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St Peter's Church
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One of the things I love to do after saying the Daily Service in St Peter's Church is to just sit in the silence and ponder upon all the people who have passed through the doors to worship in this building over the last 180 years or so. It fills me with great comfort and strength to think of all those Christian pilgrims who have experienced the love of God and have met him in the most intimate way in this building. I don't think I would be wrong to say that even our walls seem to echo with the voices of those pilgrims who have gone before us. St Peter's Church is a special place and we love it.
Yet, you may be surprised to know that the building we love and worship in isn't original. The organ, pews, raised floor, foyer, colour scheme, the parish centre, sacristy, sound system, clavinova, lighting system, lectern, chairs, stands, heating system, kneelers, the Ascension Window ... amongst many other things, are not only later additions but in some cases have been altered and moved around since they were originally placed in situ. In fact St Peter's would have looked very different inside when it was built. So, we give thanks for the faith of those past worshippers who not only displayed great vision, but also showed great generosity in adding to and altering St Peter's church over these past 180+ years. One thing is certain, God has been very active here in St Peter's over the last years, in not only transforming His people but also the building. Past worshippers have through the power of the Holy Spirit transformed the building to meet the needs of God's people in different generations.
Now it's our turn. We have arrived at one of those defining moments in the life of St Peter's where we are now going to join with those past worshippers and transform our building yet again! We are going to transform it, not only to meet the needs of this generation of God's worshipping community but also the wider community of London Colney. Last July St Peter's Parochial Church Council voted unanimously to accept a set of stunning plans for the transformation of our building.
Please be assured, this call this decision to transform and renew our building hasn't been taken lightly. In fact our decision has arisen out of a year or so of deep exploration, in depth discussion which has all been underpinned with prayerful discernment. After all that, we firmly believe that God is calling us to transform our building. Why? Well, there are a number of reasons! Firstly, whilst the exterior is satisfactory, the interior of our building does not accommodate wheelchairs, less ambulant people and indeed children's buggies as well as we would wish. With many steps inside the building coupled with the narrow central and side aisles, we find we cannot offer freedom of movement and hospitality to everyone equally. It is important to St Peter's community that everyone who comes into our worship feels they have a dignified and valid place amongst us. Secondly, we are finding more and more, that people want some physical comfort in church. None of us would ever dream of sitting on a wooden bench in the cold at home, so why should that be acceptable in church? Even our coffee shops now offer soft furnishings and sofas to sit on. We too want to offer a hospitality that speaks of the abundant loving generosity of God and also have an architecture that speaks of His relevance in today's society. Thirdly, St Peter's is in need of a lot of repair and redecoration, which includes a broken heating system and a collapsing floor. Fourthly, although our Eucharist services are the central aspect of our life of worship and that won't alter, the present layout of the building does not lend itself easily to other modern forms of worship. Finally, flexible space and the idyllic setting will in addition allow us to offer to the wider community a resource for concerts. So, these are some of the reasons for our transformation and even though St Peter's will have to find all the funding themselves, we still strongly feel that we are called to undertake this task.
We have been blessed with a beautiful building that over the years has experienced radical transformation. I guess when someone suggested the introduction of the organ, the new pews and the Ascension Window, not everyone agreed. Yet, here we are now, living with the benefits of people, who through God's guidance had the vision and the courage to embrace the opportunities to move forward. It is now our turn to make history and embrace an opportunity. Make no mistake about it, changes to St Peter's won't destroy the past but will carry on the tradition of building up, transforming and enhancing what is already here so that we are able to speak afresh to those we are called to serve now and in the future. Be also sure, that change to this building will never quieten those voices of past worshippers and pilgrims that echo from this place, it will just amplify them. This building will still be a place of sacred ambience and a place that will more than ever, sing out to the glory and love of God.
Over the coming weeks I hope you will keep an eye on St Peter's notice boards as we announce the date when you can come and have a look at the stunning plans. We are indeed very excited to share them with you all. Please keep us in your prayers at this time.
God Bless
Lynne
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