The Syriac Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom (SOC-UK) started in the early 1960s by a group of Syriac Orthodox Faithful who were served by visiting Syriac Orthodox bishops or priests.

As the number of the congregation grew over the years, the late H.H. Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I of blessed memory had instructed the newly formed church council in 2022 to have an owned church building.

This has led to the registration of SOC-UK as a limited company with Companies House in 2022 and subsequently registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in 2023.

The newly formed board of trustees, with the help of the resident SOC-UK Patriarchal vicar (currently H.E. Archbishop Athanasius Toma Dawod), started to look for a building in London. Their efforts culminated in the construction of the first Syriac church building in the UK, which was inaugurated and consecrated by the late H.H. Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I, assisted by H.E. Athanasius Toma and many Syriac Orthodox Archbishops from around the world, with the presence of many dignitaries and heads or representatives of sisterly churches in the UK.

The spiritual needs of the Syriac Orthodox congregation in the UK are served by H.E. Archbishop Athanasius Toma, who is the spiritual head of the SOC-UK, assisted by V. Rev. Fr Aphram Ozan and volunteering Corepiscopos and priests.

The church administration is run by the volunteer board of trustees in consultation with the archbishop, and with the help of various committees’ volunteering members.