Worship at Covenant Church of London
Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. Worship is our duty as God’s people and our joyful response to who He is and what He has done for us through Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches us that to worship God is to ascribe to Him the glory due His name (Ps. 29:2), and to offer our whole selves in reverence and devotion (Rom. 12:1). Our Lord's Day worship is the high point of our week, shaping our lives as individuals and families.
From the earliest days of the church, Christians have gathered on the first day of the week—the Lord’s Day (Acts 20:7; Rev. 1:10)—to hear God’s Word, pray, sing, receive the sacraments, and offer praise. In keeping with this historic pattern, our Sunday services are ordered, participatory, reverent, and joyful. We seek to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), in ways that are biblical, liturgical, and rooted in the historic Reformed faith.
WSC Question 2: What rule hath God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him?
A. The Word of God, which is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments,
is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy him.
What to Expect in Our Services
Our services follow a gospel-cantered liturgy that includes Scripture readings, confession of sins, the assurance of pardon, congregational singing, prayers of adoration and the preaching of God’s Word. Each week, the structure of our service is shaped by the story of redemption: creation, fall, redemption, and restoration.
We gather not as an audience, but as a congregation. Everyone participates through responsive readings, reciting historic creeds and confessions, corporate prayers, and hearty singing. The preaching of God’s Word aims to proclaim the whole counsel of God, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4.12).
We sing hymns, psalms and spiritual songs that are theologically rich and biblically faithful, drawing from both the ancient and the modern. Musical excellence is valued, but congregational singing is our highest priority.
The Sacraments
Our sacramental services—Baptism and the Lord’s Supper—are more traditional in form than our regular Lord’s Day services, marked by reverence and solemnity. They follow the historic liturgical forms approved by the Synod of Dort (1618–1619) for use in the Reformed churches. We administer baptism to both new believers and to the infant children of believing parents.
The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is Regularly
Celebrated Every 1st Sunday of the Month
WSC Question. 92. What is a sacrament?
A. A sacrament is an holy ordinance instituted by Christ; wherein, by sensible signs, Christ, and the benefits of the new covenant, are represented, sealed, and applied to believers.
WSC Question 93: Which are the sacraments of the New Testament?
A. The sacraments of the New Testament are baptism and the Lord’s supper.
WSC Question 94: What is baptism?
A. Baptism is a sacrament, wherein the washing with water in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth signify and seal our ingrafting into Christ, and partaking of the benefits of the covenant of grace, and our engagement to be the Lord’s.
WSC Question 95: To whom is baptism to be administered?
A. Baptism is not to be administered to any that are out of the visible church, till they profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him; but the infants of such as are members of the visible church are to be baptized.
WSC Question 96: What is the Lord’s supper?
A. The Lord’s supper is a sacrament, wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine according to Christ’s appointment, his death is showed forth; and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment and growth in grace.
WSC Question 97. What is required to the worthy receiving of the Lord’s supper?
A. It is required of them that would worthily partake of the Lord’s supper, that they examine themselves of their knowledge to discern the Lord’s body, of their faith to feed upon him, of their repentance, love, and new obedience; lest, coming unworthily, they eat and drink judgment to themselves.
What we believe about the Sacraments:
Biblical – All that we do in worship is shaped by the Scriptures, which are our sole authority for faith and practice. We read, preach, pray, and sing the Bible, and the Triune God is both the subject and object of our worship.
Liturgical – Our worship follows a structured and reverent liturgy, shaped by the pattern of the gospel.
Traditional – We stand in continuity with the historic Christian Church and the Reformed tradition, drawing on the riches of the past while addressing the present.
Spirit-Filled – Worship is a holy conversation between God and His people. We are filled with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit as we respond in prayer, psalm-singing and praise.
Congregational – Worship is not a performance but a shared act. Our services invite active engagement from all, not just passive observation.
Fullness – Worship engages heart, mind, soul, and body. We sing, speak, listen, confess, give, eat, and drink together before our Creator and Redeemer.
Edifying & Evangelistic – Worship is for the glory of God and the building up of His people. As we worship, we also witness to the watching world, calling unbelievers to faith in Christ.
Contextual – While rooted in the timeless truths of Scripture and the historic practices of the Church, our worship also reflects the cultural context in which God has placed us—in the heart of London, a global city in need of the unchanging gospel.
At Covenant Church of London, our worship is grounded in the Word, shaped by the gospel, and guided by the wisdom of the historic Reformed Church.
We invite you to join us on the Lord’s Day as we lift our hearts together in worship to our faithful God.
Our Worship Values
The Lord’s Day Services (Sundays)
Covenant Church gathers every Lord’s Day at the heart of the City of London to worship the Triune God with reverence and joy in two consecutive services. Each service follows a traditional Reformed liturgy, centred on the reading and preaching of God’s Word, congregational singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, prayer and intercession, and a shared commitment to genuine fellowship and Christian community.
English Service 5 PM
Portuguese Service 6:30 PM
How to find Us
We are grateful to meet for worship at St. James Garlickhythe, a historic Anglican parish church in the City of London. Known as “Wren’s Lantern” due to the original profusion of windows that fill the space with natural light, St. James is one of the many churches rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren after the Great Fire of London.
Through a gracious partnership, we are blessed to share this beautiful and historic building for our Lord’s Day services each Sunday evening. While we are a distinct Reformed and Presbyterian congregation, we are thankful for the opportunity to gather in a place that has long stood as a witness to the gospel in the heart of the city.
Address:
St. James Garlickhythe
Garlick Hill, London EC4V 2AF
The church is easily accessible by public transport. Nearby Underground stations include:
Mansion House (Circle and District lines) – 3 minutes’ walk
Cannon Street (Circle and District lines, National Rail) – 4 minutes’ walk
Bank (Central, Northern, Waterloo & City lines and DLR) – 7 minutes’ walk
St. Paul’s (Central line) – 10 minutes’ walk
Blackfriars (Circle and District lines, National Rail) – 10 minutes’ walk
Whether you’re coming from within London or further afield, the church’s central location makes it simple to reach us.