St. Peter’s Church Turns to Community for Help

By Kate Legakis

St. Peter’s Church is looking to its community to help preserve and continue its legacy.

On August 25th, St. Peter’s Church is holding a Heritage Dinner at the Cobourg Yacht Club in support of their preservation and restoration campaign.  

An auction will also take place at this time, with donated items up for sale to support the restoration campaign. Food is catered by the Best Western Inn and the Cobourg Yacht Club. 

The tickets for this event are $60 for general seating and $120 for patio seating, both with substantial tax receipts. This dinner is the first in a series of events by St. Peter’s Preserving the Past for a Brighter Future campaign. The proceeds from this function will contribute to necessary repairs to the church. 

Randy Barber, the Vice-President of the Cobourg and District Historical Society, says that St. Peter’s Church is in dire need of repair.
“It’s gotten to the point that [St. Peter’s] can’t function as a church anymore because of the danger of falling plaster,” Barber said. “[The repair] has to be done at this point to prevent further damage.” 
The repairs to the church will be intensive and extensive, said Barber. The estimated total cost for these repairs is 2.7 million dollars. About half of this will be acquired through fundraising.

To achieve this goal, St. Peter’s Church is turning to its community to see the importance of both the building itself and the community services that the church initiates.

Butler said that the importance of St. Peter’s Church lies in both its current and historical value. He said that the church, built in 1818, bears great historical significance. It was designed by Kivas Tully who also designed Victoria Hall.

The church also remains relevant today with its various community programs: weekly lunches, a winter warming centre, and several choral groups.

Barber said that no amount is too small in the efforts of the fundraising and that tax receipts are available. However, St. Peter’s is looking for large sponsors and donors for upcoming events to support their efforts.  

Barber is optimistic about the future of St. Peter’s Church.
“It’s part of the fabric of Cobourg and its history,” said Butler. “It’s a magnificent building, both inside and out, and given all it does for the community, it’s essential that we save it.”