Welcome to West Mersea Free Church. We’d love to see you!
It doesn’t matter whether you’re new to Mersea, or you’ve lived here all of your life, you are warmly invited to join us for any of our services, youth activities, adult groups, or the range of community events we host throughout the year.
We hope that our website can help you find all you want to know about us, but if we haven’t answered your questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us – visit our Contact Us page, or alternatively through our Facebook page.
A bit about us
Despite being founded over 200 years ago, we are a modern and contemporary church that not only has services on Sundays, but also a variety of groups for people of all ages.
We’re a thriving church with more than 120 people coming through our doors for activities and groups throughout the week, as well as many more being served through weekly school visits and regular community events.
Where we are
Our site is situated just off of the main road onto or off of Mersea Island, so access is relatively simple, and involves no tight turns or narrow roads.
Pedestrian access is also available with footpaths that run the full length of the road, and are of a suitable width of pushchairs and wheelchairs.
There’s also plenty of on-site parking, so you won’t need to park a distance from the church if you’re driving.
Sundays @ 10:30am
We have a morning service every Sunday at 10:30am in the Worship Hall. Our services are suitable for all ages, and are usually action-packed with games and activities for all ages, where challenges and activities relate to a powerful underlying message.
We invite you to look at our YouTube channel to get a feel for our services.
Weekly activities for children
On a Wednesday, we host a morning Toddlers group for pre-school children to play, sing and discover, whilst parents, carers and grandparents can meet together.
…and for adults
Besides our Sunday Service, we also have a collection of groups and sessions for adults and parents throughout the week, including several House Groups for Bible studies, discussions of faith and a time for challenging questions and ideas to be discussed.
Monthly on Tuesdays we have a Tuesday Fellowship, where a vibrant community of seniors listen to a range of visiting speakers that bring God’s message in a relevant way, followed by a time to catch up with one-another over tea and biscuits. Throughout the year, the group also have a considerable number of special events, such as tea and garden parties, group dinners, bring and buy fundraisers and an end-of-year carol service.
We also have a weekly Friday Exchange at 10am, with craft, puzzles, gardening, tea and chats. It’s a great place to spend time in conversation or activities, or simply to keep warm.
Church ‘customs’
What should I wear? – Be comfortable and reasonable. Shorts and a t-shirt are as reasonable as a dress. It is unlikely you’ll find anyone in a smart suit, and most people simply wear smart, casual clothing.
Where can I sit? – Unless you join us for a special occasion (such as a dedication, wedding or baptism) we won’t have any reserved seating. Simply sit where you find yourself most comfortable. We have a large projection screen that we use for displaying song lyrics, presentations, Bible readings and videos which can be viewed from anywhere in the church building, including the balcony. If you have children, they may wish to join some others in the first two centre rows.
What’s the music like? – We have worship music that resonates with everyone, including some by modern artists such as Chris Tomlin, Brian Doerksen, Darlene Zschech & Ismael, as well as other, more traditional hymns. If you join us, you’ll hear modern arrangements of hymns, as well as the latest songs – all of which is performed by our worship group, live.
When should I come?
We would be delighted to welcome you into our church whenever you arrive, and we’d love to get to know you. We have refreshments after the Sunday Service which we invite you to stay for, including tea, coffee, squash and biscuits.
If, before you come, you want to know a little more about us, our beliefs, or any of our groups, we welcome you to contact us.