About Us

Introduction

Welcome to SJB – or Barnet Church, as the local busses know us. There’s a lot we could say about our wonderful, busy, passionate church family, but we’ll try to keep it brief.

First, we are a family. Being part of SJB means being welcome, just as God made you. You might be a lifelong Christian who knows the ropes of the liturgy like the back of your hand; you might be a total newcomer who’s never been in church before; you might like somewhere silent to sit and think deep thoughts; you might be a family with a toddler who doesn’t know what sitting down is. If you’re any of the above, you’ll have company at SJB, and you’ll be so welcome.

Second, we’re inclusive. We believe that when God made you, he thought he’d done his best job yet. Sexuality, Gender Identity, Physical Ability, Age, Racial or Cultural Background – there are so many things that make us who we are as people. At SJB, we want to know you, honour you, learn from you, and share your walk with you.

Third, we’re choral and liturgical. We love the liturgy of the Eucharist, the beauty of the Book of Common Prayer, the mystery conveyed by the power of choral music. We believe that these things lead us into a deeper appreciation of who God is, and how wonderful he made human life to be. But we’re informal in our formality. We love the liturgy, we love the music, but we love people more. Our services are designed for everyone to have access to the beauty of God, and we believe that formal liturgy or a great choral anthem should never be an impediment to people feeling welcome – wiggly toddlers, that means you!

Fourth – we’re a work in progress. We’re always trying to be better: to be more welcoming, to find more opportunities to have fun as a church family, to make our services beautiful, to let families know how welcome they are. And we want to hear from you, if you have any ideas about how we could be doing better.

Whoever you are, whatever your journey has looked like, SJB is yours. Come in and say hi.

Fr. Sam and the Warden Team