The St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in a multi faith society

 The St Philip’s Centre Charity began in 2006 as the first of four Presence and Engagement Centres in England and is rooted in the exciting multi-faith environment of Leicester, the UK’s most ethnically diverse city outside of London.

It has been established in partnership with ecumenical bodies including Methodist, Baptist, Roman Catholic and United Reformed Churches in Leicestershire. 

We have a superb track record of promoting positive community relations through our dialogue groups, charitable activities and organisation of community events such as the UK’s first ever imams v. clergy football and cricket matches.

Rev. Canon Dr John Hall, the Anglican Bishop of Leicester’s Director for Inter-faith Relations, is the Director of St Philip’s Centre. St Philip’s is part of a national strategy of the Church of England which aims to equip Christians for mission and ministry in a multi-faith society. 

What we do

As well as being the base for Near Neighbours in Leicester we provide a specialist centre for hosting and providing tailor-made conferences and courses for Church bodies, other faiths and public sector organisations. St Philip’s Centre also has a growing international reputation and benefits from the exchange of ideas and experiences with other countries in our understanding of multicultural and multi faith activity.

The Centre provides extensive bespoke and programmed training opportunities for Christians, people of other faiths and public sector partners, locally across Leicester and also nationally. These enable Christians and churches to be a confident and engaged presence in a multi faith world, prepared to share their own faith while learning from and working with others. Included in the programme of training are an M.A. in Interreligious Studies, an OCN in Faith Guiding and a renowned one-day course for senior church leaders.

The Centre is based in Leicester within easy reach of the railway station with frequent bus links. In partnership with the adjacent St Philip’s Church we have facilities for large (100+ people) and small events plus our own ‘inter faith library’ which houses an extensive collection. The Centre is a flexible venue that is regularly used for conferences, meetings, gatherings, launches, personal study and all-age events.