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.

2024 Sun April 21

A Poem for Earth Day

“The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Village Harvest, April 2024 – “Low numbers, however they got a lot of nice stuff.”

April, 2024 brought 77 people to the Village Harvest. it was the 3rd lowest total over the year and is below March’s 90.  77 is also below the 6th-month average of 98. Our range over the 6 months has extended from 77 to 112 in December 2023.  A year ago in April, the total was 104.

Food sources were also lower at 1,242 pounds in April compared to 1,322 pounds last month. Like the client totals food was the 3rd  lowest in a year.  However, unlike with clients, April’s total was above the 12-month average. 1,242 pounds was above the 6th month average of 1,217.  A year ago in April 2023 pounds were higher at 1,365.   

The composition of food in April, 2024 was closer to other Aprils (except for April 2023) at 38% produce, 45%, and 17% meat. (Last year, April 2023, produce was significantly higher at 51% ).  Generally, grocery has been higher than produce by 10 percentage points at this time of the year

Pounds per person is a measure that tries to relate client and food trends. How much food did the typical client receive? Despite the totals being lower in both clients and pounds this month, pounds per person were at a 12-month high at 16.1.  The 6 months average is 13 as was a year ago in April, 2023.   Pounds per person was at the highest level since July 2023 at 16.75. As Elizabeth remarked “Low numbers, however they got a lot of nice stuff.”

St. Mark’s Day, April 25

John Mark is the author of the Gospel of Mark which we read in Year B. 

The painting was done in 1625 by Frans Hals, a Dutch painter, who painted portraits of all the Gospel writers.

Mark’s work was the first Gospel probably written in the 60’s AD. Gospel means “Good News” of Jesus Christ reflecting His life and work.  The Gospel says the Kingdom of God is at hand and brings new life, sanctification and hope to the world. It is also one of the Synoptic Gospels.  

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