We are blessed with an abundance of musical talent in our congregation. As well as our music groups and occasional choir, church members are involved in various local musical and arts pursuits.
Film
Our annual Lent Film Club explores the way cinema presents stories about ourselves in which we can trace themes common to all humanity: love, loss, truth, beauty, identity, diversity, conflict and mortality. This year’s film club theme is You are not alone
We will be showing these films weekly on a Thursday night at 7:30pm starting on Thursday 26th February with ‘The Life of Chuck’ (15) There is one mention of suicide and scenes of illness, which some might find upsetting. Tom Hiddleston stars and it is an ultimately uplifting and thought provoking film.
Music
Chorate Chamber Choir is a mixed-voice chamber choir which performs sacred and secular music from the 13th century to the present day. They are regular performers at St John’s and their concerts raise funds for charitable causes such as ReadiFood and Shelter.
The Scamping Rogues are a lively barn dance band made up of church members. They often offer their services free-of-charge if your event is raising money for a good cause. Swing your partner and do-si-do!
Art
Newtown and East Reading are home to a surprising number of artists and writers. Events like Winterval Windows bring everyone out onto the streets to enjoy the residents’ illuminated window art, while our local guerrilla street artist has brightened up the area with his vibrantly decorated electricity boxes. Our own Café is used for occasional art exhibitions such as our Hope Is … exhibition of art and poetry for Easter 2025.
In 2024 the children of St John’s School created a series of Stations of the Cross images which we used for our Good Friday service in 2025 and these will remain on display until the end of Easter season.
Café Théologique
Café Théologique is a place where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can come to explore the latest ideas in theology. Usually occurring at Zero Degrees Bar in Reading town centre (but also available online via Zoom), twice a term a speaker is invited to give a talk and lead a discussion on a wide variety of challenging issues, from the poetry of R.S. Thomas or Jay Hulme to whether archaeologists have discovered the real house of Jesus, from body-shaming to the sea as a space of spiritual encounter. More details are available on Café Théologique’s website and Facebook page.