After spending the summer conducting weekly services in the adjoining Judith Clarke Center for Peace and Justice center, the parishioners of St. Peter's Episcopal Church will soon gather in their newly renovated worship space for the first time since an extensive renovation project began earlier this summer.

St. Peter's pastor, Reverend Scott A. Ciosek,  said the replacement of the 30-year-old roof is complete, the interior of the church has been painted, and all of the hardwood floors have been restored to their original condition.

The bell tower and cross, which rises over Padanaram Village, have been restored and the bells — which have not functioned for many years — are now in working condition, said Ciosek.

Another phase of renovations involves work done to the sanctuary of the church, including expanding the altar area into the nave of the church as well as removing the altar rail to improve accessibility, said Ciosek.

One of the highlights of the construction project is a newly designated Baptism space at the doors of the church so that people can easily gather around the font.

"We have baptized more children and adults in the past few years than we have in years. We believe that the Sacrament of Baptism is accessible to all and this new font will be a beautiful way to allow the congregation to gather," said Ciosek.

"The original baptism font will be preserved will be incorporated into a newly designed permanent base of wood and granite in a real place of prominence in our worship space," he added.

On Sunday, September 25 at 10:30 a.m., St. Peter's will welcome the community to join them for a “a big liturgical celebration of Holy Eucharist." The guest homilist for the service will be the Rev. Dr. Jean Baptiste Ntagengwa of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachsetts. Music will be provided by St. Peter's Folk Group under the direction of Anne Lamoreaux, Jim Whitaker, and Valerie Almeida. Everyone in the local community is invited to attend.

St. Peter's is located at 351 Elm Street.