|
Profile
Who we are
Organized:
1) Nicene Creed
2) Response from Questionnaires sent out to
members of Church, August, 2009
(Responses are
about 12 pages; please remember to go towards the last pages for
more background and other helpful information, separate and apart from
Responses)
3) Information about the Spiritual
foundations of our Church
4) Information about the grounds and
history of our Church
____________________________________________________________
As the Apostle
Paul preached: we all are different - each of us has a unique perspective and
a unique set
of gifts. As a church, we as individuals are many parts of one
body - the Body of Christ.
However, we must hold to "core values",
which bridge or overcome our differences. The Nicene Creed is a statement of
those core values we share as members of Saint Peter's Church.
Nicene Creed
We believe in
one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Responses from
Questionnaires:
What is your involvement, past and present, in the
life of the parish?
How important are various aspects of a worship
service to you?
Strengths and weaknesses of the current life of our
parish.
Which aspects of the life of our parish should
receive future emphasis?
Would you prefer—
Opinions:
Would you like to meet for—
Most important topics for religious education:
Importance of pastoral responsibilities:
Amount of sharing of responsibilities between the
pastor and laypersons:
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Port Royal,
Virginia
July, 2009
________________________________________
Below, more responses
from the Questionnaires
A. Family Information:
Item A is to be completed by the head of household only. Answer only
once per
household. Enter the number of family members in each age range.
_1_ 0-11
_1_ 12-17
_29_ 18 & over
B. Individual
information: Answer for yourself.
1. Age:
___ under 16 _1_ 16-21 ___
22-35 _1_ 36-50
_9_ 51-65
_11_ 66 & up
2.
Relationship status: _15_
married _2_
separated/divorced/widowed _2_
single
3. Where do
you reside? (city, town, development)?
5 town 3
farm
8
development 2 village
C. You and Your Church:
1. How many
years have you been coming to St. Peter’s Church?
___ less than 1 year _5_ 1-5
years _8_ 6-10 years
_6_ over 10 years
2. How
frequently do you attend services?
_20_ nearly
every Sunday _1_ twice a month
___ once a month _2_ occasionally
3. What
brought you to St. Peter’s Church? (check up to 3)
_8_ nearest Episcopal church to my
home
_5_ nearest church to my
home
___ the Sunday school
_18_ recommended by a friend or
neighbor
_2_ rector or parishioner called on
me when I moved into the area
_5_ pastoral contact with clergy of
St. Peter’s
_4_ sampled several churches and
liked St. Peter’s best
_5_ was attracted by the reputation
of St. Peter’s
_6_ my family
_2_ other (please specify):
history, charm, size
4. Why have
you continued coming to St. Peter’s Church? (check as many as apply)
_10_ loyalty to the Episcopal Church
_23_ a supportive community
_19_ style of worship appeals to me
_10_ the music
_19_ the priest
_12_ I enjoy
participating in one or more of the activities of the parish, e.g., the
choir
_11_ I appreciate the opportunities
for spiritual growth
_2_ my family has always attended
_15_ I appreciate the chance to
share in social activities
___ I want my children to be raised in the Christian faith
___ habit
_5_ closest Episcopal church
_1_ other(please explain):
great church family
5a. On
Sundays, I prefer Holy Communion:
_17_ as presently scheduled (4
Sundays a month) ___ more frequently _6_
less frequently
5b. On
Sundays, I prefer Morning Prayer (service does not include communion)
_12_ as presently scheduled
(occasionally) _6_ more
frequently _5_ less frequently
5c. I prefer
special services (e.g., Christmas Eve, Maundy Thursday), other than
Sundays:
_21_ as presently scheduled
_1_ more frequently
_3_less frequently
1: add an occasional Evensong
6. Your
involvement in the life of the parish: (check as many as apply)
Past Present
_2_
_7_ Christian Education (Sunday
school)
_5_
_7_ state Diocesan/Regional
activities
_4_
_8_ buildings/grounds
_6_
_9_ Bible study (other than Sunday)
_3_
_4_ choir
_3_
_10_ outreach (e.g., food pantry)
_2_
_10_ greeter
___ _2_ acolyte
_5_
_12_ lay reader
_5_
_10_ altar guild
_8_
_8_ vestry
___ _1_ lay visitor
_6_
_10_ ECW
___ _3_ other
(please specify): LEM
_1_ fellowship
7. How
important are various aspects of a worship service to you?
Less
important Important More
important
_1_
_8_
_16_ good sermon
_3_
_15_
_6_ service music
_1_
_11_
_12_ prayers
_1_
_12_
_11_ fellowship / worship with
others
8. The following is a
list of various aspects of the life of our parish. Please check those
you consider strengths and those you consider weaknesses. Also check
those you wish to have future emphasis, regardless of current strength
or weakness.
Current
strength Current weakness Future emphasis
_21_
___
_4_ lay reading
_21_
_1_
_5_ choir:
need more members
_17_
_1_
_3_ altar guild
_6_
_6_
_12_ acolytes/acolyte training
_18_
_1_
_4_ greeting
_17_
_6_
_20_ church school, children
_5_
_2_
_7_ church school, adults
_11_
_6_
_5_ stewardship
_13_
_2_
_1_ Bible study
_14_
___ _6_
outreach programs
_11_
_3_
_5_ visitation to sick and shut-ins
_13_
_2_
_5_ welcoming newcomers
_14_
_4_
_4_ ECW
_18_
___ _5_
parish social events
_2_
_8_
_14_ youth activities
_20_
___ _3_
coffee hour
_16_
_2_
_5_ buildings and grounds
_14_
_4_
_2_ parish communications
_15_
_5_
_2_ Diocesan activities
_1_
_4_
_4_ sponsorship of a seminarian
Other: (1 each):
adult church school and Bible study: night meetings for working adults
ECW: night meetings for working
women; youth activities: need more children
communications: : monthly vestry
report
9. Ritual is
the degree of ceremony we observe in our service. Would you prefer:
_19_ same amount of ritual
_3_ more ritual
_1_ less ritual
10. What
is your thought about the consecration of Gene Robinson as bishop?
