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.

Photos

Rogation Sunday, May 22, 2022

Rogation” means “asking”. In the agrarian culture of yesterday, it was common for the church to gather on the Rogation Days to ask God to bless the crops being sown.

We would have asked Him to send rain and to bless us with a good harvest later in the year. A common feature of Rogation days in former times was the ceremony of beating the bounds, in which a procession of parishioners, led by the minister, churchwarden, and choirboys, would proceed around the boundary of their parish and pray for its protection in the forthcoming year.

Pentecost photo gallery, June 5, 2022

Thoughts on Pentecost from the National Gallery

Unless the eye catch fire,
The God will not be seen.
Unless the ear catch fire,
The God will not be heard.
Unless the tongue catch fire,
The God will not be named.
Unless the heart catch fire,
The God will not be loved.
Unless the mind catch fire,
The God will not be known.

Epiphany 4 – When things don’t go right!

Epiphany 4 – When things don’t go right!. Lots of upset people – H – an upset Jeremiah in the Old Testament, a discordant Corinthians community in Paul and finally Nazarenes who didn’t like Jesus message and were ready to cast him off to his death when he came back to his home town.
Thankfully we had a snow that would quiet discordant voices in Port Royal!

Christmas Eve service Dec. 24, 2021, “living in expectation of God’s unfolding purposes”

We were back in the church for this Christmas Eve after being on zoom exclusively a year earlier. Masks continued as the omicron variant of Covid19 swept the world. Some churches like the Washington Cathedral moved all of their services online. We held ours in the church but with masks required. We had 39, 36 in house and 3 on Zoom. The weather was moderate in the 50’s with partly cloudy to cloudy skies.

We had a new nativity scene outside with 3 figures – Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus

This year may be noted as as return of enhanced music. Since last year Larry Saylor was with us on guitar, and Mary Peterman is back on flute as well as Denise Gregory with her voice. The choir had a new energy and depth which was shown on the “In the Bleak Midwinter.” The choir contributed soloists – flute, guitar and violin. Later in the service, Helmut sang “Silent Night” accompanied by Larry on guitar which was the way it was performed in 1818 on guitar and vocal. Helmut sang the first verse in German and the congregation repeated the 1st verse in English along with the rest of the hymn. Certainly a highlight of the service!

Christmas Play, 2021 goes outside

Since the 1990’s the annual St. Peter’s Christmas Play was inside the Church, usually during Advent 4. The play has always involved much of the congregation. However, due to Covid, there was no 2020 play.

Let’s do something different! In 2021, the idea was to go outside in terms of location and marketing. We would invite the community and bring the meaning of Christmas to the world and schedule it in the evening outside. It would have two performances to attract a larger audience in the community. We also went outside the church for additional actors and actresses for an ecumenical flavor. We had a real Jesus born in 2021! The angels were not just children but adults as well. The music had to be mobile!

This was a more involved play with 6 scenes and locations, including the pavilion dedicated in 2021. With this complexity the play had to include more directions and location managers.