St John the Divine Kennington

09/06/2026

Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love - ‘in conversation with Fr Charlie’ at Southwark Cathedral, Saturday 20th June at 2:30pm. More information can be found on the Cathedral's website here: https://cathedral.southwark.anglican.org/whats-on/2006-stories-of-faith-hope-and-love-in-conversation-with-charlie-baczyk-bell/

Can we tell a different story about the future of the Church?

Join Rev'd Dr Charlie Bączyk-Bell for the launch of 'Stories of Faith, Hope and Love.' This is a timely and compelling book that reimagines the Church of England with honesty, courage and hope.

Bringing together fifteen distinctive voices from across the Church of England and beyond, the book offers a generous and theologically rich vision for the Church's future: honest about present challenges, yet alive to the possibilities of renewal.

The conversation will be followed by an audience Q&A.

📅 Saturday 20 June | 2.30pm
📍 Southwark Cathedral Library

Free tickets available from Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/stories-of-faith-hope-and-love-charlie-baczyk-bell-tickets-1987398584666?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

02/06/2026

Sneak peak behind the scenes at choir rehearsal. We are so blessed by the gifts and dedication of our choir members who enrich our worship week in and week out at St John the Divine.

28/05/2026

We are very happy to report that our Organ console construction is coming along nicely at the workshop. It should look similar to the photo on the right when completed. Many more updates to follow in June, when our organ builders begin installing the pipework in the organ loft at St John the Divine.

So far, we have raised 62% of the £1.1 million required for the full project. We are waiting to hear back on a couple of outstanding grant applications, which we pray will be successful. This is a critical juncture in the Organ Project's timeline. In order to complete the organ installation seamlessly from 1st of June (rather than stopping and restarting construction), we need to raise approximately £300,000.

If you are able to contribute, please do consider donating to the Organ Project either through Just Giving: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sjdkorganproject?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=CL

Or via bank transfer:
Account name : St John and St James Parochial Church Council

Sort Code: 20 66 51

Account number: 20794082

Reference: Organ Fund

If you are a UK taxpayer and would like the donation to include Giftaid, please email [email protected] with your name and address.

27/05/2026

It was a joy to celebrate Pentecost with Bishop Martin, the Bishop of Kingston, and our international feast after Mass! Many thanks to all who participated!

26/05/2026

A Word Called Change: Songs for Windrush
There will be a very special concert in the church at 6pm on Monday 22nd June, Windrush Day. Using a grant from Near Neighbours we have commissioned a new set of songs to celebrate the history of Windrush in the parish. The text is drawn verbatim from interviews with members of our community, and has been turned into lyrics by Fr. Charlie's sister, Olivia Bell. These songs have been set to music by Ed, our organist, and will be sung by the children's choirs. The concert is free to attend, and there will be a feast afterwards, with plenty of rum! All are most welcome.

21/05/2026

PENTECOST is Sunday 24th May – 10.30am Mass will be followed by our International Lunch. The Bishop of Kingston will be with us for Pentecost. All are welcome! St John the Divine is proud of its rich cultural diversity, which all started on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the early Church and sent them to the ends of the earth to bear witness to God's redeeming love in Christ.

20/05/2026

CLOSES SOON: St John the Divine is now recruiting for our next organist to join our Music Ministry Team in September 2026. We are delighted that Ed Picton-Turbevill's career has flourished during his tenure as our organist and he will now be focusing on his composing. This is an exciting time to join our music department as the appointee will have the privilege of playing a cathedral-quality instrument upon the completion of our organ installation. For more information or to apply, please visit www.sjdk.org/vacancies . Closes midnight, 24th of May 2026.

Join our Music Team! Vacancy: Organist Term: Permanent (subject to probation period of 6 months)Salary: £9,500/annum (£791.67/month)Hours: Four hours/weekStart date: September 2026Please review the JOB DESCRIPTION for full details about the role and requirements. Application Process To apply for t...

19/05/2026

It was a joy to celebrate our Patronal Festival on the 10th of May with so many cherished guests. The Dean of Southwark, the Very Revd Mark Oakley, preached, and we were also joined by the monks of St Michael’s Fellowship, La Rivelaine, Belgium (who make our beautiful incense) who sang the Marian anthem at the end of the Patronal Mass.

After the Mass, Kawsay-UK (a group who mentors and teaches young people in traditional Ecuadorian dance), who have become a valued part of our community, presented some dancing.

Fue una alegría celebrar nuestra Fiesta Patronal el 10 de mayo con tantos invitados entrañables. El deán de Southwark, el reverendo Mark Oakley, predicó, y también nos acompañaron los monjes de la Fraternidad de San Miguel, La Rivelaine, Bélgica (quienes elaboran nuestro hermoso incienso), quienes cantaron el himno mariano al final de la Misa Patronal.

Después de la Misa, Kawsay-UK (un grupo que guía y enseña a jóvenes en danza tradicional ecuatoriana), que se ha convertido en una parte valiosa de nuestra comunidad, ofreció una presentación de danza.

14/05/2026

A wonderful story in the Guardian today about our choirs!

St John the Divine, Kennington has built one of UK’s largest youth choral programmes in area marked by deprivation

13/05/2026

We are incredibly proud to share that one of our brilliant girl choristers has been awarded a place at St Paul's Cathedral, where she will sing as a chorister from September 2026.

While we’ll be sad to see her go, we couldn’t be more excited for all the amazing things ahead of her. Congratulations- what a wonderful achievement!