About Us
Holy Trinity with St John's is a Church of England church, belonging to Beckenham Deanery and the
Diocese of Rochester. Our merger between the existing churches of Holy Trinity SE20 and St John the Evangelist Penge aims to carry the very best of what the two churches have been in the past into a present in which God is doing something new in us, among us and through us, equipping us to continue to love and serve the people of Penge now and into the future.
From the outset of the merger process, the vision has been for the two legacy churches to become one, united church, making the best use of both our historic and beautiful buildings as places of worship, welcome and community. Worship, fellowship and community activities take place throughout the week and across both our sites.
Holy Trinity Site
Our
Holy Trinity site in Lennard Road was built in 1878, financed by Francis Peek (of Peek Frean's biscuits) as a memorial to his parents. The building was seriously damaged by an arson attack in 1993, but was thoughtfully and carefully renovated so that the space could enhance the church's worship and work within the local community.
Holy Trinity has a long history of welcoming the community into its building through events such as the summer and Christmas fairs and auction, and especially through Living Well, the charity founded by the previous vicar, Rev. Canon Nick Read. It offers a food bank, community cafe, hot lunches, an Art Cafe, Community choir, and much more. There is also a flourishing Wednesday afternoon group for the over-50's, to which all are welcome.
Holy Trinity offers a beautiful space for quiet, reflective services, with, at certain times of the year, the added joy of watching the sunrise or sunset through the large East window.
St John's Site
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St John's site facing Penge High Street opened in 1850 from a Gothic Revivalist design. Edwin Nash was one of the architects of this Grade II listed building. There has been considerable reordering over the years to make the building more flexible for community use, but several original features remain, including some beautiful stained glass windows.
St John's has long been committed to community outreach and, every Sunday afternoon, is transformed from a place of worship into a fantastic playground for toddlers, who have been bringing their parents and carers to our Little Fish toddler group for many years. St John's also hosts the CAP (Christians Against Poverty) Penge Debt Centre and has longstanding and growing links with St John's School, the Church of England primary school in Maple Road.
St John's offers a variety of spaces to encourage awe and worship, from the breadth and height of the main worship area to the intimacy of the chancel and the side chapel.