We are a small Episcopal Church on the banks of the Rappahannock in Port Royal, Virginia. We acknowledge that we gather on the traditional land of the first people of Port Royal, the Nandtaughtacund, who are still here, and we honor with gratitude the land itself and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do. We welcome all people to our church.
Photos from Sun, Sept 19 1. Inside the church with all the colors. 2. Flowers arranged by Cookie in memory of the mother of a parishioner 3. American Burnweed, a major part of the sermon 4. Larry Saylor playing the closing hymn – “Let There Be Peace on Earth” 5. Sunlight on our church steeple.
Sept. 26 – 11:00am, Eucharist In person in the church or on Zoom. – Join here at 10:45am for gathering – service starts at 11am Meeting ID: 869 9926 3545 Passcode: 889278
Sept. 26 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30pm for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID: 878 7167 9302 Passcode: 729195
Sept. 27 – 6:30am – Be Still Meditation group in a 20 minute time of prayer Meeting ID: 879 8071 6417 Passcode: 790929
Sept. 29 – 10am-12pm – Bible Study on Wednesday 10am-12pm!
Coming up Wed., Sept. 29 as part of the Season of Creation…
Sept. 30 – 7pm Sacred Ground book group.
All are invited to join this group as we begin a new book, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashely’s Sack, A Black Family Keepsake, by Tiya Miles. The book’s 
catalyst is a sack that has been on display in the African American history museum in DC. Its permanent home is in a plantation house museum in South Carolina. The sack is embroidered with these words. “My great grandmother Rose, mother of Ashley, gave her this sack when she was sold at age 9 in South Carolina. It held a tattered dress, three handfulls of pecans a braid of Rose’s hair. Told her It be filled with my love always. She never saw her again. Ashley is my grandmother. Ruth Middleton 1921.” This book deepens our knowledge of not only the history but also the emotional experiences of unfree persons and also reminds us of how possessions shape and define who we are. It has been nominated for a National Book award in non-fiction.
Miles combed South Carolina plantation records to find information about Rose and Ashley, and she weaves her findings into fascinating and informative stories.
We think of history as written from documents but this book Miles turns to objects and to art as equally important sources, assembling a chorus of women’s and families’ stories and critiquing the scant archives that for decades have overlooked so many. The contents of Ashley’s sack— a tattered dress, handfuls of pecans, a braid of hair, “my Love always”—are eloquent evidence of the lives these women lived. As she follows Ashley’s journey, Miles unpacks the bag, deepening its resonance and exploring the meanings and significance of everything it contains.
Oct. 3 – 11:00am, , Holy Eucharist, Pentecost 19
Oct. 3 – 7:00pm, Compline on Zoom – Join here at 6:30am for gathering – service starts at 7pm Meeting ID 834 7356 6532 Password 748475
Stewardship IS..
From the sermon, Sept 29, 2021, “Today, Elizabeth Heimbach is handing out your pledge cards for the coming year. The point of this yearly ritual is to give you the opportunity to let the Vestry know about the amount of money you hope to give for God’s work at St Peter’s in the coming year. A pledge is your best guess about what you can give for the work of this church—and your pledge can be changed at any time in the year if you find that you need to adjust it.
“The Vestry needs your pledge now to create next year’s budget. When I fill out my pledge card this year, I’m going to try to remember that all that I have is a gift—as Richard Rohr says, “It’s all a gift!” –and that I can share my financial gifts freely with not only St Peter’s, but with many other groups as well, the groups that are doing what I would consider to be God’s work out in the world.”
Stewardship is … Everything I do after I say, “I believe.”
ALL that we do, with ALL that we have, ALL the time.
We are stewards, caretakers of God’s gifts. Everything we have was a gift from God, and God asks us to use it all for God’s purposes. Generosity flows naturally out of our gratitude for the gift of love, family, and life itself.
Stewards promote the Shalom of the Kingdom: blessings of life, health, growth,
harmony, justice, abundance, fulfillment, joy, praise of God
In the church, we are stewards of the good news of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ.We are called to share that good news with new generations. But we live in a world where sharing that news is becoming ever more challenging. In order to share the good news, we need financial and other resources.
Our worries about stewardship tend to focus on money. But stewardship is all about mission. It’s those gifts which help St. Peter’s ministries thrive – food distribution and meals in our community, outreach to those in need, Christian education and fellowship for all.
Convince people that the church is doing God’s mission and that it will truly transform our lives and our communities … and each of us is an integral part of that mission … heart, mind and body … and the money will follow.
Stewardship is …
+ Sharing in God’s mission with a glad, generous and grateful heart.
+ Transforming lives in our community.
+ Prayerfully responding to God’s call.
+ A deeply spiritual matter.
+ Something that blesses the giver more than the receiver.
Stewardship is discipleship; it is a complete reorientation of our lives toward God, who calls us through Jesus Christ.
