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.

Rev. Tom Hughes Sermon Summary, All Saints, Nov. 5, 2023

We are not yet what we shall be. That’s one of Tom’s favorite Bible phrase

“Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed.”
1 John 3:2

What happens along the way when you are transformed and you become saintly? You are set apart by God. To be transformed in God, you are beyond the law and beyond history. You are unique from any other creature from anyone who has ever been.

That’s what we want to be though we can be side-tracked. We don’t live by the standards of other people but live by what we learn from God.

To be this complete person we have to be honest with ourselves and God, open and without self-deception and that’s why we confess our sins. We need to be free of those things.

We are not controlled by things of this earth. To have our direction of how we live in this world come from God. That’s what sets us apart. What we want to be is genuine, not fake open with ourselves and God.

You are blessed if you adhere to the Beatitudes

We need to open ourselves to God in our lives and let God take the wheel The extent in which we do that is how real or genuine we are. The light of God is shining through them.

Who are these people robed in white? They are robed in the Holy Spirit. We know that is what we should be

The vision is that we are in that parade right now. We know what we shall be, the very creature God meant for us to be. This is the best outcome on the time on this earth and for eternity.

Videos, All Saints Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023

1. Prelude – “For All the Saints”

2. Opening Hymn – “I sing a song of the saints of God”

3. Hymn of praise – “Ye watchers and holy one”

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Prayers of the People, All Saints, 2023

The Prayers of the People

We give you thanks for those we have known and loved in this lifetime who rejoice with us, but upon another shore and in a greater light, that multitude which no one can number, and with whom, in your son Jesus Christ, we are one.  

James Abourezk, (friend of Linda Kramer), John Anderson (brother of Jim Anderson), Susan Allen (friend of Linda Kramer),  Bethune Andrews  (sister of Linneth Feliciano), Ruby Barnes  (sister of Laura Carey), Mattie Beale (friend of Mary Peterman and Denise Gregory), Easton Buchanan (cousin of Andrea Pogue), John Thomas Carter (Barbara Wisdom’s stepfather), Roger Chartters (friend of the Segars), Pansy Cohen (relative of Andrea Pogue) , Herb Collins (friend of Cookie Davis and Port Royal), David Fannon, David Fitzgerald (son of Lydia O’Neil),  Lynn Garrett,  Edward Geraci, (brother of Marion Mahoney), Louise Gossett (friend of Catherine Hicks) , Taylor Hayden (member of Scout Troop 304), Joan Johnson (Andrea Pogue’s family) , Billy Long (Larry Saylor’s brother-in- law)  Bill McKnight (Chris Fisher’s uncle) , Nancy Newton Nolen (friend of Barabara Segar), Beverly Pauken (Mary Peterman’s sister), Sandra Smith, John Stoddard (friend of the Upshaws), Paris Swisher ( friend of Tom and Alice Hughes), Edith Taylor (friend of Cookie Davis), John Vartonklan, MD.,  Robert Walker, Jane Harrington Webber  (Linda Kramer’s aunt), Jeremiah Williams 

Tolling of the Bell 

“We Remember Them”- Sylvan Kamens & Rabbi Jack Riemer 

At the rising of the sun and at its going down; We remember them. 

At the blowing of the wind and in the chill of winter; We remember them. 

At the opening of the buds and in the rebirth of spring; We remember them. 

At the blueness of the skies and in the warmth of summer; We remember them. 

At the rustling of the leaves and in the beauty of the autumn; We remember them. 

At the beginning of the year and when it ends; We remember them.  

When we are weary and in need of strength; We remember them. 

When we are lost and sick at heart; We remember them. 

When we have decisions that are difficult to make; We remember them. 

When we have joy we long to share; We remember them. 

When we have achievements that are based on theirs; We remember them. 

For as long as we live, they too will live, for they are now a part of us as, we remember them. 

Loving God, you have bound us together in one communion and fellowship.  Grant to us, your whole Church in heaven and on earth, your light and your peace as we continue on in our pilgrimage in faith with one another and with Jesus, our companion and friend.  Amen. 

And now, let us pray for an end to all violence and for the desire to walk the way of Jesus, for if only we follow that path,  we will find God’s reign of love here, on this earth.  

Lord, make us instruments of your peace.  Where there is hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.  Grant that we may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love.  For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.  Amen. 

Summary of Diocesan Convention, Fri. Nov 5 from Andrea Pogue

The topic for Friday was “Closing the Gap between religion and life” How do we close it? It was led by Bishop Stevenson and guest speaker Dr. Catherine Meeks

They talked about reparations, racism, church declining numbers, and young people.

1 Reparations are not only associated with money but is about relationship with one another, acknowledging the wrong that was done, the struggles that we are still facing, haves and haves-nots which are for the most part due to the color of their skin.
2. Race. In the church, the community is diverse. One person spoke about their community as more than 50% Afro-Americans but only 17% in church. Are we not approachable? Is our faith keeping people away? Let’s do something about that.
3. Decline in church – Bishop Stevenson mentioned a church that had declined to 15 members, 4 -5 years ago. Now -5 years later they have 40 members in the church. That’s awesome!

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The Beatitudes


“Sermon on the Mount” – Carl Bloch

The Sermon on the Mount is the beginner’s guide to the kingdom of heaven according to Amy-Jill Levine’s book of the same topic.  

Matthew 5:1 tells us that the Sermon is not delivered to outsiders; it’s delivered to four disciples, insiders who have already left their homes and their families in order to follow this Galilean charismatic healer and teach. They could be considered “Jesus Greatest Hits, according to Levine.”<

Jesus begins with a series of nine statements called beatitudes, from the Latin term for “blessed.   /p>

Jesus’ words describe the life that believers are to live in relation to one another and to the world.

The Beatitudes, the Gospel for All Saints, Year A begin the Sermon in a manner similar to the way the Ten Commandments introduce the law, so that the analogy to Matthew’s mountain may well be Sinai, with Jesus re-presenting the law as the “New Moses.” There is an A/B pattern of characteristics of the believer with the reward they will receive:


Poor in spirit -> will receive the kingdom of heaven
Mourn -> will be comforted
Meek -> will inherit the earth
Hunger for righteousness –>will be filled
Merciful -> will receive mercy
Pure in heart-> will receive God
Peacemakers-> will see God
Persecuted -> theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Reviled -> will receive blessings

Levine’s book concentrates on the first 3 and summarizes the others:

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