St Peter's Church
High Street,
Buntingford,
Herts.
Rev. Norman Richards tel:
(01763) 271552
Gill Hibberd - Churchwarden tel: (01763) 272883
Photo taken 1912
Services for September
| 2nd September | ||
|---|---|---|
|
9.30 am
|
St.
Mary's (west) St. Mary's (Asp) St. Peter's |
All Age Worship Closed Closed |
| 9th September | ||
|
9.30 am 9.30 am 11.00 am 5.45pm |
St.
Mary's (west) St. Mary's (Asp) St. Peter's Nevetts |
Morning
Prayer (BCP) Holy Communion Family Worship Songs of Praise |
| 16th September | ||
|
9.30 am 9.30 am 11.00 am |
St.
Mary's (west) St. Mary's (Asp) St. Peter's |
Holy Communion Morning Prayer (ASB) Holy Communion |
| 23rd September | ||
| 8.00
am 9.30 am 9.30 am 11.00 am |
St.
Peter's St. Mary's (west) St. Mary's (Asp) St. Peter's |
Holy Communion
(BCP) |
| 30th September | ||
| . . 11.00 |
St.
Mary's (west) St. Mary's (Asp) St. Peter's |
Closed Closed Joint Family Communion |
|
St Peter's Church St Peter's is the Anglican (Church of England) parish church of Buntingford and is a living, active place of Christian worship. The life of St Peter's caters for the many needs and expectations of all age-groups who come to learn, pray together, worship, and join a variety of other group meetings and activities. The building is nearly 400 years old but has been adapted to meet the needs of the local community. A church for Sundays . . . Sunday morning worship is often lively but always firmly Bible-based. A typical service includes teaching about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, prayer, modern Christian music, traditional hymns and fellowship together. Communion (Holy Sacrament) is shared on most Sundays and refreshments are served after Family and All-Age services when people can meet socially and discuss the life of the church. Children's teaching caters for all ages from crèche for under-threes, through school-age groups, to youth meetings for teenagers. . . . and for every day Bible-study and fellowship groups meet several times each week. Other groups cater for a variety of needs, including mothers, with and without toddlers, as well as men looking for an informal discussion environment. Periodically an Alpha Course runs over a 12-week period aimed at non-Christians with an enquiring mind and anyone wishing to reinforce and develop their faith. http://www.alpha.org.uk/ Preparation courses lead up to Christian Marriage and Baptism services conducted in St Peter's. Contact the Vicar: Rev. Norman Richards for more information. St Peter's
regular monthly pattern of Services Children's classes are held during 11:00 am services on 1st, 2nd & 3rd Sundays Pathfinder group meets 7:00 pm alternate Sundays for 10 to 13 years CYFA Youth Group meets 7:30 pm most Sundays for 13 to 18 years More about the local churches
A monthly newsletter
includes information about church activities locally and further afield,
a children's page and news of forthcoming services and events. A weekly
flysheet brings up-to-the-moment news and information. Both are always
available at the back of the church every Sunday morning and also on Monday
mornings when St Peter's coffee bar is open, on Market Day.
St. Peter's is one of 3 churches in a United Benefice that includes St. Mary's in Aspenden and St. Mary the Virgin in Westmill. Each of these local churches has its own distinctive pattern of services and styles of worship but they all share the same fundamental Christian beliefs. They also share many joint groups and activities as well as a leadership team of clergy and lay people. Buntingford Churches Together is an umbrella organisation which brings together the interests of the Anglican (Church of England), United Reformed and Roman Catholic (St. Richard's) churches in the town under the common goal 'to know Him and to make Him known'. St Peter's church building
The building was
originally built in 1615 by Alexander Strange as a chapel. At that time
the main parish church was St Bartholomew's at Layston on top of the hill
to the east of the present town of Buntingford. St Peter's was built as
a chapel-of-ease so the parishioners of the growing town in the valley
did not need to climb the hill to the church, which by then was in a declining
village ravaged by the plague.
St Peter's church building is reputed to be the earliest entirely brick-built church in the county, if not the country. Modifications were made over the centuries and in 1900 St Peter's formally became the Parish Church of Buntingford. A new vestry and porch were added and the interior re-modelled. In 1984 a larger extension replaced the porch at the North end and an upper floor was inserted. Today St Peter's church needs to be a multi-purpose building. It stands on an island site in the town centre without it's own separate church hall so the pews have been replaced with chairs to improve flexibility.
Who pays for
it all?
Although St Peter's is part of the Anglican Diocese of St Albans, all of the costs of the upkeep of the church building and most of the other running costs of this active and living church are met locally. Money comes from Sunday collections, regular giving by the congregation and the hard work of fundraisers. Most of the running repairs and maintenance of the church, and of the churchyard on the top of the hill at Layston, are carried out by dedicated bands of unpaid volunteers. Through regular giving and special appeals, St. Peter's supports several local and international charities and missions. |