Are You New? Welcome!
Welcome to St Peter’s!
However you come to be reading this – we’d like to say “Hello” and “Welcome”!
Maybe you have been to church before, but not for a long time, or maybe you’ve never been inside a Church … it really doesn’t matter. Going anywhere for the first time, especially if you are on your own, can be a bit daunting, especially when it comes to going into a building that is very old and, let’s face it, can be a bit intimidating. So I would like to encourage you to say that we hope it is a bit like going to see the new house of a family member – it’ll be interesting to see what you’ll find, you know there will be coffee and cake or biscuits, and people will be pleased to see you! If you are at all worried, please contact us and we’ll keep an eye open for you so a friendly face knows you are coming.
It also helps to know a bit about where you are going, so please wander round this website and see what might be of interest to you. I am confident there will be something which you will connect with or find interesting and encourage you to explore more.
What is Church about?
Most people, at some point in their lives, ask some big questions – maybe they look at the enormity of the night sky and wonder where it came from, maybe they look at a newborn baby and ask questions about what life actually is, or maybe they are struggling with trying to live in what can be a tough and challenging world. The first thing to say is that the folk at St Peter’s are not a smug bunch who think they have all the answers – we don’t! What we believe is that we have discovered something, or someone, who helps us to make sense of some of these things and enables us with the reality of not being able to know the answers. The best example is probably the biggest question of all – the question of suffering. The someone is Jesus Christ who, on the face of it, was a small town preacher in an out of the way place, who lived 2000 years ago – and yet has influenced the world way beyond anyone else in history. He did something about the wrong things in the world, sorting them for ever on a Cross at Easter and then coming back from death to prove there is more than just this world. We’d like to tell you about him and introduce you to him – if you want to know a bit more now, have a look at the page “what does it mean to be a Christian?”
So What Happens at A Service?
We have two services on a Sunday morning and the aim is that people can find one that works for them. One service begins at 9.00am and is what we’d probably call informally traditional: songs, prayers, a reading, a talk, with a slightly more formal feel to it, but with a bunch of people who would love to welcome you to join them. The 10.30am is much more informal, though still has the same components. It is a service aimed at younger generations, with groups for children (tinies, juniors and youth) with more visual stuff going on. Come along and see what works for you!
What do I wear and what do I need to know?
We want to welcome you – just as you are. You don’t need to worry about what you should wear or anything else. There may be moments when you’re not sure what to do, but please don’t worry, because we’re not! Just come and find out, be you and see what happens.
So, you’ve made it this far! Taking another step might feel like a bit of a big one, where you might not feel comfortable and it might feel a bit weird. Go back to the idea of visiting the new house of someone in your family. You know that after a few minutes, you’ll begin to settle into it and enjoy being with the family – well, that’s what we want for you to feel at St Peter’s, “at home with the family” and we would love to welcome you, just as soon as you want to come and find out more.
Looking forward to meeting you! In the meantime, have a wander around the website and find out about us.
Tim Storey
Vicar (ie the Church Leader)
Please contact us if you have any questions!
