Our Passions
"All are welcome in this place"
St Andrew’s has many strengths and passions, but some are particularly key in understanding the character of the community.
We are an inclusive church. Our congregation represents the local area in its diversity, and all are invited to participate fully in the life of the church regardless of ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, ability or age, with a blend of many people of different ages from a whole range of ethnic, cultural, educational, social, sexual and financial backgrounds. We value people and we seek to find what each can offer, and celebrate our different contributions. We see in each a reflection of the image of God to be encouraged and nurtured. We have been, and would want to continue to be, a place of refuge for the bruised. We aim to develop our hospitality to all.
The style of worship is deeply important. The sacrament is fundamental and the weekly celebration of the Eucharist is the focal point of our worship. This is enhanced by our strong choral musical tradition and we value excellence in this field. This includes less formal elements during participation in the Eucharist which enhances the experience of worship.
Particularly since our lent focus in 2021 we have become acutely aware of our responsibility to care for God’s creation, and have embarked on the path towards becoming an eco church - so far having achieved the bronze award. We work to bring this to the foreground of people’s awareness.
We identify as being a liberal catholic church and would seek to reflect the breadth of all five marks of mission, rather than a gospel more sharply focused on personal salvation alone. We seek to nurture and grow discipleship in all.
We have pioneered the work of Youth Ministry in Communion (YMIC) and would want to enable this to reach its potential and transform not only the lives of youth locally, but the way in which the broader church is able to regain confidence and offer grace to this generation.
Photo: Bronze Eco Church Award - We recently became an eco church.
Photo: Two faithful members of our congregation with the bake-sale stall at our Summer Fair.
We seek to be faithful to the teaching of the bible and the tradition of the church, to encourage personal faith to deepen and mature, and to draw out vocations in the broadest sense, to what God is calling each individual.
We are motivated by the good news of the Gospel to engage with the community in which we are placed. This expresses itself in practical care for the community around - be it through our Homeless Project or the work of our estate youth club. We enjoy very good relationships with the community who recognise and value the contribution made by the church.