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.

2023 Sun Oct 8

More about the Sacred Ground Group

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.

After completing the series, the group has continued reading various books to learn more about the impact of racism in the United States.  The group is currently reading  How we can win:  Race, History and Changing the Money Game that’s Rigged, by Kimberly Jones. 

The group has also set up a Sacred Ground Scholarship, a fund available to Black and Native American students,  as a way to combat the historical inequities in education caused by racism. 

In 2022, two young women from Caroline County High School received scholarships to attend Germanna Community College.  For the coming year, the group will be working with Germanna to help students who want to enter the various trade trainings, but do not have the downpayments to get started.  The cost for getting educated for a specific trade can be anywhere from $500 to $800.  Some of the programs have higher costs.  The group hopes to help several students during the school year. 

The group also hopes to visit the  Patawomeck Museum and Cultural Center in Stafford, which has recently opened.  This visit may take place in November. 

Consider joining the St Peter’s Sacred Ground Group.  All are welcome!

Lectionary, Pentecost 19, Proper 22, Year A

I.Theme –   Look carefully at the vineyard you are cultivating!

 "Vineyards with view of Auvers" – Van Gogh (1890)

The lectionary readings are here or individually:

Old Testament – Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm – Psalm 80:7-14 Page 703, BCP
Epistle –Philippians 3:4b-14
Gospel – Matthew 21:33-46

The main motif in 3 of the 4 readings is about the vineyard which beginning in the Old Testament refers to Israel and by the Gospel to those tending it. Corruption is evident in Israel in the 8th Century BC and in 30AD with Christ. In Christ time the vineyard represents all places where we have been called by God to produce the fruits of the kingdom.  The real villains move from Israel as a country to specific groups cited by Matthew.

Read more

Gospel Reflection – Matthew 21:43

Rev. Winnie Varghese

 “The kingdom of God will be taken away from you.”

— Matthew 21:43

"When I hear these words about tenant farmers, stewards, scheming to get more than their fair, legal share, I can’t help but think of sharecroppers, serfs, peasants, landless laborers, migrants on every continent through the ages, wondering what it might take to create some security and stability in their lives. Surely the first people who heard this story were more likely to be like the tenants than a landowner. 

"Where is the kingdom of God in that? And what is this kingdom of God that we have already that can be taken from us?

"In this reading from Matthew, and in all of the readings, it is clear that there is a law and also a parallel or critique, a law from the tradition, that is the way of the kingdom of God, the world as God intends it.

"What does the Bible tell us are the attributes of a society living within a vision of God’s justice? 

"In your context, does the law support you if you wish to live within that vision?

"The virtues of the reign of God’s justice, the world as God intends it to be, are clear in the Hebrew Scripture: The love and awe of God are illustrated by a just society. A just society has God at the center. A just society is marked by law that enshrine fairness toward one another; compassion and generosity to those who cannot fend for themselves; and right stewardship of the earth.

"These are clearly difficult values to apply in real living. In 2017, as in the time of the Hebrew prophets, we can feel like wackos at the gates of the palace as we try to proclaim these values. 

"As Christians, living as though the law of God is the law of our hearts is the work of our lives. We listen and bring the breadth of our experience to these texts, and we are convicted by them. "

Recent Articles, Sun. Oct. 8, 2023

Pentecost 19, Oct. 8, 2023
Lectionary for Pentecost 19
Commentary Oct. 8
Vanderbilt visual commentary
Gospel reflection
Stewardship Commentary

Meyer Gallery trip for Sacred Ground
More about Sacred Ground

Stewardship 2024
To be a Church Rooted in Love
Planning your financial giving
Options for estimating your giving
Ministry Connections

About Stewardship
5 Principles of Stewardship
Stewardship is…
Stewardship FAQ

2024 Planning
Walk in Love planning help

Goodbye, our faithful friend

As most of you know, during September, the Vestry had to make the hard decision to remove our old pear tree behind the parish house. This tree has amazed us through the years by continuing to stand despite a long and ominous crack, and a large hollow in the trunk. The tree had a habit of blooming at odd times of the year. The pear tree’s fruit varied from inedible for all but the yellow jackets and the groundhogs and then this year, a delicious harvest for all.

The pear tree was probably planted by the wife of Rev Ware, who served at St Peter’s from 1888 to 1918. She planted an orchard of fruit trees on the church property. This pear tree was probably the last member of her fruit tree orchard, connecting us to the faithful witness of past St Peter’s members.

Our large sycamore tree now stands as a sentinel with no branches. The branches that remained after the freak storm at the end of July did not have enough support from the tree trunk to safely remain on the tree. The sycamore tree will probably bush out in the spring with small branches and leaves. Meanwhile, it too provides a witness to our past.

Gallery of both trees

(full size gallery)