Church History

What We Believe

Who's Who

Who Are We?

Why Do We Exist?

Essentially we believe that there are three strands to our purpose as a Christian community here at St. Mary’s Church:

• To seek God in worship: Worship has to do with real life, dealing with the issues that confront us in this world, not a Sunday interlude of escapism in a week of reality. In the regular times we worship God together we seek Him so that we might be empowered to live out Christian lives as disciples of Jesus, engaging with the reality of daily twenty first century life. Our worship focuses on the Word of God as revealed in Holy Scripture, for only the teachings of God satisfy our thirst, and on the power of the Holy Spirit, the Living God, for it is He alone who enables us to even begin to worship our Almighty Father.
   

• To serve one another: Jesus called His disciples to follow Him in a life of service (Mark 10:42-45). At the heart of why we exist is a desire to serve one another, to continually express a humble, servant hearted attitude that considers other members of God’s family above ourselves, irrespective of their background. The challenge for us is to take up the royal opportunity of serving Jesus Christ by demonstrating in our lives real, practical service to others, sharing in His discipleship despite the challenges of the journey.
   

• To show God’s love to those around us: We believe the hallmarks of genuine Christian ministry at work or university, in our families, our church and out into the wider communities of our neighbourhoods, will be visible in the lives that we seek to lead. We recognise that we will and do fail sometimes but still in obedience to God’s command we seek to show God’s love.

The Bible says we were "made by God, and for God" and we were put on this earth for His purposes. Until we as individuals, and jointly, understand that truth, life is not going to make much sense. At St. Mary's Andover our goal is to assist you in using your time on earth fulfilling God's five purposes for your life.

Worship - You are planned for God's pleasure, so we will help you to use each day to get to know and love God better.

Fellowship - You are formed for God's family, so we will assist you in using every day of your life here on earth to show love to other believers.

Discipleship - You are created to be like Christ, so we will provide opportunities to help you grow in Christ-like character.

Ministry - You are shaped to serve God, so we will provide various avenues and opportunities to help you serve God and minister to others.