An Introduction from the Vicar

My name is Christopher Cant and I have been the Vicar at St. Paul's Church, Hainault since May 1998. I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to St. Paul's and tell you something about the life of the Church.

St. Paul's is part of the Church of England and is located in the middle of the Hainault Estate at the north east corner of the London Borough of Redbridge. We are 11 miles east of the City of London and the estate was built after the war to house people from the East End.

What is our church like?

We want to be a community of people who worship God, who grow in our faith and who let our faith in Jesus make a difference in daily life.

We aim to:

• Make you welcome and be accessible

  There is always someone at the door of our church to welcome you. Let them know if you have any special needs. There is access for wheelchairs and a disabled access toilet and baby changing facilities are available at the entrance to the church.

• Be family friendly

  You will find people of all ages at St Paul's - from babies in arms to those in their eighties and nineties. We especially want to encourage children and young adults to have fun and find their own personal faith in Jesus.

  Some services are quiet and meditative while others are noisy and exuberant.

• We will make sure you can hear

  We installed a new sound system during 2000 and there is a loop system for those with hearing difficulties.

• Be practical and relevant

  The Christian faith is not just for Sundays. We want to encourage and enable people to live the lives that God has given them to the full. Jesus is with us in our families, in our work place, in our hobbies and in our times alone.

• To help you explore the deeper questions of life

  Superficial trite answers won't do. We try to understand how Jesus is the truth behind everything and the only way to Heaven in the context of a multi-faith and materialistic society.

• Offer you a new start

  We all have stuff in the past but we believe God wants to give everyone a new start. We try to make sure no one at St Paul's will ever make you feel judged or inferior. All you have to do is to come along and find out how much God loves you.

What is a Christian?

Christopher Cant