Being an Anglican (Church of England)

St Andrew and St Mark

We are part of the Diocese of Southwark, with our Area Bishop in Kingston.

The Anglican Church is a broad church and worship in a parish church can vary. However, Anglicans share a common prayer book, the famous Book of Common Prayer (BCP) which we use at our 8am service on a Sunday and at Choral Evensong. The BCP has been updated, and the church now uses Common Worship; the language is more contemporary and there is more variety. This is used for most of our other services.

At St Andrew and St Mark worship is traditional but with contemporary edges. We fit broadly into the ‘liberal catholic’ which won’t mean much to you if you are not churchy. Liberal can be interpreted in a variety of ways; but for us it means among other things an intellectual curiosity about faith and life, allowing the freedom to question and explore Christianity. Catholic in this context means that the sacraments (Baptism and the Eucharist) are very important to us. Our worship is centred on our sacramental life, especially the weekly parish Eucharist (also called Holy Communion/Lord’s Supper). We are also lucky to have a fantastic choral tradition in our parish and an excellent choir.

Affirming Catholicism: to find out more about that word ‘catholic’ for Anglicans.

Inclusive Church Network: an organisation representing the liberal wing of the church.

The Anglican Church and faith

St Andrew and St Mark is an Anglican Church – part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. Archbishop Rowan Williams is the Primate (Head Bishop) of the Church in England (and also the Archbishop of Canterbury).

The Scriptures and the Gospels (Bible) the Apostolic Church and the early Church Fathers, are the foundation of Anglican faith and worship in the 38 self-governing churches that make up the Anglican Communion.