The Mission of the Swiss Church in London

We are an open, creative and accessible space in a beautiful Grade II listed building set in the heart of London’s vibrant Covent Garden. As a church, we are rooted in the Swiss reformation, welcoming people from all paths of life and from all church traditions or none regardless of age, race, gender or sexual orientation. We are an ecumenical congregation gathered from across London. Many of us are migrants from Switzerland, here for a short time or a lifetime, finding community and friendship. We love to meet the neighbours and people who live and work in the area. We recognise the importance of offering hospitality in a city that can be isolating and impersonal. We believe that spiritual development and community building happens in various forms.

People often talk about the feeling of serenity they experience when walking through the doors of the Swiss Church. It is a light and spacious place of calm in the busyness of London life and a troubled world. Life can be intimidating and lonely. By creating strong local communities we challenge the assumption that we have to face this alone. Our community outreach and cultural programme create a melting pot of people who would not usually meet.

Our community programme reaches out to the Swiss colony in London as well as local people and the homeless. We are an inter-generational community sharing experiences and learning from one another. We are made up of young families, students, professionals and pensioners, each stage of life bringing its own questions and uncertainties.

Many people feel disconnected from Christian faith and traditions. Arts and music connect to the story of our society and culture. We create a threshold between the sacred and secular world exploring the common ground and what Christianity means to us today.

The cultural and community programmes give us an active and varied church life that is rooted in our rhythm of prayer and worship. The Swiss Church is part of the universal, apostolic and holy church of Christ, and remains closely linked to its reformed sister churches in Switzerland, the UK and worldwide.