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.

Season of Creation 2023 – a retrospective

The image shows the challenges and work to improve the environment in the darker areas with the light areas, the work we are doing now and a promise for the future.

We did fewer projects and concentrated on the beauty of creation and the need for renewal.  The Season of Creation was present in these areas:

  1. Five Sundays readings in the Season of Creation and highlighted a specific environmental area which we covered weekly.- Earth, water, energy, food (waste), deforestation. Link
  1. We began a new Christian Ed for Children ages 5-9 and they covered water

  2. The services during the month had the following different sections

The Profession of Faith is from Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Research Institute (a seminary in South India), adapted by Keld B. Hansen, 2009, as provided in “Listen to the Voice of Creation,” Season of Creation Celebration Guide 2022, 33. 

The Prayers of the People  Phina Borgeson (Deacon of the Diocese of North Carolina), “A Litany for the Earth,” adapted as published in “Holy Earth, Holy People.”  The closing collect for the Prayers of the People is by Anne Rowthorn from God’s Good Earth. 

The peace

Peace with yourself.

Peace with Creation.

Peace with one another.

The peace of Christ be always with you.

The Eucharistic Prayer is adapted by Nina Ranadive Pooley from sources including: Eucharistic Prayer One, Season of Creation Two, the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (as published online by Green Anglicans, Anglican Church of Southern Africa Environmental Network) and a Creation-specific Eucharistic Prayer in Sam Wells and Abigail Kocher, Eucharistic Prayers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing, 2016). Used with permission.

Post communion Prayer 3 from Lenni Lenape Algonkian Iroquoian Council, Diocese of Huron (Huron LAIC), 2001, as published in “Worship in the Vision of New Agape – A Collection of Resources” (Anglican Church of Canada, 2004), 44.

  1. Sermons interwove season of creation with new life part of two sermons on forgiveness
  1. The Cool Congregations program was described in the Sept newsletter
    2. Interfaith Power and Life (IPL )has a Cool Congregations initiative. A congregation works to cut its carbon footprint by at least 10%. Four levels of recognition are available, for 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% carbon footprint reduction.

    St Peter’s could work to establish a baseline of energy use and then set a goal of achieving a 10% reduction in emissions. Energy use includes the amount of fuel used to heat, cool, and power buildings, plus water, waste, and recycling.

    Each congregation receives a paper certificate, a listing on the IPL website, an inclusion in the US Green Building Council’s Green and the pride knowing we are taking steps to reduce our carbon emissions at St Peter’s.