St Peter's Church

Newnham-on-Severn, Gloucestershire

Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’

Mark Harrison playing in St. Peter’s, Newnham, as part of the Newnham Live 2017 event

Welcome to St Peter’s Church

If you are new to Newnham or shortly moving to the village, you will find Newnham a very friendly place. People who already live in the village say how hard it is walk along the high street in a hurry because there are often people who want to stop and chat!

The Newnham village website has details of events that take place and organisations that exist including the library, formerly operated by Gloucester County Council but now run by the village community and Newnham St Peter’s C of E Primary School which has strong links with the church.

We hope this Website gives you a flavour of church life and further information about what goes on.

News

Events

Might there be more?

Yet more young lives lost to knife crime

Here in rural Gloucestershire, it is difficult to understand what is going on in our capital city.  There is no shortage of comments or commentators who are quick to express the problem.  Few, it seems, are able to pose a solution.  Some say it the police’s problem to solve, whilst others blame it on poor, or lack of, good parenting and rôle models.

Politicians, it seems, do not have a clear framework to guide them as to what policies to pursue, and the wider public doesn’t have one to help them decide which to support.  The decline of public understanding and acceptance of a Christian vision for the good life has left a vacuum which cannot be filled by political ideologies. The Evangelical Alliance helps equip Christians to have a vision for what public life could look like and offers core values that help structure how it is worked out.

However, we often know what we are against – and are often known by what we are against – but for our engagement in society to be effective and lasting we need a vision for that society, and we will need to be able to articulate the vision in a way that makes sense and is appealing. This means asking ourselves two keys questions:

  1. What do we want?
  2. How do we best communicate what we want?

Our goal with What Kind of Society? is to provoke and address these questions and to get the Church started with what it needs to practically cast a vision and be a voice for the good of all.

 

How do we intercede?

The apostle Paul urged “that petitions, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people; for kings and all those in authority” (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

In the book of Jeremiah, we read: “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf” (29:7).

In John’s first epistle, he says we have confidence in approaching God and “that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14).

As we pray, let us…

  • bring the needs of the nations before the Lord.
  • ask God to guide those in authority at the heart of politics and give them His divine wisdom to run the country.
  • be precise in our prayers: quote scripture, and mention specific people and situations.
  • pray with a friend, relative or spouse. (Matthew 18:20: “Where two or three gather in My name, there am I with them”.)
  • cry out to the Lord for the salvation of teenagers and young adults – the next generation – UK-wide.
  • spread the need to intercede among fellow Christians.
  • make a conscious effort to plead another’s case daily.

 

What Kind of Society? is a short booklet which aims to provide a vision for the kind of world that we want our children and grandchildren to grow up in. At a time of disconcerting turbulence and increasing trepidation about what the future holds, the Evangelical Alliance wants to encourage God’s people to give voice to this vision that things can change for the better.

This summary booklet provides an introduction to the four themes of love, freedom, justice and truth, along with what Christians and churches can do in response.   It is a free download on the EA website.  See more information about the Evangelical Alliance.

TET