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, and we respect and honor with gratitude the land itself, the legacy of the ancestors, and the life of the Rappahannock Tribe. Our mission statement is to do God’s Will in all that we do.

ECW

Summer Party for Youth and Children

What’s better than a party before school reopens!! St Peter’s Episcopal Church women welcomed a group of youth and children from Port Royal for lunch and games on Wednesday, August 9th. School starts next week.

This was the first summer event for Port Royal since the pandemic. In 2019, we had a program during June and part of July. Here is a link to an event in late July, 2019.

This year focused on pure entertainment. The children had fun playing various games. The giant bubble maker was a huge hit. Also, everyone guessed how many M&Ms were in a large container (1984 M&Ms!). The winner gave everyone else some M&Ms to take home.

Adults and children enjoyed eating pizza, watermelon, and grapes for lunch in the pavilion. All of the children got to take home a selection of books, thanks to Elizabeth and The Little Free Library program. Thanks to all who attended and all who worked to make this enjoyable time a success.

Thanks to the work of the ECW and planning by Andrea Pogue and Elizabeth Heimbach. Thanks in addition to Dave and Jean for helping out.

ECW Writing

The St Peter’s ECW met on November 27th to write cards to all St Peter’s friends and family who are scattered far and wide.  A wide selection of Christmas cards, tea and cookies made the morning a delightful time of fellowship for those who gathered.  Our long distance friends were with us in spirit.  Thanks to Elizabeth Heimbach for arranging this event, and for providing everything we needed for the morning’s pleasant work

Categories ECW

Giving Tuesday, 2022 results

The 2022 collection on Giving Tuesday of $1,175 exceeded teh 2021 total of $899. This should help to pay for 5-6 months of the Village Harvest in 2023. We serve about 190 people a month. Wonderful!

Also at the end November, the United Thank Offering collection was $484.73, rolling past November, 2021’s total of $268.87. The UTO is one of the oldest women’s ministry. Here is a short article on the UTO.

From a recent article in Episcopal News Network. “Practicing gratitude can be “a truly transformative thing,” UTO Board President Sherri Dietrich told ENS, since it helps people focus on what they have instead of what they might be lacking. “It just makes your life happier,” she said, and that can have an impact on others. “I really believe gratitude is one of those things that changes a circle of the world around you and can spread from there.”

Rev. Heather Melton, UTO staff officer called practicing gratitude “a healthy and important practice” and added that gratitude is sorely needed today. “We live in a time where people feel disconnected. Gratitude is one way to notice not only the thing someone is doing for you but also the connection we have with that person. Gratitude is a reminder that we need each other, from the person who makes your coffee to your best friend.”

Thanks to all who contributed!

ECW Donations, 2022

The ECW met in Early October to decide the distribution of their earnings from the Village Dinners. $2,550 was distributed almost evenly between domestic and international charities. It was slightly lower than $3,000 a year ago. However, some funds were held back for other ministries, such as the altar guild and fellowship.

  Domestic  
 
Donation Amount Description
St. Peter’s Discretionary Fund   300 Fund to help local residents pay utility bills, rent, etc
Village Harvest Food Distribution   250 St Peter’s Food Distribution
Healthy Harvest Food Bank   250 Source for food for St. Peter’s Food distribuion
St. Andrew’s School in Richmond   250 School in Richmond, VA providing quality education for children in low income families
Micah Ecumenical Ministries (in honor of the Rev Thomas Hughes)   250 Churches in Fredericksburg established Micah our churches care for the whole person through ministries that address basic needs, health care, housing, income and the social/spiritual.
Total Domestic   1,300
International
Donation Amount Description
Five Talents   250 Transforming lives around the world through Christian economic development
Heifer International   250 Ending hunger and poverty around the world, by providing livestock and training to families
Episcopal Relief and Development   250 Working with partners around the world to alleviate hunger, create economic opportunities, respond to disasters, promote health, and strengthen communities.
Victoria All Age School in Jamaica   250 School visited in 2022 with support for Increased access to technology for the students.
Rev Luis Garcia   250 Priest in the Dominican Republic, to support his ministry in the several churches that he serves.
Total International   1,250  
     
Total 2022 Donations   2,550  

Honoring Women’s leadership on International Women’s Day

March 8 is International Women’s Day/ https://www.internationalwomensday.com “Celebrating women’s achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key.” “Collective action and shared ownership for driving gender parity is what makes International Women’s Day impactful.”

Let’s call out the achievements of women at St. Peter’s:

At St. Peter’s our key ministries are led by women. Andrea Pogue (Village Dinner, Village Harvest, Shred It, Sacred Ground, Jamaica mission), Cookie Davis (Buildings and Grounds, Sacred Ground as well as her work with historic Port Royal), Susan Linne von Berg (Village Dinner), Elizabeth Heimbach (ECW). BJ Anderson (Altar – Communion Bread), Jan Saylor (the above and anything creative), Denise Gregory (music) and Mary Peterman(music,art). One other lady to cite – Eunice Key who has moved to SC but who worked in most of the above ministries and named the Village Harvest and is in the collage. Diligent, hard working with abundant initiative to go along with it. Without them there would be a big gap.