sundays are the beating heart of our communal life together.
Sunday services
We meet every Sunday at both churches to gather around the Gospel and worship God by sharing communion, singing songs, praying together, and even chatting over a brew; this communal expression of faith and worship animates everything else we do.
There’s nothing spectacular about this. We are just normal folk called together by God, and living out our ordinary lives with the extraordinary Spirit of God.
unity and diversity
We are two expressions of church, but we are one parish united in vision and mission. Having both unity and diversity means that we can span the breadth of the Anglican tradition to which we belong, and plumb the depths of God’s Church at large.
where you
can find us
St John the Evangelist
10:00am │ Upper Church Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, TN37 7AT
Our more contemplative service, following the Common Worship liturgy of the Church of England, with traditional hymns often led on the organ in a beautiful Victorian church, with refreshments after the service.
The Eucharist is usually celebrated at St John’s on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month.
NB: The service sheets are uploaded here towards the end of each working week. Please check the date to ensure it’s the correct one.
St peter & St Paul
(aka “P&P”)
10:15am │ Parkstone Road, Hastings, TN34 2NT
Our less formal service, singing some contemporary songs as well as the more well-known hymns in a modern setting. Refreshments are served after the service. We also have a children’s group that meets in the church room for some fun Bible-based crafts and activities.
The Eucharist is usually celebrated at P&P on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month.
The first Sunday of each month at P&P is our families service aimed at children, where we worship God with creativity, singing, dancing, acting and fun.
NB: on Sunday 8th June there will be just one 10:30 service in the parish at St John's and no service at P&P - click here to find out more
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NB: on Sunday 8th June there will be just one 10:30 service in the parish at St John's and no service at P&P - click here to find out more 〰️
The Eucharist
The Eucharist is our thanksgiving meal in which we praise God for His faithfulness, grace, and love for us in Jesus. It is the “high point” of our worship in both settings.
Whether you have no faith and just want to observe,
or you have faith smaller than a mustard seed,
or you have faith that can move mountains,
whether you love the Lord a little,
but you would like to love Him more,
you are welcome at the table.
Being a large and diverse parish with limited resources, we can’t always observe this feast every week, depending on which of our team is doing what and where, but you can always be guaranteed an atmosphere of worship, a thought-provoking and encouraging talk, and as ever a warm and friendly welcome.
Accessibility
Working with older buildings brings some significant challenges, hence why we have building projects in the pipeline for both of our churches to bring them up to modern standards.
St John’s:
The church building itself is fully accessible with ramps up into the nave and plenty of room for wheelchairs towards the back.
As part of our proposed building project, the remaining pews will be removed to allow for a more flexible space.
St John’s has a hearing loop on the south side of the nave by the organ.
PLEASE NOTE: the toilet at St John’s is situated in the church room which is the small building next door to the church. Unfortunately, we do not currently have an accessible toilet, a problem our building project will address.
P&P:
has step free access throughout, and an accessible toilet.
There are no pews so wheelchair users can use the entire space.
Children:
We love children and all that they bring to the life of the church. We are working on better ways of integrating children into our worship to create safe, fun-filled spaces for them to learn and grow in faith. We want children to be seen and heard, and to feel at home in our churches. Children are allowed to be children, so they are very welcome to explore, make noise, be themselves, and above all, have fun.
If you’re planning to visit and have specific needs please do get in touch to let us know how we can help accommodate you.
Inclusivity
Churches are meant to be for everyone and anyone, but we recognise that they can be potentially inaccessible and overwhelming spaces for some people. Accessibility and inclusivity is really important to us, so we’re doing our best to make sure our churches are communities that anyone can call home.
We are a diverse group of people with a wide range of views and experiences on a variety of different issues, but we believe there is beauty in diversity, and we are striving to be a place of unconditional welcome, where all people can grow, find purpose and have the space to encounter Jesus. We expect everyone in our communities to be generous and to hold those with differing views in love, grace, and mutual respect as children of God.
We want to actively encourage all people to flourish in all roles in our parish. So no matter what your background, race, disability, sexuality, gender, or gender identity everyone is welcome and has a part to play.
Help us HELP YOU
We always want to ensure that everyone feels welcome and able to access our services, but we know we won’t always succeed and can always improve. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch to let us know how we can better accommodate you and any specific needs you may have.