What's On
St Mark's
2026 Sunday Services
11AM - 12 PM, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh EH1 2DP
Sunday 8 March, 2026
Strong, Tender, Becoming
(International Women’s Day) Rev. Janine Sim
St Mark's
Who comes to our services
On approaching our church you may notice the words on the sign by the door: 'Unitarians in Edinburgh - home for the open minded and tender hearted.'
Our doors are open to people from all backgrounds, including all faith backgrounds and none. In our community there are people who self-identify as Buddhist, Christian, Jewish, Pagan, atheist, agnostic, alongside those who connect to a sense of the divine feminine, LGBTQI+ expressions of spirituality, divinity in ecology, and a myriad of personal, private conceptualisations of faith and spirituality.
Unitarianism is a non-doctrine religion. There are no prescriptions. At St. Mark’s people step into choice – in choosing what they believe. As a community we seek to question, to explore, to connect with our feelings, to make up our own minds, to be with our own truth.
St Mark's
What to expect at a Service
We hope the first thing you'd experience is a very warm welcome. We'd be delighted to greet you and make you feel at home.
Usually our services are themed by subject/ topic, and there is usually a different theme each week. We explore a vast range of subjects. For example: perspectives on healing and wholeness; self-care; connectivity; and community.
Our services may contain any number of the following elements:
inspirational words from a variety of sources including readings from faith traditions, secular sharings, words from the heart (including self-penned poetry and prose);
we may hold what some might describe as prayer;
we commonly hold time in silence;
we may spend time in dialogue with each other;
we may be with various expressions of meditation or ritual.
St Mark's
At every service....three things
We love.....
At the beginning of each service a member of the congregation lights a candle (held in a chalice) and speaks some words. The origins of this practice within Unitarianism is deep-rooted in peaceful intention, suffice to say that we welcome the light, and the freedom from darkness that our coming together in community brings.
Music – We are blessed with a fabulous pianist and a magnificent grand piano. Our services usually open and close with a piece of music, and contain a musical interlude for reflection, contemplation, and prayer. Alongside our pianist we have many musically gifted members who may contribute to our services.
Yes, we have Unitarian hymns that we love to sing during our services (our hymn books are at the back of the church – you’re welcome to browse), and we sing other things too. A broad range, in fact: Taizé; chants; lullabys, and even the occasional pop song! A wide range of music is played and enjoyed. Indeed, some of you may know our church as a concert venue as we host a variety of concerts and performances throughout the year. We participate in the Edinburgh Fringe asartspace@stmarks venue 125.
St Mark's
A place called home
St Mark's Unitarian Church at Castle Terrace, Edinburgh, has been our meeting place for almost two hundred years. We also meet via Zoom and you can connect with us through social media (Facebook and Twitter).
We’d love you to come along to our time together in community any Sunday at 11.00am, to Mindfulness@Lunchtime any Tuesday from 12.15-2pm, or to any of our groups, events and activities.