About Us

We are a lively Anglican church in Yateley with a passion to build the kingdom of God, right here in our town.

We have a varied church life that has a wide range of groups for all ages, a coffee shop and charity shop at the heart of our local community.

As a church, our Vision is for St Peter’s to be a Church that is

Rooted, Seeking and Reaching:

Rooted in Word and Spirit

Seeking God in Prayer and Worship

Reaching out in the Presence and Love of Jesus

Our prayer for all ages says this: Heavenly Father, We want to be like the mighty oak trees that are in the Bible: tall and strong in our faith and trust in you, with deep roots that help us to grow like Jesus and with branches that reach up to you and out to our friends and neighbours across Yateley. Please help us to understand the Vision and what it means to us and to live, day by day, in ways that mean your Kingdom grows. Thank you for Jesus and for your love and for the Vision you have given us. In Jesus’ name, Amen

Putting these things together, we hope that you can see our desire to grow, inwardly and as a Church, to build the Kingdom of God here in Yateley and bring glory to him through our lives. People of great faith and none, people of all ages ... everyone is truly welcome at St Peter's!

If you want to know more about St Peter’s please get in touch with the Parish Office on 01252 912761

Our Mission Charities

Count everyone in

Inspiring and equipping God’s church to be welcoming and accessible to all, especially those who are so often marginalised by society and even the church because of learning disability.

The mission is put into practice through speaking and teaching in churches, running specialised ministry at major Christian festivals such as Spring Harvest, Keswick Convention, One (formerly Grapevine) and Word Alive, and providing resource materials that make the Christian Gospel and worship accessible to all.

Website

Good news for everyone

The Gideons International is an Association of Christian business and professional men and their wives dedicated to telling people about Jesus through associating together for service, sharing personal testimony, and by providing Bibles and New Testaments. While we are often recognized for our work with hotels, we also place and distribute Scriptures in strategic locations so they are available to those who want them, as well as to those who may not know they need them.

Website

Open Doors

Open Doors works in over 60 countries, supplying Bibles, training church leaders, providing practical support and emergency relief, and supporting Christians who suffer for their faith. In the UK and Ireland Open Doors works to raise awareness of global persecution, mobilising prayer, support and action among Christians.

Website

Our History

The Bell Tower

The wooden Bell Tower was built about 1500 and is probably the finest wooden framed tower in this part of the country.

This was considered to be the best architectural feature of the church and the rebuilding was planned so that the tower should remain the best known landmark of Yateley. The brick infill between the timbers at the base of the tower dates from the 1878 restoration. The timber framing of the tower did not suffer much from the fire of 1979 because the charring of the surface prevented the fire taking a hold. The fire did reveal severe damage caused by death watch beetle, which has now been treated and is kept under surveillance. In addition, the tower had to be strengthened for a ring of eight bells, as it was originally built for only three. The repair of the timber frame was carried out using a combination of English oak and steel. The roof had to be taken down and was rebuilt on the ground by a team of three parishioners. In the 1878 restoration the west door (or tower door) was intended to be the main entrance, so the font was moved into the tower (the old custom is to have the font near the main entrance), and the bell ringers moved upstairs. A few years later they came down again and a screen was fitted into the arch, which has now been replaced by a new doorway. The only stained-glass window to survive is the one in the tower, given in memory of Mr. Sumner, who was Vicar at the time of the 1878 restoration. Along the north and south sides of the tower are the medieval brasses which were moved here from the chancel in 1878.

We had a ring of eight bells, the oldest being cast in 1577. They were cracked in the fire but have been recast with their original inscriptions by Taylor's of Loughborough, using metal from the old bells.

The clock was made in about 1600, the face came from Wokingham Town Hall in 1878. The mechanism was restored in the early 1980's, and an automatic winding system was installed in the late 1980's. The the clock is now wound on a daily basis by a small team of volunteers.