Children and young people have a special place in God’s heart and are an integral part of our church family.

At St Mark’s, we aim to make the church a place where children can have fun and develop their relationship with God amongst friends in a safe and welcoming environment.

Our Sunday Club meets in 2 groups:

• Doves meet in the Ark – this group is for children in nursery and Reception. Parents are welcome to stay if their child wishes them to. Younger children are welcome if parents feel they are interested and ready.
• Eagles meet in the Hall – this group is for children in years 1 and above. We have fun together listening to stories, playing games, making things and learning more about God.

The children and young people return to the main service to receive Holy Communion or a blessing with their parents.

Parents with children younger than nursery age are welcome to use our quiet area in the chapel during the Sunday service. Toys and books are provided, and you will still be able to see and hear what is happening in the church.

Older Children (Years 5 and above) may find that they have outgrown some of the material used in our Eagle sessions. They are still very welcome to join, or they may wish to join in the main service. Some of our older children help as junior servers. 

All our leaders and helpers are trained and have been DBS checked.

We believe that children and young people have a special place in God’s heart and are not only the church leaders of tomorrow but an integral part of our church today.

We encourage children and young people to be fully participating members of our church family by listening to their voices, trusting them with responsibilities and valuing the differences they make to our church community.

We aim to equip children and young people for understanding, living and articulating their Christian faith within the wider world, providing them with the strongest possible foundation to continue in faith no matter what their lives may bring.

We want the church to be a place where children and young people from all backgrounds can have fun, make friends and find a sense of belonging in a safe and

welcoming community.

OUR AIMS

• To provide an activity programme for the children and young people attending St Mark’s that develops their faith and encourages them to remain within the church community. 
• To provide an outreach programme that engages the local community, including Bishop Gilpin school, with the work of the church and encourages new members into the church family.
• To develop regular meaningful and accessible worship for children and young people attending St Mark’s.
• To encourage and enable genuine opportunities for children and young people to participate in the life and mission of the church.
• To give young people an experience of the church beyond the local level.
• To make church leaders and volunteers more aware of the support available to them for their ministry among children and young people.
• To ensure the sustainability of our youth and children’s work.

Life as a teenager can be challenging. At St Mark’s, we aim to ensure young people have the strongest foundation possible to continue in faith, no matter what life throws at them.

We work together with St Mary’s Church, who hold youth groups for older children on Friday and Sunday evenings. We encourage all children from our parish churches who are interested to get in touch with Catherine Linsley (catherine@stmaryswimbledon.org), a full-time youth worker at St Mary’s. Please see details of the groups in the link below.

https://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/youth-groups

We regularly hold all-age services at St Mark’s to celebrate special days in the church calendar.

On these days Sunday Club does not run and children are invited to stay in the church service with their parents.

In some of our all-age services we welcome the Bishop Gilpin school’s Sacred choir who sing for and with us.

Dates of our upcoming all-age services can be found here when they are available.

Sunday 9th June (Day of Pentecost, First Communion, All-Age Eucharist) We’d love you to join us! Everyone is welcome.

We are delighted to work in partnership with our church school, Bishop Gilpin Church of England School. This is a popular primary school within our parish and close to St Mark’s which was ranked as ‘outstanding’ in its last Ofsted inspection. With the clergy at St Mary’s Wimbledon, members of St Mark’s take assemblies at the school, help at RE days, hold services for the school including regular school Eucharists, and participate in lessons. The Team Vicar is also on the governing body.

Many of the children in our Sunday Club attend Bishop Gilpin School.

The school was founded in 1758, in a building which still exists on the edge of Wimbledon Common and moved to its present site in 1966.  It is housed in a modern single-storey building set in two acres of rising ground.  Extensive grassed sports facilities are shared with the neighbouring secondary school.

The school admits 60 children into the reception classes and there are no more than 30 children in each of the other classes. Admission can be via Foundation places (based on family church membership and a reference from the clergy) or Open places (based on the nearness of the home address to the school).  These places are divided 50:50. Registration for nursery places may occur just after a child’s second birthday.

You can contact the school for further information at:

Lake Road

London

SW19 7EP

Tel: 020 8946 6666

Fax: 020 8944 0722

E-mail: info@bishopgilpin.org

Website: www.bishopgilpin.org

We take the safeguarding and care of children and vulnerable adults very seriously at St Mark’s. Our Safeguarding Officer can be contacted t info@stmarkswimbledon.org.uk. 

Every person who works with children or vulnerable adults at St Mark’s has to be DBS checked. In addition, those who hire our facilities have to abide by the diocesan safeguarding policy (see Hiring our Church & Hall).

St Mark’s has adopted the diocesan safeguarding policy which you can find here.

To contact a member of the diocesan safeguarding team:

For urgent calls out of hours: 020 3874 6743

Diocesan Safeguarding Adviser, Hugh Constant 020 7939 9423 Mobile 07982 279713 (for urgent matters out of hours).

Assistant Diocesan Safeguarding Advisers, Marie Daly and Louise Vernon.

Marie Daly  020 7939 9441 Mobile 07946 255295

Louise Vernon  020 7939 9462 Mobile 07946 255622

Other sources of information, advice and help:

NSPCC Child Protection Helpline: 0808 800 5000 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are worried about a child. 

Child-ine: 0800 1111 (lines free and open 24 hours). Phone if you are a child or young person and are worried about anything.

National Domestic Violence Helpline: 0808 2000 247 (lines free and open 24 hours).

Phone if you are experiencing domestic abuse.

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: 080 8808 8141 (freephone Monday to Friday 9-5pm).