Welcome to the Church of St John The Evangelist, Burgess Hill

“We exist to worship God and in the name of Jesus Christ, to reach out and share with everyone, His life and His love”

Welcome to St John’s! – the Parish Church of Burgess Hill, situated at the very heart of the town. All are welcome to worship with us, and we are always delighted to see newcomers and visitors – we hope that you will find here a place of faith and fun, warmth and welcome.

The main act of worship at St John’s is the Eucharist – on Sundays, there is a shorter said communion service at 8am, followed by the sung Parish Eucharist at 10.00am. The main midweek Eucharist is on Wednesday mornings at 10.30am. All of our services are followed by refreshments.

With its distinctive spire being clearly visible across the town, this holy place has been a beacon of hope and refuge since the town was formed. Built in 1863 in the style of the Gothic revival, our beautiful church has been the place where our parish and people have come together – to offer worship to God, and to celebrate the great moments of joy in their lives. We strive to continue that same mission today – of drawing people to Christ, and extending His loving care to all in our community.

Please consider making a donation to the

Organ Restoration Fund

We are a registered Charity 1165166

Support St John’s Church at https://tinyurl.com/St-Johns

The Church of St John the Evangelist is the only Grade II* listed church building in Burgess Hill and our pipe organ has increasingly become a source of concern, as its condition has progressively deteriorated.

We are pleased to be in the process of a complete restoration, which will take approximately a year to complete. The donations we have been collating for this purpose, along with grant funding secured, are now being used to complete the first stage of the project. However, we have still not reached the full amount that the total restoration will be costing us, and we would therefore be incredibly grateful for any donations, however large or small.

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The organ was installed in 1889 and was built by James Jepson Binns (1885 – 1929). The instrument has three manuals and pedals with twenty-seven stops. In the early 1900s the first of two tranches of Edwardian alterations were carried out. The first was by Bonavia Hunt, who revoiced a section of the organ pipes, and in 1927 the second change was carried out by organ builders Morgan & Smith, who provided new pneumatic key-actions, console alterations and tonal alterations.

How will the church and the wider community benefit? Music is a central part of our worship at St John’s, where we provide regular services for all occasions and where the organ provides a beautiful and rousing accompaniment. We are the only Anglican church for several miles around with a fully robed choir, and our traditional choral tradition is precious to us, and cherished by those who come. The parish has a committed, talented and enthusiastic choir, led by our Director of Music. We also host all of the town’s civic services as well as our local schools’ carol services; additionally, we hold numerous concerts and recitals for the town, where the organ is often the lead instrument.

Please do help us to reach our goal – your generosity is immensely appreciated.