We would love to welcome you to our services at St Mary’s.
On almost every Sunday, there is a service at 10am.
On the first Sunday of the month, this is an All Age Messy Eucharist.
This is a craft, messy service specially designed for children, families and friends.
We will sing hymns and songs, share in a talk, craft or activity, and celebrate Holy Communion using accessible language.
After the service there will be a children’s story time in our Children’s Chapel.
This service lasts about an hour.
On other Sundays there is a Eucharist that is a little more formal in nature. It might be called a Parish Eucharist or a Festal Eucharist.
We will sing sections of the service and hymns, there will be a sermon, and Holy Communion will be celebrated in a more structured way.
There will still be games, activities or colouring for children, available in our Children’s Chapel.
This service lasts about an hour and a quarter.
St Mary’s is an Inclusive Church, and seeks to be welcoming to all. Whoever you are, and wherever you are on your journey of faith, you are welcome at every service at St Mary’s.
The church building is fully accessible, and equipped with accessible WCs and baby changing facilities. A hearing aid loop is in operation. There is no dress code; no expectation of silence; and no seating plan.
Our liturgy is in the Anglican tradition, and is carefully crafted to be faithful to that tradition and to the scriptures while also embracing creativity and enjoying a certain amount of chaos. All the words that the congregation share are printed in a service booklet; music is provided in hymn books or seperate sheets.
St Mary’s offers Eucharistic hospitality to all Christians who have been baptised and prepared to receive communion in their churches. Gluten free communion bread is available. We admit children to receive communion, and children are welcome at every service at St Mary’s.
There are also services in the afternoon on the First and Third Sundays of the month.
On the first Sunday of the month there is also a service at 6pm.
This is Evening Prayer according to the Book of Common Prayer, also known as Evensong.
We will sing sections of the service and hymns and there will be a short sermon. With the exception of the sermon, the whole service is in traditional language – with thees and thous throughout.
To create an intimate atmosphere this service is held with everybody sitting in the Chancel, at the front of church.
This service lasts about three quarters of an hour.
On the third Sunday of the Month there is also a service at 4pm.
This is a Eucharist that uses chanted music from the Taize Community to create a contemplative and prayerful atmosphere. These chants are sung in a simple and repetative way.
The service also incorporates periods of quiet and still reflection, and there will be a short creative meditation – on a poem or an art work – in the service.
To encourage a prayerful atmosphere this service also makes use of candlelight.
This service lasts about an hour.
There are also many other special or seasonal services held at St Mary’s, and details of these and many other community events are available in the ‘What’s On’ section of this website.
The church building now includes a community hall, and refreshments are often served here after services. Please stay for refreshments – we would love to meet you and introduce you to members of the community.