Sanctus1 is a Christian community with an emerging church tradition that explores faith in an urban cultural context.
When do we meet?We currently meet twice a week at Nexus Art Cafe in Manchester, with 'paired' sessions on Sundays and Wednesdays. Most people tend to choose one or the other.
Our Sunday sessions (10.30am) are more family-friendly for those who have little 'uns or those who like the noisy fun that children bring.
Our Wednesday sessions are usually an repeat of the Sunday group's session, adapted for an older age group. The Wednesdays are often no less quiet.
What do we believe?
We are an inclusive Christian community and believe that God is not defined by theology. As a Christian community, Sanctus1 is made up of people who are either committed to, or are exploring a journey into, a relationship with God through Jesus Christ and with one another. We recognise God's indefinable presence in music, film, arts and other key areas of contemporary culture.
As a community we have shared values: welcoming, serving, rooted and missional:
Welcoming - In response to Christ's welcome, Sanctus1 aims to be welcoming to all people. We therefore aim to reflect a diversity of theology and experience from all walks of life.Serving - Our community is able to function and flourish by following the example of Jesus who served others.
Rooted - Sanctus1 is a Christian community which interacts with the Bible as we recognise God's unique presence within it. We draw from a rich vein of Christian tradition across denominations, including the Nicene Creed.
Missional - We believe that God is already active in our world, and we aim to join with God in God's ongoing mission. This means we are engaged in the changes happening in Manchester and the wider world.
What is our history?In some ways, we started as remnants of that ancient tradition of Alternative Worship from the late '80s / early '90s. We were also inspired by Dave Tomlinson's Post-Evangelical.
We held our first public act of worship at Manchester Cathedral in January 2002. We have met at the cathedral, at Sacred Trinity in Salford and at various city centre venues (usually ones that serve beer). We now meet at Nexus Art Cafe.
In 2009, Sanctus1's founder Ben Edson moved on, and our paid minister is now Al Lowe. Read more from Al on the Fresh Expressions website.
Guarding policy
This is our protection policy:
At Sanctus 1, we are concerned with the wholeness of each individual and seek to safeguard all members of our community, of all ages. We each have a duty of care to prevent the neglect and physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children, young people and vulnerable adults and to report known or suspected abuse.
