Frequently Asked Questions

People often ask about our faith and our church.  Here are Martin's answers to some of those questions:

WHAT SORT OF CHURCH IS ST MARY’S?
It is part of the Church of England - a ‘protestant’ church (not Roman Catholic), and a member of the worldwide family of Jesus Christ worshipping God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It is based upon God’s word, the Bible, and lives to reflect the Light of the World into Haughton Green.

ARE YOU ALLOWED TO BELIEVE ANYTHING YOU LIKE IN THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND?
It sometimes looks like that, from what some newspapers say. We should all have some doubts about the ‘C of E’! It is a body of sinful men and women which has made some dreadful mistakes in the past, but also known God’s rich blessing. It’s not the perfect church by a very long way, but it is where God has called us to serve and worship Him, and our commitment to St Mary’s is unavoidably to an ‘Anglican’ church. Our allegiance is not to the Church of England but to Jesus, and where the CofE is at odds with the Bible ... the Bible wins!

IT’S NOT LIKE IT USED TO BE AT ST MARY’S; WHY DO YOU CHANGE EVERYTHING?
Everything changes - unless it’s dead! Change is a sign of life and growth. Why worship the living God in words or music 400 years out of date? People have enough difficulty understanding the Bible and Christian worship without us using an almost foreign language. The best news in the whole world should be clearly told and easily understood. And for all the people who don’t like modern music there’s an equal number who love it! What we do (and why we do it) matters a whole lot more than the way we do it.

WHAT IS THIS ‘BEST NEWS IN THE WHOLE WORLD’?
That almighty God loves us very much - that He wants us to live life in all its fullness, close to Him - and that He’s closed the gap between us and Him through the death of Jesus. That new relationship lasts for ever, and death only makes it better. Beat that!

I KNOW I DON’T LIVE GOD’S WAY; AM I STILL WELCOME AT ST MARY’S?
None of us live completely God’s way, but here we do try to take seriously his law of love. St Mary’s is a ‘hospital for sinners’ - not a ‘museum for saints’. But if we ignore God’s will we are daft, and should be ashamed. And if we are made to feel uncomfortable by what we hear, perhaps the Lord Jesus is wanting to bring us to repentance so that we can be forgiven.

WHY DO YOU REFUSE TO ‘CHRISTEN’ SOME BABIES?
We have never refused to baptise (the Bible’s word) any baby, ever. We simply point out what promises parents and godparents make in the baptism service. Baptism is a ‘badge’ of membership; so if you’re not a member of St Mary’s why should your baby have the badge? YOU decide if you can make the promises at baptism and if you are a Christian - not us. We are just trying to take seriously God’s lovely gift of baptism, and hope that you will do the same. We also offer Thanksgiving as a simple alternative, with no commitment required from you at all.

CAN I TALK WITH SOMEONE ABOUT A PERSONAL MATTER?
The Rector (Martin) or his wife (Kate) are available at (almost) any time to talk about (almost) anything, and in complete confidentiality. We’re not experts on anything very much, but we know the love and forgiveness of Jesus, and have come to understand his plans and purposes over the years. If we can help in any way, we’ll be delighted. Just ring  0161 336 4529.

IS IT TRUE THAT WHEN YOU’RE DEAD ... YOU’RE DEAD?
The Bible says ‘No’ - after the final whistle comes the result: God’s totally just judgement on the life we’ve lived. And none of us (surprise, surprise) are good enough for heaven. What kind of heaven would accept me? Or you? Only a heaven that can offer forgiveness - so that I can die without the sin that would keep me out, and with the goodness that will allow me in. Jesus takes my sin, and gives me His goodness. What a deal!

HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE?
You need an Alpha Course. Worldwide, these simple introductions to Christian faith have explained to thousands of people from the Bible what being a Christian in the 21st Century really is. It’s a chance to ask questions and make up your mind what you believe. Or just come to St Mary’s, and week by week you’ll pick up what it’s all about.

AND THE KIDS?
There’s something here for all ages. Look on other pages for details of Children’s Church, Pathfinders, Youth Fellowship, Impact and Ichthus. And ‘Top 60s’ - for second childhood?