Hackney Church Competitors

We're a Christian presence in every community. The Church of England plays a vital role in the life of the nation, proclaiming the Christian gospel in words and actions and providing services of Christian worship and praise. Our network of parishes cover the country, bringing a vital Christian dimension to the nation as well as strengthening community life in numerous urban, suburban and rural settings. Its cathedrals are centres of spirituality and service, and its network of chaplaincies across continental Europe meet important local needs. The Church of England plays an active role in national life with its members involved in a wide range of public bodies. Twenty-six bishops are members of the House of Lords and are engaged in debates about legislation and national and international affairs. The Church of England is part of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

In 2001, a group of college students and a 29-year-old pastor got together in a living room to talk about what church ought to be. We wrote on 3x5 cards what we thought was important and what we thought wasn’t. Looking back, we were crafting the philosophy of The Well in that room. And the verse that kept hounding us was Acts 2:42. We became convinced that the best way to accomplish the Great Commission was one conversation at a time, and that the Christian life was not meant to be lived alone. Thousands of years of tradition have piled up on top of what the early church found so important. We have made our simple religion complicated and we wanted to go back to some of that early simplicity. The other part of that verse is an unwavering commitment to Biblical teaching. We choose to teach through Scripture chunk by chunk. By walking through Scripture in order, the way God inspired it to be written, we can’t skip topics. Some think that hearing about issues like predestination and homosexuality will drive people away from the faith. Our experience has shown the exact opposite. When those who have dark and painful pasts come and hear a message filled with hope and love and grace, and when they look down the row and see others crying because of the scars of their past and know they are not alone, God moves. We teach the hard topics because they need to be taught, because it keeps us in right relation to our holy God and to each other.

Burgh House is a Grade I listed Queen Anne house built in 1704, located in the heart of Hampstead Village. As an independent charity, it serves as a cultural hub bringing together heritage, art and community programming. Burgh House is also an Arts Council England Accredited museum containing a fascinating collection of objects relating to the history of the House, the local area, and its extraordinary residents.