PARISH PROFILE
The Church of St Peter-in-the-Forest
Woodford New Road, Walthamstow E17
Our Vision, Mission and Reflections
We are people from: a mixture of backgrounds, cultures and traditions who are seeking to work together to explore what it means to be God’s children in this place: we foster a creative and imaginative approach to worship, and to relations with the parish community.
Vision
Our Passion
Jesus – Proclaiming and Living out God’s love for all people
Our Aspiration
To be a Transforming Presence in every Community, Open and Welcoming to all, and Serving all.
Our Resources
Faithful people, Prayer and Worship, Visionary leadership, Liberating gifts
[Barking 2020 Vision, November 2006]
Mission
With God’s help, as a Church, we aim to:
Show God’s love in our support for, and welcome, to those in the community
Enable young people to experience God and find their place in God’s church
Grow in faith through belonging to St. Peter’s Church
Use our buildings effectively for God’s mission
[St Peter’s in the Forest, 2008]
Reflections- from the congregation:
We join together to share within a God-filled, peaceful place; to worship in prayer and song, thanking God in all circumstances. St Peter’s gives us the opportunity to meet and share with fellow Christians, to bring God’s focus and support into our lives so that we can be blessed with the strength to undertake God’s work within the communities in which we live.
[St Peter’s in the Forest, 2009]
God’s mission is holistic; its orientation is toward the redemption of the whole of creation. For
Anglicans, indeed the whole Church, the gospel is not just the proclamation of individual redemption and renewal, but the renewal of society under the reign of God; the ending of injustice and the restoration of right relationship with God and between human beings and between humanity and creation.
[Reflections from the Lambeth Conference, 2008]
The Parish
St Peter’s parish lies on the eastern edge of the Deanery, stretching from Whipps Cross to Highams Park. It contains some Epping Forest land but is otherwise largely residential, notwithstanding some small business units in Wood Street. The local Ward (Wood Street) has a population of about 11,000 people; 2,300 under 16 and 1,900 over 60. In general it is a relatively affluent part of Waltham Forest, but with significant pockets of deprivation.
Worship
We celebrate our common life together in worship that is focused on our Sunday morning Parish Eucharist. Young people are actively involved in worship throughout the year, and we have an All-Age Communion Service on the first Sunday of every month. We include prayers of healing every month and have a mid-week Communion service on Tuesday mornings. We aim to have at least one service a year in the Forest, and hold prayer walks. Our Nativity Service is popular and we sing Carols in the community at Christmas time. We are working to be a church for the local community. We regularly deliver a church newsletter to most homes in the Parish. The work of our Peterhouse Centre is a key part of our work. Our worship aims to meet the needs of the long-standing members and to be accessible to newcomers.
People
As well as the post of Vicar, St Peter’s has two Readers – Geoff Hammond and Myna Jones, and one Reader with permission to officiate – Harry Goodwin. We also have a Reader in training – Sue Diplock. There are two nonstipendiary clergy – Canon Mike Gibbs and Rev Emile Jones. The Vicar is largely responsible for taking the occasional offices. In 2008 this amounted to 25 funerals, 13 weddings and 5 baptisms. We have a Director of Music – Julian Ruaux, and a strong choral tradition. There are occasional musical events held in the church throughout the year. There is also secretarial support provided by Sarah Collins who is the administrator for our Community Centre, Peterhouse. There are 124 people on the electoral role, with an average attendance of 65. There is a wide age span within the church community, with a significant number of retired people in the congregation and people with professional backgrounds drawn from across the Borough, sometimes significantly further afield than our own parish. St Peter’s embraces and nurtures a wide range of theological perspectives and viewpoints within the congregation.
St Peter’s has well-developed traditions of lay involvement in the liturgy (readers, intercessors,
servers, welcomers, Eucharist Assistants) and in leadership of various areas of church life. In addition to the PCC, there are three sub-committees, related to a) the social life of the church, b) the running of Peterhouse and c) overseeing worship and children’s work. St Peter’s is a Fairtrade church; using fairtrade goods for refreshments after the morning services. There is a Traidcraft stall at the back of church, which is open every week.