St. Michael and the Angels, Sept. 29
Michaelmas, or the Feast of Michael and All Angels, is celebrated on the 29th of September every year. As it falls near the equinox, the day is associated with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days; in England, it is one of the “quarter days”.
Traditionally, in the British Isles, a well fattened goose, fed on the stubble from the fields after the harvest, is eaten to protect against financial need in the family for the next year; and as the saying goes:
“Eat a goose on Michaelmas Day,
Want not for money all the year”.
Part of the reason goose is eaten is that it was said that when Queen Elizabeth I heard of the defeat of the Armada, she was dining on goose and resolved to eat it on Michaelmas Day.
On this day, we give thanks for the many ways in which God’s loving care watches over us, both directly and indirectly, and we are reminded that the richness and variety of God’s creation far exceeds our knowledge of it.
Lectionary, Oct. 3, 19th Sunday after Pentecost, Year B
I. Theme – Relationships
Cerezo Barredo – Mark 10:2-16
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
You may want to call this “relationship” Sunday- Man to Woman, God to Man Genesis is about the creation of women (“helper” who married and becomes “one flesh” and the Gospel when Jesus is questioned about divorce from the pharisees (yet another relationship). The Psalm is about the dominion of God but brings in Man. “God made humans “a little lower than God.” Well how much lower ? Sometimes we are really “low” but echoing Genesis we have dominion over the earth and there is assertion we are royal creatures. ” Hebrews considers a special Christian community and relationships to others. Christ is seen as the model who walked a difficult road with the realization of something greater lay ahead
Read more about the lectionary…
Goodside’s M.O.R.E. Model for Effective Climate Action – OFFSET
Season of Creation focus in 2021 – Your role in reducing climate change
“Fighting climate change needs to be our life’s work.” “We’re not going to fix this overnight. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, as they say-and that means we need to train for it. “
The above is from Goodside’s M.O.R.E. Model for Effective Climate Action, a short, concise book on climate change in our time. We will review this book in September weeks. M.O.R.E is measure, offset, reduce and educate. We covered Educate last week
“Our goal with this book is to arm you with the know-how to easily adopt lifestyle changes, habits and actions that will aid in your efforts against the climate crisis”.
Goodside’s M.O.R.E. Model for Effective Climate Action – REDUCE
Educate – Learn Everything you need to understand climate change
Measure – Measure Your Carbon Footprint (How to Do It, and Why It Matters)
Reduce – Reduce Your Carbon Footprint: 26 Ways to Live More Sustainably
Offset – Offset Your Carbon Emissions (Yes, It Really Makes a Difference)
Let’s take a look at Offset. Carbon offsets are projects to compensate for our carbon usage by reducing the equivalent emissions in other places.
Goodside-Offset-minCarbon offsets at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church
Hampton, VA
“At Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, we wanted to ‘do our part’ to care for creation. We chose to install solar panels and were able to have 100% of our electrical energy from solar power. While it was true there was a financial saving for the church, it wasn’t the only reason to move to solar. We wanted to make this the first step in actively becoming a partner with others in caring for our common home. The second year we partnered with farmers in Kenya to plant over 5,000 trees in a carbon offset program. This year we are supporting the Navajo Nation with filters to provide clean drinking water. These projects are defined and run by the local communities.” -Fr. John Grace, Pastor
Make a Gift Today! 2. Contact the Rev Catherine Hicks, Rector 4. Server Schedule Sept., 2021 5. Latest Newsletter-the Parish Post (Sept, 2021) 6. Calendar 9. Latest Sunday Bulletin (Sept. 26, 2021 11:00am), and Sermon (Sept. 26, 2021) 10. Recent Services: Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 15, Sept. 5, Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 16, Sept. 12, Readings and Prayers, Pentecost 16, Sept. 19, |
Block Print by Mike Newman
Projects
3-Minute Retreats invite you to take a short prayer break right at your computer. Spend some quiet time reflecting on a Scripture passage.
Knowing that not everyone prays at the same pace, you have control over the pace of the retreat. After each screen, a Continue button will appear. Click it when you are ready to move on. If you are new to online prayer, the basic timing of the screens will guide you through the experience.
Daily meditations in words and music.
Your daily prayer online, since 1999
“We invite you to make a ‘Sacred Space’ in your day, praying here and now, as you visit our website, with the help of scripture chosen every day and on-screen guidance.”
Saints of the Week, Sept. 26, 2021 – Oct. 3, 2021
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Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop, 1626 Wilson Carlile, Priest, 1942 |
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[Euphrosyne/Smaragdus of Alexandria], Monastic, 5th c. Thomas Traherne, Priest, 1674 |
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[Paula & Eustochium of Rome], Monastics & Scholars, 404 |
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29
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Saint Michael and All Angels |
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Jerome, Priest, and Scholar, 420 |
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[Therese of Lisieux], Monastic, 1898 Remigius, Bishop of Rheims, c. 530 |
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[John Raleigh Mott], Ecumenist & Missionary, 1955 |