Our application for planning permission to install a shed where one existed until about 20 years ago, has unfortunately been refused by the planners. This is a disappointment as we need space to store all kinds of church equipment at present in corners of the church itself such as under tot altars and in other people's garages and sheds. We plan to appeal.
Work to repair the north wall has now been completed by M J G Property Maintenance of Harpenden and the grass is growing again! Thank you to The Friends of Tewin, our Parish Council and the National Churches Trust for funds to help cover the costs for this. Our next planned work is to paint the guttering and down pipes.
We had our Quinquennial (Five Yearly) inspection of the church in November 2023. Our diocesan architect was pleased to report that there were no issues with the fabric of the building which is basically in good shape. However we had concerns over the damp which had appeared in the north wall of the Nave. We obtained permission from the diocese for repairs to this and have accepted a quote for the work to be done. It has now been completed to our satisfaction and we wait to see if the new drainage system will improve the damp in the wall.
Messy Church is for all the family and all ages, and is an increasingly popular and different way of doing church. Sometimes it will be outside (also known as Muddy Church), sometimes inside and sometimes a mixture of both. So far we have looked at Creation and The Water of Life. There is some craft, but other activities too - all fun while reflective and God focused. There is a short time of worship at the end of each Messy Church and a sharing of food together. Come and give it a try!
The next Messy Church will take place at 3.00pm on Sunday 16th November at 3pm
If you’d like to come along and join the fun, please register in advance by emailing Clare Rawlins at clarelouiserawlins@gmail.com.
A New meeting room for the church with improved facilities
The project team is continuing to work with the diocesan authorities and other heritage groups to find a way to meet the needs of the church, while retaining the beauty of our little rural church.
Our Vision for St Peter’s in the 21st century is here. The project team has been working hard to produce an appraisal of the many places around and within the church where we might make changes in order to improve facilities at St Peter's. The DIocesan Advisory Committee has reached concensus on the location and size of the proposed building. It may be on the site where a vestry existed until 1903, beside the south side of the chancel. Nothing is yet agreed
The lighting in the church, and the floodlighting outside, was updated to LED lights in 2022. The Church clock underwent essential repairs, and has now been fitted with an Autowinder which means that we do not have to rely on the Captain of the Bell Tower climbing up a ladder each week to wind the clock. Thank you to Friends of Tewin for their donations towards these two projects. We have also received a donation from The Proby Trust, administered by Jesus College Cambridge towards repairs to the clock.
We have recently had the north chancel roof cleared of moss and a copper strip added to stop it developing quickly again. We are once again grateful to Friends of Tewin for their contribution to that work.
We welcomed The Knitted Bible Exhibition here on 1st and 2nd July 2023. Over 30 scenes from the bible knitted by the congregation of St Georges' URC in Hartlepool were on loan to us from them. It was great to see this marvellous exhibition and to welcome visitors to enjoy it with us.
The church is open daily, as well as for regular weekly Sunday services. Within the Welwyn Team, a Parish Eucharist Service continues to be streamed every Sunday from one of the local churches, at https://www.welwyn.org.uk/onlinechurch
Please see the St Peter's Church page for time of other services this month and more information about St. Peter's. Our bellringers ring at St Peter's every week and also at other times.
We are pleased to report that the Welwyn Team Church in Action group has sent many items to the general request for help for Ukrainian refugees as well as to asylum seekers including Afghan refugees being helped by the Herts welcomes Refugees charity.