Welcome to St Mary's Ambleside
We are friendly and welcoming church, who place the Gospel message at the heart of our worship, teaching and fellowship. We would be delighted to see you, whether you live locally or are visiting Ambleside. Come and join us and give praise to God in this beautiful place in the heart of the Lake District.
Our website contains details of how to join others online for prayer, worship, study, and community life.
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength . . . Love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Services at St Mary's Ambleside
You are welcome to join us at our regular Sunday services:
9.15am Reflective service
11am Contemporary service
9:15 am Reflective Service
This service offers a peaceful and contemplative space for those who appreciate traditional worship. With communion most weeks, well-loved hymns, and moments of quiet reflection, it provides a sacred time to pause, pray, and reconnect with God.
11:00 am Contemporary Service
Our new 11:00 am service is designed to be more informal, welcoming people of all generations, including families, youth, and students—especially those who might not be familiar with church. Through contemporary worship music, prayer, and a focus on community, this service creates a space where everyone can explore faith at their own pace. Afterward, we regularly share lunch together, deepening our connections over good food and conversation.
Christmas services at St Mary's
You are welcome to join us for Christmas at St Mary's
11th December at 6pm - Carols by Candlelight, followed by mulled wine and mince pies
24th December at 5.30pm - Christingle, why not come dressed as your favourite nativity character?
24th December at 11pm - 'Midnight' Holy Communion
25th December at 11am - Christmas Day celebration
Monday Meet-up - every Monday 2-4pm during term time
This is an informal get-together held in the Parish Centre - come and join us for refreshments and a chat.
Private Prayer
You are welcome to come into church and pray in this beautiful setting. The church is open every day.
Our Mission
At St. Mary's Ambleside we want to be a church that has something to offer everybody.
We think about what we have to offer in three ways.
Discipleship
We are disciples of Christ and we seek to fulfil the diocesan vision of making and growing disciples of Jesus Christ. We do this in a variety of ways in our worship, our fellowship, by bible study, by engaging with our service to the community as a whole, and by having courses to explore what Christian faith means.
Chaplaincy
We are set within a community. We engage with our community by way of a ministry of Chaplaincy. This involves much service to the community by partnering various other organisations such as our parish centre where many good social services are provided; our school, where church members serve as governors and reading assistants; in workplace visiting going to retail, hospitality and agricultural places of work; in home visiting those who are ill or isolated; and in serving on various charities and committees that serve our town. We also host the annual, centuries old, town celebration of 'Rushbearing' on the first Saturday in July.
Hospitality
We are uniquely set in a holiday area. We are a church for the whole world where people come from far and wide to see the building and spend some time in prayer or reflection. We engage with our visitors in a ministry of hospitality by offering a warm welcome to all our services of worship, by having our building open every day in daylight hours, and making available booklets and pamphlets in many languages to help our visitors find out what the church is all about.
Safeguarding
At St Mary's we work hard to maintain a safe environment for all. We are committed to implementing the House of Bishops’ safeguarding policies and good practice guidance.
If you have any concerns or enquiries regarding safeguarding, please contact our safeguarding officer.
Parish Safeguarding Officer: Judith Dixon
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 015394 34512
The Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser is Joanna Van Lachterop. She can be contacted at [email protected] or 07458 016884.
Joanna’s working days are Monday to Friday.
Out of Hours Support:
If Joanna is unavailable and you are concerned that an adult is being abused, or at risk, you should report it by contacting Adult Social Care, Cumberland Council. Emergency Out of Hours - 01228 526690
If you are concerned about a child or young person, please contact:
- Cumberland Safeguarding Hub on 0333 240 1727 (if it relates to a concern in the Allerdale, Carlisle or Copeland area) or,
- Westmorland and Furness Safeguarding Hub on 0300 373 2724 (if it relates to a concern in the Barrow, Eden or South Lakeland area).
If you believe that a child or adult is in immediate danger or requires medical attention, call the emergency services on 999.
Helplines:
- NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are worried about a child and need advice or guidance on what to do.
- Child-line: 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are a child or young person and are worried about anything.
- National Domestic Abuse Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are experiencing domestic abuse or need help to report.
- Samaritans Helpline: 116 123 (open 24 hours). Phone if you feel you are struggling to cope and need someone to talk to.
- Action on Elder Abuse Helpline: 0808 808 8141 (free phone Monday to Friday 9-5pm)
- Victim Support Cumbria: 0300 303 0157. Emotional and practical advice to help people affected by crime in Cumbria.