Welcome to St Michael and All Angels, Eastbourne
St Michael's is a vibrant and lively Anglican Church about 1 mile north of Eastbourne town centre. Our Mission Statement is: Sharing Jesus' love with everyone.
We are a renewed, enthusiastic church family within the Catholic tradition with the Eucharist at the heart of our worship.
We aim to promote and develop prayer as the priority and key to renewal and spiritual growth. We are committed to building a mission community shaped by Holy Scripture and the Holy Spirit, equipped to bear witness to Christ in a broken world.
For all the upcoming events at St Michael's see the calendar.
Vision
Our vision is for the family of St Michael’s………
- To grow in numbers and spiritually
- To continue living by faith and be a faithful church
- To see further development of the building that meets the needs of the parish for both devotional and social needs
- To continue to expand our outreach in the local community, especially to the schools
- To see a greater development in the youth ministry of the parish
- To continue to support our overseas mission links
Finance
St Michael’s undertakes no fund raising activities, having adopted a policy of living by faith, trusting wholly and humbly in the providence of a faithful God and the sacrificial giving of His people.
There are also regular Faith Box offerings as needs arise and self denial offerings through Lent and Advent. As well as local ventures, we support a number of overseas churches and social projects and the Caring and Sharing scheme, which supports a boys’ home in Rumania and the street children in Colombia.
The Parish and the church building
The church of St Michael and All Angels, with its 120’ tower, illuminated at night, giving hope to many, is one of Eastbourne’s landmarks. Standing on top of the hill in Willingdon Road, it can be seen from almost every part of the town and from the train as it nears Eastbourne, as well as from the sea. The population of the parish is about 9,000. Located in the parish are the Eastbourne District General Hospital, Sussex Downs College (College of Further Education), Motcombe Infants School and Cavendish School, a secondary school. There are approximately thirty residential care homes, nursing homes and sheltered homes within the parish. Small bungalows, blocks of flats, terraced houses and large detached houses form most of the housing stock in the parish. There are small parades of shops, two public houses, the municipal cemetery and a few small businesses.
Worship on the site where the church of St. Michael and All Angels now stands began in a purpose-built mission hall, opened on 25th January 1892. It accommodated a congregation of 200 people. As the population increased, a larger, more permanent building was needed and a new church building was planned. The first part of the church, comprising the chancel, vestries, chapel and temporary nave, was completed at the end of February 1902 and consecrated on 2nd March 1902. Following a generous donation, work on the full completion of St. Michael’s began in August 1909, with the foundation stone for the nave and tower being laid on 29th October 1910. The final consecration of the fully completed, permanent church by the Bishop of Chichester took place on 24th January 1911.. Over the past five years, the church has been reordered to create worship in the round with modern seating and an octagonal altar with a suspended cross and corona which can be illuminated. A raised platform has been installed so that the church is now fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act, with all parts of the church being wheelchair accessible. Full modern toilet and coffee/tea making facilities were installed as part of the development. In September 2008, the latest project to install glass screens between the Lady Chapel and the chancel was completed. There is scope for further developments when finance is available.
In the church grounds is a small outbuilding, called the Faith Hut, which is used by the children and young people during their Junior Church instruction and activities.