|PIC1|St Peter’s Harold Wood is in the middle of a £2.5 million project to make its buildings “fit for purpose” within the unique cultural and spiritual climate of the 21st century – and that means being primed for mission, service and fellowship.

While the 15 month expansion may seem like it’s about making more space for the existing 480 members, for church leader, the Rev David Banting, it’s about getting ready for those yet to come within the folds of the church.

“We are planning to grow; we need to grow; we want to grow for God’s glory.”

The key words in the whole project are community and mission. Not only is the building being fitted with environmentally friendly features like solar panels, it is also improving its accessibility for the elderly, disabled and very young and incorporating new hospitality areas to be at the disposal not only of the church but the community at large.

“The key-note is that we want and need to be more relational than ever, both looking outwards in mission and service ‘to Harold Wood and beyond’ and looking inwards to the fellowship and building the all-age family of God here at St Peter’s,” he says.

On the mission front, Rev Banting stresses that enlarging the church building is not an end in itself but vital step towards fulfilling the church’s mandate to be mission-shaped and geared towards expanding God’s Kingdom.

“We want to ‘keep the main thing the main thing’,” he says. “That is to say we want the outreach of the Gospel to be at the very top of our prayer and agenda.”

And the mission focus affects all levels and all members of the church.

“There are unprecedented opportunities to meet and talk with people and invite them in to share and hear … We are keen that every member of the fellowship ‘gears up’ to the new world of opportunity and challenge in mission.

“No church that wants to grow can expect to carry the wrong sort of passengers in the 21st century. The church is a ship or boat, not a cruise liner, but more of a cruiser, not a passenger ship, more a battle-ship, not a great liner, more a ship of the line.

“We have work to do – as our motto says, to Reach, Tend, Teach, and Send - and there is no greater and more rewarding partnership than the partnership of the Gospel.”

The church has just recently become involved with the South East Gospel Partnership, a new mission initiative for London and the South-East which is urging member churches to make mission their focus.

“That’s come at a brilliant timing for us,” says Rev David. “With the new building we are anticipating lots of bridge building and contacts and conversations and all sorts that could all be feeding into other things like our Christianity Explored course.

“And that’s giving us a shape not just in the sense of the opening of a new building but in the work of the Gospel that runs up to and through and beyond that.”