebrate the role of music in the church’s life.

HYMN: When in our music God is glorified: words by the Rev Frederick Pratt Green (1971), sung to the tune ‘Engelberg’ by Charles Villiers Stanford (1904) which was originally set to ‘For all the saints’.

https://youtu.be/bSTARGfNayE

ORGAN PRELUDE: Master Tallis’ Testament (1953) by Herbert Howells, a homage to one of England’s greatest sixteenth-century composers, Thomas Tallis (1505-1585). Like many of Howells’s organ works, the piece starts and ends quietly, with a crescendo to a powerful peak in the middle.

https://youtu.be/V5Rn2B3uwak

ORGAN POSTLUDE: Psalm-Prelude Set 2, No 3 (1940) by Herbert Howells, inspired by the words from Psalm 33, “Sing unto Him a new song: play skilfully with a loud noise’. The mood is one of exuberant joy; the opening and closing sections are most definitely played ‘with a loud noise’, the skilfulness I leave to your own opinion!

https://youtu.be/7l9keFyfdfw

For Music Sunday [RSCM]Words: Published in 1971 by English Method...

07/06/2026

SERVICE SHEET - PENTECOST 2 (SUNDAY 7 JUNE- 11AM).

FIRST HYMN: 666 – Let all mortal flesh keep silence

COLLECT: O God, our hope and strength, the source and end of all our prayers: because our mortal nature is weak we can do nothing good without your help: support us with your grace, that in keeping your commandments we may ever remain in your love : through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READINGS: Hosea 5:15-6:6 Romans 4:13-25

GRADUAL HYMN: 509 – Jesus calls us

GOSPEL: Matthew 9:9-13,18-26

OFFERTORY HYMN: 664 Part 1 – Here, O my Lord

FINAL HYMN: 664 Part II – Too soon we rise

PRAYER LIST

David, Katie, Jim, Lauren, Iain, Colin, Robert, Catherine, Rosemary, Sophia, Anne, Shelagh, Christine, Jean.

Nursing Homes: Elsie, John.

Year's Mind: Henry Russell, Constance Moultrie (8th), Retta Potter, Jean Lyle (10th), Catarina Dalesjo (11th), Fiona Duncan, Alice Rennie (12th),

06/06/2026

MUSIC NOTES FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF PENTECOST

This week’s music is inspired by the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, which took place on Thursday.

HYMN: Let all mortal flesh keep silence: written in the 5th century, and taken from the Liturgy of St James (The Less); the tune ‘Picardy’ is an arrangement of a 17th century French carol

https://youtu.be/vS8-KoZG-Ls


ORGAN PRELUDE: Communion for organ - Ave Verum (1943) by American composer Everett Titcomb, a rarely-heard contemplative piece based on the plainchant melody for the ancient hymn ‘Hail True Body, Born of Mary’

https://youtu.be/ZysucLvTAkE

ORGAN POSTLUDE: Improvisation on ‘Cibavit Eos’, another rarely-heard work by Everett Titcomb, based upon the Gregorian chant for the Introit for the day, 'Cibavit eos' (He fed them from the fullness of the wheat, Alleluia. And sated them with honey from the rock, Alleluia).

https://youtu.be/c4jQpiLMe3M

For Corpus Christi / Pentecost 2WORDS: Perhaps written in the 5th...

03/06/2026

A VIEW FROM THE PEW: sunlight coming through the stained glass in the Lady Chapel on Pentecost Sunday, casting colour on the wall and on the carved screen. Lower left panel shows the eagle of St John, with a banner reading ‘S Iohannes’

Thanks to Peter Christie.

02/06/2026

Sunday School 31st May

Our message in a bottle from Matthew 28:19, 'Go and make disciples'.

Big thanks to Ibukun for assisting and Samuel for reading in Church. Thanks also to all the children for their assembly style workrate and our own Dorothy (red shoes & basket) AKA Nova!

Next meetings 14th & 28th June.

01/06/2026

CRUISE SHIP VISITORS- JUNE.

It's June! This month we look forward to welcoming visitors from the following cruise ships: Norwegian Sky (Tuesday 2nd), Arcadia (Saturday 6th), Nieuw Statendam (Sunday 7th), Majestic Princess (Tuesday 9th), Mein Schiff 2 (Wednesday 10th), and Oceania Vista (Friday 19th).

31/05/2026

SERVICE SHEET TRINITY SUNDAY (SUN 31 MAY AT 1100).

FIRST HYMN: 111 – Holy, holy, holy

COLLECT: Almighty and Everlasting God, you have given us grace in the profession of the true faith to recognize the glory of the eternal Trinity: keep us steadfast in this faith and bring us to see you in your perfect and eternal unity : through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

READINGS: Genesis 1:1-2a,4a
2 Corinthians 13:11-13

GRADUAL HYMN: 521 – Children of God

GOSPEL: Matthew 28:16-20

OFFERTORY HYMN: 498 – Angel voices, ever singing

FINAL HYMN: 682 – Go in grace

PRAYER LIST

David, Katie, Jim, Lauren, Iain, Colin, Robert, Catherine, Rosemary, Sophia, Anne, Shelagh, Christine, Jean.

Nursing Homes: Elsie, John.

Year's Mind: James McKinlay, Nellie Fulton (1st June), Ross Mellis (2nd), Leslie Alcock (6th)

30/05/2026

MUSIC NOTES FOR TRINITY SUNDAY

HYMN: Holy, holy, holy, written in 1826 by English poet and cleric Reginald Heber (1783-1826) while Bishop of Calcutta; the tune is ‘Nicaea’, written in 1861 by the great hymn tune composer John Bacchus D***s.

https://youtu.be/mlpqUgPH68Q

ORGAN PRELUDE: 'O Lux Beata Trinitas’ (O Trinity of blesséd light and princely unity) by Cumbrian composer Phillip Cooke (published 2024); it’s based on the plainsong melody for the 4th century hymn ‘attributed to St Ambrose. Images: A the stained glass within St John’s Church of Scotland Largs, which sadly closed in 2024.

https://youtu.be/e52A5kPLNG4

ORGAN POSTLUDE: Fugue in Eb Major ‘St Anne’ by JS Bach, associated by many with the Trinity as there is a plethora of musical nods to the number 3; the three sections could be thought of as representing the different facets of the Trinity. The name 'St Anne' is a reference to the opening (and closing) theme, which closely resembles the much later hymn tune 'St Anne', which we sing to 'O God our help in ages past'.

https://youtu.be/7gfxsW92Yg0

WORDS: Written by English poet and cleric Reginald Heber (1783-1826) while Bishop of Calcutta, and published in 1826 - the year of his early deathMany of his...