Worship

Worship lies at the heart of our church life.  At St Mark’s we worship the Lord in a variety of ways, including services of Holy Communion, both said and sung, on Sundays and Wednesdays.  Our Holy Communion liturgy is in the form of Common Worship and includes the seasonal variations.  Our clergy, lay ministers are robed.  The choir, also robed, joins us singing joyfully on Sundays at 10am. We follow a pattern of preaching according to the Lectionary, and we hear the voices of our entire ministry team for preaching.
 
We also have some unique worship services.  Every Sunday sandwiched between our 0800 and 1000 Holy Communion service is Breakfast@9.  This is something completely different, informally presented beginning with breakfast and worship songs, prayers, creed, readings and talk.  People of all ages attend and are welcome!
 
Once a month, we meet in the evening for a quiet worship service of reflection and prayer, referred to as our Taize-style worship.  It is an eclectic mix of prayerful music in a candlelit setting.  There is no sermon or talk; it is a simple time of prayer and reflection set to music.
 
We have an active ecumenical ministry in Highcliffe.  Church leaders from the Holy Redeemer Roman Catholic Church, Highcliffe Methodists and St Marks Church meet regularly for fellowship and prayer.  Our team includes both lay and ordained leaders.  We plan our Christmas and Easter diaries together to avoid overlap, and we encourage our parishes to attend services at each other’s churches.  We also share united services, including:  the Highcliffe Loved Ones Remembered service, the Remembrance Sunday service, the Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial, and the Covenant Service during the week of Christian Unity.
 
Finally, through our Pastoral team, we extend our communion into the community, by bringing Home Communion to those in our parish at home or in care homes.  This is provided on request.
 
We hope to see you at our services.