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19 November 2025
Our clergy learn more about youth work
Clergy from across our diocese learnt more about how to begin and develop youth work ... read more
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30 October 2025
New Harbour congregations are created
Two new congregations are being created as part of Harbour Church. The all-age service at ... read more
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6 October 2025
Family-friendly Barn Church is launched
Dozens of worshippers have started to come to ‘Barn Church’ – a new style of ... read more
New Harbour congregations are created
TWO new congregations are being created as part of Portsmouth’s largest church.
Harbour Church in Portsmouth, which is based in Copnor, Portsea and Commercial Road, has recently launched a new all-age service at St Alban’s Church in Copnor. And the refurbishment of All Saints Church in Commercial Road will pave the way for a new contemporary congregation to begin worshipping there from January.
Both are under the umbrella of Harbour Church, which already attracts hundreds of people to contemporary worship at St George’s, Portsea, and more traditional worship at All Saints in the heart of the city.
Strategic funding from the national Church of England led to the recruitment of the Rev Alex Coakley-Youngs as the team vicar based at All Saints. That funding has also helped to pay for refurbishment work, including new flooring, heating, plastering – and new audio-visual facilities.
And that refurbishment will be celebrated at a special Eucharist to mark the 200th anniversary of All Saints Church, which will take place at 6pm on Saturday 1st November – All Saints’ Day. The church’s foundation stone was originally laid in 1825 and the original church was built by 1828.
Alex said: “Our strategy is to reach out to those who live and study near to the church. We’ve nearly reached the 200th anniversary of the church, so it would be good to re-commission ourselves to this new work, while honouring the past.
“This Eucharist will serve as a poignant re-dedication, symbolising our renewed commitment to serving our community and building a vibrant, welcoming home for all in the city of Portsmouth. Two centuries ago, in 1825, the very foundation stone of our church was laid, beginning a legacy of faith, service, and community that has endured through generations.”
The traditional congregation already celebrates the Eucharist at All Saints from 9:30am each Sunday. Alex has now begun to gather together those interested in forming a more contemporary service, who are currently walking and praying around the neighbourhood after that 9:30am service.
They will be the core of a new congregation that starts worshipping in a more contemporary style from 11:15am on Sundays from January 11th, 2026.
Meanwhile, an all-age service called ‘The Ten’ was launched in St Alban’s Church, Copnor, in September for families who live in the area.
It restores a dedicated service to the church after the appointment of the Rev Katherine Message as the team vicar based at St Alban’s. Around 20 adults and 20 children are already part of this new congregation.
She said: “We used to have The Four, which was a service for families on Sunday afternoons, but we weren’t able to continue that and we were asking families to go all the way to St George’s, Portsea, until last month. This means we can build on that work with local families who will form the basis of this new congregation.”
Strategic funding secured from the national Church of England has also made it possible to refurbish St Alban’s Church. A new café and welcome area is being created at the church’s entrance, new chairs and flooring will ensure the space is flexible, and its kitchen and toilets will be improved.
The church’s historic font used to be in St Mary’s Church in Fratton, and was the one used for the baptism of Charles Dickens in 1812. It will be retained, as well the church’s rood screen and chancel.
