St Mary's offers a very warm welcome to families with children of all ages. We take children seriously as enquiring Christians and aim to support parents and carers in nurturing their children's faith. If you bring children to worship, no-one will 'shush' your children and our congregation is used to children being children – and not small adults! – so if they make some noise, it's fine. There is also a safe reserved space with toys in the vestry at the back of the church for any child who might need to let off some steam. Adults can see and hear the service here too.
Four years ago, St Mary’s started using Godly Play in place of the traditional “Sunday School” model of Christian education and nurture for children. At the heart of the vision of Godly Play are four principles:
A typical godly play session involves time to:
Our children have found it a wonderful way of being together with God and one another and our leaders love it too. To find out more contact: Cal Alphonse [email protected]
Godly Play takes place during the 11am service, except on the First Sunday of the month, when the [email protected] service takes place (see below). Children leave with a prayer from one of the clergy and return for a blessing at Holy Communion.
Our new service at 9.30am on the First Sunday of the month is aimed at those who find an 11am service is not ideal for a family with many commitments, or who prefer a shorter, more child-friendly act of worship. It is led by Revd. Aaron Kennedy and a small team and last for 45 minutes. Contact Aaron Kennedy for more details.
If you want to know more about St Mary's, contact the clergy or for another enquiry, please use the Contact Us facility below.
Contact Us