Reach & Impact

Focusing on six diverse ministry areas, St Peter’s Church is a vital and unique community hub in the heart of Colchester town centre.

With hundreds of individuals potentially passing through the church for such weekly and fortnightly groups and meetings and over 1,800 additional visitors for one-off events throughout the year, St Peter’s is already a growing community hub.

Through the St Peter’s Project, we aim to grow attendance for our existing offer, as well as hosting new events, activities and conferences. In this way, the St Peter’s Project will allow St Peter’s Church to dramatically increase its offer, touching the lives of thousands of Colchester residents, and growing year on year.

The six ministry areas:

1. The elderly, in partnership with neighbouring charity Age Concern
2. Students, particularly those from the adjacent Sixth Form College and North Primary School
3. The homeless, through the provision of practical and emotional support via the Guest House Project
4. The civic community, particularly through close links to the Town Hall which is adjacent to the Church building
5. The local army Garrison community, home to the 16th Air Assault Brigade. In February 2010 a formal service of affiliation was held to mark this association
6. Families, through internal projects and groups, as well as hires

The Church Hall

Until December 2018 when a roof leak put the Hall temporarily out of action, the building had been home to a vast array of clubs and activities serving families and individuals across  Colchester. It housed:

• The Parish Office
• St Peter’s Kids (SPK)
• Church meetings including PCC meeting, prayer meetings and occasional services
• Church group meeting for lunch and Bible study
• Tuesday Community Lunch Group for the elderly
• After-school clubs for children from the local community
• The Guest House Project, a winter accommodation project for Colchester’s homeless community, providing meals, beds, and a friendly face, run in conjunction with Beacon House Ministries
• Hires, such as mums and toddlers groups, language classes, drama classes, Tai Chi, ballet and Keep Fit

The Church

The Church building itself is likewise a nexus of activity, serving the 6 ministry areas and hosting:

• Regular Sunday and weekday services
• May 2018 prayer week
• Weddings and funerals
• Christianity Explored courses
• Living By Faith Bible study group
• Crosslands Training Group
• School and College carol services
• Civic events such as the annual St George’s Day Civic Service, Civic Carol Service, Remembrance Service, Battle of Britain Service and the Armistice Service, as well as irregular events such as the WWI Centenary Service and the BBC Essex Carol Service
• Large-scale services for Colchester Garrison such as military funerals and parade events
• Historical and Religious Education tours for community and school groups
• Annual Heritage Open Days
• A bell-ringing group meeting weekly