In Bremerton, St. Charles Anglican Cathedral is known for Sunday Holy Eucharist, Anglican worship shaped by Scripture and the Book of Common Prayer, and a steady rhythm of prayer, family formation, and service in Kitsap County. Located at 7625 Central Valley Rd NE, the church presents itself as both a local parish family and a cathedral for the wider region, welcoming retirees, singles, young families, youth, and people from varied church backgrounds.
What a Sunday at St. Charles Sounds Like
Sunday worship begins at 9:30 a.m. with Holy Eucharist, celebrated every week. The service follows two principal halves. During the Liturgy of the Word, passages from both the Old and New Testaments are read, a sermon is preached, and prayers and hymns draw the congregation into worship. The Liturgy of the Eucharist follows, centered on the sacramental celebration of Holy Communion. The cathedral's contact number is (360) 779-3524.
The worship is deliberately participatory. Ministers and worshipers share parts of the prayers and actions, while a bulletin lets newcomers follow along even if they have never attended a liturgical service. Participation does not require Anglican background. Any baptized Christian who believes that the Lord Jesus Christ is present to God's people in the Lord's Supper is welcome to receive Holy Communion, whether or not they are Anglican.
St. Charles has a diverse congregation with varied church backgrounds and a relaxed attitude toward clothing. Some members dress more formally, while others dress casually, so visitors are welcome as they are. The service also makes room for children of every age, who are encouraged to participate rather than remain separate from the worship of the whole church.
The nursery is open from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m. for children from birth through age four. Children ages five through fifth grade meet for God's Big Story during the first half of the service, gather at the altar for a blessing, and then return for Holy Communion. After worship, coffee hour takes place in the parish hall or, on a sunny day, on the back lawn and playground. The music team gathers at 8:30 a.m. before worship for rehearsal, showing the place of sacred music and singing in St. Charles's liturgy.
Prayer Beyond Sunday
On Wednesdays at 10 a.m., St. Charles holds Morning Prayer. This weekly gathering extends the parish's worship rhythm into the middle of the week and provides a regular opportunity for corporate prayer. The church also brings Communion to people who are homebound, either after a Sunday service or during the week, so participation in the sacrament is not limited by mobility.
Adult formation is offered through Growing in Faith, a series of videos that walks through the liturgy, the catechism, and Holy Scripture. It can be watched with a small group, with family, or alone, allowing the material to support communal study, intergenerational learning, and individual reflection. The church's wider rhythm of prayer and mission also includes sharing in daily life and seeking to meet material and spiritual needs throughout the community.
Intercessory prayer is carried by a dedicated prayer team and by the weekly services. Together, these practices place Scripture, Communion, prayer, discipleship, and service within one pattern: hearing and learning the Word of God, receiving the sacrament, bringing concerns before God, and carrying faith into the surrounding community.
Building Biblical Fluency from the Nursery Up
St. Charles describes its family ministry as supporting parents in their vocation of raising children who know and love the Lord Jesus Christ. The work begins early, with the conviction that the church is raising future adult Christians even when they are toddlers. Its sequence is deliberate: biblical familiarity in early childhood can grow into biblical literacy and then biblical fluency as young people mature. Scripture is treated as a lifelong journey rather than a single period of religious instruction.
The nursery is more than a place for children to be cared for while adults worship. Each week, children hear a Bible story and make a creative craft. The team also teaches a monthly Sunday school song, hymn, and memory verse, with a poster of that month's verse available to families. Even in the nursery, liturgical familiarity is developed so that children can recognize parts of worship and participate as they grow.
God's Big Story is the elementary age program for children through fifth grade. Its curriculum follows the biblical narrative from creation and the fall to Jesus Christ's sacrificial victory and the promise of a new heaven and earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is taught in the context of worship through liturgy, song, Scripture memory, story presentation, wondering questions, catechesis, prayer, and creative responses. The children are treated as members of the Church, not merely recipients of a separate children's lesson.
Youth ministry includes a weekly evening of Scripture study, worship, and fun for the next generation. Those serving with children or youth are asked to have attended St. Charles for at least six months and to complete an application and background check. This reflects the church's desire to place young people within the wider life of the parish while giving those who mentor them appropriate preparation.
Ancient Creed, Living Discipleship
St. Charles confesses that it is Christian and holds the faith received and proclaimed by the apostles. Holy Scripture, the Old and New Testaments, has final authority over belief and life. The church receives the Nicene, Apostles', and Athanasian Creeds, the teaching of the first four ecumenical councils, and the Christological clarifications of the fifth through seventh councils. It also gives thanks for fellow Christians across the wider Church and understands itself as one part of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
The doctrine of the Trinity is central. God is confessed as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and Jesus Christ is affirmed as truly God and truly man who came in the flesh for the redemption of the world. Salvation is understood through Christ's death and resurrection, with justification grounded in grace and faith rather than human merit. The church's renewal also has a practical direction: hearts are changed by the Holy Spirit and enabled for service and love of neighbors.
