Photos

St. Peter’s was the scene of the Historic Port Royal July 4, 2019 observation.

Many parishioners were involved. Cookie Davis, the President of Historic Port Royal opened the event. Nancy Long and Thom Guthrie helped with the music, Mike read the Declaration, Marilyn presented 2 harpists. Johnny Davis along Charles McGuire, Eunice Key, Andrea Pogue sold concessions.

The videos show many of the above events. You can see part of what we saw and experienced.

1. Music – Clan McLeod Pipes and Drums, Harpists inside St. Peter’s
2. Dr. Franklin – tells us about the Second Continental Congress and events leading to July 4 as well as differing viewpoints of the Revolution. Independence leads to strength
3. Mike Newman’s reading of the Declaration of Independence.
4. Martha Washington – describes womens’ sacrifices and support for the Revolution.
5. Jamestown colonists – Two members from Historic Williamsburg described the role of clothing in daily life. The surprising role of wool!
6. Other revolutionaries – Fielding Lewis, George Mason
7. The organization of Historic Port Royal with Cookie Davis as the president.

This was our first separate backpack service, a chance for a more informal service in the late afternoon before school begins the next day. We had one family with 4 eager children ready to go back to school. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon with mild temperatures for Aug. 11

Everyone showed off their new backpacks with all the gear. The service was a shortened communion service with a reading from Deuteronomy, Chapter 6, Verses 4-8 and Luke Chapter 2, Verses 41-52, Jesus as a studenr

St. Peter’s was invited to walk with Shiloh in this year’s MS Walk in Port Royal. The event is named after Laura Dobbins who passed away after enduring 25 years of multiple sclerosis. The National Multiple Sclerosis defines the disease -“Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain, and between the brain and body. The cause of MS is still unknown. Scientists believe that a combination of environmental and genetic factors contribute to the risk of developing MS.

Walking at Shiloh were Cookie and Johnny Davis, Nancy Long, Helmut Linne von Berg, Catherine and Ben Hicks. Elizabeth Heimbach provided refreshments at the half way point at St. Peter’s. The path took us around Port Royal twice and then around the village square – 3+ miles.

At the Easter sunrise service in 2018 we pledged closer relations among all 3 Port Royal churches. A year ago we had a security seminar at the Fire Hall. We have marched with Shiloh for the MS Walk in that year and now 2019.

The day was refreshing, mostly overcast with 30-40 walkers Shiloh registered the walkers, provided opening and closing prayers and refreshments at the end, including drinks, bars and fruit. It is a good cause which made over $880.

We were cheered on by the “Shiloh Cheering Squad.”

From Palm Sunday to Easter, 2019 we held 5 services. The services varied as well as mood – Psalm Sunday with the procession, the darkness and shadows of Tenebrae, the communal footwashing of Maundy Thursday, the musical meditation and tapers of Good Friday and then the wonderful attendance of Easter day. We also participated in the Port Royal Sunrise service on Sunday morning. Yes, we did walk with Jesus in his suffering and hardships and then sharing and proclaiming the resurrection.

To conclude our 2 month First Corinthians study we planned an agape meal. We had 10 people in attendance.

The agape meal is known as a Lovefeast and was originally part of the Eucharist in the early church but split off by 250AD. These foods are typical of the food that would have been eaten by the Corinthians and we had them today -Grapes, dried fruit of various sorts, dates, olives, green peas and basil, hummus, pita bread, lentils, mint, goat cheese.

Bishop Ihloff our newest Bishop in the Diocese of Virginia came for a bishop visitation and graciously agreed to play Paul and to entertain our questions during the meal:

Saturday, March 23 was a busy day around St Peter’s. Robert Bryan put together the new composter. Travis cut the grass. Eunice and Roger Key removed a truckload of plastic bags from the basement of the parish house to deliver to Trex for the bench that Trex will be making for us.

Elizabeth and Jim Heimbach and Catherine Hicks held a cooking class for a few children in the parish house kitchen. Anya, Amya, 8 year old twins, and their brother. Dae’Vionn, age 11, sliced vegetables and prepared a small salad with the help of Elizabeth.

Catherine helped the children make brownies and crescent rolls. Jim showed each child how to crack eggs open and helped each person prepare his or her own omelet. Raoul and Claudia Villa also joined in on the cooking adventure. After cooking all of the food, everyone ate. And then, we all cleaned up the dishes and the kitchen.

The experimental Spanish Bible study for Lent began March 15 from 6pm-8pm. We had 4 Spanish speakers (two from Mexico, two from Guatemala) and 6 English. Elizabeth was the cook and Cookie brought Spanish materials from Luis in the Dominican Republic

After a dinner of two soups (chicken noodle vegetable,greens, humis and brownies) we adjourned to the library for class.

TryTank from Virginia Theological Seminary provided the study which concentrated on the lectionary for Sunday. The sermon on Luke 13:31-35 was online from the Rev. Nancy Frausto.

Claudia from Bowling Green is assisting Catherine in this course and led the service. The Reverend Nancy Frausto provided the sermon online. She is the Associate Rector at Luke’s Episcopal in Long Beach, a founding member of the Diocese of Los Angeles Sanctuary Task Force and a Dreamer (DACA recipient). The sermon in Spanish is here and was in Spanish.

After the sermon there were several questions directed at both English and Spanish speakers, one being, “How we expressed the love of God this week?”

All agreed they would like to continue and attract others, both English and Spanish speakers.

Video is of signs of early spring, the cross and light and shadow within the church.

The music is a verse from “Open your ears, O faithful people” by Willard F. Jabusch, b. 1930 using a Hasidic melody and sung today. Jabusch was educated as a Catholic priest and wrote some 80 hymns and 40 tunes. The music is YISRAEL V’ORAITA (Torah Song). This hymn fits in with the Old Testmane from Nehemiah when Ezra, the priest, read aloud the “book of the law of Moses” (v. 1).

We had 12 hearty souls for the 7pm Epiphany service. The service began in darkness as the Magi approached the manger with a selection from the beginning of the Isaiah 60 reading, followed by words from the priest imploring God to “enfold us with the radiance of this light” so the Holy Spirit would “shine into our hearts.” The candles were lit and another reading mentioning the “leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth.”

From the National Cathedral service, 2017

Although the exact origins of Memorial Day are disputed, the first observance of Memorial Day is thought to have taken place in April 1865, when a group of former slaves gathered at a Charleston, SC horse track turned Confederate prison where more than 250 Union soldiers had died. The bodies of soldiers buried in a mass grave were reinterred in individual graves on the site. On May 1, 1865, some 10,000 black Charleston residents, white missionaries, teachers, schoolchildren and Union troops marched around the Planters’ Race Course, singing and carrying armfuls of roses.