1350

It was wonderful to welcome back the Salvation Army to St Peter's Church as we held our very own Songs of Praise event. Due to take place outside, we entered the safety of the Church when the weather turned against us! Their fantastic Fellowship band made up of members from across the North East of England led us in some spectacular hymns. 

St. Peter, also known as Simon Peter, holds a profound place in Christian history as one of Jesus Christ's closest disciples and, as some believe, the first Pope. Born as a humble fisherman in the 1st century AD in Bethsaida, he was initially known as Simon until Jesus gave him the name Peter, meaning 'rock,' symbolizing the foundational role he would play in the Christian faith. 

Throughout his journey with Jesus, Peter witnessed countless miracles, heard profound teachings, and experienced the transformative power of Christ's love. Despite facing moments of doubt and weakness, he demonstrated unwavering faith and loyalty, becoming an essential figure in the early Christian community. He is an example of how a flawed individual can live up to the calling God gives us. 

After Jesus' ascension, Peter travelled to Rome, where catholic tradition claims he became the first Bishop of Rome, laying the groundwork for what would become the papacy. He fearlessly preached the gospel, performed miracles, and exemplified the qualities of humility and forgiveness. Tradition holds that Peter faced martyrdom during Emperor Nero's persecution of Christians, choosing to be crucified upside down to symbolise his unworthiness to die in the same manner as his beloved Lord. This is the reason that an upside-down cross has become a symbol for Peter, many upside-down crosses can be found in our Church, including on the baptismal font.

Today, St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City stands as a magnificent tribute to his enduring legacy and serves as a place of pilgrimage and inspiration for countless faithful worldwide. As we reflect on St. Peter's life, we are reminded of the power of faith, redemption, and the transformative impact one individual's devotion can have on shaping the course of Christianity.

St Peter’s Church is, of course, named after Peter, and Petertide is our patronal festival. One thing that delights us here in the parish is that Petertide is also the time when most ordinands are ordained. Following in Peter’s footsteps, these men and women answer the call of God on their lives and devote themselves to His service. 

Ordained ministry is not the only vocation, and it certainly is not the most important. God calls us all to serve Him in a variety of ways, and each is as unique as we are. Whether we work in healthcare, social services, highway maintenance, education, retail or any other sphere of life, we are all called to live out our Christian lives in these places.

If Peter, the man who denied Christ three times, can go on to be the first Pope and help to found the Church of which we are all now members, then surely, we who do not deny Christ can fulfil what God has called us to. 

This 1350 Petertide reflection was written by Tim. 

St Peter's 1350 flower festival was officially opened last night (28th June) by The Right Worshipful the Mayor of the City of Sunderland, Councillor Dorothy Truman. It was a wonderful evening which saw St Peter's full to the brim with beautiful floral displays. The festival is now open! 29th June to the 2nd of July, 10 am to 5 pm daily. 

St Peter's would like to thank The Sunderland Floral Art Club for all their hard work to make the festival happen. Without these wonderful people, the Flower Festival would never have been possible, and we are blown away by the beauty of the displays. 

Check out the photo gallery below to see pictures from the opening night. 

The Children stole the show! 

On Thursday the 25th of May 2023 we kicked off our 1350 celebrations in style! Joined by Broadmoor Baptist's Highschool Choir, Fulwell Junior's Choir and Br Jude from the Community of the Resurrection. 

It was truly wonderful to gather together in St Peter's and celebrate a shared Christian history with all those who came from other denominations. Bede is important to all of us and we at St Peter's are blessed to be the guardians of Bede's first monastic home. 

The service was a real mix of worshiping styles and traditions and showed that old and new can work well together! 

Today (Monday 22nd May), Broadmoor Baptist's Youth Choir have arrived in Sunderland! The 16 out of the whole 60 who are on placement with us during the week came to St Andrew's this evening to get to know the parish and to pray together. 

We're very excited to see what God will do through them while they are here in the parish and looking forward to getting to know them better. 

Broadmoor are an American Baptist Church and have a heart to see Jesus known. We're excited to be able to partner with them and other Churches around the city to see Jesus known in our communities.