THE Prince of Wales praised the “determined” parishioners at a church in south London who helped to bring it “back to life”, and he also commended its work with people in debt, in a BBC TV programme broadcast at the end of last month.
During a recent visit to All Saints’, Peckham, which featured on Songs of Praise, the Prince described a small group of female volunteers, who had helped to turn the dwindling congregation at All Saints’ into one with more than 500 people, as “a wonderful example of people who weren’t going to take no for answer”.
“They just weren’t going to see their church hall or their church closed or demolished,” he said. “So they just trusted in Providence and eventually it worked, and there was an answer to their prayers.”
He described the debt-counselling service that All Saints’ has run in partnership with Christians Against Poverty since 2008 as “staggering” and “fantastic”.
“[It] just shows that people with particular personalities, and presumably people with a particular faith, can work miracles really. But it all comes from the inner part of our souls; it’s that way in which you can motivate people through your own inner understanding of things that makes the whole difference. That’s where so many of these marvellous people can make a fantastic difference — and here it’s happening in the church.”
The Vicar of All Saints’, the Revd Frog Orr-Ewing, said: “[The Prince’s] attention to detail, of really listening to people and finding out what made them tick, was really exemplary, and really showed his love, appreciation, and care for people here, not only in this church, but in Peckham.”
A member of the congregation said: “He looked to me to be humble. I expected him to be a bit stuck up, but he’s one of us.”