Bible by the beach

We attended “Bible by the Beach” for the first time on the May bank holiday. This is an annual event held in the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne about 100 metres or so from the beach. This year the theme was ‘Commending Christ in a Changing World’ focussing on empowering and equipping us to live and … Read more …

Growth Group Reorganisation

Our Growth Groups are such an encouragement to many at St Mary’s. We have a number of groups that meet in the evenings, and also some daytime groups. In September the evening Growth Groups will be reorganising. This will be a good time for new people to get involved, so I’m writing to explain why … Read more …

Vicar’s Address

Annual Parochial Church Meeting – 23rd April 2026 Jon shares the Vicar’s Address he gave at the Thanksgiving Evening and Annual Church Meeting last week. I’d like to start this Vicar’s Address with the St Mary’s Mission Statement. It sums up the thrilling, vital task, which God has graciously given us as his people. Our … Read more …

Pop-Up Theology: Pray Like a Reformer

The life and work of Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury under Henry VIII and unparalleled reformer of the English church, was the subject of our enlightening and fruitful seminar led by Adam Curtis, with a particular focus on the Collects that Cranmer wrote for the Book of Common Prayer (1549 and 1552). As Adam explained, … Read more …

Quiz Night

Members of the 6.30pm congregation at St Mary’s gathered on Saturday night for a quiz that was, quite frankly, a sell-out crowd. From the start, it was clear this wasn’t going to be your average, politely-nodding-along kind of evening. The rounds were terrifically well-chosen, blending cerebral challenges with tasks that required intense focus. There was … Read more …

Lent Reading

I’ve tried various initiatives over Lent, such as giving up various things, the 40 acts of stewardship, and reading as many Christian books as I can. My favourite is definitely reading the books. This is the second year I have done this. It is amazing how much more time to read most of us have … Read more …

Gospel Organisations St Mary’s Supports

Some members of the St Mary’s church family may not be aware that alongside our mission partners, we support a number of gospel organisations. As you will see from the short summaries below these organisations either aid teaching of the gospel message, or training and support for those in or entering gospel ministry work. 1. … Read more …

Football and Friendship

Recently, a merry band from St Mary’s found themselves at York Road, cheering on Maidenhead United with the English learners among Maidenhead’s local asylum seeker population, who, frankly, knew far more about football than the rest of us put together. From the moment we arrived, they were completely gripped by the action, and by the … Read more …