Get to know what we're about
Vision
We want to be a community made up of all ages and all backgrounds seeking to live and grow in the way of Jesus. A community being empowered and transformed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Where people feel safe, at home and where they can live again. A community that provides a place of rest in a hurried world and is a shining light of hope to our village.
And we would love for you to come and join us on this adventure.
Foundations
Our foundations are the type of church we want to be and they underpin all we do. We want to be a:
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Faith Sharing Church
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Faith Growing Church
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Faith Serving Church
All our activities at St Catharine’s seek to serve one of these purposes.
Who's Who
Steve Ransley
Team Vicar
Steve is married to Jo and they have 5 kids and a cocker spaniel called Ridley. Prior to joining the Cornerstone Team, Steve was studying at Oakhill College, London. He has previously worked for the Youth Offending Service and as a Solicitor. Steve is a big sports fan following Liverpool FC, enjoys weightlifting, golf, BBQing and watching movies with the family.
Richard Morrison
Warden
Richard volunteers with our Youth and children's team, and music team.
Mike Evans
Warden
​Mike is a practical man, who can often be found mending and fixing.
What We Believe
St Catharine’s is an Anglican church and part of the Church of England. Different churches have different worship styles, different ways of governance and different emphases and styles. Anglicanism is one of those. It brings together the authority of the Bible, the historic faith and structured prayer. Anglicans are a global family living out our faith in our local communities, all united by the person of Jesus Christ.
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We also subscribe to the Church of England Evangelical Council’s basis of faith, which you can find here.
We are united with our brothers and sisters across the globe in what we believe and how that belief is expressed in our worship. As Anglicans we have five core commitments:
1.The Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament being the inspired word of God, “containing all things necessary to salvation,” and as being the rule and ultimate standard of our common faith.
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2.The Apostles and Nicene Creeds as the sufficient statements of the Christian faith.
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3.The two sacraments ordained by Jesus himself, Baptism and Holy Communion. These are outward signs of a visible inward reality.
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4.The Anglican formularies guide our belief, practice and governance. They are the 39 Articles of Religion, the Ordinal and the Book of Common Prayer.
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5.The ministry of the episcopate. All Anglican churches minister under the spiritual leadership of a chief pastor, their bishop.
The Anglican Way
The word Anglican means related to or coming from England. Early Christian writers mention the existence of a British Church in the third century AD. Fast forward hundreds of years to the 16th Century, where Anglican churches drew their identity and historical roots from the creation of the Church of England, formed during the Protestant Reformation. The Church of England still remains the “mother church” of the Anglican world.
Over time the Anglican church expanded to become what is known as the Anglican Communion. This is now a global communion being made up of some 85 million Christians from across the world. The average Anglican today is a young man or woman from Sub-Saharan Africa!
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Anglican belief, as stated above, is displayed, taught and experienced as we worship. If you want to know what we believe at St Catharine’s come and join us! Our worship is centred on the Bible and expressed through the liturgy (means public duty or service) that guides our service and proclaims our beliefs. As a global communion we participate in this worship with those 85 million Christians across the world.
To sum up, the Anglican way means being a Christian, connected with a global Church family of evangelical, catholic, reformed, Spirit-filled brothers and sisters, rescued by Jesus Christ, seeking to live in submission to Scripture in a context of the tradition of the ancient Church.