The future of St Peter's

In recent months discussions on the future of St Peter’s Church have featured prominently in the local press, radio and television. The Pastoral Review, which questioned the place of St Peter’s in the re-organisation of the Church in Brighton, was greeted by very many people with disbelief. The church stands at the gateway to the city and offers a central place of worship for the ten thousand people who live and work in the area.

St Peter’s mission statement
St Peter’s mission statement is very clear on how the Church should serve the community.  It states that they wish “To make our Church a place of prayer and peace in the heart of the city, open and welcoming to all regardless of race, religion, gender, age, wealth or sexual orientation.”  But faced with questions as to its future, the governing body of St Peter’s, the Parochial Church Council, are looking to explore ways in which the Church can be of more spiritual and social use to the community. They are considering working with other denominations and faiths in an effort to maintain and build upon the worshipping community of the area.

An appeal for community help
Of course in order to work towards fulfilling the needs of the people of the area they need to be made aware of what those needs are. It is for this reason that St. Peter’s have launched an appeal for local people to make their views known by filling out a questionnaire.

Comments about this page

  • I have previously given my opinion that the lovely building should be preserved. Sadly, it would appear that money could not be found via the Diocese to execute the restoration urgently needed. The decreasing congregation will no doubt shoot me down for the following suggestion: market the building as one of the city’s attractions, offering tours by guides trained in history and architecture. A small fee would hopefully provide revenue towards repairs, as well as work for a few residents. The future of the building is too important to be treated as a parochial issue, with such questions as, Do you use the local shops/cafes?

    By Joe Reid (01/12/2005)
  • Your correspondent Tobias (16-03-2003 above) appears to forget that St Thomas’ at Portsmouth, formerly the Parish Church, was raised to Cathedral status as recently as 1927. My Chambers dictionary defines a City as ‘in the UK, a town with a royal charter, and usually a cathedral’. Why should the City of Brighton not have it’s own Bishop?

    By Tim Sargeant (05/12/2005)

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