St Barnabas is a welcoming, inclusive and vibrant parish church that works for the good of our diverse community in London's East End
Joining us for worship
Parish Mass and Sunday School | 10:30am Sundays
Morning Prayer | 7:45am Tuesday to Friday
We blend church tradition with an open, inclusive and tolerant outlook. This means that while our worship may include Holy Communion with hymns and organ music, we centre upon what our faith means for our present-day relationship with the environment and each other.
During term time, children from four years upwards are invited to Sunday School while their parents or guardians attend Parish Mass. Services last approximately one hour, followed by tea and coffee.
Visit or contact St Barnabas⟶
Meet the team
Serving London’s East End since 1870
St Barnabas Bethnal Green is an inclusive Anglican parish church in the Tower Hamlets Deanery in the Stepney episcopal area of the Diocese of London. Its diverse congregation is a cross-section of the local community in Bow and Victoria Park.
Consecrated at a time of significant social reform, the church continues to uphold the long-standing Christian Socialist tradition by advocating for tolerance, co-operation, equality, and a commitment to social justice.
What it means to be a parish church
The purpose of a parish church is to extend a sense of welcome and concern for those in our parish, regardless of their background or faith. Our parish covers most of Bow West ward, an area known for its diversity, and includes two state primary schools.
What we care about
Inclusive Church
St Barnabas Bethnal Green is affiliated with Inclusive Church. Inclusive Church is a network of churches, groups and individuals uniting together around a shared vision: a church which celebrates and affirms every person and does not discriminate.
Save the Parish
St Barnabas Bethnal Green supports the work of Save the Parish. The goal of the Save the Parish network is a Church of England where Parishes are at the core, with clergy, financial security and local strength.
Eco Church
St Barnabas Bethnal Green is undertaking a comprehensive audit to understand how we can reduce our ecological impact. This work is being guided by the A Rocha UK survey. We reached Bronze status in 2024.
St Barnabas
Barnabas, our patron saint, was an early member of the Christian community in Jerusalem. He is first mentioned selling land to give the proceeds to the disciples for the poor. He introduced Paul to the disciples after Paul’s conversion.
Barnabas worked with St Paul as a teacher of the gospel and a missionary, particularly in Antioch (today’s Antakya, Turkey). His story is told in the Acts of the Apostles and in St Paul's letters.
Barnabas was born as a Jew in Cyprus, and according to tradition was martyred there.
He is known as the son of encouragement, and as a result of his advocacy on behalf of Paul, as the patron saint of second chances.
For us St Barnabas is a model of generosity and standing by others in need. We celebrate him with a Mass every year on the Sunday closest to his feast day, 11 June.