The first duty of Christians is to express our love of the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and strength and mind; and to love our neighbour as ourselves. This we call Service, and it begins on the first day of the week with our worship.
The Eucharist is celebrated every Sunday at times listed on the “About us” page. Additionally, there are weekday Eucharists at Javea and Alfaz del Pi.
This weekly observance and celebration fulfils our call to worship God, and equips us through Word, Sacrament and Fellowship to carry out our Christian Service to our neighbour through the week ahead. This is done within the community of our churches, by seeking to respond to the needs of others, meeting together for prayer, bible study and the ordering of the common life; and by engaging with those in need beyond the gathered church, and in a shared social life with the wider community.
Our support of those in need is not just practical, but financial also. In addition to the Bishop’s Appeals in Advent & Lent, we have chosen to support World Vision and the Anglican Diocese of Peru; and each year two further organisations are chosen for our outward charitable giving. The hospice near Gandia, run by Franciscan friars as a permanent home for needy men, is also well-supported. These good causes, along with fund-raising for Chaplaincy funds, form the focus for numerous local social events which are always well-supported by our friends and neighbours within the wider community, as well as by members of other churches within the Chaplaincy.
In addition to leading worship, the clergy are also available for pastoral visits, often following a referral from a church member, and this may well include taking Holy Communion to the sick, housebound or those in hospital. At present there is also a Reader who shares in the task of leading worship and bringing the Reserved Sacrament to churches on Sundays when, very occasionally, there are insufficient clergy available to cover all our commitments.
The resident Chaplains and Reader frequently conduct funerals, predominantly for the resident ex-pat community, in much the same way as in a parish in the UK. There are several requests each year for the Blessing of a Marriage, and for the Baptism of children of those beyond the gathered church. We hope that all these events convey the love of God to the extent that new people may seek to join us, and to learn more about our life as active, worshipping Christians. Further information is available on the Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals page of this website.
We have good ecumenical relations with the Roman Catholic community particularly, and we are very grateful to both the Archdiocese of Valencia and the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante for their generosity in allowing us the use of their churches for worship.
Anglicans are numerous and active in Mission and Ministry on the Costa Blanca, and are honoured to be able to serve God in so many different ways here in Spain.