Our Prayer

Like many modern organisations, churches often have some kind of vision or mission statement - a short summary of what they hope to achieve, what they’re aiming for. It’s a slogan, intended to help motivate and focus their congregation on a common purpose.

At our AGM we adopted an alternative idea: not a vision statement, but a prayer. A prayer recognises that ultimately what happens at St Peter’s is not the consequence of our vision, strategy, commitment or labours, but of God’s goodness to us. It still expresses our hopes for our church, but couches it in a way that keeps our perspective anchored on God.

To the right is an exploration of this prayer, drawing out its assumptions and aspirations, so that we as a church share a common understanding.

What We Believe

We are an evangelical Anglican church, and believe in the Reformation doctrines contained in the 39 Articles of Religion and The Book of Common Prayer.

In summary, we believe:

• The divine inspiration and infallibility of Holy Scripture, as originally given, and its supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
• The unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in the Godhead.
• The universal sinfulness and guilt of human nature since the fall, rendering man subject to God’s wrath and condemnation.
• The conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit and his birth of the virgin Mary.
• Redemption from the guilt, penalty and power of sin only through the sacrificial death (as our Representative and Substitute) of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Son of God.
• The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
• The necessity of the work of the Holy Spirit to make the death of Christ effective to the individual sinner, granting him/her repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ.
• The indwelling and work of the Holy Spirit in the believer.
• The expectation of the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ, as judge of all people