_1_ agree
_17_ disagree ___ undecided
_6_ no comment ___ other
11. What
is your thought about the blessing of same sex marriages?
___
agree _19_ disagree
_2_ undecided
_5_ no comment ___ other
D. Christian Education
1.
Attendance at child and adult Sunday school:
How
frequently do you (or does your child) attend children’s Sunday school
(weeks per year)?
_4_ 0-10 ___ 11-20 ___
21-30 ___ 31-40 ___ 41-52 _12_
Have no school-age children
How
frequently do you attend adult Sunday school (weeks per year)?
_10_ 0-10
_1_ 11-20
_11_ 21-30
_5_ 31-40 ___ 41-52
2. Are
you satisfied with the present curriculum?
Yes
No No opinion
_3_
_1_ _12_ preschoolers
_3_ ___
_12_ primary grade pupils
_1_
_1_ _12_ grades 4-6
_1_
_2_ _12_ junior &
senior high
_8_
_5_ _5_ adults
3. Adult
education: would you like to meet for
Yes
No No opinion
_6_ _5_ _5_ discussion
of social issues
_5_ _5_
_6_ review of informative books
_16_ ___
_4_ Bible study:
in the evening
_5_
_4_ _8_ prayer group:
in the evening
___
_2_ ___ other topics (please
give examples)
4. Please
rank 1-9 (1 being the most important) the following topics in order of
their importance
to you for
religious education. N.B.
I took the top four from each survey.
_3_ church history
_10_ ethics and morals
_3_ missions
_3_ social issues
_10_ family life
_20_ Bible
_17_ prayer
_17_worship
___ other
(please suggest topics): stewardship: the
use of Christian spiritual gifts and
talents: the prayer book
E. Missions
As members of St. Peter’s
we are currently involved in a number of outreach missions. We support
the
local food pantry, the
Heifer Project, the Shoebox Project, we help local families who are
short of
money to cover
necessities, and donate to various ministries through our ECW budget..
Are you satisfied
with our current level of
mission involvement?
_20_ adequate
_2_ need to do more
___ no opinion
If you marked “need to do
more,” what area(s) would you like to expand?
F. You and your rector
1. Listed
below are some pastoral responsibilities which a rector might be
expected to perform.
Please rate
the importance of each of these responsibilities.
Unimportant Important Very important
___ _16_
_7_ teaching/working with
children
___
_16_ _7_
teaching/working with youth
_1_ _13_ _14_
teaching/working with adults
_5_ _10_ _6_
visiting members in their homes
_1_ _5_
_19_ pastoral care in times of crisis
___ _12_ _3_
administrative ability
_3_ _14_
_5_ evangelical ability within community
_10_ _6_
_4_ social action
_8_ _8_
_4_ community affairs
_2_ _12_ _3_
teaching stewardship
_1_
_5_
_14_ preaching
_1_
_7_ _13_
liturgical ability
_12_ _6_ _2_
musical ability
___ _6_
_26_ spiritual guide/leader
___ _6_
_16_ theologian; knowledgeable in
scripture/theology
___ _8_
_14_ counseling people facing
problems or decisions
2. Other
qualifications that you as an individual would want to see in a priest?
good looks, pleasant personality
serves God before society
good, down to earth person who will become
part of our church family
3. Listed
below are some responsibilities which a layperson might share with the
rector. How much do you want shared?
None Small amount Large amount
_1_ _11_
_6_ pastoral care (e.g., visiting the sick)
_2_ _1_
_12_ Christian education/training
___ _7_
_11_ service to the community
_3_ _8_
_5_ work within the region / diocese
_3_
_10_ _3_
counseling
_4_ _7_
_4_ spiritual guidance
4. Other
responsibilities that you believe should be shared?
1.
program planning
2.
business meetings
3.
maintenance
4.
outreach for all ages
5.
Bible study
6.
parish commissions
G. Additional Comments
1. Are there
other current issues of concern to you?
1.
too much emphasis on areas
beyond our control
2.
type of church we will be in
the future
3.
trend of the diocese from
theology to sociology
4.
whether St. Peter’s should
remain diocese of Virginia
5.
whether or not our future
priest will be orthodox
6.
actions of the national Church
7.
no member of the search
committee has school-age children or is a member of the choir; search
committee should be independent of the vestry
8.
focus on the unfaithfulness of
others
9. TEC seems to be on the path
to hell and the Diocese of Virginia is along for the ride
2. What is your dream for
St. Peter’s?
-
continue to grow and still maintain our love and concern for one
another
-
continue to do God’s will, to be Bible-based Christian examples to
the world
-
remain focused on Jesus, God, Holy Spirit, and Bible
- stay
the same
- have
more young families
- grow
in service
- be
an orthodox, not necessarily Episcopal, church
-
build a new Parish Hall
-
restore the bell in its belfry
-
remain together regardless of national issues, and not be driven
from our church
-
develop more leaders/doers
-
join the Anglican District of Virginia
|
