Rev Archie Coates, vicar of St Peter\u2019s, Brighton, describes how a team from HTB rescued the city\u2019s \u201d\u02dcunofficial cathedral\u2019 in 2005. They now welcome over 1000 people into the church for weekend worship services.<\/p>\n
‘St Peter\u2019s is one of Brighton\u2019s iconic buildings, so when it was due to close there was a huge public outcry and 6,500 people signed the petition to keep it open.<\/p>\n
The building is incredible, but it\u2019s also a nightmare because it\u2019s crumbling. I remember giving sermons wearing hard hats. We didn\u2019t have any heating for four winters, so people used to come to church in a hat carrying a hot-water bottle.<\/p>\n
I think this is a visual aid for the wider work. The local churches all said that when the building looks like it\u2019s closed and dying on its feet, that sends out the message to Brighton that that\u2019s what God is like as well. But equally if you could do the opposite \u201d\u201c open it up, fix it up \u201d\u201c then that would send out the message: \u201d\u02dcWow, the Church is alive and God is on the move.\u2019<\/p>\n
When we began, we were about 30, including children: our family and about three other families. If you\u2019re going to attract other people to come, there needs to be a certain group for them to come into, and it\u2019s quite hard to do that with less than 30.<\/p>\n