Its Anglican identity is expressed through three historic formularies. The Book of Common Prayer gathers Scripture, creed, and prayer into the shared pattern of worship; the official authority is the 1662 Prayer Book, while the congregation prays from the 2019 edition. The Thirty-Nine Articles set out the Anglican response on Scripture, salvation, and the sacraments, holding the gospel of grace together with the catholic faith of the creeds. The Ordinal is the rite by which the Church sets apart bishops, priests, and deacons for ministry.
St. Charles is both local and global. It belongs to the Diocese of Cascadia, the Anglican Church in North America, and the worldwide Global Anglican Communion. The Anglican Church in North America was formed in 2009 by GAFCON to gather faithful Anglicans across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Together with that wider family, St. Charles affirms the Jerusalem Declaration and the Abuja Affirmation, holding firmly to Scripture, apostolic faith, and the Anglican formularies.
Four values summarize the church's practice: belief in the supremacy of God and authority of Scripture, celebration of Holy Communion, confidence in the power of prayer, and renewal by the Holy Spirit. St. Charles states its mission plainly: we worship God, believe Jesus is our resurrected Lord and Savior, share our faith, and serve generously. Its vision is to become a church where people are drawn closer to God and one another through belonging, mentorship, renewed discipleship, service to neighbors, and leaders equipped to carry the church's mission into the world.
Mission in Bremerton and Around the World
St. Charles's mission partners include West Sound Youth for Christ, the Bremerton Salvation Army, Mission Cascadia, Kitsap Public Radio, Ethnos360, SAMS USA, SOMA USA, and Wycliffe. These relationships connect the cathedral's life in Bremerton with both local needs and work extending internationally. The church also maintains a Mission Fund that supports these partners and other outreach, with a dedicated giving option through online giving.
Local service is also embodied by members of the clergy. Rector Fr. David Marten serves as a Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue chaplain and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, where he also serves on the board. Deacon Steve Terry works with the missions team to express the commandment to love neighbors as oneself by bringing love and light to the community.
The church's mission is expressed through both local and global partnerships, financial support, congregational service, and the sending of people into the wider world. Its stated vision includes a renewed appetite to feed and serve neighbors, a stronger sense of belonging, leadership among new generations, authentic Christ-centered mentorship, and ambassadors equipped to share the good news. The missions team and other volunteers make those goals concrete through partnerships that extend from Kitsap County to communities around the world.
Learning the Anglican Way
St. Charles offers a six part video series about Christian worship for people who may be new to liturgical traditions or want to understand the church's inherited practice more deeply. The series explains the origins of Christian liturgy, defines liturgical worship, and walks through the Holy Communion. A companion booklet offers additional notes and explanations. A Daily Office resource also supports the church's emphasis on a rhythm of prayer beyond Sunday morning.
For those unable to attend in person, St. Charles makes sermon audio available as an archive of sermons. The recordings include messages from the cathedral's clergy and visiting bishops, and the church makes sermon audio available both for people exploring a church home and for those who are homebound. This reflects the belief that hearing the preached Word remains important even when illness, travel, or transportation prevents attendance.
The church makes the First and Second Books of Homilies available in traditional and modern English. The books were first published in 1547 and 1563, with the traditional text drawn from the 1859 Oxford edition edited by John Griffiths. The modern editions state that artificial intelligence helped modernize the language. The selections include exhortations on reading Scripture, human misery, salvation, lively faith, good works, love and charity, the right use of the church, idolatry, and the repair and care of church buildings.
St. Charles also makes the full Thirty-Nine Articles available, together with an account of the amendments made in 1801. These texts are not presented as detached historical curiosities; they belong to the church's catechetical life and help explain how Scripture, the creeds, episcopal ministry, the sacraments, and the Prayer Book fit together within Anglican belief.
For discovering how to use spiritual gifts in the life of the Church, St. Charles regularly holds a Spiritual Gifts Discovery Workshop. A spiritual gifts inventory, a reference form for trusted friends and family members, and a downloadable workbook support both group discovery and personal reassessment. People can then discuss how their gifts might serve with cathedral staff or a priest.
Clergy, Music, and Lay Leadership
Fr. David Marten, the rector, brings family ministry experience from the Diocese of South Carolina and the Gulf Atlantic Diocese. His work at St. Charles extends beyond parish worship into community service as a Central Kitsap Fire and Rescue chaplain and a volunteer and board member with Habitat for Humanity. He also serves as chair of the vestry, helping oversee the temporal affairs of the church alongside its elected lay leaders.
