Music

Music plays an important role in the life of the church and we have a wonderful music team and there are opportunities to participate in a variety of ways.

Band

The band plays at every other informal service - Sundays at 10:30am.

We are a group of all ages with one thing in common, we want to use our musical talents to praise, worship and glorify our God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are always looking for more people and different instruments.

The band practices in the church every other Saturday at 5pm for one hour.

Why not come and join us!

Choir

At our weekly traditional morning service in church - Sundays at 9am, the music is provided by our organ with worship led by the Church choir, who also occasionally sing at evening services in St Peter's and elsewhere in the Deanery.

It is a friendly group of some 20+ singers of all ages with a wide and varied repertoire of anthems sung in four-part harmony.

It meets in the church every Friday evening during term-time from 6.45pm to 8.00pm to practice.

For the Christmas and Easter services and concerts, the choir invites additional singers provided they can commit to the specific rehearsals. It is also available to sing at weddings and funerals.

Bells

There is a ring of 8 bells at St Peter’s, tuned to the key of F with the tenor bell weighing 11 cwt., with an active band of ringers. It is a mixed age and ability band.

A wide range is rung at Monday practice from rounds and call changes to simple plain methods, occasionally more adventurous if we have visitors who are always made welcome.

We also welcome anyone who is interested in learning to visit us on a Monday evening at the practice which runs from 7.30 to 9.00pm with additional learners time from 7-7.30 when needed.

On Sundays we ring for one of the principal services at 8.35 am or at 10am on 4th Sundays as well as for evening services ringing at 6 pm when they occur.

The band is affiliated to the Portsmouth District of the Winchester and Portsmouth Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers.

Hand bells

The Bishops Bells are an enthusiastic team of hand-bell ringers who use bells over 120 years old.

The team, which has been established for 22 years, meets on Tuesdays at 7:30pm to practise for a variety of engagements during the year.

Hello and welcome to our church. If you are a new visitor, we have a page for you to get to know us and learn more about planning a visit.
Click here to see more.

Visitors click here.

Planning your Visit

A Warm Hello

The following information is specifically for those planning a visit, so that you know, beforehand, what to expect. The church is open every day during daylight hours and you are always welcome to come in to sit quietly or pray. We have lots of events and groups during the week, but the main times we all get together are on a Sunday morning.

Where and When

We meet at St Peter's main church building (details here) for our Sunday Services:

8 - 8.45am Reflective communion (no songs)
9 - 10.15am Traditional service (organ & choir)
10.30 - 11:45am Informal service (band with children's groups)

When you arrive, you'll be greeted by someone on our Welcome Team who will be wearing a Welcome lanyard.

We serve tea, coffee and biscuits between the traditional and informal services - usually 10.15 - 10.35am. It is a great way to meet people and all refreshments are free.

Travel
There are seven parking spaces available in Maypole Green and some on-street parking on Free Street otherwise please park in the town centre car parks - or even better, walk or cycle if you are able!

Accessibility
There is wheelchair access, and a sound loop for anyone who needs it. Please let one of the Welcome Team know on your arrival and they will help you to get set up. There is a disabled toilet.

Our Services

8am Reflective Communion

This is a quiet, said service, with no singing, using traditional words from the 1984 Church of England Book of Common Prayer (BCP). When you arrive you'll be greeted by the welcome team and given a song book and a service sheet that have all the words you'll need if you want to join in with the congregational parts, but you're welcome to just sit quietly. The services all follow the same format of wording each week, interspersed with prayers and a short talk, and finishing with shared communion.

9am Traditional Service

This service is a traditional Church of England service. When you arrive you'll be greeted by the welcome team and given a song book and a service sheet that have all the words you'll need if you want to join in with the congregational parts. There is a mix of spoken words and prayers (some by the vicar, some you can join in with) and traditional hymns played on the organ and usually accompanied by the robed choir. Free refreshments are served at the end of the service so do stay and chat over a coffee.

10:30am Sunday Central (informal service with kids work)

Join us for free refreshments from 10.15am. The service begins at 10:40am with a time of sung worship, led by our band or recorded music. We typically have 2 or 3 songs lasting approximately 20 minutes. All the words you need appear on the screen if you want to join in, but don't feel you have to! The service will usually include notices, prayers, a reading from the bible and some other songs. One of our leaders will give a sermon that is bible based and that we can apply to our everyday life. We then finish with a final worship song.

Children

What about my kids?

There is a kids area at one side of the church that your children are always welcome to use during any service.

We run a dedicated kids programme alongside the 10.30am service for children aged 3-11. The kids group activities vary depending on the age but usually there's a friendly welcome, bible stories, testimonies, praying, music, craft, drama, fun games and free play. Please pick your children up as soon as the service finishes.

Young people 12+ are encouraged to stay in the service and have their own separate group that meets on a Sunday evening.

For more information see the Children and Youth page.

Getting Connected

Small Groups

While Sundays are a great way to meet new people, it is often in smaller gatherings that you can really get to know someone. Being part of one of our small groups allows you to make new friends, share together and support each other. We have a variety of groups that meet throughout the week, some afternoons and some evenings. Check out Small Groups and see if there’s one that you could join, or we can put you in touch with a small group leader who will be more than happy to invite you along to their group.

Serving and Volunteering

If you want to get involved in the life of the church and help us make Sundays run smoothly, you can sign up to serve on a team.

Other Ministries

We also run the following ministries:

Men's Ministries
Women's Ministries
Babies, toddlers & pre-schooler groups during the week

Leadership

James - Rector

James has been rector of St. Peter's (and Blessed Mary, Upham) since 2008. Married to Rebecca with three grown-up children, James is a keen golfer.

Get in touch

If you'd like to have a chat or have questions for me, or are thinking of joining us at St. Peter's please do send me an email or give me a call.

rector@stpetersbw.org.uk // 07570042916

We hope that whoever you are, you will feel at home at our church.

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