Service Types
St Mark’s is proud to be a ‘broad church’, embracing a wide variety of styles of worship. From ‘packed to the rafters’ major festivals to intimate midweek prayer gatherings, the meditative and reverent to the fun and madcap, you’re sure to find a service that fits you.
Our main Sunday services are:
- 8am Holy Communion (traditional language)
- 10am Holy Communion (modern language, with junior church groups and crèche / Family Service 2nd Sunday of the month)
- 6pm Evening Worship (in a variety of styles - modern and traditional)
Read below for more information on these and other services at St Mark’s or download our weekly news sheet from our Home page in PDF format.
Sunday 8am – Holy Communion
For many people who grew up in the ‘Prayer Book’ era, our 8am Holy Communion is the essential way to start the week. The service uses the familiar words of the ‘Book of Common Prayer’ which dates back to the Reformation, and used in its current form since 1662.
Though ancient, ‘BCP’ is still widely used across the country and continues to resonate with old and young alike. Reverent and peaceful, this is a ‘said’ service, though hymns are included one Sunday in the month.
10am – Family Service
Our Family Services are short, fun and usually packed to the rafters. They offer the chance for adults and children to worship together.
Each service is planned as an individual event, exploring a seasonal, biblical or contemporary theme in a way which connects with people of all ages. The congregation enjoys a range of musical styles, from worship group to organ, with creative prayer, drama and often something to take home, whilst there is usually a special craft activity in the kids’ corner for younger children.
The service is ‘Family’ because everyone is together for the whole service, without separate children’s groups – one huge St Mark’s family!
Family Services are usually on the second Sunday of the month, at 10am, several of which fall on important dates each year:
• Wakes Parade (May) is an ancient village festival which we celebrate with a parade with the uniformed organisations through the village, accompanied by Bilton Silver Band,
• Harvest Festival (October) – our chance to say thank you to God for all he provides for us, with fun activities in the churchyard after the service.
• Remembrance Day (November, 10.50am) – our annual armistice service, complete with parade by the British Legion, uniformed groups and Bilton Silver Band. (an important annual event, but not ideal for very young children)
• Christingle Service (December) – as Christmas approaches we use the symbol of an orange to point us to the birth of Jesus.
See our Special Services page for details of forthcoming Family Services.
6pm – Evening Worship
Our evening service offers a varied diet of worship, in both modern and traditional styles, though most tend towards the quiet and contemplative. Join us at 6pm for an hour of worship, prayer and peace.
- 1st Sunday Evensong (BCP)- an ancient service from the Book of Common Prayer, ably led by our choir.
- There are also special evening services through the year, particulalry at Christmas and Easter and there are a number of Choral Evensongs as well. See our calendar for details.