2024 marked the 800th anniversary of the first recorded Rector of Abington. We dedicated the year to celebrating this important milestone in our history by reflecting upon the historical journey so far, and looking to the future, and what God's plan for us here in Abington might be in helping to shape that future.
From musical celebrations, to family fun days, a display of over 1,200 butterflies, to an open air baptism service - the year was full of events and celebrations! Below are just some of the highlights, and if you would like to share a particular memory from this special year please get in touch with us.
800 Icon
We commissioned a very special icon to commemorate our anniversary. This beautiful piece was written by Ian Holdsworth and is on display in the Lady Chapel. It shows Christ in Abington Park, situated where the Church has stood for generations and reminds us that we are called to be Christ's light, love, hands and feet in this community. If you would like to view the icon why not come along to one of our services and take a look.
Oak Tree
To help us think about the future we held a series of sessions titled 'Under the Oak,' led by Bishop Andrew Proud. We found that we all have gifts to contribute; time, talent, and financial gifts, and we feel excited about the many ways we can use them to serve the church and our community. We also felt that it would be a gift to mark our anniversary with a tree, planted in the park, for future generations to enjoy. And so a new Red Oak, reflective of the heritage of Abington's leather tanning industry, was planted in November 2024. The image below shows Revd. Jun with Churchwardens Donald Loe and Jim Mercer with the newly planting sapling.
800 Butterflies
We were keen to involve as many people in our celebrations as possible and so early in the year we invited people from across the community to create a butterfly. Butterflies represent transformation, as well as reminding us of the fragility of the world in which we live, and we were delighted when they began to arrive. We had hoped to receive 800 butterflies but once our Little Fishes Toddler Group, Abington Park View Care Home, St Christopher's Care Home, Bridgewater Primary School, Abington Vale Primary School, and many others got going, we had so many that we didn't know where to put them! In all, we received over 1,200 - each a beautiful and unique reminder that we too are beautiful and unique within God's great creation!
800 years of baptising!
St Peter and St Paul has baptised many a new Christian, marking the start of their journey with Christ. In this special year we hosted a baptism service with a difference - outside, on the lawn, in full view of the park and the road, baptising by full immersion in a specially constructed pool! It was a wonderful day and a reminder of the mission of the church, which continues onwards. If you would like to talk to us about being baptised, please get in touch.
Music at Abington
St Peter and St Paul has a long tradition of worshipping with music, and we are blessed to have talented musicians in our choir, led by our Director of Music, Tim Dolan. This year was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate, not only within our worship, but with concerts showcasing talent from across our community and congregation. We hosted a number of concerts throughout the year which were greatly appreciated by those who were able to come, and raised funds to be used to maintain our organ, helping the tradition of music to continue long into the future.
Writing History
One of the challenges of a year such as this is how to tell the story of the last 800 years. Thankfully, our resident historian Jane Evans stepped forward and we were delighted when she offerred to write a book! A Window on Abington captures some of the history of both the church and community and is available from the church and local retailers.
Thank you!
We would like to thank everyone who made this celebratory year so special! A big thank you to all those from within the church who gave so generously of their time and talents to plan, host, and co-ordinate such a packed programme of events. And a big thank you to all who came along; whether to one service or event, or to them all! It was wonderful to share this milestone with so many and we hope that you will continue to be a part of the next 800 years of St Peter and St Paul, the Church in the Park.
Our About Us pages tell you more about the history of the church, and whilst we know that this is an incomplete story, we hope you might be in touch if you have any particular history that you would like to share with us.