A number of different Christian churches from Chester, including Orthodox, Baptist, Catholic, Free Church, Charismatic, Anglican, Presbyterian and Methodist, gathered outside St Peter’s at the Cross in Chester for a united act of prayer and worship. For those that might not be too familiar with Chester, the Cross, is the centre point of the city, at the crossroads where the two main streets, which run north to south and east to west, intersect each other.
St Peter's Church in Chester, is situated at the Cross, literally just a few feet from the stone pillar that marks the Cross. It's a fantastic location for any church that wants to take Christianity beyond the walls of the building and out into the wider community. Revd Jonathan Phillips, who is the vicar at St Peter's is a keen exponent of seeking out ways to invite and engage with the many thousands of people literally on his doorstep. One of the initiatives that he has helped to organise is called 'Unity at the Cross', where local Christian church leaders from all denominations meet at St Peter's once a term to pray for the city, have fellowship together and seek out ways they can work together to share the good news of Jesus with the city of Chester.
Thy Kingdom Come in 2018 birthed a number of collective worship events across the diocese and it was from the TKC 2019 event at Chester Cathedral that a number of church leaders decided to celebrate Pentecost the following year with an outdoor prayer and worship meeting at the Cross, where each church would invite members of their congregations to attend. After a wonderful event in 2019 this was stopped over lock down but but wonderfully was able to happen again on Sunday 05 June 2022 and despite the rain and drizzle, about one hundred people met to pray, worship and fellowship together.
Jonathan said "It's an absolute privilege to gather as Christians united at the cross to celebrate the church's birthday. This act of 'Unity at the Cross' is more than a service that's being held in the outdoors. We're in the heart of the city, being public about our faith in Jesus through joy-filled worship.