All Saints Church, Peckham

All Saints Church is a vibrant Evangelical Anglican church in Blenheim Grove, Peckham, London. It is part of Camberwell Deanery within the Anglican Diocese of Southwark in the Church of England. On the verge of closing down in 1996 due to a dwindling congregation, the church has grown rapidly over last decade and now has a membership of over 400 adults.

Rev. Francis Orr-Ewing, who was the youngest incumbent in the Church of England on his appointment to All Saints in 2003, is the Vicar.

History

The church started in 1867 when Peckham was a village on the edge of Camberwell and was a haven outside the intense bustle of Victorian London. Within a few years the church had grown from about 20 people, meeting in the vicar's sitting room, to over 600 adults in the congregation, and there was even a Children's service for 800 children each Sunday afternoon. The Church Hall and the Church building were completed in 1872. The church has pews for around 400 people, with space in the side aisles for an additional 150-200 people.

The Church grew rapidly in the early 20th century, but, like many inner-city London churches, declined after World War II. By the mid-1990s the church congregation had fallen in number to a small handful of members. The church was no longer viable and plans were made to sell off the land for housing, but to incorporate a small worship centre for the remaining members on the site.

In 1996 a last ditch effort was made to save the church. The Diocese appointed Rev. Bob Hurley (who had been on the staff at Holy Trinity Brompton in South Kensington) as vicar. Hurley believed that "... God had a plan that All Saints could be full again on Sundays ..." and, with the rest of the small congregation, was determined to fight the closure plans. The then Bishop of Southwark agreed to Hurley's proposal that within 2 years he would aim to double the congregation of 20 people and install a heating system in the church, or else the church would close. Hurley rose to the challenge and both targets were achieved within 6 months - the threat of closure was removed and the church grew rapidly in the years that followed. Hurley has recorded the remarkable turnaround in a book. [cite book |last = Hurley, B |title=Living outside the box (a Peckham parable) |date = 2006 |publisher=Comfort Books]

In 2002 Hurley moved on to look after five rural parishes near Salisbury and in 2003 Orr Ewing (a curate at St Aldate's Church in Oxford) was appointed as Vicar of All Saints. Since 2003 the number of people attending the Church has continued to show strong growth.

Worship

All Saints has two services each Sunday, a morning service at 10.30am and an evening service at 7pm. There is also a midweek Service on Tuesdays at 11am. The services reflect the New Wine/Soul Survivor style of worship. In 2005 the Church released its first live worship CD 'Your Favour'.

Homegroups

Over the last decade Homegroups have played a vital role in the life of All Saints, enabling 'Church' to happen during the week around the local area. As the number of people attending All Saints has increased, the number of homegroups have also risen.

Social outreach

Through its many kids and youth clubs and involvement with many schools, All Saints has regular weekly contact with around 600 children. The Church has also been involved in three major missions in the local area over the last few years - 'Soul in the City' in 2004 and 'God loves Peckham' in 2006 and 2007. The Church also runs many of the activities that take place at the Bradfield Club in Commercial Way.

Name

The official name of the church is "All Saints, Camberwell", but apart from administrative issues with the Diocese, it is always known as All Saints Peckham.

Affiliations

As well as being part of the Anglican Diocese of Southwark, All Saints is a member of the:
* [http://www.new-wine.org/leaders/ New Wine Network]
* Evangelical Alliance
* Fusion (student movement).

In 2006 Orr-Ewing was appointed as an Associate Lecturer at St Paul's Theological Centre, based at Holy Trinity Brompton. He remains the Vicar at All Saints.

References

External links

* [http://www.allsaintspeckham.org.uk All Saints web site]
* [http://www.shipoffools.com/Mystery/2005/939.html Mystery worshipper report] from the [http://www.shipoffools.com/Mystery/ Ship of Fools web site]