St. Peter and St. Paul, Charing
Charing Church and school have had a close and fruitful connection since the foundation of Charing Church of England School in the late 19th century.
The history of Charing Church goes back a lot further. There was a church in Charing as early as the 7th century, but the earliest parts of the present building are of the 13th century.
Charing Church has been added to over the years and unbroken Christian worship has continued to this present day.
Links between Church and School in Charing are as strong today as ever. The church has appointed a new Rector who will lead weekly worship and members of the congregation serve on the Governing Body. In return the school regularly visits the Church for services including Christmas, Easter and the School Leavers’ Service, as well as other major festivals.
The clergy participate in and support curricular activities in school which are exploring areas of Church life, for example marriage or baptism, and the school use the Church building as a resource both in their direct learning and in their spiritual, social and cultural development. Visits for the past 18 months have been limited due to the restrictions associated with Covid-19 but we are looking forward to children across the school coming for ‘spiritual days’ in Charing Church exploring prayer stations based upon the senses, and year 6 participating on a pilgrimage ending at the Church to fit in with the Diocesan Day of Prayer and Pilgrimage.
Joys and concerns in both school and church are shared and held in common and mutual support is given to each other’s events.
