Church Statement for Charity Commission for 2021 Accounts. 

It's been said in many places but 2021 was an unprecedented year in the life of organisations. This was true for the Open Door church Peterborough as we focused on our vision to usher in the Kingdom of God in PE4. 

It was a year of two halves but the latter half of the year was influenced by the shadow of the first 6 months. From January to June 2021 we were in the 'groove' of our Sunday gatherings being online. A small team were responsible for coordinating production of these ZOOM events from the Open Door Centre. Normally there were between 15 and 20 households joining us - perhaps up to 30 people max. Other church events were severely limited and we all felt a loosening of the 'ties that bind' us together. It was a difficult time for leaders and a challenging one for the congregation. 

We were overjoyed to be able to meet from July onwards for Sunday services at a new venue - the Gunthorpe & Paston Community Centre on Hallfields Lane. This was a venue previously closed to us but Covid had created an opportunity that God inspired us to go for! 

Socially distanced and well-ventilated our numbers began to build during the next few months. Other church activities were re-awakened and met on an occasional basis. This all meant a church which didn't quite feel like church we remembered. 

At the end of the year we were looking with faith at the future, knowing that God was calling us to reach out to the community around us. 'God is Good all the time... All the time, God is good'