St John's Hoxton A Beacon Of Hope For Hoxton

Connect Groups

Connect Groups are small groups of church members and friends who meet up midweek for food, friendship and mutual support. They provide a place where we can be real with one another - sharing the ups and downs of life, and praying for one another. They meet in people’s homes or in the church, and run on different days and at various times. For more information, please email Graham.

Connect Group Summer 2013 (Click to open flyer)

Develop as Disciples

One of our priorities as a congregation for the year ahead is to Develop as Disciples. Simply put, this means that we are committed to helping each other become better followers of Jesus.

A ‘Disciple’ is simply a follower of Jesus – but as we all know, following Jesus obediently is not always easy. We don’t become Christians and then find that miraculously our lives are perfect – rather, we become Christians, and then begin the life-long journey of following where Jesus leads us. This requires hard-work, perseverance and patience – and also some help from one another as we seek to grow in our discipleship.

The Great Commission

In Matthew 28:16-20, Jesus leaves his disciples, and the church, with a clear instruction:
‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’ (Jesus, the Bible)
Our response is to make sure that we have the systems and structures in place in our church life to ensure that we can grow in our obedience to God’s commands, and so also teach others how to obey more faithfully.

Current Models of Discipleship

You may be surprised to know that there are already a good number of ways that you can easily grow as a disciple of Christ here at St John’s. However, it may also be that you would like to try something new to kick-start a new season of growth in your faith. Here’s a list of some current places / activities where discipleship can happen:

• Worshipping at church on a Sunday.
• Daily devotional time (finding some time, however small, to read the bible and pray every day).
• Serving on a team at church on a Sunday.
• Coming to take part in midweek prayer meetings.
• Joining the fortnightly Connect Group.
• Take part in a weekly Lent group (in the run up to Easter).
• Serving on an outreach team (Hackney Foodbank, Hackney Winter Night Shelter, Alpha).
• Attending the Alpha Course.
• 1-2-1 pastoral appointments with the Vicar or another leader.
• Self-study and personal discipleship (reading Christian books, listening to Christian radio or podcasts, attending special conferences or training sessions).
• Meeting with a prayer partner / triplet to read the bible and pray for each other.

For more information or advice, please contact the leadership team:

Graham Hunter (Vicar)
Alice Venning (Assistant Minister)