Everyone is welcome at st mary’s with no exceptions

Our Vision

Glorifying God through welcoming and inspiring worship.
Being a community growing in faith, hope and love.
Caring for the lost, the lonely and the vulnerable.
Seeking and serving God's purposes for transforming the world

Our mission

To live justly, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God in the service of Christ.

Inclusivity

We are a liberal, inclusive church committed to providing a warm and appropriate welcome for everyone who comes through our doors. In line with our mission to live justly, to love kindness and to walk humbly with God in the service of Christ, we aim to take an active approach to inclusivity. We want everyone to feel welcome here, regardless of age, race, religion, ability, sex, gender or gender reassignment, family makeup, sexual orientation, mental health, socioeconomic circumstances or any other factor.

To support this:

We have designated our 11.15 family service as a ‘relaxed service’ to ensure we are able to offer something for everyone on Sundays
Our Baptistry is being converted into a ‘calm room’ should any one feel overwhelmed during a service or be in need a quiet space to reflect and pray.
We aim to adopt clear and accessible language in all our communications (oral, visual and written), ensuring that all service booklets include an explanation of not just the form the service takes but why. There will also be a clear notice of our commitment on display on our board in the field and an extensive FAQ section for our website explaining this commitment to ensure everyone can access the information they need.
We shall offer blessings of same sex relationships as soon as the forms of service are approved by the Church of England, whether or not the parties an existing connection with St Mary’s.
An Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) Policy has been developed to help ensure our actions match our intent. This will be reviewed annually.
A member of the DCC (District Church Council) will be appointed to serve as inclusivity lead and to ensure our progress is reviewed regularly.

We hold a range of services that aim to meet everyone’s needs. These include four services on Sundays and quieter, more reflective services on all other days click here for details.

Inclusivity is an on-going commitment and one we take seriously. We know we must never become complacent. So if you have any comments or suggestions or would like to became a special adviser and input to the guidance clergy, lay leaders and pastoral support workers, please.

Christian Beliefs

God's Love: we believe that in spite of all the suffering in the world God made the universe and loves everybody in it.

God's Son: we believe that unless God helps us none of us would know very much about God. That's why we believe he sent his Son Jesus into the world, so that we could not only know more about him but also know him personally. And that's why at St Mary's we stress the importance of not just believing in God but believing in Jesus.

The Bible: we believe that the Bible is a unique record of God's relationship with the world. Through its pages we learn especially about Jesus. Because he is the revelation of God, the Bible is the authoritative book on God's purposes for the world.

Questions: we bring our whole self, including our intellect, to God, so it is important to ask questions such as: