This is where we’ll try to provide weekly items in addition to our other updates and letters – please keep coming back here regularly. Please look too at our Online Shop for gift ideas which also help contribute to the work of St Peter’s.

22nd November:

We’re pleased to post Kip’s most recent Pastoral letter for you to read HERE, together with the page of SUGGESTIONS  for the first week of Advent, beginning Sunday 29th November.

20th November:

Dot Baker writes: “A small group of us from St Peters have been meeting to discuss and discern, how to encourage all our Church family to pick up, read and be inspired by reading our Bibles. And what better time to begin than at Advent?

On St Peters Church website, scroll down to the new section entitled “READ” and be guided to “Journey to the Heart of Christmas”

Details will be there on receiving a booklet (it’s not too late), following the readings online and listening to the readings, recorded by members of our Church family.

We are also currently working on finding exciting new material for the New Year.

Starting with Advent Sunday, the Bible readings for the Sunday services will be included in the “READ” section of the website, and keep an eye on this section for links to helpful websites with useful material and guidance on reading the Bible.

With love from Dot x”

15th November:

Please continue to check out our new updates under the PRAY and READ icons in our Homepage as we encourage you to:

* join with us in Prayer and our developing Prayer Journal

* take inspiration from our daily devotional ‘Journey to the Heart of Christmas’

8th November:

Kip’s updated pastoral letter is here.

Last Thursday, HM Government published updated information which allowed very limited Remembrance Sunday events to take place this year. Since Remembrance Sunday’s are usually such well-attended, colourful yet poignant services at St Peter’s, we wanted to include you in the brief act of Remembrance that we were allowed to have around the Peace Cross this morning – there are more images on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

5th November:

BE INSPIRED BY THE BIBLE THIS ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS

Advent is fast approaching, and as our preparations to celebrate the birth of Jesus will be quite different this year, we thought it would be good for as many of us as possible at St Peter’s to join in with a daily devotional called ‘Journey to the heart of Christmas’. It is a 28-day devotional that will take us through from 1st-28th December. This devotional can be done as an individual, with members of your family or with a friend over the telephone or video call.

The devotional will be available as a booklet and will also be available to listen to on the church website. If you would like a free copy of the booklet or are aware of someone who may like one and isn’t on the internet, please telephone the parish office (0151 428 6810) and leave a message*, giving your name and address, or email Julia Pratt ([email protected]) noting “Devotional” in the email subject line, and again giving your name and address.  Please do this by Friday 13th November so that we can order your copy.  Further details regarding the collection or distribution of the booklets will be given before the end of November.

* please allow your call to ring through to our answer machine, it does take a little while!

Please note that new updates on with a Bible theme can be found from now on by clicking the new READ icon on our homepage.

A SUNDAY MORNING CUP OF COFFEE … WITH FRIENDS!

Are you missing that Sunday morning cup of tea/coffee and the chat with friends after the Sunday morning service?  Well, starting on Sunday 15^th November at 11:30am, we are introducing an opportunity for members of the church family to gather together on Zoom over a cup of tea or coffee after the 10:30am YouTube service has finished.

Exactly as when this happens in church, this is an opportunity to catch up with friends or with people whom you may not know so well.

If you would like to join us, then please email Julia Pratt ([email protected]), noting “Coffee” in the subject line of your email.

PRAYER FOR THE NATION

In a recent letter to the clergy of the Church of England, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York have called upon the Church of England “to make this month of lockdown a month of prayer. More than anything else, whatever the nation thinks, we know that we are in the faithful hands of the risen Christ who knows our weaknesses, tiredness and struggles and whose steadfast love endures for ever”.

Prayers and resources for the four weeks of lockdown can be found on the Diocese of Liverpool website –  https://liverpool.anglican.org/  and on the Church of England website –https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-churches/call-prayer-nation

Additionally, our diocese is inviting anyone from the diocese to join in a Zoom prayer meeting to be held at 6pm every day for 15 minutes.  On Fridays, this will be a child and family friendly version of prayers. It will run from Thursday 5th November up until and including Wednesday 2nd December:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87236834693?pwd=ZU1hOTlPblJ1Y2pBekE4U3IzbWJ5UT09

Meeting ID: 872 3683 4693     Passcode: 919624

1st November:

PRAYER

In his letter to the church in Philippi, St. Paul wrote, “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).

As Christians, prayer, the opportunity to speak with God, is a gift, which we can all often neglect.  To encourage us all in prayer, we are inviting you to join us in the following:

1. Read and contribute to a short online publication “Talking with God”, which will be updated twice a month on the church website (further details below). If you have a friend or neighbour whom you know is not online, perhaps you might also want to print off a copy and post it through their letterbox.
2. Pray with others – as a family, with your spouse, with a friend, in prayer triplets etc. If you do not live with family or friends, you can still pray with others over the telephone or via Zoom, WhatsApp etc.  We encourage you to share resources and your experiences of praying with others in the “Talking with God” publication.
3. Join our monthly prayer meeting (on Zoom at the moment). This will take place on the 2^nd Saturday of each month, starting at 09:00am.  The first one will be on Saturday 14th November.  If you wish to join us, please email Julia Pratt ([email protected]).

“Talking with God”

This online publication will be added to the new “Pray” section of the website (coming soon).  It is in 3 sections: a reflection on prayer; ideas for “doing prayer”; and prayers.  We are encouraging members of the church family to contribute to this publication –

• The reflection on prayer is just that – a 400-word reflection on the theme of “prayer”.
• In the ideas for “Doing Prayer”, we are encouraging you to share how you pray: how you pray with your children; maybe new ways of praying that you have recently tried; maybe you can direct us to prayer resources etc.
• In “Sharing Prayer”, we are encouraging you to share an ancient prayer (we have to be mindful of copyright) or a prayer which you have written.

Issue 1 of the St Peter’s Prayer Journal ‘Talking with God’ is available to download here.

Contributions are welcome from all the church family, and that includes children and young people.  All contributions should be emailed to Julia Pratt ([email protected]), with “Talking with God” in the subject line.

Please note that new updates on the theme of Prayer can be found from now on by clicking the new PRAY icon on our homepage.

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Just a reminder, which we would encourage you to share with friends or neighbours who are not online: the Church of England has a phone line which people can call 24hrs a day to hear hymns, reflections and prayers.

20th October:

PRIMARY SCHOOL APPLICATION FORMS  
Kip will be signing primary school admissions forms during November.
If you require him to sign your form(s) please email him at:
[email protected] for more information and to arrange an appointment.
In order to book an appointment you will need to include in your initial email your name and contact details, your child’s name, and which primary school forms you require Kip to sign. This is to ensure the process is as efficient as possible.

17th October:

Lots going on here in the latest Pastoral message from Kip.

10th October:

Wishing you a Happy Harvest Time with this latest pastoral message from Kip.

Celebrate with us here on our Instagram page and with Facebook

5th October:

What a Thank You note here from ‘Our Graham’ ….

Dear Friends

I would just like to express my sincere thanks and gratitude for all those who have sent messages, cards and emails to me as I retire from my position as Verger/Administrator at St Peter’s together with such an amazing gift. It has been an immense pleasure and privilege for nearly twenty years to be part of the team at St Peter’s sharing God’s message and meeting with so many people on a daily basis from both our congregation and visitors from all over the world.

My work at St Peter’s has been only possible because of the help and guidance of so many people who have assisted me during services and the many tasks of maintenance and upkeep of the buildings at St Peter’s. It is an almost impossible task to thank all those many people who have helped me over my years as Verger so I will not try to list them as I am bound to miss out names. However if I do make an exception it is only to mention my wife, Sandy, who has been fully supportive of my work which , by its nature, can be a little anti-social, working weekends and other peculiar hours during the week at times.

As with everyone, the past few months have been trying and difficult with the closure of the church buildings and activities have been a blow to us all. I would have liked to have left at a less stressful time but I hope that our prayers will be answered and the church, clergy and congregation can soon be reunited in worshiping together in St Peter’s. Hopefully I too will be able to return soon to the pews as a worshiping member of the congregation.

Once again, with all my thanks for your help, support and good wishes,

Graham

3rd October:

Once more, because of rising infection rates and in support of others working so hard to control the spread of the Covid virus in our community, Kip has made the decision to suspend worship and other activities in our buildings for the rest of this month.

Read more here Kip’s Pastoral Letter , please keep checking back for more updates, and … #Love one another !

18th September:

Secondary School Application Forms:

If you wish Kip to complete the confirmation of Christian worship form(s) for your child’s secondary school application for 2021 please email him at [email protected]

It would be helpful if you could include your contact number, the name of your child and the schools you are applying for.

He will get back to you AFTER Friday 25^th September to book an appointment for him to meet you, to verify your information.

We will be trying to ensure we follow guidelines for Covid-19 at all times so we will be asking that only one parent comes if possible and that you wear a face covering when you come and leave your contact details for track and trace purposes. Any children who do come with you will need to stay with you at all times.

Bookable time slots will be available on the following dates – you will be told the venue when you book your time.

Wednesday 30^th September (4.00 to 6.00 pm)

Thursday 1^st October (6.00 – 9.00 pm)

Wednesday 14^th October (5.00 – 8.00 pm)

Thursday 15^th October (6.00 – 9.00 pm)

Saturday 17^th October (9.00 am – 12 noon)

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has launched a free national phone line as a simple new way to bring worship and prayer into people’s homes while church buildings are closed because of the coronavirus.

Daily Hope offers music, prayers and reflections as well as full worship services from the Church of England at the end of a telephone line.

The line – which is available 24 hours a day on 0800 804 8044 – has been set up particularly with those unable to join online church services during the period of restrictions in mind.

Find out more by following this link.