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.

Coming up – the Solstice on June 21

In 2022, the June solstice occurs on Tuesday, June 21, marking the astronomical first day of summer sy 5:14am

This solstice marks the official beginning of summer in the Northern Hemisphere, occurring when Earth arrives at the point in its orbit where the North Pole is at its maximum tilt (about 23.5 degrees) toward the Sun, resulting in the longest day and shortest night of the calendar year. (By longest “day,” we mean the longest period of sunlight hours.)

In Fredericksburg we will have 14h 49 minutes of daylight from 5:48am to 8:38pm

Village Dinner, June 8

June menu was Fry chicken, macaroni salad, roasted veggies ( broccoli, carrots and asparagus) toss salad and  biscuits, of course dessert.

Introduction to the Trinity – what it is and what it is not

The core belief

The doctrine of the Trinity is the Christian belief that there is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Other ways of referring to the Trinity are the Triune God and the Three-in-One.

The Trinity is a controversial doctrine; many Christians admit they don’t understand it, while many more Christians don’t understand it but think they do.

In fact, although they’d be horrified to hear it, many Christians sometimes behave as if they believe in three Gods and at other times as if they believe in one.

Trinity Sunday, which falls on the first Sunday after Pentecost, is one of the few feasts in the Christian calendar that celebrate a doctrine rather than an event.

A fundamental doctrine

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most difficult ideas in Christianity, but it’s fundamental to Christians because it:

 -states what Christians believe God is like and who he is 

 -plays a central part in Christians’ worship of an “unobjectifiable and incomprehensible God” 

 -emphasises that God is very different from human beings 

 -reflects the ways Christians believe God encounters them is a central element of Christian identity 

 -teaches Christians vital truths about relationship and community 

 -reveals that God can be seen only as a spiritual experience whose mystery inspires awe and cannot be understood logically  

Unpacking the doctrine

The idea that there is One God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit means:

-There is exactly one God  

 -The Father is God  
 -The Son is God  
 -The Holy Spirit is God  
 -The Father is not the Son  
 -The Son is not the Holy Spirit  
 -The Father is not the Holy Spirit  

An alternate way of explaining it is:

There is exactly one God

There are three really distinct Persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Each of the Persons is God

Common mistakes

The Trinity is not

 -Three individuals who together make one God  

 -Three Gods joined together  

 -Three properties of God 

BBC’s Trinity Page

Videos, Pentecost June 5, 2022

01_Hymn Come Thou Fount

02 Hymn There’s a Sweet Sweet Spirit

03_Hymn Spirit of the Living God – small selection

04_Pentecost Reading from Acts

05_Gospel

06 Sermon – Tom Hughes

07_Prayers of the People

08_Extinguish Pascal Candle

09_Offertory, Choir -Love Divine

10_Pentecost Eucharistic prayer

11_Lords Prayer in German and English

12_In remembrance of me (small selection)

13_Hymn – O let the son of God enfold you

14-The Blessing

Sacred Ground Scholarships

The Sacred Ground group was formed in 2020 to watch and discuss Sacred Ground: A Film Based Dialogue Series on Race and Faith in 2020. The 10 week study session was created by the Episcopal Church to explore the roots of racial conflict in the United States through the effects of race and racism throughout American history. It also explored the impact of economic class, family background, and racial identity on different communities.

Before each meeting, the group watched videos online and read assignments from several books including White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo, Waking Up White by Debby Irving, and Jesus and the Disinherited by Howard Thurman. Catherine led our group, which included people from St. Peter’s, as well as several from neighboring churches. Members of the group shared their own experiences, and we all learned a lot.

In 2021 the group continued learning by reading Caste: The Origins of our Discontents, by Isabel Wilkerson, The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How we Can Prosper Together, by Heather McGee, and All that She Carried: The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake, by Tiya Miles.

We have been talking recently about ways that St. Peter’s can become part of what Bishop Curry calls the Beloved Community. The group asked the Vestry to provide $500 to establish a scholarship allowing a Caroline County minority student to pay for education after high school. The $500 grew to $10,100 this year due to the donations of generous parishioners. The group then decided to distribute two scholarships and retain funds for the future .

Thanks to all of contributors who with the members of Sacred Ground made the scholarships a reality.