Our fellowship with one another extends beyond the boundaries of our services to various regular, annual and one-off events. These draw us together as a church community and help us to have fun on the way. Whether you come to church regularly or not, you would be welcome at one of our events, some of which are described below.
Most church communities are excellent at doing tea and cake, and our parish is amongst them. We meet regularly on Saturday mornings in St Peter’s Parish room for our Saturday Morning Coffee Morning. This is a great way to get to know other people in the church and wider community over delicious home-made cakes, served with tea and coffee. The coffee mornings are great value – cheaper than going into one of the cafes on the high street! – but over the course of the year also raise a good amount to support the work of the church – why not come along?
For those after something with a bit more of a community feel, we have two groups which run on a fortnightly basis, the Over 50s at St John’s, and the Crafty Group at St Peter’s. These groups meet in term time in their respective churches for a coffee and chat; the Over 50s play bingo and dominoes, and a highlight of the annual calendar is the summer outing, where recent destinations have included Whitby and Scarborough; the Crafty Group at St Peter’s meets to do a variety of craft work, including sewing, embroidery, painting and writing, If you’re interested in coming along to one of these groups to meet friends new and old, contact us for details of the next meeting.
Our annual calendar is packed full of celebrations, such as our parish Christmas dinner, summer garden party and autumn fair. We also open up St Peter’s for Horbury Street Fair, when the church is literally at the heart of the community – bands play on the steps leading up to the south transept entrance, with its impressive stately-home facade designed by John Carr, refreshments are served in the church, and stalls flow outside, selling everything from plants to toys, books to bric-a-brac. Occasionally throughout the year we also open up our crypt, the burial place of the architect of St Peter’s, Horbury-born John Carr, and members of his family. We have also hosted concerts from groups such as Horbury Victoria Brass Band, Wakefield Big Band, Skelmanthorpe Male Voice Choir, and the St Peter’s Consort, and displayed art in church for local art groups. All these events, and others, are managed by our Social and Fundraising Committee, which is always looking for new and exciting ideas, and fresh ways of engaging with the community we’re here to serve. If you have an idea that you think we can help with, why not send us a message?