St Mary’s Parish Church, Leyton
Visitors
Who are we?
Leyton Parish Church consists of a wide range of different people, from all ages and different backgrounds incorporating a broad section of cultures. Whoever you are you are assured a very warm welcome at Leyton Parish Church.
When to arrive:
If it's your first visit then it's probably best to turn up around 10.20am for our main act of worship which is usually at 10.30am. If you are driving then you'll find there is free, unrestricted street parking on adjacent roads on Sundays. For directions to reach us please see the Find Us page. You'll be greeted on the door by our Sidespersons who will give you any books and leaflets you might need including information about the church and notices of forthcoming events.
What to wear:
This is easy. Wear whatever you feel comfortable in. We are an informal church and accept people as they are. There is no need to dress up to try and be someone that you're not. On the other hand there are some people who like to dress up smart for church whilst others wear their national dress. Who you are is more important then what you wear!
What to expect:
For some people going anywhere for the first time can be a bit of a nerve-racking experience. To help avoid any worries here's a quick summary of what you can expect at Leyton Parish Church. First of all we aren't super-spiritual beings and none of us are perfect (including the Vicar!). Hopefully you'll find we are a friendly bunch, if not please let us know so we can improve. If you don't understand something please simply ask. Although we start our main meeting at 10.30am there are often many people who will drift in throught the service - so don't panic if you're running a bit late! Although at the 8.00am Holy Communion service we use the very traditional language of the Book of Common Prayer in beautiful, but archaic, language we use the Common Worship books as our rough order of service at 10.30am. We can tend to drift away from the traditional pattern fairly frequently. Our sung worship consists of a variety of traditional hymns, 70s & 80s style choruses along with modern songs. Unfortunately we seldom enjoy live music as most of our singing is done accompanying CDs or midi-files. Everyone participates in the worship but at around 15 minutes or so into the service the primary school-age kids go to their own group (if it's on a week that it is running), we also have a crèche for the little ones which is self-run by the parents/carers of the under 5s. We then have a talk from the Bible that is relevant and meaningful to our modern lives. We finish our meeting around midday, sometimes with tea and coffee. Our aim is that whether you are just looking into Christianity for the first time or have been a Christian for many years that you should be encouraged and inspired by the morning. We hope that everyone will draw closer to God.
What we believe:
We are a Christian church in the Diocese of Chelmsford in the Church of England and believe that all can have relationship with God. We believe this relationship with God is possible because of Jesus (God's only son) who invites us to follow him. We have friendly relationships with other local churches both within and beyond the Church of England and from both traditional and modern backgrounds. If you are interested in exploring the Christian faith then please come along on a Sunday or contact the Vicar to ask for a free booklet.
Is it just Sundays?
Absolutely not! God is with us all week long and we aim to lead lives pleasing to him. We're not perfect and we do make mistakes, but we desire to make a positive difference in everything we do. To further encourage us we have a midweek small groups (a small group is simply a meeting of up to about 10 people in someone's house). Furthermore we have a Maranatha group which meets on Monday mornings. This has the same function as a small group but is located in the church building. Being in any form of small groups is a great way to get to know others in the church and to be real with each other about everyday living.
For disabled people:
We aim to be an all-inclusive church. However our resources are limited so we try to provide for our current attendees. If you wish to discuss specific needs please contact the Vicar. Our premises are wheelchair accessible and there is a fully wheelchair accessible toilet. We also have a loop system in operation for hearing aid users who should turn their sets to position 'T'.
Office Address:
35 Church Road
Leyton
London
E10 5JP