Our Worship

Our services are relaxed and friendly, and they’re open to everyone, whether you’ve been to church before or not.

We believe that Jesus is present with us when we worship together, and that in our worship we see something of the glory of God.

We believe in the full and active participation of all people in our worship, because it is through our worship that God changes us and we are drawn ever closer to God.

We believe in coming to worship God with open hearts, ready to be changed, challenged and renewed by our interaction with God and one another.

Coming for the First Time?

If you’re coming for the first time, then you are sure to receive a warm welcome. There aren’t any particular rules, but you might notice that most people stand during some parts of the service and sit during other parts.

Someone will welcome you at the door and give you all that you need. You can sit anywhere you like.

Our Services

9 am Holy Communion

(Third Sunday of the month)

5 pm Sung Evensong

(Fifth Sunday of the month)

Find details of services at St Peter the Holy Apostle, Sompting or St Michael and All Angels, Lancing

For special services, go to our Coming Soon page.

Everyone is welcome to all our services

A recent welcome poster seen at a church

We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, gay, confused, filthy rich, comfortable, or dirt poor. We extend a special welcome to those who are crying new-borns, skinny as a rake or could afford to lose a few pounds.

We welcome you if you can sing like Pavarotti or can’t carry a note in a bucket. You’re welcome here if you’re ‘just browsing,’ just woke up or just got out of prison. We don’t care if you’re more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury, or haven’t been in church since little Jack’s christening.

We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet, and to teenagers who are growing up too fast. We welcome keep-fit mums, football dads, starving artists, tree-huggers, latte-sippers, vegetarians, junk-food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you’re having problems or you’re down in the dumps or if you don’t like ‘organised religion.’ We’ve been there too!

If you blew all your money on the horses, you’re welcome here. We offer a welcome to those who think the earth is flat, ‘work too hard,’ don’t work, can’t spell, or because grandma is in town and wanted to go to church.

We welcome those who are inked, pierced or both. We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down your throat as a kid or got lost and wound up here by mistake. We welcome tourists, seekers and doubters, bleeding hearts… and you!

Baptisms and Weddings

Baptisms/Christenings

What’s the difference? They are just two words for the same thing. We regularly have Baptisms at St Mary’s of people of all different ages - please do contact Father Felix for more information. Baptisms usually take place on Sunday afternoons and we like to keep the service simple, tailoring it to the needs of the family.

Weddings

St Mary’s is a beautiful setting for your wedding. In terms of music, we have our own organist/pianist who is available if requested, but we can also include soloists and other musicians. We can also play recorded music if preferred. 

Contact Father Felix to discuss what you’d like for your service.