Who we are

We're a medium-sized congregation of all ages, races and backgrounds. Those who visit us often comment on the variety of people they meet. What we have in common is a discovery that Jesus Christ is real, gives purpose to our lives and helps us make sense of the world we live in. Our church building is fairly modern, but there has been a Church here for nearly 200 years. It has always specialised in evangelism and Bible-teaching and has tried to show the love of God in practical ways. (Back in the 1880s, about 1200 people used to come to the Morning Service, then the church would serve a hot lunch to 800 poor people -we're nowhere near as big as that now, but we'd like to get bigger!)

What we do

We meet on Sundays for a variety of worship-services: some traditional, some modern; some very informal, some more formal. There is a Sunday Club (during Morning Service) for the children, a variety of Home Groups for Bible-Study and discussion and social events. We have a newly-refurbished Church Hall which is often available to hire for meetings, children's parties etc. We run a Parent & Toddler Group and try to be aware of the concerns and needs of our neighbours and to do what we can to meet them. We're hoping to appoint a Children's worker quite soon and we regularly run Alpha Courses for people who'd like to know more about the Christian faith.

What we can offer

A warm welcome – it's always exciting to meet new people (there are facilities for babies and young children during the Morning Service). All ages are welcome! An opportunity to get involved if you'd like to. We're continually looking for people to help with our activities – and we welcome new ideas! Relevant, lively and practical Bible-teaching. A large number of our members have gone into various forms of Christian Ministry, having been inspired by what they've learned at St Mary's. If you'd like more information, the Vicar (Rev. Dr. Roger Curl) or the Parish Assistant (Jane Oldham) would be glad to hear from you.