Peterhead: An eco corps building missional momentum

Corps leader Lieutenant Rachel Baker and Corps Secretary Peter Cowe highlight ways they are caring for creation.

Journeying together

I’m just a few months in as corps leader here. Prior to my arrival, the corps was unofficered for 13 months. During that time, people stepped up and stepped in to keep things running well, and new ideas have been introduced. We’re moving towards having a café church every month. They’re a lovely group of positive and encouraging – mostly older – people. Some have been in the Army for many years, some have come from other churches, and some are new. Next year, we’ll celebrate our 145th corps anniversary.

Something for everyone

We have some young people, ranging from infants to young adults in their twenties and thirties. About 12 young people come to our Friday evening youth group for secondary school‑age children. Our drop‑in with Employment Plus is on alternate Tuesdays. The Aberdeenshire Outreach Project meet with clients and people who have housing needs and we have a visiting hairdresser. Our Elder Citizens Fellowship is on Wednesdays.

On Thursdays, we have Totzone parent‑and‑toddler group and, in the evening, members of Cornerstone – a group that supports people with learning disabilities – attend our twice‑monthly Cameo group with their carers.

Eco activity

We’re registered with Eco‑Congregation Scotland, working towards being a more environmentally friendly church. We have converted about 90 per cent of the building’s lighting to LED. Our corps charity shop saves items from going to landfill, alongside two clothing donation bins that are regularly full. Our garden has shrubbery and flower boxes, and our aim is to have a polytunnel so we can be self‑sufficient for the drop‑in.

We’re submitting proposals for a new kitchen that will be more practical, more cost effective and more environmentally friendly, and we’ve talked about launching the Victory Programme to encourage people to use the reduced and free food items we receive

Local charity Stella’s Voice delivers food to us, which we give out to people at the drop‑in, and we’re trying to use more of that in our food provision at the drop‑in to reduce costs.

Church outdoors

I love being by the sea, with the cliffs and the wind. I wonder how anyone can deny the Creator God when you see such a beautiful environment. We’re blessed to have a walking trail along the old railway line. Something I am keen to explore is Wild Church, going for walks and engaging with people who are dog‑walking or doing other outdoor activities on Sundays.

There’s so much to be said about mindfulness and the benefits to mental health of being outdoors. Many people believe creation speaks to them of a greater being and, by getting out there and engaging in that, we want to share the good news of Jesus with more people.

We’re looking at how we would do that here because, in the north of Scotland, the weather isn’t always hospitable. We would need a strong, sturdy gazebo and proper wet weather gear. Not everybody can afford outdoor gear, so we want to secure the finances for that.

Pray for Peterhead

I would ask readers to pray into our Wild Church and Victory Programme initiatives, that they will go ahead and that we can secure finances for them. Another prayer would be to better engage our young people in the church.

We’ve asked to pilot Messy Momentum, an initiative specifically aimed at engaging youth. We would like to have more families and younger people come along to support our congregation, who are so enthusiastic to do new things but aren’t always able.

There are so many possibilities to discern. We’re at the start of a beautiful journey and we want to see Jesus lifted high!