St John the Evangelist Church in Sidcup threw open its doors to the public over the weekend of September 19 and 20 to share its history as well as its hospitality.

On September 19, St John the Evangelist church in Sidcup threw open its doors to welcome visitors, as did many other notable public buildings, as part of London’s Open House Day. St John’s is a busy parish church in the centre of Sidcup and has been part of the community since 1844.

Over 50 people visited the church and viewed a variety of displays, which chronicled the history of the church, as well as learning about the many groups who operate from the church. The art group put on a display of their artwork and this was extremely well received.

The following day, the church hosted a Harvest lunch which was open to both regular worshippers and new faces in order to coincide with Back To Church Sunday. Over 60 people attended the lunch and they also had an opportunity to purchase raffle tickets to win a variety of prizes. All the food provided was home-cooked by church members and included cooked meats, meat pies, quiches, salads and a variety of desserts. After dessert, coffee and chocolates were served followed by the raffle draw. Everybody had a wonderful time and it was a relaxing way to enjoy Sunday lunch.

Profits from the day will go towards church funds.

St John the Evangelist is planning a number of events in the future which are open to the general public: On October 31 there will be a table sale in the church hall. Each table will cost £10 to hire and entrance fee is 50p per person.

On November 21, St John’s church will hold a quiz night. On December 20, St John’s church will be holding a Christmas craft activity day for children aged four to 11 years old. The same day the church’s very popular Carols by Candlelight takes place at 6.30pm.

On December 24, Christmas Eve, the children’s Christmas crib service takes place at 4.30pm, and families are warmly invited. The Christmas Midnight Mass is at 11.30pm.

Please contact the parish office on 020 8309 0866 for further information or visit the website at stjohnchurch.co.uk