Goth reverend runs unique service

The Reverend Marcus Ramshaw, associate vicar at St Edward King and Martyr Church, said about 20 Goths regularly attend the 45-minute service.

The service includes a specially written liturgy and Goth music, such as Depeche Mode and Sisters of Mercy.

Mr Ramshaw, 34, who is a Goth, said he hoped to make the church meaningful to people from alternative communities.

"We have been piloting it for about a year and it is a service in which people are encouraged to be truly honest about their feelings," Mr Ramshaw said.

After the service, most of the congregation go to the Calling, a Goth evening at the nearby Kambar nightclub.

Mr Ramshaw said: "I am a Goth myself and realised that quite a lot of people I knew were spiritual rather than religious and were desperately looking for a spiritual home.

"I thought this could be one way of encouraging people into church that wasn't Bible bashing and would show people that Christianity can provide hope and support."

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