The Rev. Canon Dr. Ken Hegtvedt serves the Diocese of Cascadia as Canon to the Ordinary, assisting Bishop Worley, and regularly participates in the life of St. Charles. Deacon Cece Morris leads the pastoral care ministry; she is also a former hospice chaplain and helped lead Kairos retreats for women inmates. Deacon Steve Terry is a teacher and preacher with an affection for the early Church and the Christian tradition, and he works with the cathedral's missions team.
Music Director Pam Redman has served as a church musician in a variety of settings across the United States and Germany for more than 50 years. A retired music teacher, she works to strengthen worship through music. The music team rehearses before Sunday worship, while the broader tech team serves through sound, slides, recording, social media, and digital communication.
Governance rests with a vestry of six elected lay people who work alongside the rector, who serves as its chair. The vestry makes decisions, protects the church's vision, and oversees temporal matters of parish life. Synod delegates carry information, best practices, and the bishop's vision between the cathedral and the Diocese of Cascadia.
Two Memberships, One Fellowship
Membership at St. Charles has two expressions. Covenant members call the church their spiritual home and participate in its community; they may come from another denomination and may still be learning the traditions of Anglican life. Confirmed members formally align themselves with the historic Anglican tradition, affirm the cathedral's Fundamental Declarations, and join the church within the Diocese of Cascadia and the Global Anglican Communion.
The path for either kind of membership begins with an informal conversation with a member of the clergy, followed by a membership form containing a Christian testimony and a formal meeting with the clergy. Confirmed membership also requires a 12 week catechesis class, affirmation of the Diocese of Cascadia's eight Fundamental Declarations, and the sacramental rite of Confirmation by the bishop.
The declarations affirm Jesus Christ as the Way, the Truth, and the Life; the authority of Scripture; Baptism and the Supper of the Lord as sacraments; the historic episcopate; the faith of the three Catholic Creeds; the first four councils and later Christological clarifications; the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and Ordinal; the Thirty-Nine Articles; and the Jerusalem Declaration and GAFCON statement. These commitments express the doctrinal framework within which both membership paths are held.
Covenant members and confirmed members belong to one fellowship in which they serve, eat, pray, and vote together. The main practical distinction is that confirmed members are looked to for leadership in the vestry, representation at the diocesan synod, and leadership of ministry departments. Covenant commitments include participation in the liturgies, care for neighbors, financial generosity, service, and shared responsibility in governance.
St. Charles Lwanga and the Global Anglican Story
St. Charles Lwanga, the cathedral's namesake, was born in the kingdom of Buganda, now Uganda. During a visit to its capital in 1880, he encountered missionary teaching and began attending instruction. He later entered royal service under King Mwanga and took charge of the royal pages, winning their confidence and affection through his leadership.
King Mwanga began pressing Christian converts to abandon their faith, and executions followed between 1885 and 1887. Joseph Mukasa, a senior adviser to the king and a Catholic convert who had mentored Charles Lwanga, condemned the king for ordering the death of the Anglican missionary Archbishop James Hannington. The king questioned Mukasa's challenge to his authority, and Mukasa was executed in November 1885.
Soon afterward, Charles and many of his companions sought baptism. When challenged to explain their Christian belief, the young men confessed their conversion, and Charles became a leader and teacher who baptized some of his fellow pages. In May 1886, he and several others were sentenced to death by burning. On June 3, the Feast of the Ascension, Charles was put to death on a small pyre at Namugongo. As the fire was lit, he told his executioner, 'You are burning me, but it is as if you are pouring water over my body. Please repent and become a Christian like me.' He continued praying and finally cried out, 'Katonda!' meaning 'my God.'
Charles Lwanga is remembered among the Ugandan Martyrs, whose wider recognition came in 1964. Their story also marks a turning point in Christianity: after the executions, converts continued carrying their Bibles in public, and the movement that followed contributed to the East African Revival and the growth of Anglican Christianity in the Global South. St. Charles in Bremerton names that continuing story of faith under pressure, evangelism, and Anglican revival.
Word, Sacrament, and Service at St. Charles
St. Charles Anglican Cathedral brings together a congregation rooted in Bremerton and a cathedral identity reaching into the wider region and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Holy Scripture and the historic creeds shape its belief, the Book of Common Prayer and the Ordinal shape its ordered worship, and the people of the church are sent into the world through prayer, family formation, service, and mission.
Its identity is centered on the 9:30 a.m. Sunday celebration of Holy Eucharist and the quiet continuity of Wednesday Morning Prayer. At 7625 Central Valley Rd NE, children and adults, longtime Anglicans and newcomers, gather in the same liturgy, sharing the faith, belonging to one community, and carrying St. Charles's witness from the altar into the life of Kitsap County and beyond.