Church Choir

Our choir is made up of singers of all ages and abilities, from professionals who kindly give up their spare time to sing with us, to enthusiastic amateurs who are learning to read music for the first time.

Anyone is welcome to join our choir - scroll down or click here to find out more about the benefits of singing and how to join.

What our choir does

The church's choir takes part in our regular Sunday morning services, leading the congregation in the singing of hymns and other sung parts of the service.

Around once every two weeks the choir performs an anthem (a piece for choir alone) during communion, and each month the choir sings psalms.

The choir often performs 'a capella' (without any accompaniment), but sometimes with piano or organ accompaniment.

The choir also takes centre stage for special choral services - like our annual St John's Day evensong and 'Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols' Christmas carol services.

For those special services the choir is often joined by friends of the church who are professional singers.

What do they sing?

The music the choir performs is taken from the tradition of Anglican choral music - an incredibly rich part of Britain's cultural heritage which we are working to keep alive at St John's.

So far in 2026 our repertoire has included the following:
Parry - My soul, there is a country
Farrant - Lord, for thy tender mercy's sake
White - A Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester (performed with our 'Blackbirds' Childrens' Choir)
Tchaikovsky - Holy, Holy, Holy
Bruckner - Pange Lingua
Gibbons - Drop Drop Slow Tears
Stainer - God so loved the world
Kucharski - Nunc Dimittis
Kucharski - Psalm 22
Woodward, Wood - This joyful Eastertide
Durufle - Ubi Caritas
Gibbons - Almighty and Everlasting God

The Choir's Schedule

We typically rehearse at 9:30 on a Sunday morning ahead of the 10am service. We sometimes meet for a short time after the service to start preparation for the following week.
There is no requirement for choir members to come to every (or even most!) rehearsals - our singers come and sing as and when they can.

Why join a choir?

The benefits of singing in a group with others are now very well established. As the Sing Up Foundation explains on their website, singing lowers cortisol and relieves stress and tension, boosts confidence, and is a mindful activity which can provide benefits such as increased focus.

How to join?

If you would be interested in joining us then please email Theo our choir director or speak to him after a Sunday morning service, to find out more!

Everyone is welcome to join our choir.

Maybe you're someone who has sung in choirs before, or maybe you've never sung in public before. We provide a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for anyone who is willing to give it a go.

There are no auditions required to join the choir - if you're curious, you can just come along and give it a try.

There is no religious requirement to join the choir - we accept singers of all faiths and none.

We are a relaxed group and there is no need to commit to coming every (or even most!) Sunday mornings - we are always happy to have people join as and when they are able.

We operate an email mailing list so that everyone knows what upcoming music we are working on and when we plan to perform a particular piece.

The Chorister's Prayer

Bless, O Lord, us Thy servants,
who minister in Thy temple.
Grant that what we sing with our lips,
we may believe in our hearts,
and what we believe in our hearts,
we may show forth in our lives.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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


Rev. Caroline Risdon		Rev. Jo McCrone
Vicar		Assistant Curate

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

Best Wishes

Caroline