Reverend Peter Stevenson of Stamford United Reformed Church reflects on unusual journey ahead of retirement and move to Cleethorpes
A reverend who turned his life around from a path to prison to spreading the word of God is embarking on a new adventure.
The Reverend Peter Stevenson will be holding his final service at the Stamford United Reformed Church in Star Lane this Sunday (March 23) before he retires. He is also the minister at ChristChurch in Grantham and will hold his final service there on Saturday (March 22).
He’s known far beyond his own 20-strong congregation for his metaphorical sermons at services such as Remembrance and for his words of wisdom to bickering councillors during his time as Stamford mayor’s chaplain.
A lover of metaphors, the Rev Peter relates his purpose as similar to a postman.
“I believe what I’ve been doing is delivering good news, which is what the church is about,” the 67-year-old said.
“It is up to people to decide if it’s rubbish and they want to recycle it, or put it on the side to open later. Others may open it and like what they’ve read.”
In fact, being an actual postman was just one in a long list of jobs he’s held in the past, which also included milkman, toupee company rep, insurance salesman, financial advisor and aircraft cleaner.
Looking back, he describes himself as an ‘individualist who lived in a hedonistic way’ with no faith.
But that all changed when his wife Dawn gave birth nine weeks prematurely to their son Adam, who weighed one pound and 11oz.
Peter said: “It was on that night when I was driving back from hospital and Gladys Knight and the Pips’ Help Me Make It Through The Night was playing.
“It resulted in me stopping the car and doing a deal. I said ‘if you are there God, if he survives the night, I’m yours’.
“At that time the promise and transaction was fulfilled.”
To his family’s surprise, Peter became more involved with the church, but it was a long process before he was considered 'clever enough' to pursue ministry.
Fifteen years after his initial epiphany he completed a bachelor degree in theology at Fitzwilliam College with the University of Cambridge and in 2009, aged 50, was invited to Princeton in America to do a doctorate.
“I left school with three O-levels and wasn’t considered bright,” said the reverend, a published author.
“I was told I was going to be a dustman and that I might as well follow in my father’s footsteps.
“I believed this for 20 to 25 years but sensed a calling to be a minister.”
Taking responsibility for his own actions and being more understanding of others played a big part in his journey.
But he’s ‘not lost all the barbs’ and being open about his turbulent early years has made him more relatable.
He ministered first in Coventry and then Elephant and Castle in London before moving to Stamford in 2019 - a career spanning a quarter of a century.
The 67-year-old said: “I still can’t believe it. I went from having 50 jobs - more than 30 I was sacked from - to 25 years in ministry and being as qualified as I am.
“To have become as needed in the community, for the right reasons, is so far beyond what I could have expected.
“I was more likely to be put in prison for theft or petty crimes.”
He added that his brothers still don’t believe he’s achieved this.
Life changed for everyone during the covid pandemic, and for Peter this was no different.
Unable to be out in the community, he took on a ‘pastoral’ role by offering support to members of the congregation, which has continued through his Friday morning coffee mornings in the United Reformed Church Hall in Broad Street.
“What it’s shown me is the need for connectivity is great in Stamford,” he said.
“A lot of the things people do are often quite expensive - because it’s Stamford - so it’s a great way for people to be connected and relate to each other.”
He’s also played a key role in town services such as Armistice Day, Holocaust Memorial Day and the Easter Walk of Witness, and is part of the Stamford prison fellowship group, which visits inmates at HMP Stocken in Stretton.
When asked about his time in Stamford, the straight-to-the-point reverend said: “I’ve not enjoyed Stamford.
“The social divide is evident here. I’m uncomfortable with one person driving a Lamborghini and then someone on free school meals.
“I would like to see a fairer society in general.”
He noted, however, he would miss Asker’s Bakery in Red Lion Street and the connections he has built with the military in Stamford.
He admits he wasn’t as involved with the community in Grantham, due to it not being his hometown, but he still made his mark.
He chaired Grantham Churches Together until the group dissolved last year and volunteered with Grantham Passage, a group which provides free freshly cooked meals every day of the year.
“I’ve not had the same emotional connection with people outside the church but the people within the church I will miss,” he said.
Removal vans will arrive at the reverend’s Stamford home just a few days after his final service and, joined by wife Dawn, who works at George’s Sandwich Bar in Stamford Walk, he will leave for his new home in Cleethorpes with no plans to return.
He will be enjoying time by the seaside - which is where he ‘comes alive’ - and spending more time with daughter Faye, granddaughter Eloise, and son Adam.
A man of many talents, he will hone his 10-pin bowling skills (he used to play in a league) and has bought binoculars for bird watching. A return to BBC’s ‘Total Wipeout’ game show, on which he was once a contestant, is unlikely unless the show is resurrected.
As if that isn’t enough to keep him busy, he expects to feel drawn back to community service.
“Because I’m an engager with life, not a spectator, I don’t think it will be long before I see a need where I could be useful,” he said.
