All Saints Church, Peckham facts for kids
All Saints Church is a special Anglican church in Peckham, London. It's part of the Church of England. In 1996, the church almost closed because very few people were attending. But over the last ten years, it has grown a lot! Now, more than 400 adults are part of its community.
Contents
A Look Back: History of All Saints
The church began in 1867. Back then, Peckham was a small village outside busy Victorian London. The church started with about 20 people meeting in the vicar's living room. Soon, it grew to over 600 adults! There was even a Sunday service for 800 children. The church building and its hall were finished in 1872. The church had benches for about 400 people.
The church kept growing in the early 1900s. But after World War II, like many churches in London, it became much smaller. By the mid-1990s, only a few members were left. The church was almost going to be sold for houses.
How the Church Was Saved
In 1996, a big effort was made to save the church. A new vicar, Revd Bob Hurley, was appointed. He believed the church could be full again. The local Bishop agreed to a challenge: if Hurley could double the 20-person group and install heating within two years, the church would stay open. Hurley did both in just six months! The church grew quickly after that.
In 2003, Revd Francis Orr-Ewing became the new vicar. During his time, even more people joined All Saints. The church also started doing more outreach work in the community.
Francis Orr-Ewing left in 2010 to start a new church. His last service was shown live on BBC1. The church also had two more services filmed for BBC Songs of Praise.
In 2011, Revd Jonathan Mortimer became the new vicar. He had worked with churches across Britain. He helped churches with their local community projects.
Helping the Community
On August 14, 2011, All Saints Church held a special meeting. Community leaders and police came together. They also had a "Service for Peace." This was a response to the riots in Peckham. Many important people spoke at the service. Even the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, sent a message of support.
As of 2015, the church is planning for the future. They want to find the best ways to keep helping Peckham. They call this "making space for good in Peckham."
Worship Services
All Saints Church has services every Sunday. There's a morning service at 10:30 AM. An evening service starts at 6:00 PM, with a cafe before it at 5:30 PM. There's also a service on Tuesdays at 11:15 AM. The services have a modern style of worship. In 2005, the church released its first live music CD, called Your Favour.
Homegroups: Small Gatherings
Over the last ten years, small groups called homegroups have become very important. These groups meet during the week in different homes. They help people connect and grow together. As more people joined the church, the number of homegroups also grew.
Helping Others: Social Outreach
All Saints Church works a lot with children and young people. They have many kids' and youth clubs. They also work with local schools. About 600 children have regular contact with the church each week.
The church has also done big community projects. These include 'Soul in the City' in 2004 and 'God Loves Peckham' in 2006 and 2007. From 2007 to 2009, they ran drama and football classes. These classes were for kids aged 5-11.
Prince Charles visited the church in July 2010. He praised the church for its community work. His visit was also shown on BBC Songs of Praise.
What's in a Name?
The church's official name is All Saints, Camberwell. But most people know it as All Saints Peckham. This is because it's located in Peckham.
Church Connections
All Saints Church is part of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. It is also connected to other groups:
- the New Wine Network
- the Evangelical Alliance
- Fusion (a student movement).
