Discussions about the future of the Parish of Wimbledon
The PCC met with the Archdeacon of Lambeth to explore the possibility of the parish becoming a group of parishes, with each of the churches becoming an individual parish. At the end of the meeting we thought that we should share this idea with the wider community so we can think together about whether this is the right thing to do. The Rector has written a paper on the subject to introduce it and the main issues around it. You can find this on St Mary's and the Parish website. the DCC and PCC will be discussion the issue again at their next meetings and we would like to know what you think. This will be a slow process which we will take our time over, but we think it is worth further consideration. Read Paper.
St Mary’s is one of four churches in the Parish of Wimbledon, the other three churches are:
St Matthew’s, Durham Road, Raynes Park, Vicar Revd Alastair Newman, Honorary Assistant Priest Revd Cynthia Jackson
St John’s, Spencer Hill, Wimbledon. Vicar Revd Dr Stephen Edmonds, Readers Peter Haddock & Sally Carter-Esdale
St Mark’s, St Mark’s Place, Wimbledon. Vicar Revd Jane Andrews, Pastoral Minister Paula Thorvaldsen
The Parish of Wimbledon
Originally the Parish of Wimbledon was under the patronage of the Archbishop of Canterbury but Henry VIII transferred it to himself for a short period after the Reformation. Later in exchange for some land, it was given to the Dean and Chapter of Worcester who remain nominally responsible for it and are still associated with the appointment of the incumbent. Today St Mary's Wimbledon is the Mother Church of four other churches, all originally built in the 19th century because of pressure of population. St John the Baptist on Spencer Hill and Emmanuel (a Proprietary church) are still standing. St Mark's in St Mark's Place was rebuilt in 1969 after a disastrous fire and St Matthew's was rebuilt by S. Comper after destruction by bombing during the Second World War. The services differ slightly between the churches so continuing the tradition of trying to meet the needs of all those who live in this locality. They are all part of the Rural Deanery of Merton and of the Diocese of Southwark.