Youth
We are dedicated to work with children and young people, and have a small but committed number of children in our ‘Rocks’ group (ages 4-11) and our ‘SPITFLY’ (St Peter’s in the Forest Local Youth – ages 10 upwards), who meet through the year. There is a crèche ‘Pebbles’ - available in the church. We also have close links with Jean Elliott - the Deanery Children’s Work Development Officer. The Brownies and Guides who meet at Peterhouse are supported by the church and they take part in the All Age services.
Schools
The Parish has good links with Thorpe Hall Primary, Whitefields School and Forest School, all of which hold a service in the Church at Christmas time.
The Church Building Built in 1840, St Peter-in-the-Forest Church is an early Victorian Italianate style building. Fire damage in the 1970’s led to extensive reordering and the inside is a very light and open space. There are works of art dating from 1840 through to the present day and there remains a keen focus on Religious Art today. The Church achieved Grade II Listing with English Heritage in April 2009. The main church building is in good condition, though the rear of the church (the extension) is being continually monitored for changes in cracks etc and will, at some stage, need some major renovation work. The churchyard is maintained by the local council and the PCC. There is an accessible toilet block, ramped entrance into the church and a ramp leading up to the altar steps.
Finance
It has always been our policy that the normal running costs of the Parish should be met from our regular giving (mainly by Gift Aid). We are able to pay our Parish Share in full each year. Special fund-raising events (social occasions, bazaars etc.) are solely for new capital expenditure or charitable objects. The PCC owns a three-bedroom terraced house. Income from letting this now helps to underpin our finances. Peterhouse Centre has a significant and self-financing turnover that enables us to pay for a full-time caretaker, a part-time cleaner and a part-time administrator.
Charity Statement
It is our custom to pass 10% of our annual income to charitable organisations, religious and secular, at home and overseas. The congregation gets involved in choosing which charities should receive the money and this is reviewed annually. We have strong links with Rev Jeyapaul in India and support him in the work he does. He visits occasionally, giving us updates; several people in the parish here sponsor a child with whom Jeyapaul is working.
Peterhouse Centre, 122 Forest Rise, Walthamstow E17 3PW
A short walk from the Church through the Forest is Peterhouse which was built in 1997. Backing onto Epping Forest, it is an oasis in Walthamstow’s busy town. It is a key vehicle for our work with the local community. There are a variety of activities that happen at Peterhouse Centre on a regular basis, including a Parent and Toddler group, Miss Miranda’s Music Time, drama and singing workshops, Brownies and Guides, Yoga, Pilates, Karate, Patchwork classes and Christian Studies. It is also used by a number of local groups and organisations. In June 2009, Age Concern Waltham Forest moved into part of the premises (formerly a doctor’s surgery). The church holds social events at the centre throughout the year, including quarterly Parish Lunches on Sundays, shared meals on Festival days such as our family and friends Barbecue in the garden at Petertide, following the morning service, and Auction suppers.
The Vicarage, 121 Forest Rise Walthamstow E17 3PW
The Vicarage is a spacious five-bedroom detached property, built in the 1960s. It has double glazing and is gas central-heated. It is set in large grounds, with the large rear garden backing on to Epping Forest. It is immediately adjacent to Peterhouse Centre and about a five minute walk from the church. Local shops are about a ten minute walk away in Wood Street, and Wood Street Station (British Rail) is five minutes away. There are three reception rooms, one of which is usually used as the Vicar’s study, a good sized kitchen and a utility room, a ground floor toilet and a first floor bathroom. There is an attached garage to the right of the property.
Useful links:
Church web address: www.church-in-the-forest.co.uk (link available for location of church)
Peterhouse Centre web address: www.peterhousecentre.co.uk