Music

There has been a long tradition of music at Eltham Parish Church. The Choir sings at the 10am Holy Communion every Sunday and at other significant services during the church year. The church contains a very fine 3-manual organ built by Henry Willis.

Each year, a festival is held to celebrate the patron saint St John the Baptist. This festival held on the Sunday closest to the saint’s feast day of 24th June.

The choir sings a wide range of music including hymns, and anthems. Anyone is welcome to join. If you would like to get involved in the music at St John’s, by singing in the choir or in some other way, please do get in touch with Theo – either by email or by speaking to him after one of our Sunday morning services. We very much welcome anyone who is interested in joining in with our music-making, whether you are an experienced musician or have never sung in public before!

The Church is also used for concerts throughout the year, celebrating many different genres of music.

For more information on upcoming events look at our events page.

The Organist

Theo Lester was appointed organist of St John’s in 2019. He was trained in music from an early age as a chorister in the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, with whom he toured internationally and performed for numerous television and CD recordings and broadcasts. Theo was an organ scholar at St Peter’s College, Oxford, and specialised in orchestral and choral directing following his time at university, conducting the Leicestershire Sinfonia, the choir of Pembroke College, Oxford, and other amateur and professional ensembles. He now spends his days working as a barrister in the areas of public law and human rights.

If you would like to get involved in the music at St John’s, by singing in the choir or in some other way, please do get in touch with Theo – either by email or by speaking to him after one of our Sunday morning services. We very much welcome anyone who is interested in joining in with our music-making, whether you are an experienced musician or have never sung in public before!

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect on a Sunday morning. People of all ages and backgrounds are welcome to join us. We are an eclectic inclusive church. There is space for buggies and it is a safe place for breastfeeding.

Where and When

We meet in the Church for our Sunday Service starting at 10am. When you arrive, you will be greeted by one of our welcomers.

Accessibility: There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. We don't currently have a disabled toilet.

Our Service

The main service begins at 10am with a warm welcome from the priest. You will then be invited to stand and we sing a hymn while the choir, servers and priest process in. The service can be followed in the service booklet handed out by the welcomers. Our style of worship follows the Church of England Common Worship. It is easy to follow, with a mixture of prayers and hymns (both traditional and modern), and includes Holy Communion each week. We all begin together in church, and on the weeks when there is Children's Church, the children move into the hall before the readings begin. They then rejoin us for Communion. After the service free refreshments are available in the hall.

What about my kids?

Children are welcome in the church service. There are books available and a colouring table. We encourage parents to help the children engage in the service by following the service sheet together, joining in with the talk in All Age services, and joining in with prayers where they can.

On the second, third (and sometimes fourth) Sunday of the month we have Children's Church which uses the Diddy Disciples resources. It involves bible stories, songs, prayers and craft. Parents are encouraged to stay with their children if they are below school age to help them get as much out of the session as possible.

We want parents to be able to feel they can worship as much as possible as well as the children, so that church can be a place of refreshment, friendship and spiritually uplifting for everyone.

As children get older, there are more opportunities for them to participate in the life of the church. For more information please see our Children's Church page.

Children

Get in touch with us to plan your visit

If you would like to come and visit the church beforehand you are more than welcome! Get in touch and we can arrange a time that suits you.

Name:

Telephone:

Email Address:
Comments / Questions or anything you would like to say?

Next, we will contact you by email to say hello and help arrange anything necessary for your visit.

Leadership


Leader 1		Leader 2
Leader Intro		Leader Intro

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

Best Wishes

(Handwritten Signature)